The Camaro is what happens when Detroit gets muscle cars right: the 6th-gen SS and ZL1 deliver genuine track capability with the 1LE package while holding resale value like few sports cars do, one owner lost just $1,000 after a year and 8,000 miles. The visibility is genuinely terrible, you'll park by Braille, and you'll want the V8 both for the visceral experience and to dodge the V6 stigma at resale. Buy a 6th-gen SS or ZL1 now before production ends for good, skip the complaint-heavy 5th-gen unless you enjoy surprise repair bills, and if you've got collector money, a pristine first-gen remains timelessly desirable.
Ford's latest GT delivers everything you'd want from a V8 sports car, a 5.0L Coyote that howls, handling sharp enough to embarrass the Camaro, and a cabin you can actually live with daily. The problem is the sticker shock: a base GT that cost $33k in 2021 now starts at $50k, and the Dark Horse pushes $70k-$80k, which is GT350 territory from just a few years ago. The car itself hasn't gotten worse, it's objectively better, but Ford has priced it out of reach for the young enthusiasts and budget-conscious buyers who made the Mustang a cultural icon. If you can afford it or find a deal, you're getting a legitimately great sports car. If you're shopping on the budget this nameplate used to own, you'll be cross-shopping used Corvettes and wondering what happened to affordable V8 thrills.