As of 11-19-08 I have had the pleasure of owning this car for 4 years. I wanted to share my experience with having this car, and list my pros and cons of my terminator ownership.
I bought this car brand new on friday 11-19-04. It only had 17 miles on the odometer. It was built on 1-13-04 and basically sat for 9 months before being sold to me. It had developed flat spots on the tires that I eventually removed. :burnout: I must say that I could not believe that this was my car. I was not prepared for all of the attention that A mystichrome terminator draws. On the drive home from the dealership a guy was rolling along side me while snapping pics with his camera phone.
The 2nd day of ownership (Saturday night) I lost my first race. I was out cruising on the freeway when I was blown away (2 cars) by a HCI Camaro SS. Needless to say Thanksgiving weekend I installed my first two mods, a steeda CAI, and a Flowmaster CB.
The next 6 months of ownership were uneventful. I took the car back to the dealer for its first oil change, had a few races here and there, and researched my next mod. I was very happy with my car. I did not have any quality problems, and everything performed perfectly. I felt that it was time for a pulley!:rockon:
I took my car to Tim at Modular Powerhouse (MPH), for a pulley and dynotune. The results were 455 hp and 475 tq with a 2.8 upper pulley. I must say that the addition of the pulley and tune made it feel like a new car. It seemed like every other weekend Id meet up with a crew of guys and get in countless runs. I built up a pretty good record winning 30+ races and losing 5. Anyone that knows me knows that I am humble, but also confident. So I never did talk much smack. My buddies would call me up and set up a race for the "Flip-Flop" cobra, but as time went on I started to lose interest in street racing.
After a year and a half with the pulley I needed a upgrade. So back to MPH for the 2.6KB. All that I can say is OH CRAP! My car went from a caged beast (455hp) to a rabid animal (601hp)! I'll never forget the first time that I laid fully into the throttle on the drive home. It was like I entered ludicrous speed! I started racing more often, but this time it was at the 1/8 mile track. I had some of my best and memorable races there, and would often end up in the final 4 (pinks all out style). I would always get beat by the MTI sponsored vette, but it was all in good fun.
The Pros
For the past 2 years, I haven't driven my car as much. I bring it out every other weekend for shows or just cruising around and wasting gas. I still get a good share of complements and admiring stares. And it still scares the crap out of me when I hit the throttle. Thankfully I have not had any mechanical failures. I love how the IRS rides. I love the modability of this car and I feel that it is the ultimate bang-for-the-buck. I really love the styling of the terminator, and I think that it looks perfect lowered. I love how these cars sound! From the screaming blower to the deep bellowing exhaust. The sound and the power are addictive. I have yet to find a car that has the entry price, after-market support, looks, and high performance starting point than the terminator.
The Cons
Some minor complaints. I hate the fact that a car that stickered for $38000 does not have a glovebox or underhood light, a prop rod hood, Cheap leather that wears very poorly, and shitty steering rack bushings. It wouldn't hurt if the car weighed less, and I hate launching on the IRS. All of this stuff is fixable with after-market components, but Ford could have done a few things better. Lastly I feel that I am starting to get too old for this car. The color is a bit too flashy for me now, and I have been really eyeing the Z06 Vettes.
I still feel that the terminator is the ultimate mustang and is truer to what mustangs stand for than the gt500.
I love this car and would like to keep it long enough to write about 5 years+ of ownership, but as time goes on and interests change, I may let someone else have the pleasure of owning this car.
4 year totals
Horsepower: 601rw
Torque: 566rw
High Speed: 165 mph
Miles: 38000+
Weight empty: 3672lbs
Oil Changes: 8
Tire sets: 4
Dealer visits: 3 = Oil change, Steering rack bushing, Rear Bearing.
St. Race Wins: 30+
St. Race Loss: 5
Tk. Race Win: 26
Tk. Race Loss: 6
Car Show Wins: 5
Pulled Over: 2
Tickets: 0
Broken parts: 1 spark plug
Accidents: 0
Run out of gas: 0
Stranded: 0
Towed: 0
Road Head: :-D
Fat passengers: ZERO
I bought this car brand new on friday 11-19-04. It only had 17 miles on the odometer. It was built on 1-13-04 and basically sat for 9 months before being sold to me. It had developed flat spots on the tires that I eventually removed. :burnout: I must say that I could not believe that this was my car. I was not prepared for all of the attention that A mystichrome terminator draws. On the drive home from the dealership a guy was rolling along side me while snapping pics with his camera phone.
The 2nd day of ownership (Saturday night) I lost my first race. I was out cruising on the freeway when I was blown away (2 cars) by a HCI Camaro SS. Needless to say Thanksgiving weekend I installed my first two mods, a steeda CAI, and a Flowmaster CB.
The next 6 months of ownership were uneventful. I took the car back to the dealer for its first oil change, had a few races here and there, and researched my next mod. I was very happy with my car. I did not have any quality problems, and everything performed perfectly. I felt that it was time for a pulley!:rockon:
I took my car to Tim at Modular Powerhouse (MPH), for a pulley and dynotune. The results were 455 hp and 475 tq with a 2.8 upper pulley. I must say that the addition of the pulley and tune made it feel like a new car. It seemed like every other weekend Id meet up with a crew of guys and get in countless runs. I built up a pretty good record winning 30+ races and losing 5. Anyone that knows me knows that I am humble, but also confident. So I never did talk much smack. My buddies would call me up and set up a race for the "Flip-Flop" cobra, but as time went on I started to lose interest in street racing.
After a year and a half with the pulley I needed a upgrade. So back to MPH for the 2.6KB. All that I can say is OH CRAP! My car went from a caged beast (455hp) to a rabid animal (601hp)! I'll never forget the first time that I laid fully into the throttle on the drive home. It was like I entered ludicrous speed! I started racing more often, but this time it was at the 1/8 mile track. I had some of my best and memorable races there, and would often end up in the final 4 (pinks all out style). I would always get beat by the MTI sponsored vette, but it was all in good fun.
The Pros
For the past 2 years, I haven't driven my car as much. I bring it out every other weekend for shows or just cruising around and wasting gas. I still get a good share of complements and admiring stares. And it still scares the crap out of me when I hit the throttle. Thankfully I have not had any mechanical failures. I love how the IRS rides. I love the modability of this car and I feel that it is the ultimate bang-for-the-buck. I really love the styling of the terminator, and I think that it looks perfect lowered. I love how these cars sound! From the screaming blower to the deep bellowing exhaust. The sound and the power are addictive. I have yet to find a car that has the entry price, after-market support, looks, and high performance starting point than the terminator.
The Cons
Some minor complaints. I hate the fact that a car that stickered for $38000 does not have a glovebox or underhood light, a prop rod hood, Cheap leather that wears very poorly, and shitty steering rack bushings. It wouldn't hurt if the car weighed less, and I hate launching on the IRS. All of this stuff is fixable with after-market components, but Ford could have done a few things better. Lastly I feel that I am starting to get too old for this car. The color is a bit too flashy for me now, and I have been really eyeing the Z06 Vettes.
I still feel that the terminator is the ultimate mustang and is truer to what mustangs stand for than the gt500.
I love this car and would like to keep it long enough to write about 5 years+ of ownership, but as time goes on and interests change, I may let someone else have the pleasure of owning this car.
4 year totals
Horsepower: 601rw
Torque: 566rw
High Speed: 165 mph
Miles: 38000+
Weight empty: 3672lbs
Oil Changes: 8
Tire sets: 4
Dealer visits: 3 = Oil change, Steering rack bushing, Rear Bearing.
St. Race Wins: 30+
St. Race Loss: 5
Tk. Race Win: 26
Tk. Race Loss: 6
Car Show Wins: 5
Pulled Over: 2
Tickets: 0
Broken parts: 1 spark plug
Accidents: 0
Run out of gas: 0
Stranded: 0
Towed: 0
Road Head: :-D
Fat passengers: ZERO
