[96-GT_Josh]

There is supposedly an authentic saleen mustang by me for sale. It has 41k miles and they want 12k for it.

Couple questions.

Is it worth 12k?
How do I verify it as a true saleen? It doesnt have the hood.

The ad says it had been verified with team saleen as authentic saleen #151.

Here is the link if anyone wants to check it out and have some input.

Also I found on auto trader a 98 Cobra with 21k miles for 10k is that worth it?

I like my 96 GT but it has 190k and things are starting to fall apart. It needs a ton of body work and I want to put a 4v in it. But for the 6k that will cost why not just spend another 4 and have a 21k mile authentic cobra? with all the body parts and all.

or if I can talk the guy with the "saleen" down have an authentic saleen. Just seems more worth while to me. What do you all think?

Cars for Sale: 1996 Ford Mustang GT Coupe in York, PA 17406: Coupe Details - 309529880 - AutoTrader.com

[97S281]

That thing looks sweet. I personally would go for the cobra but honestly you can find a higher milage cobra around here for about $7000. $3000 in mods on a cobra would go pretty far.

To authenticate the Saleen you just need to call Saleen Corporate at 1-(800)-888-8945 and have the bumper number and last 6 digits of the VIN#. They will authenticate it for free with that information. For a small fee they will mail you an authentication letter listing all the Saleen options installed on the car and exactly how many were done that same way.

$12,900 is about right on the asking price for the Saleen. That is what the dealer is asking for my wife's that she traded for a truck. Here is a link to her's: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ctd/2745954785.html

Honestly with the Saleen if it is a low milage car it is most likely all original. While that is great for collector car value it will suck for a daily driver as it means most of the parts on it are 15 or 16 years old depending on the build date. You should expect to have to replace the suspension straight out of the gate. Saleen's didn't come with caster/camber plates either and they all need some unless you like going through $250 tires in 3 months. Aside from some nice plug wire's there are no modifications to the engine either so while it will handle very nicely and looks great it is the same power wise as any other 96 GT. The car does come with a nice sounding Borla catback from Saleen though it maintains stock manifolds and midpipe. The only drivetrain upgrade is a set of 3.55 gears in the back.

As for the hood, they only came stock on the S351 models. The hood was available as an upgrade at the time of purchase as well as aftermarket for the S281. The exhaust tips are unique as well. They are custom made Borla tips and were used only by Saleen for the 94-98 cars. They are a very nice tip. The original body panels for that year were urethane front and rear bumpers and Fiberglass spoilers and Fiberglass side skirts. The urethane upgrade was not available on the side skirts until aftermarket production of the parts was done. The Fiberglass honestly looks better but they have a tendancy to crack on the bottom and fall apart soon afterwards. The original spoilers seem to crack across the center line on the back as well. Mine did that as well as my wife's.

All in all the Saleen is a beautiful car and it holds it's value very well. You just need to realize going into it that it will cost you more to maintain in the end.

[96-GT_Josh]

Thanks for the input. After reading all that I will go the cobra rte. More performance for cheaper.

Value means alot but the cobra is 2k less for 20k less miles. Or 20k miles at that.

I like the saleen but I only have room for one high maintenance thing in my life and my wife a daughter already got me overtaken on that. Lol. Cobra just seems better in my eyes.

[1996 GT]

^ and yeah, love both cars but if i had to pick between them in your situation id go with the cobra.