Roush Looking For Opinions From Saleen Owners

SJT said:

Hi,
I'm new at this so bare with me if I'm not doing it right. I'm seriously considering buying a Saleen (S281 SC or E) and would love to hear any and all opinions, do's as well as dont's. I live in CA in the Carmel area so if anyone has thoughts as to good dealers in the vicinity I'm all ears. Many thanks in advance.
SJT

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Are you looking for a 05+ S/C or E or pre-'05?

SJT said:

05 and up.
SJT

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Well, the E is quite pricy, but you get a lot for the price.

* Built Motor
* nice 6 sp transmission
* high performance clutch - - actually the majority of the entire driveline is upgraded (clutch, flywheel, driveshaft, etc.)

Your choice of car will depend on what you plan on doing with the car. For example, in my case, for the power numbers I was going for on my '05, I should have bought the E as I have already had to install new high performance clutch, flywheel, gears, and now I having to build/forge the motor to support my current and future power numbers. Oh! And now it is time for a transmission that can handle the bigger HP/TQ numbers. Of course, the E already has all that I am having to buy piece by piece.

SJT said:

Thanks! That's the sort of info I was hoping to get.
SJT

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Another perspective: The program director of engineering for Saleen said and I quote "Your car is the car I would buy". He was driving a nice vista blue E at the time and he was referring to my S281 SC with the 475 HP kit, 3.73 gears, panhard bar and lower control arms off the extreme.

He thinks the Extreme is a bit much for the streets in terms of throttle response. His quote for that was the Extreme's throttle response is like the 475 hp kit with 3.73's but on acid.

Of course everyone is different and has different preferences. Either car is a good choice.

The E is far overpriced for what you get. It's really impossible to justify 70k+tax, and then guzzler tax all for a mustang.
Hell, the livernois mustang gives you 740hp for 69,000.

I love saleens, but for 70 grand, the zo6 is the logical choice.

On another board, someone said they layed down 448rwhp on a mustang dyno with an E, that's not all that much for 4000lb car with 20 inch wagon wheels on it.
I'd rather have brigham's setup, built on a NA s281.

Good Luck!!!

SJT said:

Thanks for all the feedback guys. The Saleen home page has fairly limited shots of the cars (interiors, factory colors, etc) Can anyone point me to a site where I might be able to "see" more of them? No dealers in my area have any of the cars on their lots.
SJT

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Did you try Capital Ford in San Jose, Town Ford in Redwood City, Future Ford in Concord, and Napa Ford in Napa Valley (They have pic on www).

All of these have markup and they have a couple of 06 SC in their lot...You might get a good deal. I bought my Saleen (non SC) from southern CA. They have a better selection (Try Galpin Ford).

If you ever plan to visit Irvine, visit the Saleen store. They can direct you to a dealership or maybe you can get the Saleen directly from them (Hmm???)

Good Luck!!!

Welcome to the forum. I'm sure you will find some very helpful info from Saleen owners here.

One thing to consider, it is generally accepted that 450 hp to the wheels (about 530hp with a manual trans) is the max the 4.6 engine will handle without forged internals. So if you want 550 hp or more, you should go with the E or be prepared to spend some $$$ upgrading the SC's engine.

I have an '06 S281 SC and considered the E. But I believe I have all the power I need for what I would consider safe street driving (of course, "safe" means different things to different folks). I drive my car 2-3 days a week, including occasional commutes to work, and the thought of driving a 550hp E in Los Angeles traffic (especially if the throttle response is as touchy as dotbomb mentioned) seems like it could be more of a chore than a joy.

Another potential Saleen owner (who ultimately bought an '06 SC, I believe) asked for pros and cons of Saleen ownership on another Saleen forum and this is what I posted:

Pros:
Power -- 435/475 hp is more than you'd ever need unless you're on the track
Handling -- remarkably improved over the base GT; MM&FF magazine had it beating a C6 Vette on the track
Design -- nothing short of striking
Saleen Ownership -- fellow owners are a helpful bunch
Sound -- I love the exhaust note
Warranty -- (note the '07 models have a longer warranty than the '06 models)
Exlcusivity -- very low production numbers. Here in L.A., I see AMGs, M series, and 911s on every corner and even Astons Martins, Maseratis, and Ferraris fairly regularly. I never, ever, ever see '05-'07 Saleens.
Muscle Car Feel -- When I first bought my '67 Pontiac, I remember thinking it was a shame that nobody builds cars that feel or sound like this anymore. The Saleen comes closer to combining that late '60s muscle car era feel with modern performance and technology than any other car on the market that I know of.

Cons:
Service -- Not many Saleen dealers out there. And warranty work can take a while (since they don't normally keep Saleen parts in stock)
Ford Dealers -- Although you're buying a $50k+ car, you're not getting top level service from Ford sales/service managers
Limited resale market -- since few people know what a Saleen is, it can take months to sell a used one

Ultimately, I love my Saleen and still look forward to every opportunity I get to drive it, even after 6 months of ownership. Simply put, I would not consider another vehicle out there for the price.

Not sure if that is the kind of info you are looking for, but if not, just ask and yee shall receive. Good luck with your search.

Burrito hit the nail on the head. I'd only add a plug for the Parnelli Jones Saleen if you're into the retro authentic racer thing. This car only comes in one color: Grabber Orange. It has a 400 HP NA 302 stroker with shaker scoop intake, forged internals, and high compression. This thing sings, and the muscle car feel is relentless. Most people won't know the significance of a tribute vehicle to Parnelli Jones, the winning driver of the 50, 60, 70s, but all will usually 'get it' when they see the car rolling.

As for rarity, they're only making them this year at a build limit of 500. That's exotic on Enzo terms! If you can find a Saleen dealer, they can order you one, usually at MSRP (since there isn't a Shelby craze), which equates to a well optioned Saleen SC. 400 HP on a naturally aspirated motor is nothing to sneeze at, and the throttle response is awesome. Saleen racecraft suspension with the custom Watt's link suspension for the rear. Magic.

Anyways, good luck on your search....

You can also get a brand new 2006 limited/special edition Viper coupe for around 90k which isn't a whole bunch more than a loaded E with one of those fancy paint job options.....

2000xp8 said:

The E is far overpriced for what you get. It's really impossible to justify 70k+tax, and then guzzler tax all for a mustang.
Hell, the livernois mustang gives you 740hp for 69,000.

I love saleens, but for 70 grand, the zo6 is the logical choice.

On another board, someone said they layed down 448rwhp on a mustang dyno with an E, that's not all that much for 4000lb car with 20 inch wagon wheels on it.
I'd rather have brigham's setup, built on a NA s281.

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Absolutely.

I love my Saleen, but if I were to spend 70 grand, I'd buy the Z06 all day long.

The Z06 will out-do the E in every category, and its price point makes it as limited production as the Saleen.

What is the PJ edition msrp? What mph does it run in the 1/4?

When buying my 06 the choice was between a N/A s281 or a 281SC. For what they wanted for the SC version plus Gas guzzler tax it wasnt worth it(my opinion). I bought the N/A version & installing a Procharger.

chevysRslow said:

What is the PJ edition msrp? What mph does it run in the 1/4?

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MSRP is a touch over $60k; I read in one of the Mustang rags that it will run 12.50s, not sure about mph but probably 112-114?