As much as I like the 2nd gen and I have a certain fondness for late 2nd gen such as this one as I saw these coming out brand new, this car is as much plastic as the newer ones, and probably worse as the plastic bumper covers go warped after a couple years dash pad cracked and most of the interior discolored. I had a 4th gen which I didn't like too much and now own a 5th gen SS and this one is better than people make it to be. So have a good look and maybe even a drive before shitting on this nameplate. And I'm not even going to start talking about performance.
@@robertpoudrette4483 Of course newer ones have more power. Just cant get used to the bloated look, high window sils, goofy lifter issues etc. Depends on your driving needs which is best for you.
@@brendanharvey3583If it is a manual don't get caught in a snowstorm on a busy hilly road....plus those hidden windshield wiper ducts collect melting snow from the windshield and the wipers pack it down as it turns to ice. Oh and the wipers don't move out of the way much, while you try to chop out the ice & snow with a scraper. In the event of a "bad" and long winter, you would be replacing damaged wiper blades more than once. We here in SE MI haven't had one of those since '81-'82. CC is real.
@@brendanharvey3583 Sure why not? If its tuned and maintained properly it shouldnt give you issues. Most old cars need a bit of help cause so many hands have been on them Take an older guy with you that knows these...that way you dont buy a headache with a shiny paint job
Absolutely - I’ve been daily driving my 1977 Camaro for the last 3 years as my only car. It’s a 250 straight 6 so she’s not too thirsty on gas and is super super reliable.
I've never drove anything but classics, the "newest" car I have driven was a 85 Cutlass in the early 2000's. First they are cheaper to drive overall. No $700 Car Payment, no $350 insurance premium every month, I can do my own maintainence, in my driveway/garage for nothing more than the price of the parts with a team of technitions and lastly they fun to drive and make me happy, I smile every time I climb out my car, I've NEVER seen someone get out of a Honda Civic or Hundyai Santa Fe smiling because they were just driving it.
Amen! OBD 1 cars are great. Enough tech to be super reliable, easy to diagnose and work on decent mpg best of both worlds. I wont own anything I cant fix myself, btdt with late model trucks. Never again. Retiement daily is my 67 El Ive had since 94. No worries!
@@gordocarbo Exactly, the 20's somethings are starting to figure that out too. Since basically this time last year I've gotten 3 of the kids at work, 20 somethings, into our way of thinking. I take a nice vacation every year, last year my Gf and I went the Bahamas, the day came back to work one of the kids came to me and said "We make almost the same an hour, how can you afford to take a vacation like that every year, I told him to follow me at lunch and I'd show him, at lunch I walked him out to the parking lot and pointed at his newish VW SUV and then pointed to my 76 Nova and said "That's how I afford vacations every year, I'm not Vehicle poor like you are". Then while we ate Lunch I told him to figure up what his car cost him every month, he said his Car payment was $703, and then asked him "how much is full coverage insurance every month? How much does your Maintenace cost you every month?", he was paying just shy of $350 a month for insurance and his Maintenace cost him about $250 every 3 months, so $66 a month. So I broke it down for him, he was paying roughly $1200, just to drive to work because he doesn't have the money to do anything else, why? because he's paying $1200 a month for a car....... 2 weeks later he came to me and asked me to go look at a car with him, He found a 77 Malibu on Facebook Marketplace for $2000 but wanted me to go with him to check the car out. When we went to look at it he ended up giving the guy $1700 for it and drove it home. Yes it need some TLC and a paint job but overall it was a really good daily driver. He's put another $3000 into since, his VW was paid off in Febuary and his used that money to do the stuff on the Malibu and stuck the rest in the bank. this year for vacation, he, his Gf and her mother are spending a week for Christmas in Hawaii with his Gf's brother who in the Army and Stationed out there at Scholfield Barrack, all of which he paid for, how? because he's no longer paying $1200 a month just to drive to work.......
Was 12 and rode my bike to the dealer back then to see the new ones. Many people did...cars were exciting then. Been a few decades since Ive paid attention to anything new. Look & sound the same to me .EVs will be even more lame
@@gordocarbo Yeah I agree cars now a days or overpriced and retro design of the past and for the most part look the same as well as trucks to and as well painted the same colors. And nothing against EVs but there just boring there's not much you can do with them but drive them and charger them up. I was behind a Tesla truck the other day and said to myself man that's a ugly truck .
I drove my 1979 Firebird Formula in Michigan as a "daily driver" aka my car. In 1987 it was a late model used car. Meant the world to me and wish i still had it
I used to drive one of these everyday from 85 to 89. They work fine, drove around Orlando, Niagara Falls, lived in both places. Drove in the winter too, inclement weather. I put the car together after previous owner had a front end collision, Very minor actually, Repainted it. Took a lot of girls out in the car.
I've had two, and yes, of course you can. But if you live in the rust belt, you shouldn't be driving it in the winter; it's going to rust out, which will take yet another F-body off the road. We need to preserve these cars
Best of all, they very easy to work on, maintenance parts plentiful and cheap, a little pricey on restoration parts, but if you love the car, worth it.
I drive an 81Z everyday and have for the last 6 plus years. 476k miles on fist engine only 1 years with original engine. Oh and still driving on original upper&lower ball joints. Love it
"Can you still dally drive a classic FBody?" You've got to be kidding. I have daily driven a homemade '23 T Bucket and a '65 Mustang. I currently daily drive a 1968 Ford F-250 and a 1972 Ford Pinto Squire wagon.
Amen!! So many vids where guys seriously wonder, or insist you cant That is pretty sad...my grandmother dailied a 352 Fairlane? manual steering no ac manual drum brakes. Had it for over 30 yrs before she passed and wheeled it just fine
During the summer of 2007 and 2008 I drove a 1976 Trans am and a 1976 Camaro as daily drivers. I alternated week by week with them. I spent a ton of money on fuel those 2 summers! The Trans am had a bone stock 400 and the Camaro had a built 350.
Late 70s through early 80s Camaro, firebird, and corvettes were beautiful to look at but had cheap interiors and emissions choked power. I owned an 81 Camaro new through 88.
Being choked for power is what makes them a good daily driver though. a Daily Driver is nothing more than to work and to run errands with, nothing more, nothing less.
@@FBody_Addicts Why would you think it couldnt be dailied? Any car made can long as you maintain it. Only times Ive been towed were from new EFI trucks...and every Corvette Ive owned . Go figure..
I try not to let mine sit outside in the hot sun for long periods of time, especially during the summer, so that rules out driving it to work. The heat isn't good for the already old and brittle interior plastics. I bought my '87 back in 2007 and the a/c never worked, but I just got it working a few weeks ago.
Summer days shorts and vinyl seats...you could get hospitalized for burns lol I usually get some "cheapskin" seat covers, dash mat and drive with no worries.
If it works right. Aftermarket efi will never be as reliable or "smart" as OEM Still use carbs, they have come a long ways. HEI carb mech fuel, water pump, fan. Hard to go wrong
I'm sure you could drive this if you retrofit a TH200r4 trans in place of the stock TH trans. Would be a bad idea to also swap in a Holley Throttle Body EFI unit in place of the stock Quadrajet as well.
I occasionally drive my 78 Camaro to work. It's a 83 mile round trip. But it isn't always fun. No A/C so some day's even with the sun roof and windows open. The 4 speed manual and 350 do make up for it. I also have the Holly Sniper Quadrajet it is much better but can be finicky and running a return line to the tank was interesting.
It's a beautiful car. I see you have the wiper delay too. It's a shame you're going to modify it. I think it's amazing as an all original car. What was that model that you had in the driveway?
Yes. You can daily drive any classic. The question is what you're willing to deal with instead of the boring modern "get in and go" a to b experience. If you're heart's in it do it. Feel no shame and love every minute of it. Everyone will wish they were as bold, and you can tell them that they, too, can be free.
A classic is no different than a newer car when it comes to maintenance except that I can change the fluids in my 76 Nova myself in my garage for cheap in a couple hours and not have to pay a team of engineers 30 hours to tear half the underside of my car apart just to change the oil and then 30 more hours put it back together......
Who are these people that say you "can't"?? Sure there are some factors that come into play such as handling, braking and acceleration as compared to a newer car of ANY kind, and then of course creature comforts. But those are things you choose to absorb into your daily driving routine of you choose to drive one of these. The two things I would make sure are upgraded are brakes and power. Power?? Yes- having enough power to maneuver and accelerate is a safety feature in my opinion. Being able to merge onto the interstate, pass another car in a timely manner. Power plays a huge role in safety, not just fun. We've got a little Turbo charged VW Tiguan and I'll tell I can get the hell away or out of the way of a lot of cars on the road. Matter of fact that Tiguan is faster than the stock 350TPI IROC we just sold.
There is no reason why you can't drive anything made from the mid-60's on as a daily driver. People used to drive these cars as their daily drivers back then, and they are still as good to drive today. The cars from the 50's and earlier can be an issue as they were never meant to drive on the highways we have today, they were never meant to go 80 MPH for hundreds of miles on end, the gearing on these cars does not work on the highways.
what a ridiculous question, "can you still daily drive a classic F-Body?"...this is a stock car, this platform was used from 1970-1981 by literally millions of people for everyday normal, routine use...there's nothing exotic or difficult about this particular Camaro...you should see the kind of stuff SOME of us drive daily...
Great color combo . So much more unique than a newer plastic version
As much as I like the 2nd gen and I have a certain fondness for late 2nd gen such as this one as I saw these coming out brand new, this car is as much plastic as the newer ones, and probably worse as the plastic bumper covers go warped after a couple years dash pad cracked and most of the interior discolored. I had a 4th gen which I didn't like too much and now own a 5th gen SS and this one is better than people make it to be. So have a good look and maybe even a drive before shitting on this nameplate. And I'm not even going to start talking about performance.
@@robertpoudrette4483 Of course newer ones have more power.
Just cant get used to the bloated look, high window sils, goofy lifter issues etc. Depends on your driving needs which is best for you.
I might pick up a 1980 camaro for a first car. Guy just rebuilt the motor and replaced the 305 with a 350
Sweet 😎
@@FBody_Addicts you think it'd be good to daily? I wouldn't drive it in the winter
@@brendanharvey3583If it is a manual don't get caught in a snowstorm on a busy hilly road....plus those hidden windshield wiper ducts collect melting snow from the windshield and the wipers pack it down as it turns to ice. Oh and the wipers don't move out of the way much, while you try to chop out the ice & snow with a scraper. In the event of a "bad" and long winter, you would be replacing damaged wiper blades more than once. We here in SE MI haven't had one of those since '81-'82. CC is real.
@@brendanharvey3583 Sure why not? If its tuned and maintained properly it shouldnt give you issues. Most old cars need a bit of help cause so many hands have been on them
Take an older guy with you that knows these...that way you dont buy a headache with a shiny paint job
Absolutely - I’ve been daily driving my 1977 Camaro for the last 3 years as my only car. It’s a 250 straight 6 so she’s not too thirsty on gas and is super super reliable.
Awesome 😎
Put an LS in it.
@@darrenmacniel5481 Why be a lemming?
@@darrenmacniel5481 Stay off the bandwagon and do your own thing.
Awesome!! With todays gas $ a 6 makes sense plus youre driving something cool.
I've never drove anything but classics, the "newest" car I have driven was a 85 Cutlass in the early 2000's. First they are cheaper to drive overall. No $700 Car Payment, no $350 insurance premium every month, I can do my own maintainence, in my driveway/garage for nothing more than the price of the parts with a team of technitions and lastly they fun to drive and make me happy, I smile every time I climb out my car, I've NEVER seen someone get out of a Honda Civic or Hundyai Santa Fe smiling because they were just driving it.
Amen! OBD 1 cars are great. Enough tech to be super reliable, easy to diagnose and work on decent mpg best of both worlds.
I wont own anything I cant fix myself, btdt with late model trucks.
Never again. Retiement daily is my 67 El Ive had since 94. No worries!
@@gordocarbo Exactly, the 20's somethings are starting to figure that out too. Since basically this time last year I've gotten 3 of the kids at work, 20 somethings, into our way of thinking. I take a nice vacation every year, last year my Gf and I went the Bahamas, the day came back to work one of the kids came to me and said "We make almost the same an hour, how can you afford to take a vacation like that every year, I told him to follow me at lunch and I'd show him, at lunch I walked him out to the parking lot and pointed at his newish VW SUV and then pointed to my 76 Nova and said "That's how I afford vacations every year, I'm not Vehicle poor like you are". Then while we ate Lunch I told him to figure up what his car cost him every month, he said his Car payment was $703, and then asked him "how much is full coverage insurance every month? How much does your Maintenace cost you every month?", he was paying just shy of $350 a month for insurance and his Maintenace cost him about $250 every 3 months, so $66 a month. So I broke it down for him, he was paying roughly $1200, just to drive to work because he doesn't have the money to do anything else, why? because he's paying $1200 a month for a car....... 2 weeks later he came to me and asked me to go look at a car with him, He found a 77 Malibu on Facebook Marketplace for $2000 but wanted me to go with him to check the car out. When we went to look at it he ended up giving the guy $1700 for it and drove it home. Yes it need some TLC and a paint job but overall it was a really good daily driver. He's put another $3000 into since, his VW was paid off in Febuary and his used that money to do the stuff on the Malibu and stuck the rest in the bank. this year for vacation, he, his Gf and her mother are spending a week for Christmas in Hawaii with his Gf's brother who in the Army and Stationed out there at Scholfield Barrack, all of which he paid for, how? because he's no longer paying $1200 a month just to drive to work.......
nice car bro
Thanks man appreciate it
I just got a 1980 Z28 and it's going to be my daily driver and yes I'm an old dude and I grew up with these cars .
Was 12 and rode my bike to the dealer back then to see the new ones. Many people did...cars were exciting then.
Been a few decades since Ive paid attention to anything new.
Look & sound the same to me .EVs will be even more lame
@@gordocarbo Yeah I agree cars now a days or overpriced and retro design of the past and for the most part look the same as well as trucks to and as well painted the same colors. And nothing against EVs but there just boring there's not much you can do with them but drive them and charger them up. I was behind a Tesla truck the other day and said to myself man that's a ugly truck .
nice car! i’m 18 and i have a 79 camaro with some goodies in it and i daily drive it. very expensive with gas and the ams oil i run in it.
Hell yeah sounds like a fun car 😎
How much do you waste in gas? I’m about to get my first car too and I really want a 78-81 Camaro but gas prices scare me so idk if it’s worth it
@@commandersarge6962 depends on the engine but you can expect to spend like 60 bucks a week and get like 13-15 mpg
@@mattking9557 honestly that’s not too bad for me, thanks
@@commandersarge6962Don't buy a Camaro with a 305 v8 2bbl, unless you're okay with 135 hp output. That is...unless you intend to turbocharge it.
I drove my 1979 Firebird Formula in Michigan as a "daily driver" aka my car. In 1987 it was a late model used car. Meant the world to me and wish i still had it
Beautiful car man
beautiful car!
Thank you
Cooler than driving most of the boring shit you see on the road
I used to drive one of these everyday from 85 to 89. They work fine, drove around Orlando, Niagara Falls, lived in both places. Drove in the winter too, inclement weather. I put the car together after previous owner had a front end collision, Very minor actually, Repainted it. Took a lot of girls out in the car.
Sold mine in 04 wish I would have kept it
Man that sucks thank god I found this car for a really good deal
I've had two, and yes, of course you can. But if you live in the rust belt, you shouldn't be driving it in the winter; it's going to rust out, which will take yet another F-body off the road. We need to preserve these cars
Well done man. Love the color. Looks to be well optioned and in incredible shape!
Thanks for sharing,
Beautiful ‘81! The ‘78-‘81’s are my favorite of the second gen!! Sounds gorgeous as well!
Absolutely never get rid of nice car they are definitely going up in value
Best of all, they very easy to work on, maintenance parts plentiful and cheap, a little pricey on restoration parts, but if you love the car, worth it.
I drive an 81Z everyday and have for the last 6 plus years. 476k miles on fist engine only 1 years with original engine. Oh and still driving on original upper&lower ball joints.
Love it
How many Miles is it perday though
Yes. All you have to do is get in the car, sit in the drivers seat, turn the key, start the engine, put it in gear and go,................
Agree...no mystery if a car can be driven lol
Thanks for the video, I enjoyed it! It just randomly appeared on my youtube feed
Man that is beautiful car
"Can you still dally drive a classic FBody?" You've got to be kidding. I have daily driven a homemade '23 T Bucket and a '65 Mustang. I currently daily drive a 1968 Ford F-250 and a 1972 Ford Pinto Squire wagon.
Amen!! So many vids where guys seriously wonder, or insist you cant
That is pretty sad...my grandmother dailied a 352 Fairlane? manual steering no ac manual drum brakes. Had it for over 30 yrs before she passed and wheeled it just fine
During the summer of 2007 and 2008 I drove a 1976 Trans am and a 1976 Camaro as daily drivers. I alternated week by week with them. I spent a ton of money on fuel those 2 summers! The Trans am had a bone stock 400 and the Camaro had a built 350.
Must have gotten a lot of love in those, by other motorists!
My first car was a 76 Camaro. I'd LOVE to find one to rebuild and daily drive.
I daily drove an F body in the mid 80's. They are great dailies. Warning, use snow tires in the winter.
Late 70s through early 80s Camaro, firebird, and corvettes were beautiful to look at but had cheap interiors and emissions choked power. I owned an 81 Camaro new through 88.
Being choked for power is what makes them a good daily driver though. a Daily Driver is nothing more than to work and to run errands with, nothing more, nothing less.
As long as it runs good and you can afford gas yes you can daily drive.
Agreed but my curiosity got me so I wanted to find out
@@FBody_Addicts Why would you think it couldnt be dailied?
Any car made can long as you maintain it.
Only times Ive been towed were from new EFI trucks...and every Corvette Ive owned .
Go figure..
I try not to let mine sit outside in the hot sun for long periods of time, especially during the summer, so that rules out driving it to work. The heat isn't good for the already old and brittle interior plastics. I bought my '87 back in 2007 and the a/c never worked, but I just got it working a few weeks ago.
Summer days shorts and vinyl seats...you could get hospitalized for burns lol
I usually get some "cheapskin" seat covers, dash mat and drive with no worries.
Built 350 with Holley EFI. Or just an EFI upgrade would be sweet!
If it works right. Aftermarket efi will never be as reliable or "smart" as OEM
Still use carbs, they have come a long ways. HEI carb mech fuel, water pump, fan. Hard to go wrong
Nice car just subbed👍🏾 We love f-bodies here in Michigan
I'm sure you could drive this if you retrofit a TH200r4 trans in place of the stock TH trans. Would be a bad idea to also swap in a Holley Throttle Body EFI unit in place of the stock Quadrajet as well.
Beautiful car.
I occasionally drive my 78 Camaro to work. It's a 83 mile round trip. But it isn't always fun. No A/C so some day's even with the sun roof and windows open. The 4 speed manual and 350 do make up for it. I also have the Holly Sniper Quadrajet it is much better but can be finicky and running a return line to the tank was interesting.
EFI finicky....see that a lot .
OEM is the only one id probably trust for daily use...reg Qjet, HEI distributor is tough to beat on reliability
Badass car
Who would say you can't? You could drive one every single day provided it was in good working order.
I mean, if you're not in a hurry.... I get stalled with mine all the time everywhere I go 😂😂
😂😂
how is the fuel line ? i heard that new gas doesn't work well with the old gas line
Seems to be working so far the car is going to an line when I drop the 383 in
✨️Yes✨️you can it's a car easy to maintain that outlasted newer cars ✨️still going ❤
It's a beautiful car. I see you have the wiper delay too.
It's a shame you're going to modify it. I think it's amazing as an all original car.
What was that model that you had in the driveway?
Awesome
Yes. You can daily drive any classic. The question is what you're willing to deal with instead of the boring modern "get in and go" a to b experience. If you're heart's in it do it. Feel no shame and love every minute of it. Everyone will wish they were as bold, and you can tell them that they, too, can be free.
A classic is no different than a newer car when it comes to maintenance except that I can change the fluids in my 76 Nova myself in my garage for cheap in a couple hours and not have to pay a team of engineers 30 hours to tear half the underside of my car apart just to change the oil and then 30 more hours put it back together......
What??? Can it be driven daily? Do you have the key?
What was your mpg
Who are these people that say you "can't"?? Sure there are some factors that come into play such as handling, braking and acceleration as compared to a newer car of ANY kind, and then of course creature comforts. But those are things you choose to absorb into your daily driving routine of you choose to drive one of these. The two things I would make sure are upgraded are brakes and power. Power?? Yes- having enough power to maneuver and accelerate is a safety feature in my opinion. Being able to merge onto the interstate, pass another car in a timely manner. Power plays a huge role in safety, not just fun. We've got a little Turbo charged VW Tiguan and I'll tell I can get the hell away or out of the way of a lot of cars on the road. Matter of fact that Tiguan is faster than the stock 350TPI IROC we just sold.
Will you sale this car ❤
I do only winers couldn't
Hey do you want to sell that car????
Z28
There is no reason why you can't drive anything made from the mid-60's on as a daily driver. People used to drive these cars as their daily drivers back then, and they are still as good to drive today. The cars from the 50's and earlier can be an issue as they were never meant to drive on the highways we have today, they were never meant to go 80 MPH for hundreds of miles on end, the gearing on these cars does not work on the highways.
Multiplying or a car turd?
?
what a ridiculous question, "can you still daily drive a classic F-Body?"...this is a stock car, this platform was used from 1970-1981 by literally millions of people for everyday normal, routine use...there's nothing exotic or difficult about this particular Camaro...you should see the kind of stuff SOME of us drive daily...
That's what ya get for lookin under the hood.
383 would set her off!
Friend of mine had a 383 in his Camaro... Did 12's on the Quarter Mile