[aldaron327]

My Camaros have always held high sentimental value to me.

My '96 3.8L was the first Camaro I bought new and with no outside assistance. I did very minor mods to it but loved it all the same. I drove it over 1/2 way across the country on numerous occasions and that engine was a tough SOB. I totalled it in '98 during a fit of stupidity. I almost cried when I got out of the car and the radiator was leaking dexcool all over the ground. Under the purple glow of a street light, it looked like blood.

My '99 Z28 was just amazing. I kept it bone stock for the first couple years of ownership and when I had to leave it behind for my trip through basic training and WOCS, I kept pictures of it on my locker doors. I'll never forget when my folks brought it down to Atlanta (where I met them to swap out vehicles) and I hopped in it for the first time in a few months. It was like seeing an old friend for the first time in years. I then spent the next year modifying it and finally had it just the way I wanted it when my ex-wife's car grenaded (she was still in college at the time). Me being a giver, I traded it in for a car for my ex. I should have kept it and traded her in early. This led me to my favorite truck that I've owned....

My '02 S-10 ZR2 wasn't a racer, but it was fun, nearly impossible to get stuck, and would catch air on the tank trails of Ft. Rucker, AL. It was black but numerous times, I'd bring it home and it would be orange like the Alabama clay. I sold it when I got stationed in Germany, but in hind sight, I should have hung on to it.

My '10 Camaro SS was me making good on a promise to myself that if I could ever afford one again, I'd get a Camaro. I, like the vast majority of people on this forum, followed the rebirth of the Camaro with extreme interest. This past summer the timing was right and I went to go test drive one. The conversation with the dealer went something like this:

"What can I help you with today?" "Well, I'd like to test drive that white Camaro SS over there and if I like it, I'll be driving it home this evening."

I fell in love the second I slipped behind the controls and that was that. Convincing my wife wasn't much of a challenge. I just hopped into the passenger seat and she fired the engine back up and immediately had permagrin. She loves to drive it every bit as much as I do. I can't describe the absolute excitement I still feel when I hop in and fire her up, whether to go to work, home from work, or any other jaunts we take. Now that we have a newborn, I can't wait for her to get old enough to enjoy the ride either. Maybe someday, I'll let her take it for a spin as well.

-Tim