Roush I want one BAD!!!

[SyberSaint]

Hello guys and Merry Christmas!!!

I have been lurking around the board here for quite a while. I don't post much, but I sure do enjoy all of the contributions from everyone. Thank you.

I presently own a 01 GT coupe, but have been a 99-04 Saleen SC Speedster fan for many years now. Even though the new Saleens are nice, to me they lack the aggressive look that the previous generation has. There is just something about them...

I see that there is a silver 01, automatic, SC Speedster on e-bay that has about 18,000 miles on it. It is still under factory warrantee, and seems to be in prestine condition. I have not ever considered an automatic, but that may be an option for me.

Can you please give me some input about the pros and cons of buying and owning an automatic SC Saleen? This car would be my daily driver, and I put about 400-500 miles a week on my car. I will need it to be very reliable, and drivable. Maybe an NA Speedster would be better for the type of driving that I do...I don't know. Also, if I hold out, will I be able to find a comparable car given the low mileage the this one has?

Everyone, please give me your 2 cents...Pennies make dollars...

Thank you for your input.

Dale in San Antonio

 

[Saleen Mike]

My '00 S281-SC Speedster w/ Auto has over 40,000 trouble free miles.

Makes for a great driver IMHO.

 

[digdoug]

Personally I don't know that I would ever be happy with an automatic. It's just so much more fun to drive a 5 speed in my opinion, even in around town traffic. Others are perfectally happy with automatics, so it's really just what you like or can live with. Good luck!!

 

[MY281]

Always good to see a fellow San Antonion make it to the boards.

And in regards to your question....I don't know if you would want to put 400-500 miles a week on a Speedster.

 

[wsbrigham]

I wouldn't recommend a speedster IMO. I have a Saleen S281 Cobra Speedster and a spend more time scouting the road for grooves and dips so that I don't bottom the car out; it sits really, really low. Additionally, the suspension is a little harsh for driving as many miles a week as you plan on doing.
Also, a NA car is a little more work than a supercharged car when driving around every day. I like to have fun when driving $40K+ car and there isn't much fun associated with a stock NA Saleen. The handling is present but not the power you would expect. With a SC car, you don't have to be as critical with gear selection to have fun and keep the car moving. One more thing, cruising in rush hour traffic with a high performance automatic car isn't much fun when you have to deal with the car selecting the gears for you. What I mean by that is that though your speed may only change by a few MPH you car might be going back and forth between gears giving you that wonderful jerking sensation. Ofcourse, all of this is my personal opinion.

Hope this helps!!

 

[FASN8N]

I wouldn't recommend a speedster IMO. I have a Saleen S281 Cobra Speedster and a spend more time scouting the road for grooves and dips so that I don't bottom the car out; it sits really, really low. Additionally, the suspension is a little harsh for driving as many miles a week as you plan on doing.

Sounds like a Honda Accord would be more suitable for you?

 

[wsbrigham]

Sounds like a Honda Accord would be more suitable for you?

I'm not sure how to take your comment...sounds like you speak from experience. How does your Accord drive?

What I'm saying, though, is that I like to haul ass and have fun and that is a little hard when you have to worry about damaging the undercarriage of your car. A non-speedster is more appropriate for ripping in the city from day to day; the bumps and dips become less relevant.

 

[marcus95]

I was thinking about picking up an Accord. My wheelbarrel is broken and I need a way to move dirt around my yard.

 

[saleenster]

Daily driver, maybe okay, but I would rather have a coupe for a daily driver. I am one as well who cant see driving a performance car with an automatic tranny. There is just something about going through the gears on an open road

 

[lgndracer]

Is the speedster lower than the coupe? I very rarely bottom mine out, and that is usually the air dam hard into a corner, while breaking, and a slight bump in road.

Kinda O/T, but speaking of great daily drivers, one of the guys here in my office just got a brand new Mazdaspeed 6. I took it for a drive yesterday. Pretty impressive. AWD, Turbo, 275HP, tuned suspention....... I guess it is the new "hot" OEM tuner import.

 

[wsbrigham]

Is the speedster lower than the coupe? I very rarely bottom mine out, and that is usually the air dam hard into a corner, while breaking, and a slight bump in road.

Kinda O/T, but speaking of great daily drivers, one of the guys here in my office just got a brand new Mazdaspeed 6. I took it for a drive yesterday. Pretty impressive. AWD, Turbo, 275HP, tuned suspention....... I guess it is the new "hot" OEM tuner import.

The speedster is substantially lower. I have both a coupe and the speedster and there are several inches separating the two vehicles.

Also, it's not the air dam making contact, it is the under carriage. Additionally, the exhaust is routed differently on a Cobra than on just a coupe speedster which causes addional contact.

 

[marcus95]

Billy,

It's your springs on the Cobra that have faded. Also, get rid of that plastic air diffuser that is snapped to the bottom of your core support. That is most likely what you are hearing. To end, you are correct about your exhaust on your Cobra. It sits lower than the 2V. ALL coupes and verts from 99 up have the exact same ride height from Saleen.
On the otherhand, I like how your speedster sits. That rear quarterview you have posted looks great. Almost like you have coilovers. My speedster sits almost as low.

 

[FASN8N]

I'm not sure how to take your comment...sounds like you speak from experience. How does your Accord drive?

What I'm saying, though, is that I like to haul ass and have fun and that is a little hard when you have to worry about damaging the undercarriage of your car. A non-speedster is more appropriate for ripping in the city from day to day; the bumps and dips become less relevant.

My comment was meant that maybe a Saleen suspension is to aggressive for you? Some people are not used to driving lowered cars and think they should be able to drive them like every other car on the road (hence my Accord comment). That is why you will frequently see Saleens with curb rash on the wheels and scratched front air dams.

I have owned many Saleen Mustangs from 89-96 and have never had problems bottoming out or with potholes. I have driven lowered cars all my life, so I avoid obstacles in the road without even thinking about it now.

 

[Saleen Mike]

My Speedter w/ auto does a great job at what it is for, logging relaxing miles while enjoying some top down fun.

If I really want to "row gears" I will grab the keys to a different car, or even a different Saleen

 

[wsbrigham]

My comment was meant that maybe a Saleen suspension is to aggressive for you? Some people are not used to driving lowered cars and think they should be able to drive them like every other car on the road (hence my Accord comment). That is why you will frequently see Saleens with curb rash on the wheels and scratched front air dams.

I have owned many Saleen Mustangs from 89-96 and have never had problems bottoming out or with potholes. I have driven lowered cars all my life, so I avoid obstacles in the road without even thinking about it now.

Thanks for clarifying. I thought you were kinda' slamming me.

Please note, though, I have driven lower sports cars now for about 20 years now, and never had to be as cautious as I have to be in the speedster. Part of this has to to with where I live - Albuquerque. The roads here remind me of being in NJ. Our roads are not well maintained. Heck, the washboards bumps coming into corners can be as deep as 3-4 inches.
Most recently, aside from my Saleens, I had a 350z that was slammed w/ coilovers and the whole nine yards. The car wouldn't make it over the smallest speedbumps, but still didn't bottom on the road as bad as the speedster does driving on the exact same roads.

 

[wsbrigham]

Billy,

It's your springs on the Cobra that have faded. Also, get rid of that plastic air diffuser that is snapped to the bottom of your core support. That is most likely what you are hearing. To end, you are correct about your exhaust on your Cobra. It sits lower than the 2V. ALL coupes and verts from 99 up have the exact same ride height from Saleen.
On the otherhand, I like how your speedster sits. That rear quarterview you have posted looks great. Almost like you have coilovers. My speedster sits almost as low.

Thanks for the compliment, Marcus. I truly love the way the car sits.

Do you really think my springs have faded with only 11K miles on the car?

 

[FASN8N]

Thanks for clarifying. I thought you were kinda' slamming me.

Please note, though, I have driven lower sports cars now for about 20 years now, and never had to be as cautious as I have to be in the speedster. Part of this has to to with where I live - Albuquerque. The roads here remind me of being in NJ. Our roads are not well maintained. Heck, the washboards bumps coming into corners can be as deep as 3-4 inches.
Most recently, aside from my Saleens, I had a 350z that was slammed w/ coilovers and the whole nine yards. The car wouldn't make it over the smallest speedbumps, but still didn't bottom on the road as bad as the speedster does driving on the exact same roads.

I have better things to do than slam people! Sounds like you are used to driving lowered cars alright I would bet you have a bad set of springs and they are sagging? Time for some coilovers!

 

[marcus95]

Thanks for the compliment, Marcus. I truly love the way the car sits.

Do you really think my springs have faded with only 11K miles on the car?

It's not the mileage but the vintage.

 

[SSS281]

i was also going to say perhaps the 99 springs/shocks have worn to cause it to sit low/bottom out. mine did and someone on here later pointed out the 99 sets had been recalled. i know ride on n2 racecraft and eibach sportlines (a lower drop than the racecraft) and the car no longer bottoms out. im in the process of switching to coilovers to put it on the ground because i like the look but mine is far from a daily driver.

to answer the thread starters questions...i think a vert might not be a good choice for a dd because of the extra noise (ive been in a 99 cobra vert and it was noisier than the coupes imo) but i dont think it would be a big deal. the biggest difference for me would be that i would never want to log 500miles a week on a saleen. get yourself a dd for dirt cheap you'll be very thankful. and you will appreciate your car more when you do drive it; last note: i think if you do go for it, auto would be a good choice for a dd as well, it would get tiring changing gears constantly, everyday, every shift.

 

[Saleen Mike]

There is nothing wrong with driving a Saleen 400-500 miles a week.

I did just that with my '89 Saleen, and sold it with 192,000 miles on it. Now the new owner is keeping up the tradition of driving it

I think I put on @ 6,000 miles one month in my Speedster.

At this point, I would think you could log 25k miles a year for the next half dozen years, and resale value would not be that much less than if you were to put 500 miles a year on the car. I am willing to bet you would enjoy the car much more during that same span.