Trading for a Terminator

Well, seems that you have already half made up your mind, but for what it's worth…

If you want very cheap high horse power numbers, a 03-04 is the way to go. Pulley swap, cold air intake, chip, and headers alone will net you (probably) 100 hp. Cheap and easy. Also, the car does have IRS, which is nice. However, you are dealing with a (relatively) ancient chassis that has all sorts of flex. Just to make it as stiff as the stock 05+ will require quite a few braces, especially if the car is a drop top. IMO, the interior is dated, and I don't mean in a retro-cool or nostalgic way. The ergonomics are bad, the interior (by today's standards- not back in 1994 when it the basic interior layout was introduced) is plasticky and doesn't feel nice. Furthermore, those cars are heavy. There are an infinite number of parts out there for them, so you could build one exactly to your taste, but even so, it wouldn't be that unique to most people. It'd just look like a clean 'older' Mustang.

The 05+ is, in my mind, superior in almost all regards. For my purposes, it has the potential to make all the power that I want (albeit not as cheaply), it handles well, the chassis is stiff, it doesn't wabble and squat over uneven pavement, and it's quiet. Having owned a very loud car before my 06 GT, I can appreciate a car that is only loud when you want it to be. And then there is the matter of design- and I feel that the new Mustang has it all over the 03-04 Cobra. Don't get me wrong, the Cobras are great looking cars too, just much less distinctive in my mind. Or perhaps as distinctive, just not in a desirible way.

What is "IRS"?

Spdfreak said:

What is "IRS"?

Click to expand...

IRS = indepenent rear suspension