Deciding between P.P S550 or 03/04 Cobra

101dsgmach

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Hello everyone! :)
I would love to hear from some of you guys who had/have a 03/04 cobra and now own a s550 or vice versa. I have owned a couple new edge mustangs and love the styling, my latest was a bolt on 04 mach and after it sold I started looking for a terminator. However last week MotorTrend, BFGoodrich and Ford flew me to the Ford Racing school in Utah to race/train, after slinging the new s550 platform around the track I'm torn between what to buy. The car would not be a daily, only driven for fun/trips, would not be left stock (warranty, whats that :D)

Any input would be appreciated!!

- Jared Edwards
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Tom's_03SVT

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Frankly, I'd get the S550 even if it's not a daily driver. The engines are good and respond well to mods, the interior is light years better, exterior is pretty good too. Terminators, great engine, good exterior styling..... the rest is junk. Look at the amount of money we spend on these cars just to make them safe and remotely reliable.
 

Zemedici

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Just going to give my experience and you can take from it what you will

Had 04 cobra that was stock minus exhaust (performance wise)

Bought loaded to the gills PP S550, put wheels / tires / suspension / spoiler / tint etc on it

sold it 6 months later for another cobra

If its not going to be a daily driver, buy a cobra. I'd buy a S550 for a daily due to the creature comforts available.
 

BlueSnake01

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Just going to give my experience and you can take from it what you will

Had 04 cobra that was stock minus exhaust (performance wise)

Bought loaded to the gills PP S550, put wheels / tires / suspension / spoiler / tint etc on it

sold it 6 months later for another cobra

If its not going to be a daily driver, buy a cobra. I'd buy a S550 for a daily due to the creature comforts available.
^^Keep in mind, this is a “guy” that loves to wear sparkly skinny jeans lol

I agree with him though. As a DD, no doubt the S550 should be the easy choice. As a weekend car, it’ll vary on the person. The S550 has the power, gadgets and can be modified with simple bolt on’s to be a strong performer.

The Terminator on the other hand, if you’re into the whole “rare” car, LOVE feeling raw power and don’t need comfort and gadgets, this is your car. IMO i feel iffy fixing up a car that is still warranty especially when everything is pretty much electronic as opposed to an old school car that can mostly be fixed with wrenches.
 

Blk04L

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What options, if any are you wanting on a S550? Decently loaded?
Base AF?

If you want/like newer tech like Sync/nav/ac seats etc then go with the S550 even if it will be a track car/WW.
If you want brute power, the Cobra is the winner.

I'm debating between both myself, and I may just go with the S550 due to lack of vehicle history/piece of mind going with a new one/one owner still under factory warranty. That, and I do like some tech, even in a stang/WW.
 

101dsgmach

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Frankly, I'd get the S550 even if it's not a daily driver. The engines are good and respond well to mods, the interior is light years better, exterior is pretty good too. Terminators, great engine, good exterior styling..... the rest is junk. Look at the amount of money we spend on these cars just to make them safe and remotely reliable.
Thank you very much for the input :D
 

DropSVT

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Just going to give my experience and you can take from it what you will

Had 04 cobra that was stock minus exhaust (performance wise)

Bought loaded to the gills PP S550, put wheels / tires / suspension / spoiler / tint etc on it

sold it 6 months later for another cobra

If its not going to be a daily driver, buy a cobra. I'd buy a S550 for a daily due to the creature comforts available.

This right here. I know there are a few of us OP (and maybe more then a few) that had a s550 and disliked them. I remember being so stoked to buy a s550 and when I had it it was awesome...till I drove a stock terminator. The newer mustang felt like no one was home till over 3500 rpm unlike the crazy torque that immediately spews out of a 03/04. I agree with having a s550 as a daily but if you want to grin ear to ear EVERY TIME YOU DRIVE then the cobra is the way to go.
Edit: plus for a grand you can easily add 100 horsepower to a cobra. I want to see a s550 do that

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101dsgmach

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Just going to give my experience and you can take from it what you will

Had 04 cobra that was stock minus exhaust (performance wise)

Bought loaded to the gills PP S550, put wheels / tires / suspension / spoiler / tint etc on it

sold it 6 months later for another cobra

If its not going to be a daily driver, buy a cobra. I'd buy a S550 for a daily due to the creature comforts available.
It wont be a daily, the thing thats getting to me is all of the comforts, I know what the 03/04 interiors consist of... not much :rolleyes:
 

101dsgmach

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What options, if any are you wanting on a S550? Decently loaded?
Base AF?

If you want/like newer tech like Sync/nav/ac seats etc then go with the S550 even if it will be a track car/WW.
If you want brute power, the Cobra is the winner.

I'm debating between both myself, and I may just go with the S550 due to lack of vehicle history/piece of mind going with a new one/one owner still under factory warranty. That, and I do like some tech, even in a stang/WW.
Honestly this is the hardest part for me, I want a blue performance pack with the Recaro seat package. So far I've found one at a dealer in NC, its about 3 hours from me. Not so picky when it comes to nav, it would be nice but not a must have.
 

IronSnake

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If it's a Daily, S550.

If it's a toy/play/love affair, Terminator all day.

References: Bought a new 2016 PP GT for a toy. Sold it within a year because the IRS blows and the paint quality sucks.
 

Zemedici

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Honestly this is the hardest part for me, I want a blue performance pack with the Recaro seat package. So far I've found one at a dealer in NC, its about 3 hours from me. Not so picky when it comes to nav, it would be nice but not a must have.


Mine was black with recaros. Sucked for daily driving. hahahaha
 

101dsgmach

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This right here. I know there are a few of us OP (and maybe more then a few) that had a s550 and disliked them. I remember being so stoked to buy a s550 and when I had it it was awesome...till I drove a stock terminator. The newer mustang felt like no one was home till over 3500 rpm unlike the crazy torque that immediately spews out of a 03/04. I agree with having a s550 as a daily but if you want to grin ear to ear EVERY TIME YOU DRIVE then the cobra is the way to go.
Edit: plus for a grand you can easily add 100 horsepower to a cobra. I want to see a s550 do that

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I may need to drive another 03/04 since I recently drove the s550, The last one I got into had around 540rwhp and it felt like a jet. I can only imagine once you add a decent aftermarket blower and supporting mods.
 

IronSnake

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I'd have to dig to find the pictures, but my paint on the hood was so thin that in direct sunlight you could see the primer under the paint.
 

08mojo

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Mine was black with recaros. Sucked for daily driving. hahahaha

Are the recaros in the S550 different that the recaros in the 13-14 s197? I had a 2014 with recaros and I loved those seats!

To the OP: the 03-04 cobra is a much more 'raw' car: it drives way different than the newer s550. If you dig the older tech, older chassis and a more brutal car: go for the 03-04 cobra. If you dig more refined power, better chassis and newer tech: go for the s550.

Keep in mind: the 03-04 cobras are nearly 15 years old now. There will be more 'annoying' issues with the 03-04 vs a 2015+. You'll be spending money/time to fix things like worn suspension, leaks, etc... An s550 should be in pretty decent shape and you can put more money into mods.
 

Zemedici

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Are the recaros in the S550 different that the recaros in the 13-14 s197? I had a 2014 with recaros and I loved those seats!

To the OP: the 03-04 cobra is a much more 'raw' car: it drives way different than the newer s550. If you dig the older tech, older chassis and a more brutal car: go for the 03-04 cobra. If you dig more refined power, better chassis and newer tech: go for the s550.

Keep in mind: the 03-04 cobras are nearly 15 years old now. There will be more 'annoying' issues with the 03-04 vs a 2015+. You'll be spending money/time to fix things like worn suspension, leaks, etc... An s550 should be in pretty decent shape and you can put more money into mods.


They're similar, but I had the leather and it was hard as a ****ing rock. Even after 8000 miles of 'use'. However you've seen me and I'm not the heaviest dude around so that may have contributed :)
 

08mojo

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They're similar, but I had the leather and it was hard as a ****ing rock. Even after 8000 miles of 'use'. However you've seen me and I'm not the heaviest dude around so that may have contributed :)

Interesting, I had the leather recaros. They must have changed the leather and foam in the s550 platform. My experience was the exact opposite...but you've seen me and I weigh quite a bit more than you:D
 

rotor_powerd

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If it's not going to be a daily and will be left stock, I'd go for the 03/04. They're fun cars and have a lot of character.

If it was a daily or you wanted to go drag racing, S550 or 13/14 5.0 all the way.
 

BlksvtCobra01

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03/04 Cobra brah the cabin space yo.

If it's a D.D. S550, even if it's a drag car S550. If it's not going to be a daily and you want something easy to wrench on and something that will hold value 03-04 Cobra.


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