Terminator help?

[ddtcm]

Hey everyone Im new to this forum and currently own a modded s197. "Shaundra" is my 4th pony and im looking to get into a terminator.So far I've had a 98 v6,99 Cobra,05 GT and now a 07 GT.I love my s197 but my original plan was to get a Term after the 99 Cobra and now Im going back to that plan.The one Im looking at is in Houston and has already been modded which im hesitant about.The dealership claims that the car has 500+HP but has no proof of mods.As far as I know the car has CAI,pullied,LTs and tuned by PSI performance in Houston.This is the dealerships reasoning for not wanting to work with me on the price of the car which is $21.2 w/48,xxx miles.With these mods i know that the HP #'s are probably right but I asked for proof.They have agreed to take it to PSI and do a dyno run for me but im still hesitant about buying a modded Term which I know nothing about.I've attaching a link so tell me what yall think and what things I should be looking for or looking out for.
Thanks in advance.


2003 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra - Black

 

[cobracide]

ok here u go -

Terminator FAQs

 

[ddtcm]

ok here u go -

Terminator FAQs

Thanks! Any other advice from current owners would be great.

 

[futureSVT]

there is a very small chance it has 500 hp with an upper only if the blower is not ported. also 500ish is usually where fuel and mass air mods are needed.

 

[MoKo_03SVT]

just take it for a LOOONG test drive, with the stereo off and the windows rolled up, and LISTEN to the car. listen for any ticking, clunking, or any other noise you could possible notice. see if you can get it up on a lift and look at the underside of it. is everything rusted, etc?

as long as it passes all of your "tests" and doesnt act up AT ALL during your long test drive, and you decide that this is the teminator for you... then i say go for it! since its from a dealer im sure you can get them to include an extended warranty as well, although it may up the price a tad.

 

[gabe1530]

just take it for a LOOONG test drive, with the stereo off and the windows rolled up, and LISTEN to the car. listen for any ticking, clunking, or any other noise you could possible notice. see if you can get it up on a lift and look at the underside of it. is everything rusted, etc?

as long as it passes all of your "tests" and doesnt act up AT ALL during your long test drive, and you decide that this is the teminator for you... then i say go for it! since its from a dealer im sure you can get them to include an extended warranty as well, although it may up the price a tad.

thats exactly what i did even when buying a cobra from one of my best friends. i know how he used to drive it and all that but you can never be sure until you get it on a lift and drive it for a long time.
it has already past the 30k mileage barrier so i would pay special attention to the rear irs. my wheel bearing went out at 32k miles. im not saying yours will but keep an eye on every little detail of the car.
its def not 500hp as others have said above me. if you do get it i would definitely get it re-tuned asap. good luck and take your time!

 

[ddtcm]

Of course a retune will be required for my personal piece of mind and I know its probably not pushin 500HP.If it was dont you think the previous owner would have installed after market gauges? Another thing Im concerned with is 48k miles....what are your opinions on that?

 

[MoKo_03SVT]

48k miles is nothing on these cars. as long as it passes all of your "tests". that thing will run for ever if you treat it right and take proper care of it. there is a thread within these first sevral pages of threads where a guy posted his current milage on his 03-04 term of 250k plus. and thats not any bull shit.

 

[divided]

Well if you're worried about buying a modded cobra any problems will show up on the dyno (I.E. it'll blow if it has a bad tune, wrong mods, etc). Good thing it's on their dime. But I wouldn't worry too much as 500rwhp is within the 'safe' range for these cars.

 

[ddtcm]

Well if you're worried about buying a modded cobra any problems will show up on the dyno (I.E. it'll blow if it has a bad tune, wrong mods, etc). Good thing it's on their dime. But I wouldn't worry too much as 500rwhp is within the 'safe' range for these cars.

Im just worried if the guy who owned it before beat on her or not.I guess I will check those rear wheel wells for some rubber stuck on em.Im not a big fan of the charcoal interior either,i would rather have black but I can fix that later if I decide thats what I really want.

 

[03mgtermi]

i bought my cobra this past june with your average cobra mods....full intake, throttlebody, catted x, cat-back, pulley, centerforce clutch, tune, lowering springs, cc plates, and intercooler reservoir. had 43k on the clock and paint is in great condition if you ignore a couple shopping cart dings. in the non performance category the guy did a lot of cosmetic stuff like tint, 18" rims, smoked headlights, etc....i paid $19,150 for it but it took some haggling. it was also a private party deal. i had found the car on craigslist.

the guy was a 22 year old (i'm 24) and the tires were bald out back. these cars are made to be driven hard. i have had no issues since i bought it and have only performed some elective mods and regular maintenance since my purchase. (new brake pads, oil changes, trans fluid change, HIDs, matching radiator reservoir, clutch cable quadrant and firewall adjuster,

my recommendation to you is to thoroughly read the FAQ's posted above, do a carfax on any car you get serious about, and if possible have a mechanic look at it beforehand to identify and mechanical issues (noises, leaks, etc..). take it for a good test drive, make sure it gets up to a good operating temp but doesn't overheat, and follow the suggestions in those FAQs.

it's great that they are going to get it dyno'd for you. might take some arm twisting but see if you can be there when they do it. i actually live in tomball and if you really need me to, i wouldn't mind stopping by and looking at it. not gunna drive it or anything but ill look at it if you want my opinion of it.

 

[T-Pain808]

U skipped the best year :burnout:

 

[ddtcm]

i bought my cobra this past june with your average cobra mods....full intake, throttlebody, catted x, cat-back, pulley, centerforce clutch, tune, lowering springs, cc plates, and intercooler reservoir. had 43k on the clock and paint is in great condition if you ignore a couple shopping cart dings. in the non performance category the guy did a lot of cosmetic stuff like tint, 18" rims, smoked headlights, etc....i paid $19,150 for it but it took some haggling. it was also a private party deal. i had found the car on craigslist.

the guy was a 22 year old (i'm 24) and the tires were bald out back. these cars are made to be driven hard. i have had no issues since i bought it and have only performed some elective mods and regular maintenance since my purchase. (new brake pads, oil changes, trans fluid change, HIDs, matching radiator reservoir, clutch cable quadrant and firewall adjuster,

my recommendation to you is to thoroughly read the FAQ's posted above, do a carfax on any car you get serious about, and if possible have a mechanic look at it beforehand to identify and mechanical issues (noises, leaks, etc..). take it for a good test drive, make sure it gets up to a good operating temp but doesn't overheat, and follow the suggestions in those FAQs.

it's great that they are going to get it dyno'd for you. might take some arm twisting but see if you can be there when they do it. i actually live in tomball and if you really need me to, i wouldn't mind stopping by and looking at it. not gunna drive it or anything but ill look at it if you want my opinion of it.

Hell yeah! If you dont mind stoppin by some time and taking a peak at her.Im a anal bastard when it comes to details so anything you see as far as paint chips,dings,quality of paint,her belly (rusted or grimey) any mods you see under the hood as far as pulleys,LTs ect and the general condition of the engine bay and of course the interior if you open her up.Even listen to her run if you have the time.That would be great.(sorry it seems like a long list) Just let me know if you make it over there sometime soon You will save me alot of trouble.

THANKS AGAIN! :beer:

 

[ddtcm]

U skipped the best year :burnout:

LOL,I sure did.The original plan was to go from the 99 Cobra to a Term but I got sidetracked by the 05 bodystyle.Get this....I waited a week for a guy in Houston with a black Term to call me back in case his buyer flaked on him and when he didnt call in a week I bought the 05.Sure enough the very next day he called me and said the guy never showed and was I still interested.My exact words......."Mother****er"......lol,life is full of lessons.:shrug:

 

[CobraBob]

If you don't read through most of my Terminator FAQs on my website, at least read this one. Tips When Buying A Used '03-'04 Cobra

Since the dealer won't give you a detailed list of mods, and claims the car made 500rwhp, it is possible it has a larger lower pulley as well. Make sure you get a copy of the dyno sheet from PSI if they re-tune the car. See if the numbers are SAE or STD/Uncorrected (which will show higher numbers than SAE). Very possible that the '500+' hp number is STD.

Best of luck with your decision. I hope, after checking it out as best you can, that it meets all of your desires. :thumbsup:

 

[ddtcm]

If you don't read through most of my Terminator FAQs on my website, at least read this one. Tips When Buying A Used '03-'04 Cobra

Since the dealer won't give you a detailed list of mods, and claims the car made 500rwhp, it is possible it has a larger lower pulley as well. Make sure you get a copy of the dyno sheet from PSI if they re-tune the car. See if the numbers are SAE or STD/Uncorrected (which will show higher numbers than SAE). Very possible that the '500+' hp number is STD.

Best of luck with your decision. I hope, after checking it out as best you can, that it meets all of your desires. :thumbsup:

Ive read through everything already.I tend to do alot of reasearch when buyin a new pony.I will check out the other link and im already requesting a copy of the dyno results.

 

[4.6snakedoc]

pass on the car . too much money and history to vague.

 

[ddtcm]

pass on the car . too much money and history to vague.

The history is to vague as of now.The shop dynoing the car is the shop that tuned it so they may have more info to give.Im just waiting on a call back from the sales manager to see what kind of paperwork they came up with.

 

[gabe1530]

The history is to vague as of now.The shop dynoing the car is the shop that tuned it so they may have more info to give.Im just waiting on a call back from the sales manager to see what kind of paperwork they came up with.

have you gone that shop (PSI) on your own and asked about it?
i would! get all the details you can.

 

[ddtcm]

Dyno sheet is showing 476RWHP 524TQ. If there is anyone is the Houston area who knows Karl Twidell please give me shout.