check out svtp and a few used car sites, youd be surprised

 

That's the point I was trying to make...

 

While the '03 cobra obviously has a lot of power potential, the fact remains that the chassis was born in 1978 of the fairmont/zephyr. I also owned 7 of those cars from '86-'01(cobra) so I have some familiarity with that platform, and it can't hold a candle to the new car overall in terms of ergonomics, refinement, and all the day to day things that make a car enjoyable to own and drive. 400 rwhp is pushing the limit for the street anyway, and the new cars make that easily. How often are you gonna be wot? I think you would find ultimately that the cobra isn't all that much faster or any more fun than the '07 on the street anyway. And it certainly isn't as good a daily driver, which, unless you have another car is what it will be used for mostly. Just my $.02.

 

I LOVE the Terminators, especially in Blue or Black. I however own an S197 coupe in white. I did the soul searching and decided a year ago to keep my '06. I had the opportunity to buy an Orange 04 that was sweet. I could have swapped even at the time. I just drove the thing through my favorite turn and realized how the Terminator is a "point and shoot" car. I have decided to gear and mod my car slowly until I have it completely paid off and then do the best supercharger on the market at that time. I may buy a block and do forged internals in the meantime just to prepare a screamer for say 2011. The best thing about the 05'+ "retro" styled Mustang is that they are like the late '60s Mustangs. You can own and build the thing slowly over 40 years and it will still be cool. That being said, keep your '07 and donate blood and other fluids until you can have BOTH!

 

i dont even know where to start here... 400 is plenty? your in the wrong line of cars. your average cobra on the street sits at 450 rwhp with just an intake, pulley, and a tune. and i will never hear a one of them say thats plenty. ill be there myself in 2010. what about the KB/whipple cobras runnin around? those cars arent streetable?

when i do drive my cobra, granted she aint my only car anymore, she sees WOT everytime shes out. i bought the car to have fun in, not hurry up an get to 6th. hell, i barely go into 5th, let alone 6th. i love hearin her at high rpm's, eaton screamin.

stock cobra>stock gt. im not tryin to bash anyone or any mans car here. but really? is that a fair comparison? a bone stock cobra on a tire threw down an 11.9, stock s197 isnt touchin that, period

now ill admit, i have heard many times over the new chassis is outstanding compared to the old. where not drivin around in a mercedes though here. i like the fact that my cars a little more rough an rouged. its a muscle car IMO. i have an infiniti for a classy ride. i wanna feel the road as im tearin it apart in my baby. and it was my daily up until a couple months ago, and she was great at it. have only owned mustangs for the last 5 years of my life. just glad this one doesnt have to see snow. love em till the day i die.

 

Out of curiosity, have you driven the S197? It wasn't designed to run low 12's from the factory... but it can. Personally, I think the styling of the newer one is better...

As for power, there's no doubt the terminator motors can take a lot, forged and blown from the factory is always a good thing. But what are you looking for in a car? As stated, 400rwhp is no joke... try driving in the rain.

 

i have, auto and 5spd. and to be honest (cant believe im sayin this,) the auto was more fun. granted it had some work done. but i hate the shifter/e brake location in s197's. one of the main reasons i may never own one. not to mention the crappy hydraulic clutch. i like to feel the petal. too much like a paper wieght import clutch.

as i said, it was my daily up until a couple months ago. i dont wanna be an *** here, but you cant drive in the rain? SLOW DOWN. my old gt and mach were drivin everyday in chicago winters. i can handle rain.

 

I have to agree about the e brake and the shifter... I'm saving up for the MGW. As for the clutch, I certainly don't mind the hydraulic in heavy traffic. At the track, I feel like I'm going to kick through the floor.

The rain comment comes from my own experience with much less than 400rwhp... letting off the clutch too quickly loses traction really easily. And I have spun in the rain, pulling out into a 25mph street... car was going closer to 45 so I had to speed up or die and just went all the way around. Not saying it can't be driven in bad weather, just something else to think about while driving. (I drove my GT for the first 2 winters I had it)

 

ya, traffic is the only time i hate it. i go out of my way not to get stuck in it though. but it happens. the rain comment is now more understandable. just needed to explain yourself more i guess.

 

Biggest grudge against the stock S197's myself was the shifter and the clutch, and both have been replaced

 

Stock cobra Not > Than stock GT....this statement is opinion only. If we are talking shear power and out of the box potential...yes But your comparing apples to oranges.

My buddy has an 03 Sonic Blue Cobra which he loves dearly and I drive it every chance I get. It currently has 435 Rwhp and is a lot of fun to drive.

BUT I have to say I would choose mine over his anyday of the week. The S197 Styling and like you said chassi is amazing. There is much more room and comfort as far as interior goes and as for potential...a car is what you make it.

With forged internals and Twin Screw my 07 is very much capable of running with a Terminator and embarrasing a few. Heck with bolt ons Im running mid to high 12s....There are bolt on S197s running mid to high 11s without even cracking the valve covers.

So in the end its really what you want to spend, Exterior looks, and what your ultimate goals are for the car. I love the Terminator and will have one in the garage someday...I love the IRS, The 4V motor thats **** near bullet proof, and the 6 speed manual.

I say if you like the looks of the S197 you currenly own but want power....save for forged internals and a power adder (and as for the clutch comment...if your adding a power adder that stock clutch wouldnt last anyways...so its time to upgrade which will bring back that heavy foot feel if thats what you like) Now If you could care less about the old school looks of the S197 and want out of the box power...go with the Termi.

While your thinking about it....check out some of these Nasty 3Vs at the track


http://videos.streetfire.net/video/M...ang_207181.htm

 

while im not here to agrue/fight. the comment keeps gettin made with a little money the gts can hang with stock/near stock cobras. true. but how many of those are there on the road? its so easy to make power in the cobra. literally about $1800-2000 (mid pipe, cat back, intake, pulley, and a tune) in a cobra, already havin the internals, gets you there. after that, most go for a t/s, the gt is still gettin smoked. like i said, most cobras ya see on the streets (maybe its just here,) run around with 450-460 rwhp.

 

Yes, but in context to the OP he's going to spend more for the Cobra when he could just put the same $$ into the car he has now and have something just as good

 

Here's the way I look at it. In the end, I want the car that looks the best. Yah yah, looks are subjective, but I'd be willing to bet that a random poll on the looks of the S197 GT vs. an 03-04 Terminator would declare the S197 winner hands down. I'm talking about random regular people, not Mustang enthusiasts (we're obviously biased).

I look at the big picture. Is it easier to make big power in a Terminator? No argument there, but I'm already putting down some decent power, and sometime next year the forged guts are going in and I'll run with any Cobra, modded or not. Costs money? Sure. But in the end I'll have the best of BOTH worlds!

 

Actually, it would be "you're in the wrong line of cars"...a contraction of you and are. My comment centered around the the whole car, not just how fast you can make it. I didn't say the cobra wasn't streetable...only that 400 is more than adequate for a street car. After that, it gets a little harder to use it, as was covered in ensuing posts. And I didn't mention money. Obviously, the cobra can be made faster cheaper. But in the end, that's what you've got, a cheaper faster car. In every other category but all out speed, the newer car is pretty **** skippy, and it's no slouch in the power category either. I'm not trying to hurt anybody's feelings (or bash anyone's car )...just offering my solicited opinion.

I probably like mustangs just as much as you...perhaps more, but obviously for different reasons. I've owned mustangs for the last 20 years of my life. Now doesn't that lend more credibility to my statements?

 

thanks for the english correction, i never use the right your. havent got 20 years of drivin under my belt, but i have been told i liked mustangs since i could talk. not to mention i plan to be buried in my cobra. so well leave it at that

 

OP, I was in the same position you were in last year. I'm glad I chose to SC my '05. I really wanted to have an SC'd car, but I felt like it would cost more to put a blower on my 05. But I love the 05 in terms of styling and handling moreso than my 01. And boy am I glad I stuck with the '05. It's such a beast now.

 

Not argueing here...just stating opinion/facts. Around here there are plenty of 450-475 RWHP GTs running around. And in the United States as a whole due to the cobras lower production numbers...I believe you will find that there are plenty more S197 GTs that are superchargered running in that range of HP as well.

No arguement that the cobra can be made fast with less money invested. My buddy's Sonic Blue merely has a smaller pulley, exhaust, and Tune and is sitting in that 427-435 RWHP range. The Cobra already has the ingrediants to push the limits of the block...theres no doubt about that.

But lets not forget that the cobra still looks like an SN95 with a few cosmetic differences. Dont get me wrong I love how the cobra looks, But prefer the S197 in the exterior, interior, and chassi category.

I can always forge my bottom end, slap on a Kenne Bell Mammoth Kit and run with any cobra on the street. If I baught the cobra and did that...it would be fast but not look like the S197. I can have both the looks I am after and the power of a cobra in the same package. If you'd like to see some fast S197s and dont think their out there...you might want to check out S197forum.com or Modularfords.com I think you'd change your mind.

Again Love your cobra...I will certainly try to obtain one in the future as a secondary car, but prefer the looks and feel of an S197.

Respectfully,

Jarrod

 

well i guess in the end here, what it comes down to is styling for must of you guys. and i know this mostly an s197 site. so i understand that. while the cobra is still an sn95 body style, it looks nothing like the rest. mearly every body part is changed. its not mistakin for any other sn95 either.

im an sn95 guy, i dont see myself gettin out of it anytime soon. no matter how dated it is. the s197 just isnt for me. main reason being the shifter/e brake location and the clutch. plus i dont like the body in stock form. way to much i would have to do on the exterior to love it. who knows? down the road i may purchase a newer mustang, but my cobra isnt goin anywhere.

 

How about the best of both worlds: Terminator engine and transmission swap into an S197 GT?