hey boys, im a newbie around here, been lurking for a while and repsect what you guys think. i was in the process for starting to look for a 69 fastback to redo and make my own, when i was struck with the new saleen.. me and my buddy were picking up his new excursion when i saw a 03 cobra sitting in the lot. we were buddies with the dealership owner and while we were waiting for the ex to be prepped for us we got the keys to the cobra. we had a blast, so the very next day i went saleen searching.. to say the least im getting an 05/ or most likely ordering an 06 from my buddy.. when i took this car for a test drive i was very impressed, im not a car guy by any streach. i have a decked out f-450 that i use as my daily driver for work and to pull my cigarette. a car never did anything to me, but since i sold my bike and got super heavy into the boating i have nothing to to go out with during the week when not on the boat.. i think a sallen will cure this.. anyway, what do you guys think about this car, as a whole.. thanks stecz

 

cant go wrong with a saleen....

 

Very nicely put, I've liked this Saleen alot, ever since it's first debut, especially in comparison to the Roush, and now in comparison to the GT500, since all the peices I liked in the concept were taken off, aka the matte black rockers, splitter and rear fascia... and the hood is somewhat of a turn off... The saleen is an awesome choice, so which will it be? You going basic? Or all out with the SC? Be sure to report back and tell us how she runs, and bring lots of pics.

Oh yeah, Welcome to the site

 

I have one...it's sonic blue, it's a three valve, and it's awesome. Buy it, you'll like it. It'll throw you back in the seat real nice when you stomp on the gas, it shifts smooth, it sounds spectacular, and it turns lots and lots and lots of heads.

 

this is why i love these sites. you can find people that think like you, and have the same interests. im heavy into an offshorre boating site and have met some great people, most who have become life long friends. just last night my wife and my best buddy said to me why not get a 911... my wife is not a mustang fan at all, she thinks of the old days when vinny and mario rolled down the ave with vanalla ice pounding on the 15s.. i thank god those days are over....lol anyway, im going to stick to my guns and go with my plan. i have a buddy that owns a dealer in north carolina and he told me he could get me a s281 at his cost, so im very ready. ill save some dough, and get all the options i want. its good to be a man... thanks for the replys ..

stecz

 

Any more pics of your sonic Saleen??? that thing is nice.

 

Saleen Pics

here's some pics i posted a few weeks ago

 

If i were you i would buy a 06 GT and put a saleen blower on it. they made 390rwhp with 3.5psi of boost. it would be alot cheaper also.

 

Hey Tim, love the Saleen. It's Beautiful!!
Im in Missouri too!

 

Saleen's are great, just no where near the money IMHO. Way too many better $40k cars out there.

If you really like it, and have the money go for it.
If you want to save some cash, just get the suspension and body components.

 

I have to disagree here, Rampant - not to be disrespectful, but have you looked at the whole equation?

First up, if you start adding together all the extra parts that go into a Saleen S281, you'll discover that it very quickly adds up to almost the same cost as just buying the complete car.

Secondly, Saleen and his team of engineers have been testing and evaluating the new Mustang since long before any of us got our hands on it. They've hand-picked all the components to work harmoniously together based upon years of professional racing and engineering experience.

No matter how skilled some of us may be at mechanics, buying some parts out of a catalogue (or off the web) and bolting them on in our garage just isn't going to net you the same result. It's just not the same thing.

Not to mention that doing it yourself voids the warranty, whereas the Saleen's come with a complete warranty covered through Ford.

Then there's the whole issue of Saleen's retaining their value MUCH better than any stock or consumer-modified Stang.

It's no contest, IMHO.

On a personal note, I was looking at a Mineral Grey Saleen S281 today, with the chrome wheel package and the HID headlamps, and I gotta say, the car looks amazing. They started it up, and it sounds just like a GT, only louder and deeper...like someone turned up the bass. Amazing...

A guy who recently bought one came into the dealership while I was there. He's very wealthy and has lots of cars, including a Porsche and a Cobra and an Infiniti G35 coupe, and he said the Saleen's handling is by far the best. He claims he took a 90 degree corner in a new S281 at 50 MPH, and that the car took the corner almost fuss-free...almost like it was on rails. The handling is like few other cars, and that is what Steve Saleen has based his reputation on with these cars - and that's where they begin when designing them.

He admitted that the S281's strong suit is not off-the-line acceleration; it's no faster to 60 MPH than a stock GT. HOWEVER, from 40 MPH to 100 MPH it will easily outdistance a GT, so mid-range acceleration is much improved.

Plus, he said he gets stares and comments all the time, even from people driving Ferrari's and Porsches, and this is a city full of expensive cars.

 

Even if you wanted every single thing on the Saleen, I still don't see how it adds up. You can replicate the handling by getting Saleen's suspension for $1k. The body kit and exhaust adds another $4k or so installed. Add wheels for $3k and you are up to $35k ($27k + $8k).

So, you have the same looking, same handling, same sounding Mustang with about $7k in your pocket. Is it really worth $7k for some gauge gaces, a computer reflash and cheap headrest?

Heck, you could buy Saleen's blower and have it installed and tuned for that amount.

So, I am still looking for the undenialbe value here.

 

Those components cost a lot more than that. Go to the Saleen site and start adding it all together (and don't forget all the components you DON'T see).

The wheels and tires alone are close to $8K (CDN).

And the seats are more than "cheap" headrests. They have far superior bolstering...and the leather is much better quality than a stock GT. (Any idea what re-upholstering seats with quality leather will run you if you do it yourself? At least $3K right there.)

Now you're already up to $11K.

Then you have all the other cosmetics including the body kit (which is much better integrated than any other body kit I've seen).

Then there's the short shift linkage...revised shocks and struts...two-tiered exhaust system...underpullies...engine remapping and reflash...revised air filter...revised brakes...etc, etc, etc...

...and most significantly: it's all been designed, engineered and extensively track-tested to work harmoniously together. Remember you're also paying for engineering experience and testing that's beyond what most of us are capable of doing (anyone can make a fast drag racer - this car is much more than that).

And once again, doing it yourself voids the warranty...a Saleen comes with a full warranty, PLUS retains its value much better than a stock Mustang.

Again, no contest, IMHO.