Get to the dealer and they have it sitting right out front. About 5 people hanging around looking at it. The salesman immediately comes out, shakes my hand and says "it's got 8 miles from the factory, we put no miles on it. Can I drive it down to the gas station to fill it up, I would really appreciate it". I said no problem, and he drove it to the station filled it up and I drove back. I then signed a few papers, gave them a check and left in about 45 mins.
Now the good: Power comes fast and steady all the way to red line. Not the brute force grunt I had expected, very linear and smooth, I have driven an M3 and the power delivery is similar to me. I guess what I am trying to say is, it is not the American muscle as I remember it from the old days, that is not a bad thing.
Ride quality: Huge improvement over my 96 Cobra. This was the biggest surprise to me, believe it or not, I still can't get over how nice the ride is. Handling is also an improvement.
Brakes: Also seemed uprgraded to me, and it is not just because of new back pads, I felt the brakes were better than my 96.
Exterior: Also an upgrade, the paint job is flawless, Mineral Grey is awesome and the crowd surrounding it at the dealer agreed. My 96 had a couple of paint imperfections, like dust or dirt in the paint. This has none of that.
Transmission: Significant upgrade, I am wondering if I should put in the Tri Ax I bought, I thought it shifted precise and solid, throws are much better than the 96.
Now the not so good:
Interior: Low budget, car would be perfect with an upgrade in the interior. I'm shocked at how plain it looks and feel the quality of the leather is sub par. The inserts don't do anything for me. I am glad I kept my Recaro's out of my 96. Did not have time to mess with the stereo, but first impressions are it's not an uprade, I do like the six disc in dash, but that is it. For this kind of money we should have gotten a MACH 650 or something in between 460-1000.
I also feel they almost got the stance right, another 1/2 " lower would be perfect.
All in all, my gripes are minor, fact is the money is in the drivetrain and it shows. My magnaflow and shifter is supposed to go in Friday. Had I waited to purchase them, I would have put in 4.10's (this thing screams for 4.10's) and lowered it half an inch instead. The sound of the SC is sweet and now I am worried a louder exhaust will drown that out. And the shifter for me is not an issue so far. Bottom line, it is worth the wait and I think it is a significant improvement over the 96-98.
Now the good: Power comes fast and steady all the way to red line. Not the brute force grunt I had expected, very linear and smooth, I have driven an M3 and the power delivery is similar to me. I guess what I am trying to say is, it is not the American muscle as I remember it from the old days, that is not a bad thing.
Ride quality: Huge improvement over my 96 Cobra. This was the biggest surprise to me, believe it or not, I still can't get over how nice the ride is. Handling is also an improvement.
Brakes: Also seemed uprgraded to me, and it is not just because of new back pads, I felt the brakes were better than my 96.
Exterior: Also an upgrade, the paint job is flawless, Mineral Grey is awesome and the crowd surrounding it at the dealer agreed. My 96 had a couple of paint imperfections, like dust or dirt in the paint. This has none of that.
Transmission: Significant upgrade, I am wondering if I should put in the Tri Ax I bought, I thought it shifted precise and solid, throws are much better than the 96.
Now the not so good:
Interior: Low budget, car would be perfect with an upgrade in the interior. I'm shocked at how plain it looks and feel the quality of the leather is sub par. The inserts don't do anything for me. I am glad I kept my Recaro's out of my 96. Did not have time to mess with the stereo, but first impressions are it's not an uprade, I do like the six disc in dash, but that is it. For this kind of money we should have gotten a MACH 650 or something in between 460-1000.
I also feel they almost got the stance right, another 1/2 " lower would be perfect.
All in all, my gripes are minor, fact is the money is in the drivetrain and it shows. My magnaflow and shifter is supposed to go in Friday. Had I waited to purchase them, I would have put in 4.10's (this thing screams for 4.10's) and lowered it half an inch instead. The sound of the SC is sweet and now I am worried a louder exhaust will drown that out. And the shifter for me is not an issue so far. Bottom line, it is worth the wait and I think it is a significant improvement over the 96-98.
