Am I crazy??

[NoSlowGT]

Don't get me wrong, I love my '14 GT500 since I bought if off the showroom floor. But I can't stop thinking about my '04 Terminator I had. Does anyone that has a GT500 wish they still wish they had a previous car? I understand the power is double and the bells and whistles are better, but there is just something about a Terminator I can't get out of my head. I had one in highschool and college and I seriously consider selling the Shelby and buying one and then a daily driver. The Shelby is paid off, so I know I have plenty of cash to work with, but does anyone thing I'm crazy?

 

[GOTSVT?]

Been there, done that.
Going back to the Terminator was fun for a day.
Then the nostalgia wears off and you tend to miss the modern amenities of the new cars.

 

[ThomasL]

I've never had a Terminator and i still want one in the worst way. Just something about em.

 

[turbo]

yes

 

[MikeW]

I didn't want to regret getting my 14 gt500 so I kept one of my '03's.

 

[Lethalchem]

I had my 03 for 10 years. It was a fun car, but I was ready to move on.

You seem to change cars all the time, so I'd say jump to whatever impulse is steering the ship today. :rolling:

 

[2011 gtcs]

I never had the chance to own a terminator and I'm still kicking myself in the ass. But I have drivin a couple different high hp 03/04 Cobras and yes they are fun, but know way would I want to get ride
of my 13 GT500 for one

 

[07 Black Beauty]

If the Shelby is paid off why not just get the Terminator and have a payment?

 

[13COBRA]

Terminators are cool and all, but come on, really?

That's like saying you would sell a 00R for a 93R.

 

[dom418]

I don't think you are crazy. Cars are nostalgic, and bring back good memories. As people age, they want to recapture the memories they had with a certain car from their past. This is why muscle cars are so great. For you, their is an emotional attachment to the 03/04, it's not about the power or lack of bells and whistles. That body style will go down as one of the greatest in the Cobra history. Those cars have a cult following for a reason. It was the car to have when I was in my early 20's so I have an attachment.

While the 13/14 are great, I just think they are too big for me overall.

I will say that you should get the Terminator first and keep your Shelby. This way if the nostalgia wears off, you are not without your Shelby. I've owned multiple 03/04s and each time the nostalgia did eventually wear off and I wanted something newer. It will definitely be a wake up from a refinement perspective. As I get older I want all the do dads, comfort and power. Have both cars if you can

 

[VFORCEJOHN]

I went and bought back my first 94 gt 5.0 convertible 10 years after I sold it. it was my first car when I turned 16, I bought it working at a carwash and gas station.

The memories were great. However, the car straight up sucked!!! So bad, I sold it for 1/2 of what I paid for it.

it was the times, not the car.... Took me this experience to realize it.

 

[NoSlowGT]

I just really don't "need" two mustangs, that's why I haven't bought one. I appreciate the responses. Just wanted to see how many others have had the same thought.

 

[junkyard08]

No one "needs" two mustangs. I recently went through a similar situation. I still have my 94 gt which was my first car. It has become a weekend cruiser over the years. I have had a wrx as a DD for the past 9 years. This summer I decided I wanted a mustang full time again. I went back and forth for six months on it and finally traded my wrx in for a 14 GT and haven't looked back.

 

[SlowSVT]

There have been a number of guys who owned a Terminator, sold it for a GT500 and either sold the GT for another Terminator or just bought one and owned both. For someone to do that there has to be a very compelling reason to go backwards like that. Most of them sight the rawness and violence of the Terminator was somewhat lost with the refinements made with the GT500 which tends to diminish that seat-of-the-pants feeling (the wheelbase on the Cobra is shorter then a 2 door Honda Civic which makes it a hoot to drive!). For me there is no other car I would want to own over my 04 and you would need to pry it from my cold dead fingers to take it away from me. It's a "cult" car for sure :mj:

The S197 GT500 would be next in line though or perhaps even an old Fox. The S550 platform is going to be more reminiscent of a BMW with black boxes, an on-board computer network, interactive system controls, internet connectivity and active suspension and engine controls. Not exactly a good thing for a hot-rodder. Not taking anything away from the new Mustang, from what I hear they are pretty impressive but it may not be as user friendly long term with all that stuff on the car. In the end it's still good, I can't wait to see what SVT does with it.

 

[Marc]

I miss my old terminator, but it was not finacially right for me to own both cars at the time. BUT, I don't regret getting my GT500 one bit, a much more better car if you ask me.

 

[paluka21]

I went and bought back my first 94 gt 5.0 convertible 10 years after I sold it. it was my first car when I turned 16, I bought it working at a carwash and gas station.

The memories were great. However, the car straight up sucked!!! So bad, I sold it for 1/2 of what I paid for it.

it was the times, not the car.... Took me this experience to realize it.

Reminds me of the '95 I just sold prior to purchasing my '14. Bought it new back in '95, it was relatively lightweight (3400 and change) and made good power ( 690rwhp on low boost, 800+ with methanol and more boost), but I really like the newer technology of my '14, and after test driving a new Shelby I realized that I didn't even want to keep the '95 in addition to another "toy" car.

 

[Ghoust]

I have the same thoughts. i miss my Terminator. However, I think as one of the posters above have said, it is most likely a nostalgia thing. Enjoy the car you have at the time you have it.

 

[Lethalchem]

There have been a number of guys who owned a Terminator, sold it for a GT500 and either sold the GT for another Terminator or just bought one and owned both. For someone to do that there has to be a very compelling reason to go backwards like that. Most of them sight the rawness and violence of the Terminator was somewhat lost with the refinements made with the GT500 which tends to diminish that seat-of-the-pants feeling (the wheelbase on the Cobra is shorter then a 2 door Honda Civic which makes it a hoot to drive!). For me there is no other car I would want to own over my 04 and you would need to pry it from my cold dead fingers to take it away from me. It's a "cult" car for sure :mj:

I don't know how long you've had your Cobra. You joined in '04 so perhaps you bought yours new and you've had yours since then. If so, you might remember feeling similar to what you are hearing from GT500 owners. I remember when I first punched my '03. I remember scanning all my gauges and checking everything over because my head was questioning "This is over 400hp????". It didn't even feel as raw as many of my previous mustangs. A lot of my fox bodies felt faster. Now people are calling that Cobra "raw" and the current one soft. Funny how things progress. With the basic 4 mods I felt much better about the feel of the '03 Cobra. It still felt a little different, but you got more of a lurch from the hit.

I felt the exact same way when I first punched my '13 GT500. Dejavu…."This is 662hp??". However, just like with the '03 Cobra, you get a much better sense of it's ability when you have someone next to you as a reference point. The GT500 really devours real-estate quickly and you don't feel it run out of steam and fall on it's face like the '03 did. The car is certainly more refined, as the World seems to demand, but with the package that arrived on my doorstep this week, I have a feeling my '13 will wake up just like my '03 did. I basically did the same thing as I did on my '03 10 years ago.

What does this all mean? I put my money on the theories of several people on here: Nostalgia. The OP said it was his car in high school. A TON of people have awesome memories of their HS car, even if it was a junker. It's more about all the new experiences that were happening at that time than the vehicle itself. Obviously I'm not taking away from the '03. I wouldn't have happily kept it for 10 years if I didn't love it. It's just that for me, the '13 does everything I want a car to do, but better than the '03. The '13 was the first car Ford put out that had tempted me away from my '03, and I don't regret it a bit.

 

[SlowSVT]

I don't know how long you've had your Cobra. You joined in '04 so perhaps you bought yours new and you've had yours since then. If so, you might remember feeling similar to what you are hearing from GT500 owners. I remember when I first punched my '03. I remember scanning all my gauges and checking everything over because my head was questioning "This is over 400hp????". It didn't even feel as raw as many of my previous mustangs. A lot of my fox bodies felt faster. Now people are calling that Cobra "raw" and the current one soft. Funny how things progress. With the basic 4 mods I felt much better about the feel of the '03 Cobra. It still felt a little different, but you got more of a lurch from the hit.

I felt the exact same way when I first punched my '13 GT500. Dejavu…."This is 662hp??". However, just like with the '03 Cobra, you get a much better sense of it's ability when you have someone next to you as a reference point. The GT500 really devours real-estate quickly and you don't feel it run out of steam and fall on it's face like the '03 did. The car is certainly more refined, as the World seems to demand, but with the package that arrived on my doorstep this week, I have a feeling my '13 will wake up just like my '03 did. I basically did the same thing as I did on my '03 10 years ago.

What does this all mean? I put my money on the theories of several people on here: Nostalgia. The OP said it was his car in high school. A TON of people have awesome memories of their HS car, even if it was a junker. It's more about all the new experiences that were happening at that time than the vehicle itself. Obviously I'm not taking away from the '03. I wouldn't have happily kept it for 10 years if I didn't love it. It's just that for me, the '13 does everything I want a car to do, but better than the '03. The '13 was the first car Ford put out that had tempted me away from my '03, and I don't regret it a bit.

People who buy cars for reason of nostalgia do so more on an emotional level. I don't think most Terminator owners would not even be interested in the car if it didn't have such performance attributes and could care less weather they wanted to relive their HS years.

 

[Ray Lucca]

I have a '14 Vert. now, had an 09 Vert. before, and a '03 Terminator Vert. before that. If I had it to do over again I would keep the Term. until I bought the late production '14 which I have now. The big difference for me was the FTBR R. Bushing kit for the IRS which made it squat and scoot, and the mechanical linkage, no "fly by wire".. It felt more vicious, more immediate than the 09 and even the '14. Of course it isn't compared to the '14. Now as to modding, i guess I did the big 4, and more to the Term, and made it better. Very little to the '14. My friend has a Mystichrome 04 Term. KB Vert. with Cats and about 720 Wheel, and drives it most days, and on 91 . Two years now, no issues. Now his BA ride sounds like a Cup car. Very impressive, and ready to go, right now.....