Looking to buy a Saleen

SaleenSC · 06-22-2005, 10:32 PM

So I went to the local Ford Dealership with a buddy and we were looking at the new Ford GT. A sales lady started talkin to me and took me around the lot to look at the new 05' Mustangs. They were all automatic so I passed on any further inspection. She then took me over the the Red 2000 Saleen Mustang. As we were lookin at it and the engine and everything she offered me a test drive. Keep in mind I am only 17 and she let me drive it without asking for my license or my insurance or anything. That came as a surprise to me, but I jumped on the oppurtunity. Needless to say I fell in love that day. I have loved Mustang and Jeep since I was a little boy. I have my Jeep now its time for my mustang and I am Saleen crazy now. This particular one was $29,000 with about 18K miles on it. Everything looked to be in great condition. The engine bay was clean, the engine looked almost new but there were signs of minimal wear so I could tell it wasnt new. The interior was perfect and to my surprise as well there was plenty of headroom as I stand at 6'1. Everything about it seemed perfect, except of course the price tag [&:] *ouch*. But I expect to pay around $30K for a Saleen. Anyways, what should I look for in a Saleen? Are these very high maintenance cars? My buddies 84' Porsche 944 is super high maintenance and a pain in the but to work on with such minimal space in the engine bay and I dont want that. Do they last a long time? Good car for a Daily Driver? Im turning my jeep into a project rock crawler/mudder so I need a reliable car thats also fast and something I can fix up to keep up with just about anything thrown at it. What should I know about these particular cars? Sorry about the long post and all the seemingly stupid questions, but I wanna make sure before I pour $30K+ into a vehicle at my age.

mrpatel457 · 06-23-2005, 12:26 AM

Price seems kinda high in my opinion. Is the car supercharged? If so the price is okay. If not you should try to look around for a better price.

Obselite · 06-23-2005, 12:31 AM

if its a s/c, pretty good price...if it's n/a you could find one for about 10-15k less.

I just saw an 02 in a mag with 38k miles with all the saleen additions for 16k (non supercharged of course).

If you really want to spend 30k, im tellin ya right now, get a cobra...better to mod, better performance stock. Not as much looks, but ill take power over looks anyday. Im not bashing saleen, because i love them, and own one myself, but if i had 30k to spend, id put 22-25 into an 03 cobra and spend the rest on mods...and gas

SaleenSC · 06-23-2005, 01:29 AM

So what makes a Cobra better than Saleen? And what about Roush? I was always under the impression the Saleen made a better stock than the Cobra version. Yes this one is SC, and can I get a later model Cobra for cheaper or what Ive never looked for them just kept my mind on Saleen. One more question, how well would a stock Saleen SC perform against a TransAm with a Supercharger? My friend is getting him a 97' SC TransAm soon and I wanna be able to compete with him. Thanks...
Oh yeah I am going to be financing it so its not like Im gonna have an extra $5000 in my pocket so either way I will be havin to save for mods. Thanks again...

Obselite · 06-23-2005, 01:46 AM

Cobra > Saleen S/C = Cobras come with stock engines that can handle excessice hp (because all the internals are forged). The Saleen S/C is just a gt with a supercharger on it, same internals. Sorry I think i failed to mention it has to be an 03-04 cobra to be supercharged, and it has IRS (independent rear suspension) which is capable of handling tremendous hp as well. The Saleen needs to be upgraded drastically to make the high hp numbers, unless you get an Extreme...which you wont be able to find for under 40k, less you get really lucky.

Hmm, the saleen will probably not be able to quite hang with the transam w/ supercharger (specially if it also has cams/heads). The stock cobra may be able to just barely hang with it, but a ported blower on a cobra (800 bucks) will hang with it well...this all depends on boost though. You can get the cobra blower up to 18 psi (highest I know of, maybe more, someone on SVTperformance had that). If the transam is running like 8 psi then you will be fine with either car...unless like previously stated he also has heads/cams.

Bottom line: I would go cobra for SURE. Go peruse around svtperformance.com and you will find out how easy these cars are to mod and how great they are, both stock and modded. You will be happier with it than with a saleen s/c. I forgot to mention, i've ridden in both cars and driven the cobra (the saleen i saw wouldnt let me drive it, it was a dealer and i was only 16 at the time...GAY). The cobra has a better top end for sure. They are pretty close in bottom end, but the cobra's got some tq over the saleen too.

This is another one of those "if i had the money it would be a VERY easy decision" threads for me...unfortunately (like stated in countless other threads) im still tryin to get my n/a to 800 hp lol.

Birdieman4 · 06-23-2005, 11:21 PM

You should easily be able to find an 01 or 02 supercharged Saleen for close to that price. I would try to find at least an 01 and a half, because they all had a better tranny, a Tremec 3665 vs. a T45. I've got my blown 01 S281 for sale for 26k. A good price for the car you mentioned (if it has a blower) is around 26k. If it is naturally aspirated, a good price would be around 21k. IMO, 29k is a little steep for an 00 with 18k+ miles. What would be your first choice color?

SaleenSC · 06-24-2005, 04:17 AM

color isnt a huge deal to me as long as its not purple or pink

But if I was able to choose I would have to go with black/silver. The cobra idea is sounding real nice right now unless I can find a decent Saleen for cheap. I imagine around 25K would be perfect and it would have to be SC. Although I am findin 03 Cobras for around 23K-25K. A lot cheaper than S281 SC's.

Birdieman4 · 06-24-2005, 05:06 AM

Comparing an 03-04 cobra to an 03-04 Saleen is like apples to oranges. They are very different cars for different people. If you are all about straight line speed and no frills the cobra is sweet. But one of the reasons I drive a Saleen over a cobra is the rareity and exclusiveness. Cobras tend to blend in, whereas Saleens tend to stand out. I prefer to drive a car that stands out. Also, Saleens are a pretty good value, $ wise. They tend to hold their values better than the cobra. I'm not saying don't consider a cobra, I'm saying a Saleen buyer tends to be different than a cobra buyer.

Obselite · 06-24-2005, 12:08 PM

i agree with all stated above...i like to stand out
but i would rather have a cobra, where I know the engine/suspension is reliable.

but then again, it is for different people, its all about what your into-- lots of speed, quickly...or looks and then some speed along with that.

1qiktoy · 06-24-2005, 03:09 PM

I would think you could get that 2000 Saleen for around $20 - $25K - depending on options. I've heard that some Saleen dealers are having problems moving their new 04 Saleens, because every one wants the new body style of the 05. Matter of fact, I looked into selling mine and was told I could expect between $27 to $30K for my 02 S281 S/C with less than 2000 miles on it, even though it was appraised last month for $35K. That's disappointing considering what I paid for it!