Zombie cars are incredibly interesting to me. The term, which refers to out-of-production vehicles that sit on dealer lots unsold for months or years, gained popularity online after enthusiasts kept discovering brand-new, undriven Lexus LFAs and Vipers for sale at dealerships several years after their respective manufacturers ended production.
The zombie car of the moment? The Chevrolet Camaro. It’s been out of production for nearly two years, yet new-old stock has lingered at dealers across the nation since. According to my research, the Camaro’s zombie-car status is about to come to an end.
The End Of An Era
Source: Chevrolet
The last Chevrolet Camaro—a ZL1 with a six-speed manual—rolled off its assembly line in Lansing, Michigan on December 14th, 2023. Years of faltering sales, led by the buying public’s shrinking desire for all vehicles not shaped like a RAV4 or an F-150, meant the writing was on the wall for several years before Chevy made the official announcement in March of ‘24. To send off the car, it even launched a series of Collector’s Edition models.
It’s always sad to see a car discontinued, but the Camaro was an especially hard blow to the car world, having been in production since 2010 (and before that, from 1970 to 2002). It was the first of the big three pony cars to die, taking its fun retro-inspired styling with it. The Camaro was also the last manual coupe you could buy from GM.
Towards the end of its life, the Camaro became the driver’s choice amongst the big three pony cars due to its superior chassis tuning and incredible powertrain options. Though it was always the lowest-selling compared to the Challenger and the Mustang, I found it the most enjoyable from behind the wheel. That, plus knowing there’s no official replacement on the horizon, means these sixth-gen Camaros are getting more and more rare and desirable every day.
The Search Is On
Source: Fox Chevrolet
It didn’t take long for the Camaro’s nationwide inventory to dwindle once production ended. In February, GM Authority discovered there were just 37 new Camaros up for grabs at dealerships. Then, yesterday, they dropped a bombshell: There were reportedly just three new Camaros for sale in all of America. For die-hard Chevy fans, this would be the last opportunity to snag a brand-new Camaro, maybe ever. I had to know more.
I scoured Cars.com, AutoTrader, and Chevy’s own inventory search tool to track down the remaining Camaros on sale, using GM Authority’s reporting as a guide. Mostly, I just wanted to know how they hadn’t sold yet, and what the dealers planned to do with them.
Most of the Camaros listed as “new” on Cars.com were either actually used or already sold. Most of the dealerships I called told me the website simply wouldn’t take the listings down, despite the cars no longer being available. But one 3LT model, a convertible painted in red, matched up with GM Authority’s article. Better yet, it was still listed on the dealer’s own website. Sadly, it turned out to be a dud. I gave Fox Chevrolet in Rochester Hills, Michigan a call, and they told me the car had sold.
The next lead, a white Camaro 1SS ‘vert from GM Authority’s piece, seemed more promising. Unlike the last car, this one, for sale through DeVoe Chevrolet in Alexandria, Indiana, had real photos in its listing, both on Cars.com and the dealer site. I gave them a call, and it turns out this one was legit… sort of.
Source: DeVoe Chevrolet
The Camaro in question is technically new—it’s never been sold, titled, or registered, according to a representative for the dealership. But it’s definitely been driven.
“It was a previously stolen vehicle,” a salesperson named Rob told me over the phone. “So it’s technically still new, but it’s been stolen and recovered.”
He went on to explain that the Camaro was one of seven vehicles taken directly from the dealership lot over a two-year period. So while the car is still new as far as ownership history is concerned, there’s a big black mark on its vehicle history that has probably scared buyers away. It also means the car likely has some miles on the clock. So I don’t count it.
The Final Camaro Is Real… And Expensive
That left just one Camaro on GM Authority’s list. The pony car in question, a 2024 model year 2SS listed by Permian Chevrolet GMC Cadillac of Hobbs, New Mexico, had real photos on AutoTrader and the dealer’s site. It was also the only Camaro in the entire country to appear on Chevy’s nationwide inventory search tool. A quick chat with the dealership revealed that yes, this is a real, legit, undriven, unregistered ‘Maro. And the owner of the dealership knows what he has.
“It’s actually our owner’s vehicle,” a salesperson named Jeff told me when I reached out via phone. “He’s definitely willing to sell it, it’s just gotta be at the right price, just because of the kind of car it is … it’s never been driven; there are no miles on it. It’s never been registered. It’s never been titled. It’s been sitting in our showroom ever since we got it.”
Source: Permian Chevrolet GMC
In this case, the “right price” means a big, fat markup. Permian’s listing shows an MSRP of $59,205 and an additional “Upfit” charge of $20,000, for a grand total of $79,205. Despite the egregious markup, Jeff told me the dealership gets up to 15 calls a day inquiring about the Camaro. Not terribly surprising, all things considered. People have routinely paid gigantic markups for Corvettes in the past, so I don’t think this dealer will have a hard time finding a particularly passionate Camaro enthusiast to front the cash. It could be the last chance for anyone to do so, after all.
If you’re not the type who’s willing to shell out 20 grand just to line a dealer’s pockets (I’m certainly not), you can simply wait for the next-generation Camaro. There’s no word on if Chevy will greenlight such a project—Motor Trend seems to think it’s coming back next year as a crossover, but according to GM Authority, there are no concrete plans to put the car into production just yet. Personally, I like my colleague Thomas Hundal’s idea to turn the Camaro into a brawny, V8-powered sedan, a la the last-generation Dodge Charger. At this point, either idea is better than nothing.
Top graphic image: Permian Chevrolet GMC Cadillac
I bought my 2011 RX-8 as a zombie car in the summer of 2012. Several months earlier we had bought a Mazda CX-7 for my wife, which reminded me that the RX-8 was still around. Searching the internet, I found that there were ~25 new RX-8’s still listed at dealerships around the country, though about 1/3 of them had a couple thousand miles on them because the sales manager was driving it or something similar. Anyway, I found one in Chicago with only 20 miles on it, and the price had been reduced by about 25% below MSRP. I bought it for less than a mid-level Ford Focus. Flew to Chicago to do the paperwork and get the car and drove it home.
Seriously?!… Camaros were introduced in 1967, not 1970. Be better. Thats not even an obscure fact to get wrong.
“It was the first of the big three pony cars to die”
Oops, a few notes. The Plymouth Barracuda and Dodge Challenger were discontinued in 1974, although the Challenger name was resurrected twice after that.
Or, are you only counting Mustangs, Firebirds, and Camaros as the “big 3” pony cars?
“This is a totally mundane model and spec” The only thing valuable about it is that it hasn’t been driven. Makes total sense to pick a totally mundane model and spec to not drive
I think that art galleries, real estate organizations, diamond brokers, casinos, and car dealerships that deal with unusual cars are probably the best hide in plain sight money laundering opportunities.