Earlier this week, GMI had the good fortune of taking a tour of the GM Heritage Center, where almost every generation of Camaro is housed. I say "almost" because the 4th generation Camaro was, curiously, absent.

Whether the car is in a well of value that makes it a performance bargain, or whether we'll have to defend it until the end of time remains to be seen, it seems a shame that it doesn't get more attention. We'll go on record as saying that if there's any justice in the universe (there isn't) people who buy 4th gens now will be pleasantly surprised by steadily rising values.

The reason we say that is, as this Motorweek retro review points out, the 4th generation Camaro slaps. With good engines attached to manual transmissions sending power to the rear wheels, the cars are, reportedly, fun to drive and were pretty well designed.



Even in the early '90s, Chevy managed to make the convertible stiff enough to be fun while only adding 100 lbs to the car's overall weight. Carmakers still brag about that.

Although this was a preproduction convertible, the 4th gen's excellence wasn't confined to the convertible. As Car and Driver wrote in 1993, the car was miles better than the Mustang of the day.

"Had the Z28's [60 hp] performance advantage come at a huge cost in such areas as ride comfort, ergonomics, and noise control, we might feel more reserved about its dominance," wrote Kevin Smith for the magazine. "But in truth, the Camaro is a refined piece as well. Ride quality is marginally stiffer than the Mustang's but still entirely acceptable. And the extra racket is almost all V-8 rumble-hardly objectionable in this kind of car."

So maybe now's the time to start looking at 4th gen Camaros regardless of if you think their values will rise or fall. For around 5 grand, you can get the mid-90s' best pony car in pretty good condition. Who cares whether or not you'll make money when you get a V8 and rear-wheel drive for the price of a bougie burger.