At $21,900, Is This Supercharged 2010 Chevy Camaro SS A Pony Of A Different Color?

According to the seller, the chameleon paint on today's Nice Price or No Dice Camaro has issues, and hence the car comes at a steep discount over market values, leaving the next owner to address the aesthetics. We'll have to decide if the underlying canvas is convincing enough to warrant even that discounted price.

Today, the Dodge division of Stellantis sells just three models—the two- or four-door Charger, the ancient but seemingly still relevant Durango SUV, and the Alfa-in-disguise Hornet crossover. Contrast that with the brand's 1993 lineup, which comprised fully 10 models, including a minivan, two sizes of sedans, the mighty Viper, and several pickups, as the marketing mavens hadn't yet foolishly spun those off under the unnecessary Ram brand.

The 1993 Dodge Spirit that came our way on Wednesday fell from that cornucopia of cars and trucks, although based on the comments, few of you were all that excited about its survival. The litany of issues the Spirit suffered, coupled with a very milquetoast drivetrain, conspired to kill any interest the otherwise clean car engendered. Not even a modest $2,500 asking price could sway opinion, dooming the Dodge to a 60% 'No Dice' finish at the time of tallying.

One of the biggest conundrums facing consumers today is choosing the color of the car they buy. Based on simply observing street traffic, most go with the safe choices of black, white, or some sort of silver.

Today's 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS isn't for most people. It has been painted with a coat of chromatic (chameleon) metallic paint that shifts from purple to blue depending on the angle of the dangle. That custom color is extended to the factory alloys, but notably not to the huge custom fuel door, which sticks out like a proverbial sore thumb.

According to the seller, the paint job is not of the best quality, an assertion supported by pictures showing chipping and flaking of the top coat on the front clip. The seller claims the flawed paint is the reason for the car's supposed bargain price. We'll be the judge of both the appearance and the price.

Fortunately, there's more going on with this Camaro than just some fancy-pants paint. Stock, the manual gearbox SS model offered a 426-horsepower 6.2-liter LS3 V8. That engine in this car has been imbued with a more aggressive cam from Texas Speed, high-flow fuel injectors, and, most importantly for the tire-shredders among us, a Magnuson TVS2300 supercharger with integrated air-to-water intercooler and a 3-inch pulley for added boost. Boo-yah!

That setup, the seller says, makes more than 650 horsepower at the wheels. To keep all those ponies in the corral, the rest of the drivetrain has been beefed up, adding an aluminum driveshaft, an Auburn Grip-n-loc limited-slip diff with 4:11 gears, and an upgraded suspension full of aftermarket goodies. Per the seller, all the wrenching the car has seen was professionally handled, and there's a "huge stack" of records and receipts to accompany the car as proof.

More mods can be found inside the Camaro's cabin. Those, however, are more modest, being limited to a short-shifter kit for the six-speed manual, a Kenwood double-DIN stereo with honkin'-big speakers in the crawl-through, and a boost gauge mounted atop the steering column. Aside from that, it's all-stock Chevy, albeit in what the seller claims is a fairly rare "Inferno Orange" color trim with red seat centers.

On the downside, the A/C is said to leak, making this an unfortunate choice for fun times during the hot months. There's also the poor paint, which detracts from the overall aesthetic, and maybe most egregiously, the elimination of the catalytic converters in the aftermarket exhaust. The seller even admits that the car will not pass emissions testing, so everybody in the CARB states can simply sit this one out. For those unbothered by such trivialities, the Camaro at least has a clean title, making the transfer to a new owner easy-peasy.

The ad relates that the sale is forced by the arrival of a new baby—you all know how much those things can cost. That impending parenthood is the claimed reason the Camaro is going bye-bye, despite the owner calling it their favorite car ever. To make it a new owner's favorite, the seller asks $21,900, a price they say is driven by the paint issues. Barring that, they claim, the car could go for $28,000 or more.

That's subjective, to be sure. There has been a ton of money that has gone into this car—that supercharger alone was around $5,000—but that's all water under the bridge when it comes to the resale value. To be fair, the price does seem to provide a lot of bang for the buck. Is it a good deal, though?

What's your take on this flawed chameleon Camaro at that $21,900 asking price? Is that a killer deal on a monster horsepower machine? Or does that price simply not make the rainbow connection?

You decide!

Denver, Colorado, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Fauxshizzle for the hookup!

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