Which mustang has the best performance and horsepower for its price?

Question

Mustang Cobra (Any year above 2000)
Mustang GT (Any year above 2000)
Mustang Saleen (Any year above 2000)
Mustang Shelby GT 500 (Any year above 2000)
Mustang Shelby Cobra GT50 (Any year above 2000)
2008 Shelby GT500KR
2008 Mustang Bullitt
2009 Mustang Giugiaro
2010 Mustang Super Snake

I haven't gotten my drivers lisence yet but I want to know how much I need to save up to get a good quality Mustang. I know I am almost positive I want a Mustang but I want one with the best horsepower and performance. I am 14 and still saving up my money from working ( I have around $5,000, plan to get $25,000 when I get my permit) So if you can please help me out it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Best Answer- 10 points

Answer 1

No question, the 2003/2004 cobras. You can get a 2003 cobra with less then 30k miles for about $25,000 and you can get a 2004 cobra with less then 15k miles for about $28,000. You cant buy any new car today for the same amount of money or less that is faster then the the 03/04 cobras. Even though both the 03 and 04 cobra have an excellent repair and reliabillity history, the 04 is slightly better. According to consumer reports, the 2004 cobra is has the best repair and reliabillty record of any mustang ever made. It has more "much better then average" ratings then any other year mustang before or after.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm
The 03/04 cobra came with a factory rating of 390hp and 390tq but as anyone who has ever been to a track or owns one knows, they get closer to 430hp and 430tq. For people that are unfamilar with this I will post a site below that explains this. I own a 2004 cobra and it put out 370rwhp and 375rwtq before I did my mods. 370rwhp is equal to about 430hp or so.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang
The 03/04 cobras also come with the most phenominal engine that is the type of engine that is usually found in cars costing $80,000 or more. The 03/04 cobras have a "built" engine that is hand built by 2 guys and has a 4 valve per cylinder v8 dohc engine. What it means to have a "built" engine means that the 03/04 cobras have all there internal parts forged as well as having manely H beam rods. This engine is the stock engine the 03/04 cobras come with and it is capable of handling up to 1000hp stock. There is no other car that has ever been manufactured for under 60k that has a built engine. In addition to this the 03/04 cobras come with a tremec T56 transmission. This is the same bullet proof transmission that dodge puts in its $80,000 vipers. Believe it or not, we havent even gotten to the best part of the 03/04 cobras yet. That is there abillity to be modified. For 2k you can add catback exhaust, pulleys, cold air intake, and a flash tuner with a custom tune and now have a 475rwhp (550-600hp) car. If you want more then this, for 5k you can swap out the stock eaton supercharger that comes with the cobras for a kenne bell supercharger. Now the hp is practically limitless. With just the supercharger swap and almost no other mods you have a 656rwhp (this is around 750-775hp) car. I will list a site below that explains this by showing you the dyno graphs and results obtained on a actual 2003/2004 cobra. If you want to go one step further, you can add a throttle body, full exhaust, and fuel injectors and bump yourself up to 701rwhp (this is around 820-850hp). Now if you add a set of cams to this set up you are running a ridiculous 925hp.
http://www.kennebell.net/superchargers/ford/cobra03/cobra03.htm
So if you buy a $28,000 04 cobra and add 7-8k worth of mods to it, you now have a 925hp car that is capable of running with any car made on the planet. Just by spending only 5k and running with the kenne bell alone, you are running around 656rwhp and have your self a high 9 second 1/4 mile car. There is only one car on the planet that in stock form runs a 9 second 1/4 mile and it costs around 1 million dollars. Below is a site that shows 3 different 03/04 cobras with kenne bells running 9.7-10.1 1/4 mile times. None of them even have the most current 2.6L kenne bell, they have the smaller 2.2L kenne bell.
http://www.dragtimes.com/compare2.php?resultpage=6&make1=15&model1=270&op1=%3D&year1=0&make2=-1&op2=%3D&year2=0&make3=-1&op3=%3D&year3=0&make4=-1&op4=%3D&year4=0&submitButtonName=Compare%21
Hope this answer helps and wasnt too long, good luck and have fun with whatever you choose.

Answer 2

There are some things to consider, the first is cost. Some of the cars that you listed are way above the 30K mark.
Bang for the buck, would be a used GT. Before you consider buying one, check with your insurance company. The insurance will get pretty stiff with a new 16 yr old driver and a GT. You could get a used 6 cyl mustang and save a bunch on the insurance, just don't get a convertible, the insurance will go back up. Take the money that you saved and put it in the bank for when you are ready to go to college. Don't throw all your cash into a piece of steel that could be stolen, or you could have an accident and total the car. Once you get some experience behind you, and some more cash reserves in your wallet, then it is the time to get a better car. Over the years, I have seen a lot of people get into trouble by buying too much car, and then either blow it up, get stolen, or just couldn't afford it and had to sell it at a loss.

I know you are already thinking about driving and what car you will get. I did the same thing. I just didn't throw all my money into cars. (Although, I have spent my share). I wanted to have some money to enjoy different things, like buying something that caught my eye, some electronic gadget, or even some unexpected repair to the car.

Good luck to you, dude. Save a bunch of that $25K and let it start working for you. Invest it.

Answer 3

2003 or 2004 Mustang Cobra. they sell for right around 22,000 still to this day. But you are going to pay really really high insurance on any of these cars since you have no established driving record.

Answer 4

by far its the 03/04 svt cobras. They were ranked at about 390hp but when dynoed it's about 430hp. Ford really underated it. A new one costs about 33K. So i think it has the best bang for the buck.plus with only one modificatio,(swich eaton supercharger for Kenne bell) you can have a 37K car with 800hp!

Answer 5

start driving in a beater , save up til your like 30 and buy a hot rod , insurance and tickets will make you POOR

Answer 6

gt