It’s your last chance to dance with an American performance car icon. Chevrolet may have discontinued production of the Camaro sport coupe in December of last year, but thanks to overproduction, new examples are still lingering on dealer lots months into the new year. If you’re looking for a specific flavor of Camaro, however, you might want to get your butt in gear because the most desirable ones are thin on the ground.
At the time of writing, there are only 1,044 new Camaros listed nationwide on Autotrader, and if each dealer with a Camaro only has one, roughly 36 percent of Chevrolet dealerships nationwide may have a Camaro in stock. Of course, it doesn’t quite swing that way, and to make matters more complicated, things get interesting when you try to break it down by powertrains and performance options.
Want a V8 of any description, be it a stripper-spec Camaro LT1, a Camaro SS, or a supercharged ZL1? Only 75 are currently listed on Autotrader. Want to pair that V8 with a manual gearbox? Only nine are currently listed for sale on the site, with none being the coveted supercharged ZL1 model.
Overall inventory numbers are lower over on Cars.com, but there are 11 manual V8 Camaros showing up as being in new inventory. However, according to Chevrolet’s website, things might be a little better than they seem, with 18 manual V8 Camaros being listed across the lower 48. Assuming Chevrolet’s number is accurate, 18 drivers are about to be exceptionally lucky.
If you want a new supercharged ZL1, there’s only one listed on Autotrader, and it’s an automatic convertible. While Cars.com lists three ZL1s including a coupe, a quick glance on the website of the dealer selling the coupe suggests it’s already gone. But don’t despair just yet: Chevrolet’s website shows three ZL1 coupes being available in the lower 48, with all three having manual gearboxes.
Perhaps you’re looking for what is arguably the sweet spot of the range, the SS 1LE. Well, Chevrolet’s website shows only four in stock in the lower 48, with three of those having manual gearboxes. Talk about rarity, right?
At this point, you might be wondering who will buy the last new Camaro in America? Well, there’s a chance we might not know for years. Don’t be surprised if a dealer somewhere has decided to hold onto an unregistered 2024 Camaro, keeping it technically new as a collector piece. After all, we’ve continued to see new Lexus LFAs and Dodge Vipers sell long after those models have been discontinued, and since the Camaro is such an icon in American car culture, why expect anything different?
One thing’s for certain — if you’ve ever wanted a new Camaro, the chase is on. Happy hunting and best of luck. This is likely your last chance to score a brand-new manual vehicle from Chevrolet, let alone a V8-powered manual rear-wheel-drive performance car. The times we live in sure are interesting.
(Photo credits: Chevrolet)
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The ATS coupe proved that this platform could underpin a refined vehicle with decent visibility. Too bad the CT4 doesn’t come as a coupe, I hear the backseat sucks anyway.
never liked them and Chevy will re-intro the Camaro in a Malibu body..
Good riddance.
There’s a bare-bones, V6 manual one nearby, listed at only $32k. For that money, a manual GTI or Civic Si is a lot more compelling. And the manual Integra is only a couple of grand more.
Have you heard the Camaro’s V6 though?
I would imagine that driving a modern Camaro is all about hearing, ‘cuz it sure isn’t about seeing.
People that want to see where they’re going will rejoice LOL
I mean COME ON, the new Camaro didn’t even have the CORE feature that defines the Camaro: T-TOPS!!!!!!!!! 😀
I Always wanted a brand new camaro ss.. or even a lightly used one but sadly never made enough income for one. This economy sucks i’m making more money than I ever imagined I would make but the cost of living is raising faster than i can get promotions and raises. Hit the 100k mark for the first time last year 10 years ago i was not even making half of that and inflation just said “that’s cute”. The Camaro SS being gone doesn’t just symbolize the passing of an American icon it symbolizes that the american dream is fucking dead. It’s not that “nobody wants a camaro” it’s just the true GM fans can’t afford them.
I had no idea a Camaro could be $97,000 until I read this article, what the hell?
I looked at the supply on cars.com and saw there are new “Yenko” Camaros. One for $179k. A few listed at $225k with no explanation, but at the same dealer, so I assume they are also “Yenko” cars.
The $179k one starts off as a $61k 2SS, so I’d love to see what constitutes $120k in upgrades.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/e41c1028-ebb0-4533-ab4c-26e7c02d272b/
100 is the new 60 and is a middle class wage in any major city.
They let this thing sit on the vine too long and never truly gave it a redesign. Would have loved to see it get another redesign that allowed the driver to see out of it. I know the answer is always money but I wish they could have kept it around to sell in small volumes.
when the 5th gen debuted it was basically the coolest car. it was the headliner car for transformers. 2016 was a redesign to a lighter weight chassis that kept most of it’s design. I don’t understand the concept of “the car needs a totally new look every 5 years to sell” mentality. Look at the charger and challenger they have changed almost nothing since 2008 and it still sold.
I guess I don’t mean a wholesale redesign. Just something that’s a bit easier to see out of because I do like the look of them now.
I still have my 5th gen and while it hasn’t got the best visibility, once you drive it for a little while, it’s really not a problem. My other car is a P2 Volvo v70 and it has FANTASTIC visibility. When I switch between them, it’s not a horrible experience, you learn to adjust and you’re ok.
The only time it really is a problem is when you park nose-in to an angled spot. Then you’re totally blind when it’s time to back out. I’ve since learned to avoid those if possible. I come upon them maybe a handful of times each year so it’s not really an issue.
I suppose I could stop being cheap and get a rear camera since mine did not come with one. It just isn’t a big enough issue to warrant buying and installing more stuff.
Sounds like the Camaro could use a 360 camera, I have one on my F150 and it’s a game changer. Gotta love Boomer Tech!
Of all the cars sold, you’d think sports cars with long hoods would at the very least get front sensors, let alone a front camera.
And yet, the Mustang still doesn’t offer either. Weird.
I saw one on the interstate last weekend and was reminded how gnarly they look. I love the Camaro in all forms, something about it makes me go vroom inside.
2016 is 8 years ago, while the 5th gen was designed nearly 20 years ago.
People complained about the Charger and Challenger only receiving minor facelifts too.
I’ve not driven one, but I’ve always thought that this car was awesome. Amazing dollar to performance value. I guess that’s always kind of been the point. It’s sad to see it go.
Looking at the prices listed here.
I guess they took the mullet discount off the table. Oh well…
Wait how long have they been trying to get over $90k for a ZL1? What the fuck?
As seen on Craigslist in 30 years:
“Low Miles Camero. 1 Of Less Then 1000 In This Build Spec. The Last American Built V8. $100,000 Firm. No Lo Ballers. I No Wat I Got.”
I have a 2021 Zl1, overkill, absolutely, but I very much dig it. At the time there was rebate as well as GM employee discount. Now seems their 75K+ for a regular one and zl1 collectors edition offf I’d get other stuff in the 100K+ range. It is sad to see it get killed, I usually buy a summer car and a few years later, I’m ready to move on – not this one. I’m a hold…
I have taken it MI to NC (tail of the dragon, skyway) several other longer roads trips, has seen track (drag, auto x, road course) a few times, weekend drives, and on occasion it’s my daily. In general it is a 50+ degree only car, I store 6 months out of the year and have a daily. As a daily I don’t think I’d like it, but as a summer car absolutely perfect. No issues, rattles, structure seems solid, magnetic ride can make it go from a touring ride to very firm track setting. I considered a ZL1 1LE but for the regular world, that ride is just too brutal and nervous, maybe if I wasn’t in the lunar surfaced roads or MI… Sweet spot all in value/performance to me is a SS 1LE or even the V6 or 4 1LE.
I got the ZL1 because I know this combo will never be made again… I did consider trading for a CT5 Blackwing, but the markups around here were 5-10k a couple of years back so just lost interest…
Nsane hits on a lot of the foibles that really do suck, visibility even with blind spot sensors, reverse cam, sensors, cross traffic is tricky at moments. No idea why it has no front camera or parking sensors, leap of faith parking with curbs. Ergo I’m used to it now, but some wacky stuff like cup holders, back seats (I’m too old for at nonsense) eh yeah kinda funny at face value. Trunk opening is more like a slot, that said it has ok space in the actual trunk ] for a trip.
I think GM could have really done something even better with a refresh, kinda like the Mustang did. But no, it’s dead, probably comes back as an EV in some form. I don’t think anything like this will ever exist, but maybe GM can do something different and just as sharp handling in an EV wrapper. I guess I can hope…
Cherish this camaro for the rest of your life man there will never be another car built like it.
Speaking of a dying breed, I saw you can get like $10k+ off a Challenger R/T or Scat Pack these days. For the R/T, it pushes it down into the high $30’s. Kind of tempting.
Sad, but don’t forget about the Blackwings. Same platform, manual, V6 or V8, rear-drive, with the added benefits of nicer interiors and the ability to actually see out of the windows.
I love the Blackwings, but to get a V8 basically requires $100,000.
The sub $40K LT1 Camaro was a screaming deal.
The LT1 is an amazing package. The only issue is that you’ll have to mod it if you want to track it…they don’t have as much cooling as the SS and have a tendency to overheat. If you’re just going to drive it on the street it doesn’t matter…but if you plan to take it to the track it’s worth it to spring for the SS. By the time you make an LT1 track worthy you’re at the price of an SS anyway.
Do you mean diff/trans coolers? It would be shocking to me if a NA sports car was sold with insufficient engine cooling, but I could see them cheaping out on the rest.
I mean, you can find a base V6 CT4 for $60K in theory, but my comment was specifically about the V8.
Fewer
It’s fewer, not less.
“Fewer than 1,300” not “less than 1,300”.
It’s because you can count them. Seems like you DID count them.
Grammar matters.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/fewer-vs-less
Still sad about the Camaro, though.
Less sad than if they killed the Mustang, of course. Seems fewer people want Camaros.
It’s certainly been that way over the long run. The Camaro has spurts where it outsells the Mustang, but that always ends fairly quickly, leaving the Mustang the sales winner. A more well-rounded package usually attracts more buyers, right?
But I too already miss the Camaro. I was kinda hoping it might have stuck around to go ’80s futuristic wedge again.
Does it REALLY in this case though? Like if you’re correcting a mistake of there/their/they’re or perhaps a lack of comma or other punctuation that leaves the interpretation of the words uncertain like the classic “let’s eat, grandma” vs “let’s eat grandma” example, sure.
But there are exactly 0.0 people out there who read this article title and thought “What? What does the author possibly mean mean?! I read this title and don’t understand how many Camaros are left in relation to the number 1,300 because I’m unable to comprehend what he could possibly mean by saying less than in reference to something with distinct countable units”
Some grammar is worth being a stickler about, but this isn’t one of those cases, it’s just an antiquated grammar rule that doesn’t really matter to anyone outside of an English classroom because anyone will immediately understand what is being conveyed whether less/fewer terminology is used
The meaning was there, but the grammatical error can be distracting.
Donner Party day 1- Let’s eat, Grandpa.
Donner Party day 100- Let’s eat Grandpa.
Yes, it *really does* matter. I LOVE AND ADORE The Autopian, and am a velour member. I believe in actual journalistic and grammatical standards because I care and want this site to be as wonderful as possible.
This is not Reddit. And I love Reddit and follow many subs there (r/justrolledintotheshop was my Reddit gateway drug…) but there are literally no standards there whatsoever. And that’s ok, too, for that platform.
But because The Autopian is better, and because I pay out of pocket each year to the cause, I expect better. Torch, Dave, Beau and the rest of the crew care enough to create and crate this content; I care enough to point out when it could be better.
I came here to make the same comment regarding the “less than” vs. “fewer than” thing. Sure, either one gets the point across, but only one of them is grammatically correct. I’ve come to expect better from this site.
Came here to say exactly that: fewer not less.
Almost surely the last naturally aspirated V8/manual transmission combo that will ever be sold by GM.
Sad times.
Buy one and enjoy it. The visibility is a small price to pay and most sports cars have similar issues.
While I’m all for our electric future, there are certain things about ICE performance cars that go beyond the numbers and as such, just can’t be duplicated – the Camaro is a great example of that, and I’ll always be glad to have been around for the gas era.
Not true. There are tons of new Camaros at Ford dealers. Just with Mustang badges for some reason…..
I’m seeing more of the ’24 Mustangs in the wild finally, and I’ve while gotten used to the creased-in rear end that I originally didn’t like (I now get it’s supposed to be a nod to the mid-’60s originals) the 3/4 rear view just screams Camaro. I can’t not see that now.
I was on the tollway a couple days ago a came across a Dark Horse, next to a last gen Mustang, next to a current gen Camaro. If you remove the badging and ignore the taillights, I’d be hard pressed to say the Dark Horse wasn’t the next gen Camaro.
I just had a Camaro for a week again. My stance remains unchanged-it’s one of the best driving experiences on sale today. I cannot overstate how good the alpha platform is. These things are a genuine treat to throw around on a twisty road and I’ve driven both a V6 and a V8 one in an antisocial manner and personally think that the limits are beyond what you’ll be able to find on a public road.
These are not muscle cars or pony cars…they are genuine sports cars that are worthy of respect and admiration, and what truly sucks is that everyone is going to come around to them long after they’re gone. We had no idea how good we had it, and there may never be as good of an accessible ICE sports car ever again. That’s not even hyperbole. They are THAT good.
That being said, I have one room temperature take on them and one thermonuclear take that I will now share.
1). They are as miserable to live with as they’re cracked up to be. The visibility is so bad that I’m shocked it made it to production like it did. You have absolutely mammoth blind spots over both of your shoulders. This may not sound like an issue, but in practice it is. Last week I had to slam on the brakes while trying to turn multiple times because I just straight up couldn’t see people until the last second.
This also makes lane changing a real headache. For god knows what reason, blind spot monitoring is locked deep behind a paywall and most examples don’t have it. You need to double and triple head check before changing lanes on the highway because entire cars can easily fit in your blind spots. If you’re going to try to daily one in a busy area then monitoring and the optional rear view camera are mandatory.
The trunk opening is also hilariously small, the things have a footprint similar to a damn 4Runner, and the back seats cannot be inhabited by humans…at the end of the day, all of these are why this brilliant car will wind up being a tragic footnote. GM put everything they had into making them drive incredibly and look cool. Unfortunately, they’re basically as impractical and hard to live with as a supercar as a result.
Whether or not that’s worth it is up to you. I personally would never daily one, but I would absolutely love to have one solely as a weekend and track car. If you can make one work as a daily then more power to you. I can’t.
2). The V6 is the sweet spot if you’re never going to track it. I said it and I mean it. The LT1 V8 is an absolute gem but it’s way, way more power than you can use on the street and puts a boat anchor on top of the front wheels.
The V6 is lighter, which makes the chassis feel more playful. It also gets shockingly good fuel economy in practice and takes regular. You can ring it out all day every day without losing your license, and guess what? It sounds incredible.
…seriously. Go YouTube some clips of a stock V6 Camaro. Is it as throaty and menacing as the V8? Of course not, but it sounds better than about 90% of cars on sale today. It’s that good. At full send it sounds like an exotic. You’ll also get much cheaper insurance rates on it.
I will die on this hill. The V6 is brilliant, much cheaper to own and run, and enough for 95% of people. For a dedicated track car of course I’d rather have the V8, but for something to enjoy on the streets? I’ll take the V6, thank you.
I really love this car to death and wish I could somehow make one work as my daily, but I can’t. I’m hoping to double back to one as a weekend car in a few years. It’ll be this or a Miata/Toyobaru, and these things handle so goddamn well that they’re not as different as you might think.
Not only made it into production with as many massive practicality faults as it had, but did so twice with most of them just being made worse the second time. I adored my ATS V6 coupe and if it was a manual I would have kept it to this day; and the Camaro is supposedly even better of a driving car than that. I absolutely would not trade the ATS’ overwhelming practicality advantage, with its huge trunk with split folding seats and 33 mpg highway and actual windows you can see out of, to get that extra, what? 5% better driving experience, mostly only felt on a track day?
I get it. There’s a reason why I’m hoping for a Blackwing as my next car rather than a Camaro. If you actually want to daily your American sports car a Mustang or Challenger is a much better bet.
…but do they drive or perform as well? Nope. It’s such a damn shame that these are as hard to live with as they are. Typical GM…make something brilliant, completely bork the fine details, kill it off, rinse, repeat.
I used to have a 2019 Riverside Blue Camaro LS with the 2.0 liter turbo LTG engine and the 6-speed manual. While it wasn’t as powerful as the V6 or V8 models (or even Mustangs for that matter) that Alpha platform really proved its worth on chicanes,S curves and numerous hairpins. It was truly a lot of car for the money and handled like it was rails. Just “point and shoot”! In a sense the car was an American equivalent to a Nissan Silvia/240 SX. For me visibility wasn’t that bad.
If mine hadn’t BBQ’d itself I’d still be driving it!
As in caught on fire?
Tell the tale, please
In 2021 my Camaro caught fire after one of pistons (and its corresponding connecting rod) caused the engine to commit seppuku-punching a hole in the block. Shrapnel from said connecting rod punctured the fuel rail,causing a flash fire to erupt under the hood which ultimately,gutted the front end of the car.At the time the car only had 4500 miles on the odometer (purchased brand new in 2019 so it had very low miles on the clock).
Insurance totaled it(for obvious reasons)
Couldn’t find a replacement Camaro in my price range(most of the Camaros in my area were V8s and prohibitively expensive)so I ended up getting a 2022 Elantra N Line with a 6-speed manual
I think that V6 v V8 argument is common for many cars now. For many performance / sportscars the mid or higher engine options are stupidly powerful that simply become unenjoyable in the open road.
I used to drive a BMW M140i, and it had more power / performance than anyone could ever need.
The V6 is rated at 335 horsepower. My ass dyno tells me that’s conservative. People hit 60 in the high 4s with the 10 speed and it’s enough power to spin the tires/get into tail out shenanigans. If you can’t have fun with that then I’m not sure what to tell you. 10 years ago that was basically 911 level performance.
Edit: it also revs out to 7,000, which is impressive in this era.
At this point, I still think 6/7 second cars are pretty fast/fun. 5 second cars are fast. 4 second cars are damn fast. For a daily, that feels like more than enough speed for most drivers to enjoy themselves.
Your Camaro commentary makes me want to try one out. We had a 2016 ATS 2.0T for a month (loaner) and we loved it. It was on our shortlist when I was buying recently. Still might get one for my girlfriend but the tech feels a bit dated now.
I agree with your points about the livability. I feel the same way about the Challenger – looks neat, but wouldn’t want to live with it daily. Each time I have gotten a Challenger or Camaro as a rental, I’m initially excited until I realize I am going to suffer for the duration of my trip. The Camaro handles great, but is horribly inefficient at space utilization and has blind spots so big I still refuse to believe the back and side windows are made of a transparent material.
As someone who daily drove multiple F-bodies in the 90s and early 2000s, the 5th and 6th gen Camaros were big letdowns in the “I can use it as my only vehicle” department. Great on the track, but not so much anywhere else.
I love the v8 in the Camaro but I have to agree that v6 is amazing too. People hate on the 3.6 because it had some issues when it was introduced, but it was fixed by 2012. I think the GM 3.6 is one of the best v6 engines of the 2000s. Only other competition is Honda. It revs, sounds mean, makes 300 horsepower or more in every single application. and the later ones are very reliable. I will stand by the 3.6 no matter what the haters say. (Was in the traverse, Colorado, impala, equinox, Malibu, and every single equivalent of every other GM division. Camaro and Cadillac got the high output version).
I felt the same way about the I-4 turbo Mustang I rented a few years back. “This is all the power I need (and then some) and really it’s all the power I even want.”
ZL1s are almost a hundred grand? Holy crap.
When they’re loaded with stupid carbon fiber nonsense and other dealer bullshit then yes. Last I checked they technically start in the high 60s/low 70s. You can find decent used ones in the 50s and it’s a simply absurd amount of car for that price.
I would buy one in a heartbeat if I had he money… Especially since the 2025 Camaro is an SUV!
I thought you were joking, but you’re not!
The Mustang Mach E and the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross welcome the newest member to their name recognition club.
It’s CINO.
Camaro, In, Name, Only.