Tag: Chevrolet SS

One of my favorite Chevrolets. Many of you already know this, but since they stopped production almost a decade ago (the same year I started this blog!), let’s recap. The Chevrolet SS was Chevy’s four-door sleeper: a rear-wheel-drive sedan with a Corvette-sourced 6.2 liter V8 hiding under styling so plain it looked like a Malibu. It wasn’t totally American — it was a rebadged Holden Commodore, built in Australia and imported here for exactly four model years, 2014 through 2017, before Holden shut the factory down entirely. GM only brought in 12,924 of them total. And if you wanted a manual transmission — the one enthusiasts actually wanted, or should have wanted — you were choosing from an even smaller pile. The stick wasn’t offered until 2015, and across the three years it was available, only 2,645 SS’s got one, about one in five.

Today, CarMax has eight Chevrolet SS models on its lots, and two are the more coveted manual transmission unicorns – a 2016 above and a final year 2017 below. Back in 2017, when these were still available new and a couple of months into blogging, I wrote this crappy simple post to note CarMax had a whopping 24 Chevrolet SS models in inventory. I even drove a new one and loved it, but instead bought Etta, my used Porsche 911. It was an $18,000 savings and I am too vain to drive a Chevy when I could have a 911.

MSRP was about $48,000 when new, and at times, these were deeply discounted to move them on. The final-year enthusiasts panicked, ordered a bunch, and even more manual transmission ones than before. In 2016, only 711 manuals were sold, and in 2017, that number increased to 1,310. Makes our 2016 model rarer, perhaps offset by 2017 being the final year?

Inside, both cars carry the same well-equipped-for-the-money spec Chevy gave every SS regardless of year: leather seating with heated and ventilated front seats, an 8-inch touchscreen with navigation and a 9-speaker Bose stereo, a head-up display, remote start, and memory seat settings. The safety suite is surprisingly modern for a car this age — forward collision alert, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and automated parking assist all came standard. What you won’t find is Apple CarPlay or Android Auto — the infotainment system predates both. It’s a handsome GM interior.

The 2016 shifter on the left above looks standard – the 2017 on the right is modified with an eight-ball grip. For what it’s worth. The 6.2-liter motor below made 415 naturally aspirated horsepower. Car and Driver’s testing confirms the numbers: 0–60 mph in 4.5 seconds, the quarter-mile in 13.0 seconds at 111 mph, and 0.96g on the skidpad — figures that put the SS ahead of a V8 Dodge Charger R/T and within range of the more aggressive Scat Pack, despite giving up nearly a liter of displacement to the Hemi. They also called the SS “…a V-8-powered aberration to GM’s four-door plan…” and said it “…had staffers talking resurrected E39-generation BMW M5…” – not bad company.

Both of these cars are one-owner, accident-free CarMax unicorns. They’re not cheap, but when I look at the dozen manual transmission Chevrolet SS’s on Autotrader today (nine of which are 2017 models), they are comparably priced. Hell, there’s even a 2017 6MT with only 920 miles on it selling for $75,000! Of our two here, the 2016 has 46,000 miles and is offered at $45,998, and the 2017 has a very low 18,000 miles, and is $9,000 more. There were no changes between the 2016 and 2017 models, other than the paint chart — “Orange Blast Metallic” (my fav) and “Nightfall Gray Metallic” in, “Some Like It Hot Red Metallic”, “Jungle Green Metallic”, and “Mystic Green Metallic” were dropped. Clearly, White survived.

The 2016 Chevrolet SS above spent its life in Bellevue, Washington, and is offered here in Puyallup, Washington. Stock No. 70075651 VIN: 6G3F25RW0GL228603

The 2017 model below has always been in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is for sale here at CarMax Salt Lake (South Jordan), Utah. Stock No: 70072052 VIN: 6G3F25RW1HL300801

MaxCare? You can buy it for another five years of coverage and up to 150,000 miles – stunning to cover a nine-year-old Chevy for another 132,000 miles of driving! Is it needed?  The LS3 is a proven, simple pushrod V8 — not a warranty-anxiety motor on its own — but both cars are now roughly a decade past GM’s factory coverage, so it’s a reasonable hedge on the 46k-mile 2016, less necessary on the 18k-mile 2017 in my opinion. The cars have Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) adaptive suspension and Brembo brakes – neither of which would be covered under MaxCare anyway – but not too much else expensive, sophisticated stuff that would be covered. Maybe save the MaxCare money for when the MRC goes?

Not above plagiarizing Matthew for a headline. My other choice was a miserable one from Victor Hugo; “Nothing can be sadder or more profound than to see a thousand things for the first and last time.“* The “thousand things” could mean the 12,953 Holden unicorns made in Australia and imported by General Motors as Chevrolet SS sleepers from 2014 to 2017.

This one is a 2017 Chevrolet SS, the final year, with only 29,000 miles on it. The 2017 SS listed at about $48,000, but Chevrolet never moved these off the lots as quickly as they moved from stoplights, and offered deep discounts – up to 20% in many cases – to reduce inventory. Snatching one of these in 2017 for $38,000 would have been a helluva deal, especially since as a modern, collector car it’s now selling at MSRP! Unfortunately, it’s not the more coveted manual transmission like this rare pair offered by CarMax two years ago.

The 2017 Chevrolet SS is listed as a “10” for features by CarMax, and yet for a six year old car it’s lacking more than a few. Heated and air conditioned seats, automated parking, heads up display, cross traffic alert, and a decent Bose sound system yes. But no adaptive cruise control, Apple CarPlay, or heated steering wheel. What it has is a massive 6.2 liter LS3 naturally aspirated V-8 motor that makes 415 horsepower driving the rear wheels. That’s not a ton, but it moves this car to 60 mph in the mid-four second range. And it sounds awesome doing so. I drove one a few years ago and it had the same visceral oomph and roar of old time muscle cars. The SS also has (from 2015 on) GM’s Magnetic Ride Control suspension and handles quite well – .94 lateral g on the skid pad.

This 2017 Chevrolet SS has spent its whole life in Florida with one owner and is available here in Tampa. It’s actually gray over black, making all the pix look like they’re in black and white. It’s an accident free car and eligible for MaxCare up to 150,000 miles and five years. I don’t think I’d bother at all.

Stock No. 24071876 VIN 6G3F15RW9HL303934

What follows also looks like the same car in black and white pictures but it is not. This is a green over black Chevrolet SS – a first year model from 2014. It’s outfitted almost identically to the 2017 above, although as noted does not have the magnetic suspension. It’s also $4,000 less than the 2017 and has only 18,000 miles.

IMHO the 2014 green exterior, although subtle, has a nicer tone than the drab gray of the 2017.

What kept me from buying one way back when? If you’re a regular reader you would know it’s my vanity. I was okay having a Mercedes S-class that concealed its V-12 motor and yet having to explain over and over my Chevrolet came from Australia and really wasn’t a Malibu is beyond me. It looks pretty plain. The 2014 had a big pair of exhaust outlets and by 2017 the car got four, smaller pipes. Beyond that I’d be hard pressed to tell the difference.

All of the SS’s had plenty of room in the back seat and in the trunk to be a legitimate family hauler or road tripper. And on road trips the car gets up to 22 mpg highway. I’ve had worse.

This 2014 Chevrolet SS was a two-owner from Kansas and Lubbock, and is currently being transferred to San Antonio, Texas but you can track it here. Same MaxCare warranty options as the 2017, although always remarkable that it would still be covered when it’s 14 years old!

Stock No. 23712976 VIN 6G3F15RW1EL938447

*The full quote makes me want to end it all.

“Nothing can be sadder or more profound than to see a thousand things for the first and last time. To journey is to be born and die each minute…All the elements of life are in constant flight from us, with darkness and clarity intermingled, the vision and the eclipse; we look and hasten, reaching out our hands to clutch; every happening is a bend in the road…and suddenly we have grown old. We have a sense of shock and gathering darkness; ahead is a black doorway; the life that bore us is a flagging horse, and a veiled stranger is waiting in the shadows to unharness us. ”

― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

I’ve covered these unicorns a few times over the last few years. Once I found CarMax to be loading up their inventories and wrote here about the hoarding. They went from a handful to 24 units almost overnight. Sometimes they have none. Occasionally they score a rare manual transmission version and those sell faster than the cars drive. Only a couple of hundred were imported yearly by Chevrolet. Yes, imported and so I just gave it away. The Australian Holden sports sedan imported and rebadged as Chevrolet SS models from 2014-2017. The list price (MSRP) was between $40,000 and $48,000 when new, although they didn’t sell well and were deeply discounted. I’ve read by as much as 20% to clear them from the lots. Chevrolet projected sales of 12-15,000 cars a year and sold maybe 3,000 annually. There were lots of articles on why the SS did not sell well. Poor market positioning. Looked like a Malibu. Overpriced. Now there are lots of articles on what a great enthusiast car this was, with a 6.2 liter naturally aspirated V-8 rated at 415hp, and good for mid-four second 0-60mph runs. Brembo brakes. Adaptable magnetic suspension. Great reviews. And now these once shunned cars are selling at a premium. More than they sold for new, and sometimes more than the MSRP Chevrolet never got. When I started this blog in 2017 Chevrolet was still trying to unload new SS models for under $40,000 and CarMax had low mileage used ones for around $30,000. Now CarMax has a low mileage, but still used 2017 SS offered at $54,000! And it’s not even a manual. Well, enjoy these four collectable Chevrolets. I had hoped there would be one from each model year offered but it was not to be, and if I wait even these may be gone.

Manual transmission Chevrolet SS models are the most sought after of the Australian Holdens rebadged and imported to the US from 2014-2017. And two of the five Chevrolet SS cars on CarMax lots are 6-speed manuals. Fortunately, GM releases production numbers for these cars by year, color, and options. Chevrolet sold 2,202 SS models in 2016, 711 with manual shifters. Only 168 in Red Hot Red. It gets harder after that – 13 with sunroof, inflator, and manual transmission, and 27 with sunroof, a spare tire, and manual. So… this 2016 Chevrolet SS is at a minimum 1 of 2,202. Or 1 of 711. Or 1 of 40 (I can’t tell if this has a spare or inflator!), or at best, 1 of 13. All of them say unicorn to me.

Just over three years ago, while Chevrolet was still importing and selling SS models, I wrote here about the inexplicable boost in SS inventory at Carmax – they normally carry a handful and in December 2017 had a remarkable 24 units on lots. Maybe they knew something. TheSS listed new in 2016-2017 for $42-48,000. They also came with significant rebates making them ridiculous values. What’s surprising to me is they are selling now, four years after extinction, for almost what they sold for new. Very few used cars are retaining value like that. This low mileage model is surely selling for at or above its new car price.

The Chevrolet SS was powered by a 6.2 liter naturally aspirated LS3 V-8 pumping a decent but not spectacular 415 hp. Car and Driver still made a 4.6 second 0-60 mph run – no slouch – and just short of 1g lateral handling on the skid pad. Respectable numbers. The car has adaptive suspension and is adequately appointed but by no means loaded. I doubt SS owners care. Find this low mileage, one owner accident free 2016 Chevrolet SS here in Hartford, Connecticut.

Continue reading “Quick Hit – 1 of 711 (or 1 of 40?) 2016 Chevrolet SS Manual Transmission Collector (And Bonus 2017 SS)”