Follow up to my first post would you buy a modded 2004 Saleen Cobra ?

[tjtucker]

Thanks to this wonderful site I found some info on a car I'm thinking of buying.

Per my other post I found a 2004 Saleen Cobra. The dealer purchased it at an auction and advised it is stock.
I found the following info which shows the car is modded.

Would you still buy a modded Saleen and what do you think about the mods.
What is the approx cost of the mods performed.

Here the info with a picture link.

http://www.blacksautomotive.com/vehicleDetail.asp?id=597&offset=10&src=inv

Here is the previous write up


2004 Mustang Saleen Cobra
Price Tag: SOLD Mileage: 13,060


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Features:
• 2004 Mustang Saleen Cobra • OK did we get your attention
• 1 of only 17 total built Saleen Cobras • 540 rear wheel horsepower
• Car is mint with all documents

2004 Mustang Saleen Cobra, um lets talk about the best of both worlds here! Up for sale is this EXTREMELY rare black on black 04 Saleen Cobra. 1 of a total 17 built in 2004. We are waiting on numbers from Saleen but we were told there were only about 3 coupes built in Black, these cars already came loaded up with options as you would expect being a cobra, Saleen Cobra seating, with adjustable lumbar support, power windows locks tilt and cruise, traction control (you will need it) White faced Saleen gauges, boost pressure gauge, 32 valve dual over head cams 4.6L supercharged and intercooled, Stagmaier stage 4 blower and throttle body port, car made 540 rear wheel horsepower on the dyno, 18 Black wheels, Saleen Brakes, Full saleen body kit, Full racecraft suspension, Reichert upper and lower pulleys, Steeda cold air intake, this car was built right and you can tell. These cars will never be built again and owning one makes you the talk of any car show! If you have the means to buy and enjoy this car DO IT! We can not say enough what a great car this is! If we had the means it would be in our personal collection. Slide into the cockpit of this rare snake and boost it up!

Thanks TJ

 

[Nsan3Stang]

i would just because that thing is rare, and prolly be worth some money some day, only ban thing about having a saleen, are haters lol, when i had my saleen it seemed like every other day i would hear a roomer that it was a clone and not real, so i started parking with my saleen certificate on the dash lol, i loved that car but it had the gay 2v engine and after 10k in that thing it was still slow lol, but that one has the 4v so thats a nice car...

 

[pony23]

Link didn't work for me. As long as the mods aren't extreme I would get it.

 

[tjtucker]

cobra

corrected link




http://www.blacksautomotive.com/vehicleDetail.asp?id=597&offset=10&src=inv

 

[Tractionless1]

Been there for a while from what I know, must be issues with it. A local guy has a clone however his body kit is authentic Saleen pieces. I'm not really fond of them in person.

 

[sik02gt]

looks nice

 

[Sinultros]

I would. Even if it's stock, I'd still mod it. I'm just not fond of anything stock, no matter how rare it is..

 

[Juruense]

1) it says SOLD
2) WTF are the mods? Are we supposed to tell from the pics and know what is not "official Saleen"?
3) getting sick of hearing about this ****ing car...

 

[864svt]

i always hated the waythe hood and front bumper fit together?? there is like a 1" gap there looks shitty...IMO

 

[Mike H]

TJ,

If you do the deal, make it contingent upon a favorable leak down and compression check on all cylinders. 540 RWHP on a Steg stage 4 is a stretch at best. You'll want to find out who tuned it and if they are reputable. If everything looks good you're getting a good deal. And yea, Saleen's do bring out the haters. :shrug:

Steg pricing and HP TQ gains here http://www.stiegemeier.com/pricing.html

 

[Nsan3Stang]

i dont think thats real saleen, i think its just a good clone... saleens come with saleen gauges and the dash is not signed by Steve Saleen either, my saleen had that done, but the rest looks good...

 

[Mike H]

saleens come with saleen gauges and the dash is not signed by Steve Saleen

S281 Cobras retained the stock SVT gauges, also Saleen did not install the center boost and intercooler temp gauges as they did on their other S281's.
I have never heard of Saleen's sig as a indicator of authenticity. :dw:

 

[99stanger]

How is this thing at 540 rwhp with just he pullies? Am I missing something here?

 

[03terminator77]

I saw this car for sale by blacks automotive last year on ebay when i was looking for a car..it says sold, so did you buy it? it doesn't even have the price. i love saleens but i'm happy with my non "saleen" terminator. Saleen just adds a body kit which I think looks nice but I like the original terminator look with the fog lights and the rear COBRA bumper which the Saleen Cobra does not have, so I really wouldn't recommend buying it for more than what an authentic terminator costs. IMO Saleen just slaps on a body kit, suspension and and some interior work and jacks up the price. I understand if you buy a GT from Saleen because they add a Supercharger, body kit and ncer interior so those are all upgrades, but what real upgrades do you see on a Saleen Cobra besides the body kit? which in MHO are not uprgades but down grade for a Cobra. The more I have thought about it, the more I don't regret not purchasing one of the cars and sticking with the authentic 03 terminator.

 

[95PGTTech]

Had a 03 Saleen Cobra clone at the shop last year. sexy

 

[CobraBob]

How is this thing at 540 rwhp with just he pullies? Am I missing something here?

Says upper and lower, so it is probably seeing around 17 lbs. of boost. Could also be uncorrected numbers. It is definitely making something close to that number if it is up around 17 lbs. with the ported blower.

Nice car but as always when you're looking at a car check it out very carefully. You want to know the condition of the car and that it is as claimed. Research and questions brings more peace of mind.

 

[tjtucker]

Cobra

Thanks for the replies.

The car is for sale here in Texas. A dealer purchased the car at a recent auction and had it shipped here for resale. The dealer deals in 03-04 Cobras some BMW's, GTOs and later model Camaros.

Anyway, I have driven the car a couple of times and while I really didnot beat on it to bad, I questioned if it was stock because I have driven 3 to 4 late model Roushcharged cars along with 2 Saleen SC cars and one Extreme and this Cobra seemed a lot stronger than everthing else I have driven. I think the Extreme was close.

How much do you think a full inspection of the car would cost and since I'm new to the Cobra sceen what would you look for and what are the trouble areas.

Again thanks to all who have helped.

TJ

 

[95PGTTech]

compression and leakdown test, put it up on a lift, check the underside. should take a mechanic no more than 3 hours total to look the whole car over

 

[03roush]

I think that the reason why the dealer bought it at an auction was because Blacks Automotive was out of business for a while if I remember correctly and they had to sell everything that they had. It looks legit it has the Saleen plaque on the firewall. I would also do like what everybody else has said to to a leak down test and compression test on all cylinders. Here is the craigslist link I think for only 14k miles and a 1 of 17 cars it is a great deal. 2004 Ford Mustang SALEEN COBRA supercharger only 14k

 

[Juruense]

Just an FYI Saleen warranties are no longer being honored so consider that car to have NO warranty.