First off, i still like the car, love the look. But, 13.3@106 isn't very impressive for a $61,000 car. More like a $45,000 car. I understand it's not a drag car, but it still needs more mph than that to compensate. I've seen guys run faster than that in 05's with a chip Cai and mufflers. Still makes paying over the sticker for a shelby worth it at this rate. MT suggested the numbers weren't far off from the shelby, but i disagree, ET was close, MPH was way the hell off, like 8mph higher for the shelby.
In the March issue of Modified Mustang, the say that Saleen claims 4.5 0-60 and a 12.5 quarter mile. Thats wayyyyyy off from the MT numbers. Perhaps the driver is in question?
Well, if 1/4 mile times and trap speeds are the dominant factor in determining a cars worth in your eyes, why would you even look at the PJ? That is not what the car is about. What I'd like to see is a shootout between the PJ and Shelby at the Streets of Willow. Wonder which one comes out on top then?
I think all Saleens are not 1/4 mile monsters. They are sports cars that excell at the 1/4 and road course duty equally and with style. If you want a drag car get a mid 80's 5.0 and go to town or a Terminator Cobra if you feel like spending a bit of cash.
Still, the mph is low for a car rated at 400hp. As i said above, i do realize it's not a drag car, but neither is the z06, and that's cranking in at 125mph in the quarter, so for 10 more grand you could outrun a PJ like it was standing still. You charge 61 grand for a 27 thousand dollar base car, and it should do everything well, not just handle. The driver shouldn't make that much difference, maybe the ET would go down a bit, but so would the mph likely. And since the PJ beat the shelby by 2 seconds, that means it lost to the z06 by over 1 second. Look past being a saleen fan, it's a nice car, i certainly can appreciate it, just not for 60K.
So, for the $10k difference, add a blower & good tune to the PJ car... Plus, you can still haul 4 people. Nothing against the Saleen OR the Vette, but one is engineered from the ground up as a no-compromise 2-seat sports car, and the other shares 50% of it's DNA with a mass-produced 6-cylinder "secretary car" version that sells at $20k. I DO agree that the PJ would be a MUCH better deal at $45k instead of $60k, but hand-assembled stroker motors in small lots really hurt the cost. If Ford produced 10,000 PJ cars with the 5.0 motor straight off the assembly line, they could probably be built in the 40k range. But then you are "one of 10,000", not "one of 500"... As far as the 400hp figure - anybody dyno one yet?
Ok, here I go again. Yeah you could buy a blower, but when it's all said and done you're paying nearly the same for a new Z06... Ok, if I'm going to pay 60-70k for a car I could care less about 4 seats.... if you can afford that car, you can afford an SUV with plenty of room to go to DQ with the kids. You are paying 60-70k for a car that will kick ass and take names. Now, if you really want to see a rip off, then look at the price of the S281E, ok there you have 550hp and it will still lose to a Z06 any way you look at it and you are paying more than 70k. Saleen is going to price themselves out of the market! If I want raw power and handling, I can drop 30k on a GTO (not that attractive of a car, IMO) throw exhaust and intake on it run circles around most of the Saleen line up, then buy a second one just to have another color I like for the same price as one of Saleen's cars... Don't get me wrong, I like the styling, handling, etc. but you have to question value.
