Thinking of buying a GT/CS but have a couple of questions.
 

I've been debating on getting a new GT/CS or a 04 Cobra for some time now but I have a few questions about the CS' to help me make up my mind or at least make me more informed. First, how hard is it to take the stripes off the side? I like them on some colors and others I do not. Also, has anyone had trouble with scraping the lower front bumper on lowered cars? Thanks for the help.

Both of those vehicles are completely different animals. The cobra is more or less a sleeper to the uninitiated, while the GT/CS seems to lose a lot of it's "specialness" when the GT/CS parts are removed, i.e. the stripes. If I were you (and just my .02) I would give an 05+ GT a shot, and just throw a blower under the hood.
The Terminator cobras are awesome, though! They'll put your eyeballs in the back of your head!
-Jim

I was in the same situation......I was tossed between a 2004 Mystichrome Cobra and an 08 California Special. I went with the 08 GT/CS and have no regrets. The insurance is alot cheaper too!

If you don't like the color of the stripe, there is a company that can make different color stripes.

I have Steeda Ultralight springs installed and have not scraped the front bumper.

Yeah I love the back stripe on the White CS (I wonder why) but not the black on the blue. I was set on getting a blue car but I love my white I don't see a lot of stangs in white and it stands out.

http://home.comcast.net/~starfire1010/smlcs2.jpg

The thing I'm torn about is will I be disappointed with the power of the GT/CS vs. the cobra? But with a Cobra I will have to worry about finding one that hasn't already been beaten on and with a new one I'll have the warranty, which is the main reason I wouldn't initially put a blower on it as to not void the warranty, plus I worry about the long term effects of the blower on the GT motor without the forged internals like the cobra has. You also can't forget the Cobra has the 6 speed but a weak IRS. As far as the stripes on the GT/CS that is the only thing I don't really like. I really like the front and rear bumpers vs. the regular GT without having to spend too much money on a Shelby GT. All of these and more keep me going back and forth between the 2. Thanks though for everyone's input and I welcome anyone else's opinion as well.

I completely agree with you. The white is the only one I like the stripes on. Great looking car.

I got rid of a perfect 03 Mach1 to get my 08 GT/CS. The S197's in my opinion are the best Mustangs by far. This is my 6th Mustang and I have owned everything from Foxes to S195's to a New Edge. The 08 handles better, has much more room, much smoother, and is a pleasure to drive. I recently had the chance to drive a friends all stock 03 Cobra. My Mach felt like it pulled harder and was an N/A car (with quite a few Mods) that put down 324/341 at the rear wheels. Before you make your decision I would deffinetely try to test drive both of them.

Actually, I have driven an 05 Gt and I owned a 99 GT with an 03 Cobra IRS and 6 speed plus driven an 03 Cobra. As far as handling I completely agree with you and I am leaning toward a new one, but there is always that yearning for more power and the chills and excitement from the whine of the supercharger.

Anyone have pictures of the black/parchment and the black/dove seats? Wanted to see exactly what they look like. Thanks.

http://forums.bradbarnett.net/attach...1&d=1211603163
Not the best picture of black/parchment but its the only one I've got.

Or better yet I found these from when the car was more stock.

http://forums.bradbarnett.net/attach...1&d=1211603581
http://forums.bradbarnett.net/attach...1&d=1211603581

An 04 cobra has torque that the S197 cannot match in stock trim. Period.

Aesthetically, however, I have to go with the S197. Remember that you could always just order the GT/CS fascias from your dealer and install them on your GT. I did this and it only cost me about $1500. I could not be more pleased, as I loved the more aggressive look but I was not crazy about either the stripes on the GT/CS or the interior treatments (went with straight black interior on teh GT/CS, which I love).

I removed my stripes, they just peeled right off. Make sure the car has been sitting in the sun for a while so it is warmed up. I was told that you might need a heat gun sometimes, but I think that is for stripes that have been on a while. Good luck!

Thanks again everyone for the help and the pictures. I'm going to the dealership today and see what they can find.

One more question. Does anyone know if it is too late to order a 2008 or are we in the 2009 ordering season now?

Yes it is to late to order a 2008. They stopped around the end of March. The 09's should be in dealers soon if not some trickling in now.

I think I may have found one. Now I'm in the process of negotiating with the dealer. The one they found has a few more options than what I was wanting, but not a deal breaker, and it has a spoiler but I wanted a spoiler delete. The dealer agreed to swap the trunks though with a V6 they have with no spoiler and swap the faux gas cap. Are there any VIN tags on the trunk? I know on my Honda Accord they have VIN stickers on every body panel it seems like and I didn't know if it was the same with the Mustang. Thanks again.

Any of you with White GT/CS have the black and parchment interior? Without seeing it I would think the black/dove would look better but the dealership found one for me with the parchment with everything else I was looking for. What are your thoughts?

I think the dove looks perfect with the white. Here is a pic not the best though.

http://home.comcast.net/~starfire1010/mats.jpg

and another

http://home.comcast.net/~starfire1010/welt2.jpg

I personally don't like the parchment with anything but the red, and even then it looks a bit out of place with the black accents, but that's just me. It looks good with the red if it's just the plain solid GT interior.

You get what you want don't let the dealer talk you into something you don't want!