Would Like Some Insight Please (S197)

wjk

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I actually just got a 2006 GT (still has temp tag) myself and as you can see by my sig I had a Sonic Blue 03 Cobra.
The cobra was never a daily, just a car that sat in the garage and came out on nice days. I loved the car, it had the basic cobra mods and made 458rwhp. Absolute BLAST to drive and the blower whine!!!!!!
My car had the famous "clunk" like they basically all do, that bugged the crap out of me as it sounds like the rear end was going to fall out with every gear change. Not to mention the wheel hop. Like everything there is aftermarket parts available to help with this. Lets face it.. the suspension is from 1979 and while it does have IRS it is a ford, don't expect a whole lot back there.
I'm not saying the live axle in the S197 is "modern" by any means, it is what it is.. its a mustang. The front suspension however is a HUGE improvement and is very noticeable when driving. My GT is a daily driver and as far as driver comfort is way ahead of the cobra. Like everybody else says, the interior fit/finish is much improved and as my car is stock the interior is very quite. Even the little things like auto up and down on both windows is kinda cool. Hyd clutch is also very nice for a daily, that cobra will give you a leg workout thats for sure.
Of course I miss the blower whine and the power, but I have also noticed that these little 3valves love some boost. So If I could get my 500hp back and have the S197 chassis then there is no reason in my eyes to even look back at the cobra. Also have to look at being it is a newer car the interest rate is much cheaper than going back to an 03.
So in a nutshell for me the S197 works because I need the following
-Newer/reliable daily driver
-Still fun to drive
-Great looking car and seems to have plenty of aftermarket to make it look however you want
-When I do get the mod bug there are plenty of things to do

I think so far everything has been covered it seems, i'll try to answer any questions you may have as I have owned them both.

My interest rate for a Cobra and the GT were the same. Also, my insurance was actually higher on my 2005 GT vs a 2003 Cobra, go figure!

If you really want a S197, you should get it. As stated above, much more modern then the previous Mustangs!
 

r6bullet

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My interest rate for a Cobra and the GT were the same. Also, my insurance was actually higher on my 2005 GT vs a 2003 Cobra, go figure!

If you really want a S197, you should get it. As stated above, much more modern then the previous Mustangs!



Yea I guess it would vary, the main reason I sold my cobra was to get a C5 Z06 vette. The problem I ran into was because of the age of the car I couldn't do more that 48 months financing and the rate was really high. That made the payments more than I wanted to deal with. Depends where you live I guess. I had my cobra listed as a pleasure vehicle and my grand prix was my DD. The grand prix is now gone and the GT is my only car. So I couldn't tell you the insurance difference. The Z06 was going to be cheaper on insurance than my cobra, weird how that works.
 

HEMI LOL

Twin Screwed
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i was in the same spot. wanted a terminator, looked at terminators, drove terminators....bought a s197. outside of just shear retarded power the termi left a lot to be desired imho. i was comming from an M3 and was used to the creature comforts of it, the terminator was a work truck to me. my s197 has full leather, heated seats, killer sound system and handles better than the snake to me.

the 3v is no terminator 4v, but its also no 2v. LOL its a great motor, loves to rev and makes pretty decent power through the curve. with BPUs your mid-high 12's with boost you can do every a terminator can just about.

its all personal choice and depending what the car needs to do for you. i wanted a project DD that can go 12s without breaking the bank. s197 for me. the terminator would have turned into a 10sec weekend car. and im sure at some point(although at much slower pace) the s197 will too. LOL

it really came down to what i wanted to sit in and drive everyday, and for me the s197 fit the bill. and coming up on 4 weeks i love it everytime i drive it.
 

Jaysin

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Getting some great feedback here. Glad to know i'm not the only one who really wants a terminator, but still questions other possibilities. I'm really starting to lean towards an S197. I also kind of like the "sleeper" effect they have versus a Terminator. Not many people (at least who live around here, and who I talk to car wise) expect a whole lot of power out of a GT. Its odd, I always tend to want to "go against the grain" so to speak. Let's say for instance, if all the responses in this thread were "the Terminator is completely better all around", or "don't get a GT, get the 03/04" I'd want the S197 even more, even though in actuality the Terminator is a car I've wanted for years! I don't know, guess im a bit off haha.
 

HEMI LOL

Twin Screwed
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Getting some great feedback here. Glad to know i'm not the only one who really wants a terminator, but still questions other possibilities. I'm really starting to lean towards an S197. I also kind of like the "sleeper" effect they have versus a Terminator. Not many people (at least who live around here, and who I talk to car wise) expect a whole lot of power out of a GT. Its odd, I always tend to want to "go against the grain" so to speak. Let's say for instance, if all the responses in this thread were "the Terminator is completely better all around", or "don't get a GT, get the 03/04" I'd want the S197 even more, even though in actuality the Terminator is a car I've wanted for years! I don't know, guess im a bit off haha.


im the same way, i call it underdog syndrome. :rockon: i wanted to build something different. it seemed like every cobra was, FR500's or 18in reps, 2.76 pulley, tune, exhaust 460whp. rinse wash repeat just about. while thats impressive in its own right its kinda boring imho. i want to go to a meet and have something different, not just a differnent color of everyone elses ride.

the s197 leaves alot on the table for mods imho. from styling to bpu's there are a lot of possibilites. some guys bolt on the kitchen sink and go 13.5's, some use some well thought out mods and go 12.70's. i like the challenge of setting up a car correctly, not just the same ole bolts. theres little to no challenge in a terminator to me. anyone can make one wicked, so therefore wicked cobra tend to be unimpressive. thats a bolt statement but really, im i that wrong. unless a cobra is up over 650whp do i find myself say, damn thats a beast. now when you see a 460whp s197 you go, shoot thats one helluva car!

the s197 is a little lighter, much better to drive and i think pulls of the 67-68 GT look really well. i say go for it, build a s197 and stand out from teh crowd.
 

Jaysin

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Ya know man, I couldn't have said it any better myself. Thats almost EXACTLY how I feel about it aswell. Like you are saying, most things now are common place when it comes to Terminators, you have your basic exhaust/pullied/tuned with 18in reps, ccws, or true forged, lowered. Then you have the same, but replace pullied with twin screw. Bad ass they are in there own right, I'm like you in the fact there are so many options with the S197, want to stay n/a? Supercharger? Turbo? Nitrous? Same said for the appearance of them, so many different options, you can really separate yourself out from the crowd. Though same can be said for the Cobras, but you just don't see that many heavily modded S197s, and that is a huge draw to me.

Def glad im not alone in thinking that way, cheers to you man! :beer:
 

HEMI LOL

Twin Screwed
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Ya know man, I couldn't have said it any better myself. Thats almost EXACTLY how I feel about it aswell. Like you are saying, most things now are common place when it comes to Terminators, you have your basic exhaust/pullied/tuned with 18in reps, ccws, or true forged, lowered. Then you have the same, but replace pullied with twin screw. Bad ass they are in there own right, I'm like you in the fact there are so many options with the S197, want to stay n/a? Supercharger? Turbo? Nitrous? Same said for the appearance of them, so many different options, you can really separate yourself out from the crowd. Though same can be said for the Cobras, but you just don't see that many heavily modded S197s, and that is a huge draw to me.

Def glad im not alone in thinking that way, cheers to you man! :beer:


:beer: this is how crazy i am. i passed on a 16k cobra to buy a 18k s197. :dancenana:
 

Jaysin

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Damn! Haha, I admire your dedication though. What plans do you have for your S? Seems like you don't regret your decision.
 

HEMI LOL

Twin Screwed
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Damn! Haha, I admire your dedication though. What plans do you have for your S? Seems like you don't regret your decision.

slow and steady....first the basics. ill ive really got now is an o/r x pipe and flows. next is tune/cai, change up the exhaust. then probably LTs and cams. i want to flirt with 11.99@114 or so. then maybe an intake mani too. no plans really for boost. but if i do, i like the eldelbrock SC.

change up the looks to. want to create a resto-mod look, mixing the old and new. throw in some shelby bits too.
 

Jaysin

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Sounds like a solid plan. If I were to get one, im thinking of a whipple, or procharger. Would also be a slow build with me too. I want to mod something so bad, I can mod my srt, but absolutely refuse to do so, just a waste because I want out of it, and i'm sick of fwd.

What type of appearance mods you plan on doing? What color is yours?

If I end up with one, I'd go with wheels/drop, front lip, gt500 spoiler, and a California Special rear bumper.
 

HEMI LOL

Twin Screwed
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mustangniteshots067.jpg


probably just change the wheels, GT500 rear bumper, maybe GT500 front end conversion. 68 GT badges, shelby scoops, maybe shelby grille. i dunno.
 

Jaysin

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Looking clean! Though im not a fan of Silver. Any idea what type of wheels you are going to go with? Seems to be a divide of people on S197 Forums who go with 18s, then the other half goes with 20s haha.
 

upl8dave

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Had a 03 Cobra Convertible with all the exterior goodies. Lowering it was much cheaper as all you have to change is the springs. I put on H&R race springs for about $240. +1 for the terminator. Lowering for the S197 was $1400.00. Cobra's are harder to come up with a really good exhaust note than the S197s. -1 for the terminator. The terminator has wheel hop at the drag strip -1. The terminator has 100 more horsepower and you can tell +2. I do like the interior a little better on the S197 (mine is a 09 GT/CS). I get about as many unsolicitated compliments on the S197 as I did on the Cobra. On the Cobra people ask you "where's the grill?" Cobra's have a warped rear bumper cover on about all of them, check out rear shots and you'll see. The seats are also made of a special material, not suede leather like it looks, you have to be carefull with cleaning them. In the nutshell, I love them both. The cobra looked high dollar. The S197 is a daily driver. So the answer is get both, LOL. I forgot about the 96 cobra I had for a whopping 2 weeks. I liked it but it needed a paint job and suspension work, so I traded it on the s197.
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clc44

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I'm trading my GTO in on a S197 in a week or 2. Waiting on the body shop to finish my fender were someone hit me. I didn't know it cost that much to lower a S197? My GTO is a nice car but with H/C/I its not a fun DD. The S197 can be fast, just takes a little time. There is a guy around me that has an 08 with a Whipple and built motor making just under 600rwhp. Very fast car! I also HATE IRS, my GTO wheel hops so bad. Can't even do a simple burn out without worrying. Good Luck with whatever you decide to get. BTW I've driven an 07 5 spd S197 w/ CAI, tune, MAC axle backs and its a nice car. Not the fastest but with a little work can be plenty of car.
 

ncpower08

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I love my 08 S197. But it didn't have that get up and go to it, in my eyes it could have been faster. So I started with the bolton's. After a while that didn't do it for me eather. So when I deployed to Iraq the second time I told mysealf it is time to go big or just get the 03 Cobra. So after an ATI procharger and a new rotating assimbly. It fits me just fine. It has all the power I want and need now. As for handling I live out in the country and those roads are fun as hell to drive on. I have no problems with the stock suspension. But now with the power I am going to up geade. I guess in all this I am saying if you are going to put a KB on an 03/04 Cobra anyway you may as well go with the S197. It is alot of fun to drive and if you have some know how they are fun to put boltons too.
 

Hellspeaker

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I don't know if anyone has answered this yet. I had a 2007 GT with 3.73s full exhaust intake tune and a few other goodies, compared to my buddies mach 1 with slp loudmouth 1's intake 4.10s and a good ass tune the s197 just couldn't hang. I love mach 1's you got that bang and theyre not super exspensive.
 

THE_STIG

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Headers aren't too bad on a S197 from what I have been told, its my next mod i have planned.

As for your first question, I owned a 01 Cobra, worst car i have ever owned. Nothing but problems, it was in the shop every damn week. Sure when it ran it was fun but I am very happy to have traded it for my 05. I love this car, sounds amazing, interior is worlds over a 04 and previous interior, handles better IMHO, I know looks are on a personal basis but I never liked the look of the SN95s but I love how this thing looks. I daily drive mine right now and I enjoy the hell out of it every day.
 

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