February 23rd, 2010 is the official delivery date of my Camaro 2SS/RS. A day I have been looking forward to for years. Getting my Camaro took years of planning, but boy was it worth it!
The Camaro to me is more than just a car or means of transportation. It is a North American icon with a lot of heritage, since it was brought to the market in 1967. The 1969 Camaro SS/RS is my favourite classic car. When I was 12, I had gotten a die-cast version of the very model, mind you, I did not have much success with the assembly, even went to the hospital in my attempt, but I put in many hours to make it look as good as I could. I was proud of it.
January 2006, in Detroit, Chevrolet unveiled the concept of the Camaro, I knew it was a car I had to get. It is a car that has come back from the dead and resurrected back in Oshawa. As the production of the Camaro started in early 2009, I was looking for every possible way to get myself into a Camaro, even if it meant getting the LS model. I am a student and as many may know, finances aren’t always on your side. Every time a new opportunity came up, the first words that would come out of my mouth were “Camaro”. I’ve been fortunate enough since then to find the means of ordering a beautiful Cyber Gray Metallic Camaro 2SS/RS.
After putting my order through on November 8th, 2009, friends and family were getting pretty annoyed from hearing the word “Camaro” in every other sentence, but it is my dream car after all! Several people from the Oshawa Car Plant have sent me messages about my upcoming car. Some have said would take extra care in the handling, others having jokingly said would be the first to sit in the car and others have offered to keep me up to date during the production of my Camaro. Hearing this kind of feedback brought tears of joy. I have never be involved within the community surrounding Oshawa Car, until now. I have never been as proud to have the most qualified people touching thousands of vehicles, especially one that I would own. This Camaro will no longer just be a Camaro to me, I have been touched by the hard working folks who have built my car, I couldn’t be any happier!
As my Camaro was approaching production, I began getting a lot of notes and messages from those who were directly involved with the production or scheduling, arranging that I could get updates of it every step of the way. February 8th is when production began, but took an entire week, which had me all jittery. As it went through stages, I would hear from friends and other acquaintances that it has gone through them and it is looking great so far. February 12th, before my exam, I was sent a message describing my car coming to life, as the engine roared on the dyno. Needless to say, it got me pretty distracted.
I took delivery of my Camaro a week later, due to being away on a business trip. Everyday’s wait would get me more and more excited. February 18th was the big day, sleeping was impossible, thankfully I picked it up in the morning. Signed the papers and rushed to see my car, while another couple was taking delivery of a Camaro 2LT at the same time, who seemed equally happy. The first hours of ownership were some of my most enjoyable, not to say I still don’t love it! I drove to South Main Office to get a package, which contained QA slips, a lithograph and a few other goodies. I am very impressed with the lithograph and happy that so many people have signed it. I could count at least 10 people on there, whom I knew! I look forward to seeing or meeting all of you at the next meet and greet.
As I drove around Oshawa, stopping for groceries and wine, I bumped into Oshawa Car workers who asked if I liked my car, wondering how it was running and describing their responsibility on the Camaro line. I wish I had been able to take pictures with these two very proud workers, and the hundreds of others. My seats and engine are great, thanks for asking! Happy to see how proud you all are for being a part of history of my Camaro SS and looking forward to many years of this perma-grin.
In closing, this has been a wonderful experience, which I hope doesn’t have to end. I shared my experience with some close friends, who have been very impressed. Many rehashed the story to their friends about how caring Oshawa workers are and how much GM (in their opinion) is changing. Every one of them have said would be jumping to GM because of my experience, wishing they had the privilege as I had, to feel a better connection with their car. You can understand what makes me so enthusiastic of what everyone has done for me, for that I cannot thank you all enough. Many of you put in personal time to give me this kind of joy, which shows how dedicated and proud many are about making customers happy. Thank you!
