At $29,500, Is This 1999 Chevy Camaro SS A Super Steal?

According to its seller, today's Nice Price or No Dice Camaro SS/SLP "has never seen rain and has never had a shoe worn in it." Let's see what such a sheltered lifestyle might reasonably be worth.

When discussing Volvo as an automaker, the term "risk taker" doesn't often enter the conversation. Being a company of somewhat limited resources—and Swedish—Volvo's modus operandi has long been stoic adherence to the tried-and-true. Wild hairs need not apply. On occasion, however, the company has gone a little nuts, as evidenced by the 1973 P1800ES we looked at yesterday. That longroof sports GT looked like no other Volvo before or since and featured an all-glass rear hatch that was unique for the time and still impresses to this day. 

Our candidate paired that feature with what looked to be a solid overall appearance and the promise of decent mechanical performance. Based on the comments, the only thing missing was a killer price. At $22,000, most of you found the Volvo not to be your cup of P1800, dropping the bomb on it in the form of a narrow 56% 'No Dice' loss.

When Volvo introduced its P1800 coupe, the pony car revolution was still three years down the road. It's arguable that the modest performance of the four-cylinder Volvo was no match for the V8 power of the Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, and their ilk, but seeing as they all swam in the same pricing pool, there's justification in seeing them cross-shopped by savvy car buyers.

Today, two-door Volvos of any kind are but a memory, and the only true pony car still left standing is the OG, Ford's evergreen Mustang. All the others have fallen by the wayside, slain by the car-buying public's shift to crossovers and SUVs. In the case of Chevy's Camaro, that death was extra bitter because, like a horror movie villain, it took two tries to kill it off.

That's not to say that Chevy didn't give it the ol' college try (and may even try again). And, as evidenced by today's 1999 Camaro SS/SLP, that effort paid off for buyers. Along with the Z28, the SS earned its creds in the form of an LS1 aluminum V8 under the hood. Adapted from the Corvette, the 5.7-liter pushrod engine was officially rated at 305 horsepower, although dyno numbers have indicated that to be a very conservative estimate to prevent the Camaro from stepping on the Corvette's toes. This car has some performance enhancements from Street Legal Performance (dual exhaust, Bilstein dampers and springs, etc.) that give it an even greater edge.

Behind the small-block bruiser is a six-speed Borg-Warner manual driving a Torsen limited-slip rear end. Disc brakes feature at each corner, and, in true old-school pony car fashion, there's a live axle in the back. Even farther back, there are the quad tips of the faux dual exhaust, which still look pretty mean. Chrome-plated SLP alloys add even more bling to the muted Navy Blue and tan of the car's paint and top. 

Not-so-subtle SS badges adorn each of the plastic front fenders and share space with Chevy's bowtie emblem beneath the right tail lamp on the rump. The top appears to be in excellent shape and features a glass rear window, though there are vision-encroaching blind spots, as space was not allotted for windows behind the door glass. The seller doesn't say whether or not the car will be sold with the chuckle-inducing "HAULN A" vanity plates, but one can certainly hope.

What the seller does share is that this clean-title Camaro has been loved its entire life by its older owner. They claim that it has only ever been driven in the dry, and that shoes have been persona non grata on its floor mats and carpets. It's said to be a special-order build that included every SS and SLP option offered at the time. Hopefully, that included the key fob. It's now described as being "Collector Owned," and 99% original condition. One piece affecting that percentage is an aftermarket billet grille, which could be considered a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.

A peek under the car's skirts reveals a stock, amazingly clean undercarriage, befitting a car that's been well cared for and sporting a mere 27,500 miles under its belt. We don't get to see the interior in all its glory, but the shots provided show shearling covers protecting the leather on the front buckets. Everything about the car is boasted to be in as-new condition, so we can assume the wool isn't being pulled over our eyes. Maintenance records are available and have been conveniently converted into PDFs.

As noted, Chevy valiantly tried to keep the Camaro alive, introducing a new edition several years after this fourth-generation series met its maker. Those are way more modern, though, which makes this the last of the really old-school experiences. And, with the SS with its SLP enhancements, this should be one of the best expressions of that experience. Could this "museum quality" example be worth $29,500 to get in on that game?

What's your take on this Camaro for that kind of cash? Is that an appropriate outlay for a car of such caliber and condition? Or for that asking, is this an SS that doesn't sizzle?

You decide!

Phoenix, Arizona, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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