3rd gen Camaro or SN95?

I'm casually looking for a fun 2+2 convertible like the 3rd gen Camaro or SN95 New Edge Mustang.  V8 and manual trans of course.

Any thoughts, experiences or comparison between these two options?

Thanks.

I think the SN95s are much less of a wet noodle structurally, which is of some importance in a convertible.

IIRC manual V8 third gen convertibles are extremely rare, where as manual SN95 convertibles are quite common, so you will have more to choose from with the SN95.

Otherwise, do you like the GM 305 or the Ford 302 better (I wouldn't buy a 4.6 SN95 unless it was real cheap)? 80's or 90's styling? Etc...

Good luck finding a third gen F body convertible.  I think the answer might be fox Mustang in this case, because if you are going to buy a noodle chassis, you might as well have a slow, coarse V6 as well, but with lots available.

 I could be wrong about relative availability, but I've only ever seen one Camaro drop top.  Lots of Mustangs.

I prefer the Mustang. 5.0 or 4.6 is fine if you're just wanting a nice cruiser, both can be fun with some bolt-ons. Rear gear change will be a huge seat of the pants improvement. Definitely stick with a 5 speed, way more fun and engaging to drive. 

I've been looking at 99-04 GT verts off and on for awhile. I've owned several Mustangs and that body style is just a favorite of mine in a convertible. Plus with a vert, I won't be tempted to start going crazy on mods.

Just get a T-Top IROC Z28, let your mullet down to flow in the wind, and enjoy life while listening to some Steppenwolf. 

As others have said, you'll be hard pressed to find a convertible, V8, manual trans 3rd gen F-body. If you do, some sub-frame connectors will be a huge help in stiffening up the chassis. You might have better luck finding a 93-97 4th Gen V8 convertible. The LS1 variants have skyrocketed in value and you can snag an LT1 for pretty cheap. 

Camaro for better looks and less on the road.

Thing is, I seem to recall that the Camado interior never really factored in locating human anatomy. The converter bump on the PS floor in particular was weird.

I fell into owning my convertible thirdgen. Just saw an ad in the paper. I love it. There are A LOT of little things you need to do to a thirdgen to make it reliably handle abuse though. I bought mine as an auto but it was very easy to convert over to manual. I'd take a thirdgen over an sn95 no questions asked. However, I think the sn95 out of the box is a much better driver car.

iansane (Forum Supporter) said:

However, I think the sn95 out of the box is a much better driver car.

Can you elaborate on that please?

untchabl said:

I've been looking at 99-04 GT verts off and on for awhile. I've owned several Mustangs and that body style is just a favorite of mine in a convertible. Plus with a vert, I won't be tempted to start going crazy on mods.

Same here. My favorite is the 64-66 but this is a close second 

I had a '95 Mustang GT convertible with a five speed for a couple of years.  Not a bad car, but I didn't love it enough to really go through it properly, which at about 160k miles is what it needed.  I picked this over a 3rd or 4th gen Camaro because the driving position and general ergonomics seem much better, and they're a bit stiffer.  Tons of parts support for the SN95 but the Camaro is decently covered as well I think.  In retrospect I wish I had looked at E36 and E46 BMW convertibles more as well as the Miata.  The SN95 is definately a form over function vehicle from the factory. 

What's your budget? New Edge Convertibles (99-04 Mustangs) are looking like a bargain to me. There's also a huge supply of new and used aftermarket parts.

I used to daily a '97 GT auto convertible. It was a really good $1500 fun beater. I've also owned and worked on multiple 3rd gen F-bodies. The SN95 seemed like a stiffer chassis than even my hard top 3rd gens. And stock it is definitely a nicer driving car. Biggest deal I think is the steering, rack and pinion vs a box on the 3rd gen.If you have fairly low expectations and can get in for reasonable money. I'd do it. The SN95 aftermarket and factory parts bin is much larger than the 3rd gen and more readily available. One thing to note is that the rear window regulators for the convertibles seem to pretty much be NLA. In most pictures of my old car with the top down the windows are still up because the back ones wouldn't roll down. Also still know that it's just a dressed up 1979 Fairmont, there's a lot of really stupid stuff to fix if you want to drive it any harder than a fun cruiser. But as a fun cruiser it's a really good car. It handles well enough as a street car, but mine had a tendency to get weird and unpredictable if you were dumb enough to push it too hard. Of course mine was a completely stock high mile car. 

Having said all that. I have an NB Miata now and that's a much better car if you don't need a back seat. The SN95 is great at being what it is though and I'll probably end up buying a coupe if I find the right deal at the right time. 

amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) said:

I'm casually looking for a fun 2+2 convertible like the 3rd gen Camaro or SN95 New Edge Mustang.  V8 and manual trans of course.

Any thoughts, experiences or comparison between these two options?

Thanks.

Are you comparing the 4th gen body aswell. You get lt1 lt4 or ls1 in those.

^I think the 4th gen is kinda ugly so, no

I do need a 2+2 seater to go cruising with the gf and dog

So... I went to look at an 88 iroc vert near me. It was kinda cool in a nostalgic way but no way in hell will I own onesadly. Ergonomics are terrible! 
 

I'm 5'9" with a 32-33" inseam and barely fit in the car. Even with the seat all the way back, The steering wheel was too close, the pedals have ridiculously long travel and require you to lift your legs really high to hit the brake or clutch. 
 

besides that the top was manual and the cable broke, the driver door hinges were creaky and a bunch of small issues that are fixable but annoying and not factored into the price. Oh well. 
 

I'll check out a SN95 mustang soon

I hate sn95's.  (I have a 94 GT)

purely for looks i'd buy the 3rd gen 7 days a week, but I understand the ergonomics issue.  When i was truck shopping the gm didn't fit me at all but the ram felt right so I didn't even bother driving a gm to see what it was like

amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) said:

So... I went to look at an 88 iroc vert near me. It was kinda cool in a nostalgic way but no way in hell will I own onesadly. Ergonomics are terrible! 
 

I'm 5'9" with a 32-33" inseam and barely fit in the car. Even with the seat all the way back, The steering wheel was too close, the pedals have ridiculously long travel and require you to lift your legs really high to hit the brake or clutch. 
 

besides that the top was manual and the cable broke, the driver door hinges were creaky and a bunch of small issues that are fixable but annoying and not factored into the price. Oh well. 
 

I'll check out a SN95 mustang soon

I'm 6'2" and I've fit in mine fine for 38 years.  And the steering wheel is too far away.  I agree that GM built crap clutch pedals for a very long time.

I have a soft spot for SN95 Mustangs that I cannot explain, so that's what I'd go for.

amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) said:

I'm 5'9" with a 32-33" inseam and barely fit in the car. Even with the seat all the way back, The steering wheel was too close, the pedals have ridiculously long travel and require you to lift your legs really high to hit the brake or clutch. 
besides that the top was manual and the cable broke, the driver door hinges were creaky and a bunch of small issues that are fixable but annoying and not factored into the price. Oh well. 

That seems odd that you wouldn't fit. I'm somewhere north of 6' with a 34" inseam and I have miles of room in all directions. Aside from height with the top up, the interior is cavernous. All fbody tops were manual, fyi. What cable was broken? The rear window section release? Also have to look at the forward top "flip rods" as they bend/break and the top won't fold correctly when putting down. The doors are behemoths and the hinges always need to be re-bushed or replaced depending on how long they've been sagging.

amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) said:

iansane (Forum Supporter) said:

However, I think the sn95 out of the box is a much better driver car.

Can you elaborate on that please?

Stock, it just "feels" like a more composed car to me. Now, obviously that's not only anecdotal but opinionated, but take it for what it's worth as a long time thirdgen 'vert owner. (17 years or so). The thirdgen convertible feels rickety and cobbled together (because it was an afterthought done by another company, not GM). I'm not sure if it's the materials or rounded design but it feels softer in the sn95 than the thirdgen. But aesthetically, I think the thirdgen is lightyears ahead of the mustang.

^yeah, it was the rear window release.

Maybe something was off with the seat but I couldn't get it far back enough.  

In reply to amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah.  I'm pretty sure I have my seat one notch ahead from the rear most position.  Maybe the seatback was jammed straight up?  That would fit with your complaint about the steering wheel being too close.

Bit of a moot point, because I still think you should buy a Mustang if its a convertible.

I have a SN95(3 of them now) but I also want an Iroc to drop my 357 into.  That doesn't really help you though.  Good luck.