dirtychamba

I was not to sure where to post this question but i figured where would be the best place....

well i have a 2005 manual gt with 103,500 miles on it.
The car looks exremely amazing, with the body kit, being lowered, gt500 spoiler/hood and 20 inch wheels.

performance mods are JBA long tube headers, catted hipe, bbk pulley, jlt cai, 91 sct race tune, pypes straight bomb axlebacks

suspension has tokico adjustable shocks/struts and eibach pro kit lowering springs.

like i said i do love the car but with the miles it has now i can only see its value going down. I've always wanted a terminator and i am actually looking to sell my car and pick a termi up.

what do you guys think? any personal experience doing this or knowing anyone that did this?

I would be using the car to drive to school and work atleast 3-4 times a week. Race with buddies atleast once a month, and take it out whenever im going somewhere with my girl, it wont exactly be my garage queen. (i have a civic)

the cobra i am looking at is an 03, with 80,000 miles, black and a hardtop.
the only thing iffy about it is that it has a rebuilt transmission but i dont know if that is such a bad thing. It has an intake, smaller pullies, and exhaust. (there are some other cobras i am looking at as well)


i live in the los angeles area so anyone know where i can pick a good one up?

and i know the cobras do a good job keeping their value.

it is between selling my 05 and getting a terminator or keeping my car for another 1-3 years while i save up money and maybe get a gt500 or 2012 5.0

i'm looking to get atleast 14500 for my car and pick up a cobra anywhere between 13-17K
please respond with any advice.

Entaille

I wouldn't personally dump a pretty built up project car for another faster with with similar mileage.

I wouldn't let the resale value of my car be the deciding factor either.

do what makes you happy either way! just know if you get the cobra, you're probably going to mod the **** out of it too. lots of $$ : P

Slick61

I think the damage is already done, regarding your present car. Maybe it's just me, but high mileage kills re-sale value... and mods are "taste-specific"... you're not likely to get your money back out of them when you sell unless you find that person that absolutely loves the way you've set it up. Were I to look at a modded car, I'd start deducting $$ right off the bat. I'd assume that it's been driven hard & would have to plan on hefty repair bills. And of course, now that the 5.0s have taken the stage, the 4.6 is less desirable. You may as well hang onto it & enjoy it.

Shopping in the L.A. area is a challenge... especially for a termi. There's a lot of questionable cars/sellers out there, & it's hard to find a clean, low-mileage car that hasn't been beat to death.

A few years ago, I looked at an '03 terminator 'vert, 35k miles on it, & seller was asking $15k for it. Nice car, but too many scrapes, scratches, & dings. I bought my '05 GT 'vert for $16k a few months later... 23k miles, flawless paint & body, 20s, style bar, & shaker 1000. It's been a good cruiser (27k miles now) & the ergonomics are better, tho I think the seats in the New Edge were MUCH more comfortable.

The current up-tick in the used car market will help you out a bit, but I think most buyers would shy-away from a high-mileage, heavily modded car.

In the end, it's a personal decision... if you've got your heart set on a termi, go for it.

Mishri

i had a bunch of mods on my 2007 GT with 27,000 miles on it.. i only got 14,500 for trade in, and i tried selling it private party for about 4 months at 18,000 then dropped it to 16,000 for 3 months. never could sell it, had to trade in. i'd expect a 2 year older model with 100k+ miles to get even less. 12-13,000 private party sale? depends on area though, CA has more money than MT

most decent termis were in the 18k range last i looked, but i was looking for lower mileage cars.

It just depends on how much you like your car and what your goals are. If you love the s197 body style i'd keep it and drop a forged engine and supercharger(or turbo) on it, go run around with 600whp-700whp and have fun.

i'd never sell my car for another one just to help it hold value longer though.

dirtychamba

Thanks guys! Well yea I am 19, ive loved mustangs ever since my 2000 V6.
My s197 now is now pushing like 305-310 to the wheels and I love the power and sound but i don't know why but the terminator has always been a dream car to me.

Believe me, every time I go clubbing or partying in l.a. People are always starring and asking me about my car and I love it but it's just something about those cobras .

The only flaw I see in the cobra is the interior. I'd be downgrading in that aspect but would the performance be night and day difference?

06gtdamon

I was in this same situation last year man. I was 18 at the time, had a souped up 06 Gt. I had always dreamed of owning a Terminator. I found one in Tenn. where a car lot wanted to trade straight up even though the Cobra was worth more. Well needless to say, I drove down that next weekend and traded keys.
My gas mileage decreased but damn, this cars a beast. Only downfall is traction I cant seem to find it with these small 285 wide tires. I only have minor bolt ons. Hope this helps!

HxCGuitars

You're lucky to find Cobras for that cheap. In the midwest I have trouble finding them for any less than $20k unless they're approaching 100k or so. Some of the ones around 15-20k are nearly $30k. It's ridiculous. No offense to convertible guys, but I can't stand them, and 95% of the ones up for sale seem to be convertibles as well.

Anyways, with your mileage I'd probably just bite it, buy a stroker kit and slap on a blower with a good amount of boost. You'd be able to run with many Cobras and keep your interior (which is something I love about the S197's).

dirtychamba

& it's not really the resale value , that's just a factor I'm throwing in because it is over 100k and I'd love to supercharge it but with these miles it might not be worth it. Having both cars would be amazing though

06gtdamon

I like the vert because whos going to expect my 9 year old convertible mustang to smoke them with simple bolt ons?

At least with the Cobra, your engine will be completely forged and ready to make big power and last a long time.
I always thought my 06 gt was fast. Then I got the Cobra, now I bought a 08 Bullitt to drive everyday. Seems almost sluggish compared to the power and torque of the Cobra.

dirtychamba

Thanks man! Yea does help! And well the cobra I'm looking at has about 80,000 miles with a rebuilt transmission, mcleaud clutch and some bolt ons. Pushing 450 or so.
She said she'll take 14k but I might squeeze 13 and some change.

The other one is a single owner, 22,000 miles but he wants 23, I'm sure he'd take 17 cash in hand. Both are black hard tops , yea no offense to converts but I don't like them either