Saleen or Cobra?

ras50gt

Member
Oct 25, 2005
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Just curious to see what you guys think.....


I was looking to buy another 5.0 this past week but someone got to it before I could. Then I've been thinking about going for a 67 coupe cause I use to have one. Then I was thinking of just building a 331 for mine and stuff but time is an issue and so is space and I need a car to get around every day. But then I saw a 2000 Saleen that was just sick. And today a family friend of a family friend told me about a 03 cobra he has for sale, at a good price. SO....

What you guys think: 2001 Saleen (non supercharged, but will prob add one) or a 2003 Cobra? I know a 03 cobra should be alot more but like I said Id be getting a great deal. The 01 saleen is a great deal too tho. Both pretty low miles.

But factoring in style, looks, performance, production numbers, etc.... What would you choose?
 
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Yea man, I love the looks of a saleen a little over the cobra. But power wise, the cobra is sweet- 390 stock, add exhaust and a few other things and have a crazy street machine. Obviously the saleen will be cheaper, including car insurance. The saleen is in the 11-13k range. The cobra seems like already a good deal cause its around 19k, many around here seem to be selling between 20-24k. I'm basically considered family with the family friend whos bascially family to those friends and to top it off I've known the other people for a long time too. I will probably be looking at about 16k-17500.
 
:drool::drool:
Where is this thing! Next to a fox that is my dream Mustang, well now at least I know its out there.

If I knew where it was, I would get it back in a heartbeat. I sold it to a gentleman in the Tampa Fl. area.
MySaleen002.jpg
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Non-supercharged Saleen vs. 03 Cobra? Depends on what you want. Saleen wins on handling and style (assuming that you can live with "SALEEN" on every flat surface and some that aren't) but the Cobra still looks and sounds sweet and has 33% more power.
 
Cant beat the 4-Valve heads, the six speed the IRS the seats the look the power. Get the Cobra. Theres an 03 Sonic termi in my garage and its like pure sex driving it :drool:
 
Im going to call the guy with the cobra tmrw and see what he will do on the price for me.... I did go look at the 2001 Saleen. Had my doubts if it was real or not, but called saleen and they ran the vin for me and said it was. It is a nice car, good silver paint and body, it has 4.10 gears, chrome saleen replicas- supposely the lady (first owner) before him scratched up the real saleens pretty bad and had crazy curb rash. The engine bay saleen plaque was gone so that kinda worried me, who knows how that came off? Guessing someone took a suvenoir before selling it. It has a short throw shifter, really weird how close all the gears are- is that normal? real easy to accidently go from 1st to 5th. Exhuast sounded good but all he did was go with straight pipes, still has all four cats tho. Car ran nice, fast, handles great. Interior is perfect. He also had an amp and subs but I told him I dont really care about stereo stuff.... he said he would take them out and knock off a grand from the price. Long story short, with out much negotiation we are at 11k. Car has 64k miles on it, I think its a good deal. But a few months ago I did see another 01 saleen that ended up selling for 11500 and it had real saleen wheels and a nice after market exhaust system. Nada values these things at 17500?? - low value even.

Even after all this, I keep having second thoughts whether or not to just start doing something to the 93 GT, build an engine,etc. Another car would be nice, as I do plan on keeping the 5.0 around.

I will be calling the 03 cobra guy tmrw and see, last I heard he told our family friend that hes willing to go down a bit. The one thing im not huge on is that its black. Looking at pics, it does have the usual black car spider webbing. Both front fog lights are cracked, there is a large white scuff mark o nteh back bumper but it can easily be buffed out. Interior is perfect condition and of course it sounds badass with the charger. I think I could still afford the payments on the 03 cobra but the saleen just seems more in the budget and that I can easily handle.

Keep the opinions coming and if you have any insight to give me and or knowledge from experience. Thanks!!
 
plus one for the cobra. i just love the ways those sound on the highway...

a Saleen may be cheaper, but if you look at my sig, i'm obviously bias. I'm a sucker for the cobras... but then again, I've always judged a car by the way i react to it seeing them on the road. when i see a Saleen, it just doesn't do it for me. but a nice 93 cobra you don't see on the road too often.

when i was a kid a saw a black BOSS 429 in the Wal-Mart parking lot and i about started drooling. Ever since, I've always wanted a ride that would be that sweet/rare. Obviously no newer cars have that pull yet, but you can see which ones will have that some day, so I've tried to go after cars that will appriciate (not a good move on the 94, but that's the car i wanted when i turned 16, so...)

you gotta go with your own criteria here man. which ever one feels right. just like with girls i guess... :rlaugh:
 
Personally- I think the saleen wins in the looks department. But of course the 03 takes it power wise. Plus future power can easliy be made on the 03. My biggest issue right now is affording the payments. The saleen is going to be around 11k. I have cash saved up from when I sold my 67 months ago(about 3500 left). I also have more in savings but im not planning on touching that. So im just getting a loan for the difference, payments should be pretty good although interest rates suck when purchasing a used car over 5 years old. I find out tmrw If I get approved for the loan so then I will have a big decision to make. I think even with a good deal on the cobra its out of my range as of now. So maybe I will just hold off a year or two.

Today, I was kinda having second thoughts.... and maybe I should just start modding the gt, and get the 331 going. This place im renting at sucks tho no garage, so I guess id have to build it in my room. The landlords never come over really but if they do I can just stick in in the closet lol. It would be nice to have a garage, the space, and tools, etc if I do this tho.

Idk, thats why I wanted to get some opinions and thoughts. Another thing that enters my mind is that the saleen is pretty rare and I see them only once in awhile around here. Id say if the family friend would hold onto the 03 for another year id just hold off. How many times are you going to find a 03 cobra for 16k? Thats the price he would do for me. It has 53k miles, both fog lights were busted tho and the rear bumper had a scuff mark. Any help is appreciated cause at this point, im not sure what to do or really what I want.
 
well one sound piece of advice for you now would be.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT, DON'T BUY!!!

with cars, you almost never get more than you have in them. You may have found an exception with a good deal, but if you buy the wrong car, you're still out T/T/T. When you have money waiting to spend, patience is a must! Good luck!
 
Go with the 03 Cobra! For around $2000 you can have that car near 500HP!
My 89's got about $3000 into it and I've only got 203HP. I've finally built my car to handle additional power. Now I'm saving for Heads, Cam, & supporting parts.