Roush 2003 saleen s/c or supercharger mach 1 ?

[SLVRBOY]

so im going to ask this question in the saleen and the mach1 forums and im pretty positive what each one is going to say but here it goes.
if you could get a saleen s/c or a mach1 that had the eaton conversion which one would you go with if all things were equal. mileage 45,000 , year 2003 , rwhp 400 , 5-spd , exhaust , tune. the only difference being the mach1 is $14,000 and the saleen is $17,000. the saleen is SOHC and mach1 is DOHC, the mach1 should have a stronger motor but the saleen should be cheaper to work on. the saleen is a more limited edition car but not alot more. and what would sway youre decision either way?

thanks alot.

 

[eviligloo]

I'll tell you my opinion on the subject because I looked at Mach 1's, 03-04 cobras, and 2002-2004 saleens before I made my decision.

I liked the styling of the saleen the best and thought it stood out in a crowd. I have people that come up to me all the time to ask me about it.

Mach 1's are great cars too, though. Really...it depends on what styling more. The Mach 1 has the dual overhead cams.....the saleen has the body kit and a bunch of suspension and handling (and in some cases upgraded brakes, upgraded interior, etc. depending on the options included).

What's the most important factor in your decision? Looks? Power?

By the way...why do you think the saleen will be cheaper to work on? As far as modifying it....it's actually kind of expensive if you get one that's already supercharged. Cobras are a lot cheaper to modify to get big gains.

 

[forced87GT]

Well said above.

For me, I was after the "SALEEN" name. For the styling, handling, and power.
I know the 03/04 cobra and Mach1 are capable for more. But I have always loved the style of the saleen. That is what did it for me.

 

[SLVRBOY]

when i said it would be cheaper i was talking about cams, 2 for the saleen or 4 for the mach1. but im not sure if i would even want to get into doing motor work to a saleen. maybe just boltons, tune, pulley upgrade. the saleen is 365-385 stock i believe and the mach1 is 305 without a blower. but can you get more out of the mach1 motor. so to answer your question power is important. the saleen looks sleaker but the mach1 looks meaner so which is cheaper to get to the hp #'s i want if the mach1 already has a blower. i would like to put down 500+ at the tires.
really i want both cars but funds dont allow that.

 

[eviligloo]

the saleen looks sleaker but the mach1 looks meaner so which is cheaper to get to the hp #'s i want if the mach1 already has a blower. i would like to put down 500+ at the tires.
really i want both cars but funds dont allow that.

To get 500+ at the tires I'd imagine it would be cheaper with a mach 1 than a saleen. You don't buy a saleen for the power potential. It's for looks and handling (it also has a decent amount of power.....but there aren't a lot of 500+ horsepower 99-04 saleens running around.

If you get a non-sc saleen....engine-wise it's just like you were getting a mustang GT. If you get the 01-04 supercharged saleen, you definitely won't be able to get to 500+ hp because the blower AND the non-forged internals will restrict you.

Forging an engine can cost ~$8k alone....and you'd have to do that on both the mach 1 and saleen.

Honestly...the best way to get to 500+ rwhp would be to buy a used Mach 1 that's already forged or even better...buy an 03-04 cobra and mod the hell out of it.

By far....your cheapest and easiest way to get that much power out of the car is to get the 03-04 Cobra. Hands down. Not even a contest. It already has the forged internals and a blower capable of being modded to put down over 500RWHP. Lastly...you can do it on the cheap. MUCH cheaper than forging and building up either the mach 1 or the saleen.

Seriously....it's not even close in terms of price.