I know one guy on this board went from a new Roush to an 04 Cobra a while back, and I was thinking about doing the same thing.

I have found really low mileage Terminators in the 25K range. The only drawback is the old bodystyle and ergonomic issues in the SN95, but the highlight is the nearly bulletproof motor and 6 speed tremec. The IRS is nice, but could be a weak link.

Now that they are in a pretty reasonable price range for what you are actually getting...I am really contemplating doing this. I think the wow factor of the new body style is fading away, and before you know it....everyone and their brother will have one. Now I am more interested in the power and the rarity/value that the Terminators will one day have.

Anyone have any thoughts???

 

Just depends on what you want to do. The Terms have more power potential that's for sure, but unless you want to drive something with more than 500 rwhp, I don't see what the advantage is of driving one with 390 crank hp when you can supercharge a new GT and have 500 crank hp reliably. Sure doing some small mods on the Terms will turn them into animals, but again unless your goal is to have a 500 hp street car then is it really worth it?

Regarding the looks department, of course thats all subjective. My opinion is that the new cars are NOT becoming "normal" to anyone's eyes, while on the other hand the '99-'04 cars all look so much alike that the average person can't tell the difference between a V6, a GT, and a Cobra anyway without seeing the badging. The only cars from that era that stick out is the Mach 1s, with the shaker and striping, etc.

Eitherway you can't really go wrong, you just got to figure out what it is that you really want in a car I guess. Good luck!!

 

My thoughts are this - The 03-04 Cobra is a nice car. I myself would not want that body style today though. I wouold not want IRS because I like to drag race and those half shafts are breaking a lot. If power potential is the only reason you want a Cobra, then I would just build a forged 3 valve in an S197. If you are interested in a Cobra as a collector piece, you need to keep it stock anyways, so there is no advantage to the 4 valve forged motor if you leave it stock.
If you really love the old SN-95 body and want a Cobra go for it!
My first race at the track in my GT was against a puliied Cobra. He ran 11.7 to my 14.1 stock S197. I was impressed by the Cobra's performance.
Now my car runs consistent 11.7 and has at least an 11.5 in it.
I am not so impressed by the might Cobra now that I have beat some modded ones at the track. They are still nice but the S197 can do just as well when set up right. I prefer the vintage looks of the S197 instead of the modern space-ship stying of the Terminator.

 

meh, always move forward... Heck I would wait out the next gen and keep yours-maybe an 08 Bullitt for something different

 

I came from an 03 Cobra Vert.
Nice car- well nice power.
Having driven a s197 for a while now, you will not like the build quality. The s197 is a much better chasis, etc.
The IRS is a weak link and you will experience wheel hop all of the time.
Lots and lots of power. It keeps pulling to mid 5th.

 

Only problem is the way they look.

 

Buy the Term, keep the S197 and swap motors

 

Your avatar is a smokin'. Soooooo, watch out for the half shafts, if thats how you want to play with it. I did it. 05 to Terminator, back to 07. You'll love the aggressive power and especially the clutch action. The S-197's do not (yet) compare. If you're thinkin it, your wantin it. Just do it. Hey your 05 is already 2yrs old. Enjoy the power surge, then when your done, trade up to the new style in 010, or go for a specialty edition sooner. Your Terminator will give you a better bang on a trade than an 05 S197 will.

 

Someone at work has a sonic blue cobra, and it's actually one of the best looking stangs I've ever seen in my opinion

 

Ive also considered trading my car in for a terminator. I was thinking about maximum performance between the two for a street car, but I just couldnt get past the looks and the bland looking interior of the cobra. A powertrain swap may be in my future if a good deal comes my way.

 

10th anniversery cobras have a little better interior.....I just wish those red inserts were suede like the others...

 

I just went through this and the deciding factors for me where

S197 Pros
Awesome new style
Great interior
0 miles
handles drives great

SN95 Cons
Small, tight seating
shifter is in a terrible spot
old chassis
Used

The only advantage to having a Terminator is the power. Remember you never know how bad your terminator was beat on. I would not purchase a pullied terminator to be safe.

You can always SC a S197, you can't fix the terminators old chassis and other problems.

 

The S197 is too much of an improvement body structure wise. Throw in the PJ Saleen watts linkage and it will handle as good as better than the terminator with the IRS. You get forged internals if you want to put down 500hp to the rear wheels. I have mine supercharged with 475 at the flywheel and it is more power than I need for the street and I don't have forged internals. Keep the new body it is a better platform to work with.

 

I would completely eliminate this factor from your decision. While they will hold their value better than a GT or most other cars, they will not increase in value for 25 years. And by that time, if you invested your money conservatively and ended up getting 5% annually, your $25K would be $80K. And if you did well and got 8%, your $25K would be $158K.