shelleys_man_06

Those of you in the Mustang crowds should know what I'm talking about. In case you don't know, the SN95 is the code Ford uses for its late-model Mustangs. I was wondering what you guys think of them. The 94-95 are my favorite, as they are the last production Mustangs to get the 5.0 OHV engine. If you've heard one in full song, then you'd know what I'm talking about. They're really nice cars, and contrary to what people think, they handle quite well. Stick axle cars may not be as flexible as SLA, MacPherson, or multilink, but they can keep up with the best of them. I'm talking about this because I had a run-in with a 1999+ Mustang Cobra on my way to KFC. It sounded so mean. I could tell it wasn't a normal Cobra. There was more than just an exhaust and intake on this thing. I also got the opportunity to see this thing and a 1st gen. Viper side-by-side. The guys were talking to each other at the stoplight. It was great. I still love the 2003+ Cobra as well, despite looking like a pedestrian Mustang GT. Overall, I would love to have a 94-95 Mustang Cobra/GT convertible in my garage as a fun car. I hear you can get them for pretty cheap nowadays.

Feras

iTrader: (1)

2000 mustang cobra is beautiful, and a very limited edition, only 300 made. 380HP 380ish TQ

RX8_Buckeye

Just wait for the next Cobra...

cortc

Yes, I know what you mean... This was my 1995 Mustang GT, very fast...

BlueEyes

One of my buddies had a '97 cobra. The power of that thing was intoxicating. The handling not so much........until we put 4 khumo racing tires on it and did some Solo events. With a good set of tires it was on rails. Nice cars for the money, although the ergonomics and aesthetics leave something to be desired in my books.

shelleys_man_06

Agreed. The interior is such a turn-off. However, it has endless aftermarket support.

KC_Prelude

I was considering looking at a used mach 1(so much torque for so little money, especially used) until I actually felt how terrible the seating,ergonomics and especially shift lever were. It felt so crappy from the driver seat that it pretty much ruined the rest of the car for me, that and the fakey *** "functional" hood scoop. Hopefully we'll have a much better mustang coming out soon (november?) Can't wait to drive the new GT.

Matt-man

I have a 96 Cobra. These cars are heavy, with poor weight distribution and a terrible suspension design both front and rear. Polar moment of inertia is really bad with the heavy V8 out front and the gas tank behind the rear axle. The chassis is over 25 years old, and has the stiffness of a wet noodle. The ergonomics are pretty bad and the cars are prone to lots of squeaks and rattles.

After spending $5000 on the suspension on my Cobra, it handles pretty well. It's not in the same league as the RX-8 though - well, maybe it is in terms of ultimate grip, but not in terms of feel, feedback, and balance. On the other hand, the DOHC 4.6 will rev to 7000 all day long and sounds glorious doing it. The sound is really the only thing that I miss when I drive the Mazda. OK, sometimes it would be nice to have more power.

The new car will be a much better car all around. It's about time somebody put the Fairmont chassis out of its misery.

BUT... for a cheap, fun car, I don't think you can beat a V8 Mustang, except maybe with a Camaro or Firebird. I can't stand GM interiors, so I ended up with the Mustang. Oh, and mine's for sale too...

picosrx8

I like the 4th gen stangs. They were good looking and a welcomed change from the 15 year old, 3rd gen fox body. But now looking back, I would prefer a 92-93 GT or Cobra. Even though my wife says the look like an old POS Escort, I think they still look tough. A toughness that the 94-04 years lost a bit.

PistolPete-RX8

I had a 96 Mustang Cobra (first year of the DOHC motor) and the car was amazing. I added a Vortech S-trim supercharger, larger injectors, bigger MAF, full exhaust, and Denso plugs and Ford Racing plug wires. I made 420 RWHP and 372 rw tq. with only 8lbs. of boost. I had tons of other mods to this car mostly suspension and tires 255/35/18's front and 275/35/18's in the rear. This car was an absolute animal. With the sound of the exhaust and the supercharger many people feared it and many people lost to it. I missed that car since I sold it until I bought my 8. Def. not as fast but so much more refined.

Pistol

rotten42

I had a 84 Capri RS 5.0......(sister car) I had Davenport motors do the engine. It topped out at 305hp @ about 5800rpm....installed a nitrous kit...I ended up just using the 100ph plate....(still blew up two rear ends)

I had the sub frames connected, koni adjustable shocks all the way around and a rancho sway-bar kit front and back.

One of the neat things we found out when we put the car on the dyno was that the stock dual snorkle air cleaner created more hp than an after market one I had bought. (can't remember which) Anyway I was having a problem getting the proper belt so that I could ditch the air pump (Pollution controls) so instaed we hooked up a hose to it and then dumped it into the air cleaner. It was good for 10hp over the after market version.

I never raced it at the track but on the street I had a blast dusting off vettes and Porches.

Once I modified it, I broke so many parts that weren't designed to handle the extra poer, but it was worth it.....lots of fun.

Boozehound

Bah - these are HS cars. My buddy has a 95 GT 'vert, had a 90, 87, & 68 stangs, and to me, the crappiest is the SN-95. The vert squeaks, groans, isn't stiff, rolls in corners, and feels like a fiesta inside. But other than that, the power and the aftermarket are there.

I like the look of the new (05) stang, but unless I was trying to build a straight line, go-fast, non-daily driver, I would never consider one of these cars.

Japan8

We'll see what you have to say when the Cobra and Shelby models come out. AT least one of them is slated to be Ford's M3 fighter. COnsider the Ford GT... this bad boy will handle like a dream.

shelleys_man_06

I have an issue of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords from a while back, when the boys in blue released the 2003 Cobra. In terms of acceleration, it would tear an E46 in two. Unfortunately, the M3 countered with a predictable win on the road course. The 2003+ Cobra is no slouch. After driving one, I could only imagine the neutrality on the track. If only it wasn't a front-heavy, or heavy in general, I would be driving a Cobra now.

Boozehound

Yeah yeah... they're supposed to be fast. Is that going to make them feel like nice cars? AW's latest test of the GT (production spec) is critical of interior materials (does that surprise anyone?) and solid rear axle (I know the IRS is on the Cobra). Basically, the question for me is would I like to spend 2 hours a day in this car, and Mustangs across the board come in as a resounding 'NO.' A cobra isn't going to have the features/amenities/feel that a M3 will - it's going to feel like a tarted up domestic car. I'm guessing I wouldn't mind commuting & spirited driving in a M3, but a cobra (without any driving experience of the new models of course) is a stretch.

As for the 03 being awesome to drive except for weight distribution Shelly, you have to be kidding me right? The cobra has power (I drove a couple before I bought the 8), but the shifter sucks, the steering is vague and disconnected by comparison, the brakes are a long way off of the 8's, the interior was dated and cheap, not to mention the exterior looks... On top of that, one of the ones I drove had HUGE gaps in the body panels, & they still wanted more for that car than what I bought my 8 for.

Cars aren't all about acceleration numbers unless you race & if you do, what are you doing with a stock car?

DreRX8

A don't like Mustangs--but the 94/95 GTs and the 03/04 Cobras would be my favorite ones--if I had one. A friend of mine in New Orleans recently got a 94 GT coupe 5spd. Its stock--so its actually pretty slow. I believe those 5.0s only put out about 205-215HP--but they are easily tuned. Sounds badass tho.

Red Devil

I've never liked Mustangs, but have always had a mild appreciation for them. I agree they have large aftermarket support, though they don't seem to stand up against the bowtie. I did grow-up on the Chevy side of the fence, so that probably contributes to my bias.

Though this newest generation Mustang is the first one I've seen that I would even remotely consider purchasing.

snizzle

I agree, gimme a Camaro SS or Firehawk any day..... in my opinion, they were superior cars and I was sad to see them go

they didn't tailor to the whole market I guess, i hope they bring them back to give the Mustang some muscle car competition aside from the GTO

Red Devil

Yeah, one of my close friends in High School had the 3.8/200hp V6 Camaro, and I routinely saw him beat Mustang GT's. For me, that was the end of most of my respect for the Mustang.

Overport

yeah, the 2000 Mustang SVT Cobra R was a very limited one, it had 385 bhp, the '04 Cobra's have 390 bhp. my uncle has both, along with a 611rwhp drag runner and a 350 RWhp svt focus he drives to work daily.

dirtylittlepaws

A buddy of mine has the most dramatic and completely-equipped Mustang ever built by Ford, The 86 Mustang SVO. It is one awesome car to have considering there are only 600 in Texas and 3000 left in the U.S.