[Dennis E Kelley]

I feel the bottom of the SSR is going to fall out very soon. GM has made in excess of 3000 in 03 and who knows how many they are going to make in 04. I got rid of mine real quickly, it couldn't tow anything > 2500 lbs, power was sub standard, brakes were below expectations, no spare tire and the cargo area was too nice to use. Not to mention the useless saddle compartmemts. I feel nothing much is going to change in the next few years for the SSR, just small appointments and perhaps more power to entice previous and new buyers. Just look at Porsche, they've done it for 20 years and been very profitable. However, the SSR is not a sports car. Note now, the C5 Corvettes are selling for $3000.00 under MSRP or less. It's obvoiusly your decision how much you pay, but it's not a muscle car and it will never fit in the catagory of a GTO, MOPAR Hemi/Wedge, C1, C2/L88,C3/L88 Corvette or remotely to a Shelby Ford Corba. It's just a temporary fix to a dream which is going to depreciate with every mile that is put on it.

 

[redssrloaded]

I agree with most of your comments. It hurts me to read it but it's the truth. As you all know, I was planning to sell mine for a profit until I took delivery. One thing this car has that no other car currently has on the street is the WOW factor. I love the attention and it looks beautiful. That makes me keep it for 2 summers, then I'm selling it (sure for a loss) and will buy myself a nice BMW M5/M6. Until then, I love my red SSR.

 

[paulkopick]

ssr value

Just give it some time. You will be able to purchase these for low to mid 30s,sooner than you think. Have owned special production cars for years the prices dont hold.Feel for the people who paid 50-60k for these. They will be upside down for years. Must agree with the under powered statement 100%. I do think that they are cool looking,but not worthy of the price.

 

[redssrloaded]

I think they are priced right. I had compared it to other hard top convertible ones on the market and the SSR has more power than most and cheaper than most. If one has more power, you will pay over $70k.

 

[cruzned]

:lol And the corvette does not have a spare either! Just how much stuff do you think you can fit in the back of a vette? The Corvette is a beautiful sports car and the SSR is a beautiful sports truck! I wanted and own a sport truck! No, it ain't a vette, not supposed to be. I agree with the hard top retractable comparison. All the others on the market are way over 60-70K as far as I know but I could be wrong. Enjoy your BMW or Vette. I know I will be enjoying my SSR until they pry it from my cold dead hands after I die many years from now....Ed:boxing

 

[irish]

who gives a s??? about value

All my life I've worried about value, resale, capacity, mileage and appropriateness of the vehicle I purchased. Then I saw the SSR. I quickly realized that 100 years from now (and probably significantly less than that), nobody will give a ****. (hope I can say that, and if it violates the standards of the site, I apologize and retract the term). If you need an investment, talk to a broker or buy some established financial or retail stocks at ameritrade and I'll guarantee you'll do better.

But I defy you to drive down the hiway on a 70 degree, sunny day with the top down in 450 shares of Procter and Gamble stock (about the same price as an ssr) and get the rush that I get every day as i do the same in my ssr.

This car is not for everyone and surely is not to be purchased as an investment. It is valuable only if you want to drive it, and if your kids can make some money on selling it after you're dead, great!!!!!!!!!

good luck and happy cruisin


t

 

[jwthomp]

Irish, I couldn't agree more. The SSR is a horrible investment if you're looking for a return on your money, but if you like to invest in fun, it's one of the best investments you can make.

As far as comparison with other makes and models, I'm not sure where you can fit the SSR. No, it's not a muscle car, it's certainly not an efficient towing rig, and it's not a sports car - it's a sports/muscle/convertible TRUCK. New category, folks, and some comparisons aren't fair. If I compare it with other trucks I've owned, it's the most responsive, quickest, and fastest truck I've owned. If I compare it with my '02 Z28 ragtop, it can't match the Z's acceleration, braking, and handling, even though they're both V8 rear wheel drive convertibles.

Value can be measured in more than currency. Will any of us recoup what we paid for our SSRs? Unfortunately, no - regardless of whether we paid MSRP or not. However, if you consider the value of joy, gratification, entertainment, or simply enjoying the pure *Americana* that the SSR represents, you're getting good value for your money - regardless of what you paid.

The SSR is a toy, folks. That's the true value of an SSR. Get one and go enjoy life before you're dead.

 

[redssrloaded]

I hope you guys didn't put me in the unsatisfied category. I love this truck. I wanted to sell it when I heard someone may pay $20k over MSRP but once I saw the most I could get was $5k, I decided to keep it. The car is too much fun to drive. The wow factor is the greatest part...

 

[Guest]

redssrloaded-jwthomp-irish-cruzned - I'm in total agreement with you and just to add a little - I remember when myself and everyone around me from 6 to 60 use to turn their heads and watch till outta sight when the 1957 Chevy Bel Air first came by and the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray and the Chevelle SS 396 - this SSR is doing the same thing and will for a long time.
You drive some vehicles because you have to - but you drive the SSR because you want to!
Price was okay - enough room to carry stuff - enough power to impress (can always add more hp) and like you all keep saying it has the WOW factor.

 

[irish]

you guys and ladies are strolling me down memory lane, which may be part of the allure.
remember when the whole family looked forward to September and the introduction of the new models. First stop was always Chevy, but everybody was intersting.

My first new car was a 68 Dodge Charger, opted for that because 'vet was only a two seater and needed a car to carpool on my first job.

Didn't regret it, but until now every car was for a reason.

NO REASON NEEDED. Just fun.

:cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers

t

 

[jwthomp]

Ahh, but fun IS a reason.

 

[WindsuppreSSR]

In 91 I bought a 68 Shelby GT350 Convertible for an investment it was the height of the collector car market 427 Cobra's if you could find one were selling for 200K I paid 40K for my Shelby as there were less than 200 in the whole world I figured I could't go wrong. Within two years the botom fell out of the market and my Shelby was only worth 30K and there were no buyers. I enjoyed it for over 10 years only drove it less than 500 miles a year. (Didn't want to put too many miles on it and ruin my Investment) But when I took it out people waved, got the thumbs up, whenever I stopped people wanted to look under the hood. I probably put 7-8K into it in the 10 years I owned it including storage fees. Sold it two years ago for 40K exactly what I paid for it (worst investment I ever made) I sure did miss that feeling of having something special that everyone admired, and the friends I made with complete strangers who admired it and wanted to talk about it. Probably why I bought the SSR although it is not a classic mussle car it gets alot of the same attention. Only difference this time I bought the SSR as a fun vehicle not an Investment. So I intend to put some miles on it and enjoy it all I can. I don't regret either purchase I do regret buying the Shelby as an Investment instead of just a fun car.

 

[redssrloaded]

the only regret:









































I'm not freaking driving it in the snow and don't try to convince me to do so. Too many idiots driving fast on snowy days and toooooooooo much salt. Where is that darn Spring.....

 

[irish]

Go south young man


t

 

[Neal Bardens]

If you buy a new vehicle thinking you are going to make a profit, you are very likely to be dissapointed. Very few people make money from holding and selling cars. I buy the vehicles that I like and don't concern myself with what they might or might not be worth in the future. I just like cars and get great enjoyment from driving them.

 

[Guest]

I've never made money on any car I've ever had but when you consider the "fun factor" money can't buy the enjoyment I've had.

Next Saturday I'll pick up my Ultraviolet Purple SSR from my dealer. He's had it in his showroom over a week and yesterday is the first time I've seen it. It came in sooner than I wanted since I'm going to use it as a daily driver but spring isn't that far away, and if the weather gets too bad I'll ride to work with one of my coworkers.

There were two things that disappointed me a little when I looked mine over. The saddle bags aren't worth the price of getting as an option. Also, I thought the bed cover would come off but there's too much hardware attached to it to even think about removing it. No problem with either one though because I love the styling and it will make a great cruiser.

:cheers

 

[irish]

have yet to hear from a saddlebags fan, will start a new thread with suggestions about what the heck to do with them.

before you pick up your ssr, envision the most fun you can possibly have with a car, so you can establish the expectations that you will surely exceed.

cheers :cheers :cheers and fun driving


t

 

[dohyatt]

bed cover

bed cover is no problem to take off if you have 2 people just remove one bolt on each side then slide back and lift

 

[redssrloaded]

I bought the saddle bags for transporting my guns and they work great. I went to the range in November with my SSR and everyone was in the parking lot looking at it. They wouldn't dare touch for obvious reasons (what I was carrying ). I love the saddlebags, I. I would never take the cargo cover off, can you say bird poo

 

[irish]

ok, so now i gotta go and buy some guns. damn this car is causing me all kinds of bad habits.

t