A customer came into Handy Chevrolet just the other day looking for something that we actually hear quite a lot:  "I'm looking for a sports car."  Being as Handy Chevrolet is northern Vermont and New York's Camaro 2SS headquarters we had a Camaro in the beautiful, limited edition 45th Anniversary Edition trim sitting on our showroom floor and another in the Camaro 2SS Coupe style blasted in Inferno Orange paint and interior accents.  The customer was looking at it with ecstatic eyes.

He wasn't just interested in the Camaro, mind you:  he was actually in the beginning stages of his Chevrolet-shopping and research process, looking at many different cars.  He was looking at a Ford Mustang BOSS, the Camaro, a Chevy Corvette, and then smaller cars like the Nissan 370Z, the Saturn Solstice, and so forth, but every time he mentioned one of these competitors the conversation seemed to always quickly move back to the Corvette 1LT, or the base model, versus the 2SS Camaro.

He and I debated the pros and cons of each Chevy for a short while, and everyone in the showroom - from Chevy sales consultants to used car advisors, VT car loan officers to service and parts advisors - began to get involved with their own personal opinions.  And here we are:  this ordeal led me to this blog, compiled from a survey of our dealership's staff.  In all honesty, the results are shocking, but before we jump into the personal opinions of several sales team and service members, let's look at the technical specifications of the Camaro versus the Corvette, broken down by the specs as well as pros and cons as weighed in by the staff.

The Chevy Corvette Coupe 1LT group
The Chevy Corvette, also known as the Vette or simply Corvette (this is a car that has shed its maker in terms of general consensus!), is, for lack of a better term, a legend; on the race track, on the road, and of course in the history books, the Chevrolet Corvette is a born and bred, true sports car.  For the sake simplicity, mind you, we're only looking at the base, Chevy Corvette Coupe 1LT model (which starts $49,600 MSRP).  The Corvette 1LT is equipped with an incredibly powerful 6.2L LS3 V8 engine pushing 424 foot pounds of torque and over 430 horsepower... like I said, powerful.

As for the features that cropped up often in our staff members' survey responses, the following were popular:

• The Corvette is a 2-seater
• It's a legitimate sports car through and through
• It's a hatchback with little room in the back
• The Corvette Coupe 1LT is very low to the ground
• The aerodynamics of the Corvette makes it seemingly slice through the air

The Chevy Camaro 2SS group
The Chevrolet Camaro 2SS has similar specs, but targets a totally different buyer.  Right now at Handy Chevrolet of St. Albans, we have several Camaro Coupes and Convertibles, but for the sake of normalcy once again we're discussing the 2012 Camaro 2SS with an MSRP of $40,275.  Featuring a 6.2L V8 engine, the Camaro 2SS pushes out 426 HP and 420 lb.-ft. of torque.

Just like the Corvette, there were several features of the Camaro that swayed employee's decisions.  Here are a few that seemed to weigh heavily:

• Unlike the Corvette, the Camaro is squarer overall, pushing its way through the air, not slicing
• The Camaro seats four with enough trunk room left over to accommodate groceries and such, making it practical as well as fast or fun
• Since it doesn't sit as low as the Vette, the Camaro is easier to get into and out of

So what are the results?
All the aforementioned specs and pros and cons are great, but what about the final answer to the big question:  which do you prefer?

Personally, and I doubt anyone would agree, the specs and such are so close that, if possible, I would take home one of each and call it a day.  For the sake of argument let's say that is not possible, and if that's the case I would certainly go with the Corvette.

As for Handy Chevrolet's staff, opinions vary from my own.  I performed a quasi interview on 24 employees, and an impressive 17 out of 24 or 71% chose the Camaro 2SS over the Corvette 1LT for the many reasons explained above.  It seems that the Camaro has more capabilities overall - whether it was because of the extra 2 passengers, the cost, the trunk space, or ground clearance, the conventional wisdom seemed to end at the simple fact that while each car is superbly fun, you simply get MORE CAR out of the Camaro.  If you are looking for speed, acceleration, or a track car exclusively with far less real-world practicality, the Corvette is the way to go.

What's it all mean?
To conclude, these two vehicles certainly attract different buyers, but many still have a hard time deciding between the two (as with the gentleman who accidentally initiated this entire blog!).  There is no right answer to which car is better; it really depends on your wants, needs, and of course the ultimate concern, budget.  I will say though after doing extensive research, I was surprised to see that many owners have gone from Corvette to Camaro.  It seems as though Chevy is doing something right with the updated Camaro, and as a purveyor of this product I can be thankful it's so popular.

Check out our Camaro inventory online, or view/print/save a Camaro eBrochure or Corvette eBrochure today.  Send us an email if you wish to setup a test drive in either or simply call us toll free.

Jason Rodriguez
Handy Chevrolet
St. Albans, VT  05478