04#231SC

Here is something I was wondering as I was posing my question on whether to go after an 06 SC convertible that is 4 sale at Jacky Jones.
Someone said in there posted response to my quandry that the 06 would be a totaly differnt animal(paraphrased) as compared to my 04 SC I have. For those that have driven/owned both cars is the 05-07 model that much of a step upfrom say the 99-04 models?

I recognize that over time models become more advanced as the platform gets better and Saleen does more to the car.
But if you were to take what I have an SC Convert and match up against an SC 05/06/07 is the new car that much more advanced and overall that much better?

I have driven in 2 saleens and I owned them both, my 89 Fox that I had for 16 years and then my 04 I bought last year. We don't see a lot of them up here in New Hampshire.

Another point is I don't see a lot of Fox Saleen owners post on this site. Or maybe they do but I don't see them discussing their cars.
Finally I don't see a lot of things about the 94-98 Saleens either unless it is a S351 or an S351R car. Are those Cars still considered good to great cars to own for what Saleen did to them?

I do not mean to disparage anybody's car or body style or year as I am a car enthusiast(and a huge Saleen Fan)I am just looking to open a discussion and Iwould like to see some feedback on this .

Thanks again.

Chuckdoc

We haven't had a lot of gen X vs. gen Y banter on here that I can remember. This should be fun.

My 2 cents is there's a group of enthusiasts, die hard Mustangers, that believe the Fox is 'the only true Mustang experience', etc. I think the older styles are becoming harder to find really good examples of, and they get much deserved respect in car shows, etc...

Not having owned an older Stang, I can go with what I've seen in other discussions. With each generation, the car has gotten larger, safer, more 'user friendly' perhaps - but at the same time some will say it has lost something in the translation and now blurs the line with the 'family sedan' compared to the cramped, flexible, crash box of teen spirit they once were.

I consider this an improvement, but some would disagree. And I know the horsepower wars have given us some modern muscle that debunks the 'family sedan' image - look at the Extreme, the Shelby, etc...

You placed 'parnellli' in your title but didn't comment more in your question so I'll offer something on this - since it's my current ride. I don't see it as better or worse than any of the modern Saleens, just a different version - It's in the same price range as the SC and cheaper than the E. It has an 'old school' flair that capitalizes on the retro theme of this platform. I think, like most other Saleen guys, our cars are greater than the sum oftheir parts and the most balanced choice out there. Especially considering at this price point, many of us could have easily pulled the trigger on BMWs, Vettes, used Vipers, etc...

I'm wandering a bit, I'll defer to some of the previous gen guys for their input.


Chuckdoc

04#231SC

Hey Chuckdoc, no slight inteneded. I have to say I put the Parnelli in its own seperate class. They are ultra exclusive as far as what the car is and they seem to be...I'll be careful here for fear of getting flamed but they seem to be a betteroverall balanced car thenthe other types of cars that Saleen has. I could be wrong, but from what I have read and seen a good old fashioned 400hp with all of the suspension work that is done to the cars and no complaints from any PJ owners from what I can see makes them a differnt animal from the regular and SC Saleens. It would also be cool to compare the Saleen Cobra's of 03/04 and the Mighty S351's of 94 to 99/2000 and the 89-90 SSC Saleens. As well as theE cars of 02-07 although I think we know that the 06-07 E Cars are just pure adrenaline from what people describe and the 02-04 cars are similar in nature.

I guess this is why I started this thread. Saleen has made some great cars and it is interesting to compare models and years and even generations...!! It is only getting better let's hope.

Atencio

I was racing Cobra Jet Mustangs and Torinos back in the mid 80's when the Fox Mustangs came out. All those old guys would have nothing to do with the new Mustangs feeling that car without 400 cubic inches was not worthy of their time. Then it got to the point that guys like Brian Wolfe were flat out running hard with Fox Mustangs and the car gained some respect. I still find it amazing that a car can run so hard with air conditioning, power seats, windows, etc.
My only comment on the new Saleens is that I don't think they stand out as much as the older ones only becauseof all thedifferent specialityMustangs out now. Back in the late 80's there was only Saleen and ASC/McClaren.
The new Saleens are all around better cars than my Fox Stang. That's progress and its great for us guys that appreciate cars for what they offer. I find it amusing that my 300 HP 4 door Volvo S60R would be a good race for a 69 Boss 302.

eviligloo

Good thread topic! I never really thought about it....but there does seem to be a shortage of fox body participants here. Even seemingly less common are the people with 94-98 saleens (or at least I haven't noticed them).

As far as performance goes....I think saleens have gotten better with time. As far as body style....I really didn't prefer the 05+ body style for awhile, but as I saw more of it, it kinda grew on me.

Atencio also has a good point in terms of the new mustangs not standing out as much. That's to no fault of their own.....it's merely because there are a lot more Roushes out there these days (at least in MD that is).

As a disclaimer: I like both the new Roushes and the new Saleens about equally.

Let's be careful to keep this discussion clean! Remember....before you post something, ask yourself WWJD (What would Jazzer do)?

dotbomb

The comment I've received from people who drove my car and have driven just about every Saleen built have all said the car does not handle rough or ride rough like a Mustang but more refined.

The other difference is that the 2005+ has a computer inbetween the throttle input and the throttle body. This introduced some throttle lag and I know some people are not willing to adjust to this *cough* Say When *cough*

And finally, the 2005+ is not a pushrod engine. This is probably the part I notice most and miss in my muscle car.

04#231SC

I will agree on the handling part. My 89 while it seemed to handle like it was on rails it was a very rough ride, my 04 seems to handle well but I don't feel as comfortable throwing it into an on/off ramp at 60-70 like I used to with my Fox. I felt like I could drive that car to the edge and I knew where it was. With the 04 I haven't driven it enough or hard enough to know where that point is yet.
I will say that the FOX Saleens still hold up very well in my book in the looks dept and if copying the Cars style is a form of flattery look at all those body kits Saleen sold in the late 80's early 90's. Especially the wing. If you got to Saleenpower.com you will see some very nice examples of the fox cars.. If your interested.

dramsey

I dunno if Saleen did anything to the Fox bodies, but one drawback of those cars was that the body was kinda flexy. Back in the day a lot of the Mustang magazines noted how a single hard night at the drags could warp the body to the point where the driver's door wouldn't close well. This could be taken car of with weld-in chassis braces or a roll cage; I've seen it said that the '05+ bodies are stiffer than Fox bodies with roll cages, but that might be an exaggeration...

mills281e

The reason I wanted an 02 - 04 bodystyle was.....I liked the 99 - 04's to begin with and got fixated on the Extremes when they first came out. Owning my 97 Cobra for so long (with a slightly different bodystyle), I always thought the fit/finish of the 99 - 04 Saleens was perfect. From the lines the ground effects created to the hood and wheels. I will probably feel the same way about the 05 - 07's with time.

Back when I first got interested in Mustangs (circa 86), Saleens were really the unrivaled flagship of Mustangs and arguablyhead-of-the class inthe Trans Am, Z28 (IROC-Z) and Mustangshowdowns of affordable American muscle. Likewise, as someone already mentioned, were very rare to see anywhere but in a magazine.

A bit offood-for-thought to close with.....a question that is always askedof historical figures (e.g. WW II figures like FDR, Hitler, Stalin and Churchill)....did the men themselves shape history, or did history shape the men? We may have witnessed both following Saleens forward in time.As someone already pointed out, most of us have family sedans (or SUVs for that matter) that would beat early Saleens in straight line acceleration. Horsepower may remain the single most important objective metric of the modern car. Recent Saleen horsepower leaps and bounds may have leftformerSaleen models behindin the department of "sought after-ness". We, the enthusiasts[sm=usa.gif], will always be around to remember their importance.

I appreciate every iteration, but am more than satisfied with what's in the garage .

Jazzer The Cat

I owned an '85 GT for over 20 years. Granted, this is a thread on Saleen Fox bodies, but thought I would chime in on Fox bodies in general. I am in 100% agreement with 04#231SC on the handling dept. I could throw my car all over the road and always knew where it was and where it was going. The body seemed "soft" as described by dramsey and is also correct on the stiffness of the chassis on the 05+ cars. The throttle responce is 1000% better than my carburated '85 (EFI was introduced in '86) It always lagged in first step of throttle punch. The seats of my '85 were excellent, as opposed to the "blocks of ice" I had in my '02 prior to going Recaro.

Overall, I don't notice alot of difference between the two except I am in LOVE with the Saleen look and that makes the driving experience MUCH more exciting.

So git yerself a Saleen. That's WJWD