3rd gen vs 4th gen Camaro...

But not for the reasons you think

I know a lot of people are into design on this forum, so let's try this a bit differently.

CLEARLY, the 4th gen Camaro is superior from a mechanical design standpoint in virtually everyway. But, I personally think the 3rd gen Camaro stands up well against the 4th gen Camaro in the looks department. So 80's!

If you were to get one, which would you choose based on looks? This is the one I'd be interested in (a 92 5.0L 5 speed Iroc). Only 130,000 supposed kms. I don't think I need to post a picture of a 4th gen, as they all look the same

That body moulding is way out of whack between the fender and door.

So probably an original, unmolested car.

Third gen cars are prettier, with worse build quality and slow motors, and I like them much better. To me a fourth gen car is a powertrain donor at best.

On paper, the 4th gen cars are better.

But communism works on paper, too.

As much as I appreciate the technical advantages of the 4th gen, the 3rd gen is the better looking car, by a mile!

Those overhangs... puke

I think the and 4th gen share wheel bases, the 4th has even longer overhangs.

yes the 4th is better on the track, but suffers from the 'can't see out of it' syndrome of many newer cars. also harder to work on under the hood. (not that a 3rd is easy unless it's a V6)

The 4th gen looks bloated unless you have just the right color and wheel combo (Red '97 Camaro SS for example) 3rd's almost always look good. The 91-92 Firebird Formula is may favorite.

3rd gen for me but I prefer the Firebird because pop up headlights.

Aren't the later 3rd gens stiffer because parts of the unibody are glued together, as the body dies became too worn for the spot welding robots?

Avoid T tops like the plague, they leak and are money to reseal.

I guess 3rd gen, only because second is not an option.

Eh, i could at least see an argument to be made on 3rd vs 4th gen looks, but have you SAT in a 3rd gen? It's a joke! I honestly feel that the interior of the 3rd is EVEN WORSE than the 4th gen.

To be honest, 4th gens have grown on me a LITTLE bit. But everything i learn about the 3rd gen just makes them worse and worse in my eyes.

I think part of the problem is that by the time i learned to drive, there just wasnt anything as gimmicky as a 3rd gen camaro that was in production or even recently discontinued. I think it's a real throwback to the low expectations of the early 80s and how the primary means of 'selling' the thing was its cartoonish proportions, seating position, view out over the hood, etc, and GM still hadn't fully grasped the way the wind was blowing as far as how differently cars were being put together by the manufacturers that were on the ball.. so they sold this thing for over a decade, that was basically a 70s car in an 80s wrapper. Anyway, i vote 4th gen

Other than the 98+ Ram air T/A's I have no desire to ever own a 4th gen. Now I will own another 3rd gen at some point. I could see out of it, even with the massive B pillars, was reasonably comfortable for extended rides. If going in knowing you need to improve things, the 3rd gen is better. Most if not all the good bits from the 4th gen cars bolt on with little or no modification. The overhangs take some getting used to, just don't let anyone else drive it.

3rd gen, although I want to think a 4th gen V6 convertible with a manual trans could be nice, with the 3800 and not the 3.4. I actually moved one in and out of a shop I worked in for a little while and found myself liking.

Third gen all day. Although I like the earlier Iroc-Z with the big lettering on the door and the black grills on the hood.

Firebird.

No, seriously. Each year Firebird is superior in looks to the same year Camaro. I can see them being maybe equal in 69 and the 3rd Gen, but that's it. All other years, I'd take the chicken on looks alone.

If you're stuck on Camaro's though, 3rd gen all the way. That blue IROC is gorgeous.

In reply to Javelin:

I dunno, the 1st gen Pontiacs look pretty dorky to me. The beak and four headlamp arrangement really looks badge-engineered on the cheap. End of the 4th gen, the hot Firebirds had a lot of gingerbread on them where as the Camaro SS is quite a bit cleaner, goofy grill insert not withstanding.

As long as it has a V8 and a manual you can't really go wrong with either generation. I got a Thirdgen Trans Am because I liked the body style since i was a lil kid, and it was super cheap. I've run quite a few AutoX events where I was just as fast as LT1 and LS1 f body's on street tires.

How much are they asking for it? Does it have TPI? Any mods?

pres589 wrote: 3rd gen, although I want to think a 4th gen V6 convertible with a manual trans could be nice, with the 3800 and not the 3.4. I actually moved one in and out of a shop I worked in for a little while and found myself liking.

Plus one. For some reason they have always appealed to me.

I'll be the first to say it. 3rd gens are ugly mullet-mobiles. The 4th gen looks better, but not by much.

The Camaro never had an easy transition between designs. I liked the 3rd gen Camaro, but really liked the Firebirds.

3800 > TPI

There is a lot of nice looking 3rd and 4th gen fbodies I've seen over the years, but I'll take my 2001 4th gen Camaro over that ugly blue one up there. Hate the raised spoiler. Don't understand the blind spot complaints. Maybe some of you should try looking over your shoulder, and not rely on the mirrors...I dunno. Been driving my Camaro for several years and blind spots are the least of my complaints. While I'm not crazy about 'em, my t-tops don't leak, and yes, working under the hood will try your patience. The interior is nothing to write home about, but I've been in far newer cars with equally bad or worse (miles of cheap plastic, horrible seats, etc) interiors.

Slippery wrote: Third gen all day. Although I like the earlier Iroc-Z with the big lettering on the door and the black grills on the hood.

Add louvres on the rear glass and I'm in.

driver109x wrote: 3rd gen for me but I prefer the Firebird because pop up headlights.

Me too, possibly because I watched too much Knight Rider when I was little.

I have driven both.. and I will say I -hated- being behind the wheel of the 4th Gen. I do not like feeling like I am lying down when driving (is that were ST: Next gen got the idea for their bridge seats?) and like said above.. you simply cannot see any of the car when driving.. which is probably a good thing. It was too much a lozinge to me.

The 3rd gen at least had interesting details