Good choice on the SC convertible
. I've got an '06 and I think it's just about the perfect modern muscle car. Just from my own observations, it seems like Saleen produces a fairly small number of supercharged verts compared to the supercharged coupes and the n/a verts and coupes. Out of about ~1,550 '06 S281s that Saleen made, I'd guess less than 200 were supercharged verts.
Getting A Good Deal:
I'd say you have 3 ways to go.
1. A DIY S281 SC --
If you're going to mod your car and don't care about factory warranties or whether your car might possibly retain a higher re-sale value, then I would completely agree with Marcus95. Buying a N/A S281 and installing a Saleen (or other) supercharger is the cheaper way to go.
2. A New Factory-Produced SC --
If you want to retain your warranty and/or have a "true" supercharged Saleen (whatever that means and for whatever it is worth), then you have to buy a Saleen produced S281 SC.
A new '06 SC Convertible will cost you a lot less (you might save $10k+). BUT, if you want a 465hp car with a full warranty and a safely tuned engine, you have to buy an '07model. The '06 Saleen (which is what I own) is factory tuned to 435 hp, and many owners have dynoed their 435hp stock engines and discovered dangerously lean A/F ratios (13.0 and higher). You can get the 475hp upgrade kit from Saleen, which has a safer tune (A/F of 12.0 or less), but then you possibly void your warranty on the engine. This makes no sense whatsoever, but that's how Saleen is playing it. The '07 Saleens also give you a longer Ford factory warranty on the non-modified parts of your drivetrain, since '07 Fords have a 60-month drivetrain warranty, instead of a 36-month warranty.
If you can wait until September or October, the '07s SC convertibles will be much cheaper (perhaps $10k less) because the '08s will be hitting the floors right around then.
3. A Used Factory-Produced S281 SC --
You may notice that you can usually find on Ebay or performanceautosport.com a handful of almost-new used Saleens with very, very low mileage (less than 5k miles, and sometimes less than 6 months old). For instance:
http://performanceautosport.com/detail.asp?car=5860
Insurance:
You need to get a "stated value" policy (where you declare the value of your car to establish the replacement value). I know Chubb and Farmers provide such coverage (at least in California), because I obtained quotes from both (Chubb being far more expensive). If you do not get a stated value policy, the insurer will simply type the VIN into their computer system, and your Saleen will come up as a Mustang GT. This will cost you a lot less, but if you insure the car as a Mustang GT, you will not get paid on the value of your Saleen if it's wrecked. Instead, you'll get paid the value of a used Mustang GT, which is substantially less than the value of a used Saleen.
Wow, I'm happy I type fast...
