Cobra vs Saleen -Overall Thoughts

[89#709]

Recognizing what website I am on I have a question. What is the real impression of folks with regards to the Saleen VS Cobra arguement? I see some Cobra owners really talking down to the Saleen Brand and then I see guys/gals giving it a :beer: . So is the consensus that they are just way over priced GT's with Body Kits? Does that include the E cars, the S 351 cars and the Cobra Saleens. I am a fan of both Saleens and Terminators. I have a Fox Body Saleen as you can see by my signature. But I am in the process of trying to locate a Saleen Cobra Convetible. If I can't find that, then most likely I will buy a S281SC Saleen vertible of the 2003 or 2004 year. However I still love the Cobra and would never talk it down because of the respect it holds in the industry because of how Fast it is. I also would buy a terminator if I could find one that really caught my eye in all aspects such as mods, and low mileage and the other things that relate to personal taste. I also think the Saleen of the same year also has some things that the Cobra doesn't such as Handling, overall Looks(that may be subjective I agree) , Interior upgrades, exclusivity which when your paying 50K plus for a new Mustang does make it somewhat exclusive . Stock the SC S281 does hurt itself in the overall 1/4 mile and possible top end aspect and probably agin in the price aspect. But I think both cars are deserving of :rockon: in that they both have there positive sides.
This is not mean to be a flame on anybody just a question.
Thanks and I look forward to the feedback
Peace.

 

[ford_racer]

I love all V8 Mustangs.

If someone likes Mustangs but talks down some of the V8s, they should probably look into Hondas.

 

[SVT GuY 281SC]

the terminator has a built motor with 4v heads and looks gorgeous and is good for the money while the saleen is a gt with a body kit and a blower so the like-liness of it blowing up with more boost is high. the terminator also has alot more potential and has the IRS that is an awesome handler with the correct mods. The saleen on the other hand is gorgeous and authentic but so is the SVT, just the saleen is more of a Limited Edition SE kind of vehicle.

 

[98slowbra]

I do like the look of the saleens but shit man they have the GT motor in them and create just as much power as a cobra but cost 10k-15k more. You will hardly ever see to many saleen cobras out there. Saleen is just like Roush, you will pay $20,000 more for a body kit, springs and shifter. Something that should have cost you around $2k, so you will be paying 18k just for the name. Way way over pirced for what you get.

 

[McFly]

They only made 11 Saleen Cobras in 2003.

 

[tx96cobra]

The S281-E comes with the 4v motor.

 

[98slowbra]

supercharged saleen base price is $51691 for that it better have 600 hp but nope it has around 380hp, so bend over saleen is going to give it to ya, for that price.

 

[03CobraBro]

The new S281-E is a 3v. I'd still take the Cobra because I dont have 70,000 dollars to buy a new car with, and if I did I'd be in a new Z06 or a slightly used SRT-10... The new S281-E though, in comparison to the old ones, has forged internals, a twin screw blower, and there are actually interchangable pullies for it (so you arent stuck with the same ammount of power). They're saying its easier to swap pullies on the S281-E than its going to be to swap them out on the Shelby, so I guess we'll see how it goes.

Personally though the thorn in Saleens side is the price. I'm sure you get 65k worth of car out of it but in the eyes of most people its hard to justify paying 65k for a Mustang vs 65k for a C6 Z06.

 

[stmoney11]

A dealership in my area has a 2006 S281SC with an asking price of 65k. It's a nice car, but for that money you could do a lot better.

 

[1Day-ACobra]

Well I guess it just depends on how far you want to go. It's not like you couldn't make a Saleen as fast as a stock Term. or faster, but how much power are you actually planning for?

For example I'd love a Cobra, but if I had to settle for a Saleen SC and added some mods I would not be complaining. Still a decent platform to work on, and a great looking car.

 

[WraithCobra]

Saleen and Roush are more than just a GT with a body kit and a blower. I don't know much about the Saleen, don't really like the look and never really checked into them. I prefer the look of the Roush and know that the Stage 3 is faster and handles better than the same year Cobra stock off the showroom floor. The GT500 will change the faster part of that statement, but not the handling part.
I'm really not that interested in just being able to go fast in a straight line, I want balanced performance which Ford is not offering with the GT500. I also don't want to have to modify a new car, I just want to drive it. I did add a CAI and cat-back to my Cobra, but that's all I was going to do and didn't want the hassle of other modifications or a voided warranty.
Before I bought the Cobra I had been looking to buy a Roush Stage 3 but it would have been $12k more. So financially I opted for the Cobra now rather than the Roush later. Since I've sold the Cobra I still want a Roush, and the price gap is now less than $10k over the GT500 which I'm not interested in anyway.

 

[94five0]

saleen has been building cool cars loong before the cobra came around. built racecars with forged engines, blowers, suspension..all way long before the terminator even was dreamed up. ford saw the niche market Roush, Saleen, Steeda etc.. was cornering and thought why not build our performance car for a turn-key market?..Ford was simply a larger company buiding a Race car, similar to the the 00 R, but on a larger scale. Took everyone's gripes from the 96-02 years.. threw an engine with forged guts, 31 spline axles etc. and built one hell of a Cobra for the end of a generation of cars..

personally, I love the look of Saleens..just more streamlined than the Roush imo. i liked the 380R.. but the 05 didn't win me.. saleen did it better.. its a nice car.. an the s7 is jus sex on wheels too.

 

[Sonik Blur]

The S281-E comes with the 4v motor.

Nope. Depending on what year you're talking about, they came with either 2v with forged internals or 3v with forged internals. The Saleen/Cobra (that only had 11 copies) is LITERALLY a 2003/2004 Cobra with a body kit and lowering springs...NOTHING ELSE! Saleen makes some of the most beautiful looking cars, but charges so much for nothing more than body kit, stickers, and a few basic bolt-ons. I say:

Saleen = :bs:
SVT Cobra = :thumbsup:

-Mike

 

[2slow50]

They are both sweet rides couldn't go wrong either way.. But you knew this was coming how could you go wrong with a car nicknamed the TERMINATOR!! :shrug:

 

[McFly]

I would pick a Cobra over a Saleen of the same year.

 

[madmatt]

I know you own a Saleen, so you may know this, but of the owners Ive met, they all talk about how crappy the quality some of the stuff is. Just small stuff that you shouldnt deal with on a 50k dollar mustang IMO.

 

[manystangs]

It really depends what Saleens you are talking about, I still believe the S-351's are one of the coolest mustangs around...I would take that over an 03-04 cobra any day. However the S-281's don't do that much for me (but they are very nice)...

 

[91hatch]

yea i have to agree with manystangs i love the late 90's s 351's. Kept the windsor motor alive. i guess im kind of partial to pushrod motors though lol

 

[89#709]

I do agree with the pricing of the Saleens being totaly out of wack when the cars are new. What I am looking at are cars now going on 2-3 or 3-4 years old where the original $50-$60K price has now moved down to $30-40K. Still a lot to work with but more reasonable and in comparison to a same year Cobra the pricing is now only about 10K higher. And if you like the looks of a Saleen, it would or could cost you that to change over a Cobra into that look. Figuring Paint, Body kit, Rim's tires, Upgraded Brakes. Again That is if you like the look. Now for a resale value which is somwhat important. I think the Saleens will hold there value at $30-40K now better then a cobra. Except for maybe the Mystichromes. But again that could change because I see late 90's Saleens dipping into the low $20's . But they typically have been beat to crap and have pretty high milage. I guess in the end it is all very subjective. You can dump probably 5-7 k into a S281 SC and get the same level of 1/4 mile performance as a Cobra. Please don't get me wrong I have seen many many Cobra pictures on this site and at Performance Autosport that I absolutely would love to have. It just comes down to what you eventualy want to grip and rip with. Some one said above that all mustangs are good. To a certain extent I agree with that. Saleens, Cobra's, Roush's, Steeda's. They are all great cars. As long as it eats rice and the Bowtie Boys and Viper folks.. It's all Good.
Peace.

 

[SpectorV]

My thoughts are most saleens are stock GTs (with a couple add ons) and a body kit, they do make very nice cars with blowers and what not, but the price for this and the future potential is bad IMO.

If you dont mind having a slower car with less potential, but has the saleen name, then its not a big deal if you dont care to spend the extra money.

You can buy the body kit and rims and all that for FAR cheaper but... it wont be a true saleen. I would test drive both, do some calculations on price and how much it would take to upgrade a non saleen (real figures not guesses) and then go with which you think will be a better investment.