rjwz28

Not to mention that anybody can buy an f-body or a mustang cobra and turn it into a 600whp car for half what the current GT500 costs. That's the typical route of the demographic you describe anyway.

dboz

2/3's the cost with no warranty.

rjwz28

Why are you mentioning warranties? Both cars I mentioned are getting old and already far out of warranty. Buy an LS1 f-car or 03-04 Cobra and build it as much as you can afford to. That what the V-8 kids looking for big power do.

Reciprocal

I thought they were supposed to have a Shelby with 800hp, what happened?

rjwz28

I mean I just took 2 minutes of time and dug up a 600+hp Cobra for $25k. Kids working at McDonald's and Little Caesar's don't buy brand-new $50+k cars, no matter how cool they are. Even the $25k modded-up Cobra is tough, but they pinch pennies and stay at home to afford it.

rjwz28

The SuperSnake is a tuner car, just like the GT350 and the other Shelby specialty cars. The only Shelby built and sold by Ford as a production car is the GT500. All the others are shipped from Ford to Shelby as base Mustang GTs or GT500s and modified just like a Roush.

SCM_Crash

Turn off that damn rickety-rack music!!! I'm going to play REAL music... Hold on, let me crank up the ol' Phonograph.

Fair enough, but sadly there are certainly a good number of "kids" that can afford a $50K car. That's what worries me.

I think the problem isn't necessarily the car but the person behind the wheel. Having fast cars is not the problem. But perhaps an age limitation would be good. I just fear some 18 year old kid is going to drive right into my girlfriend's car at 100MPH while she's taking the kids to school or something. It think it's reasonable to think something like this could happen. I learned to drive on my dad's 85 Vette. If that thing was faster, I WOULD have killed myself because I drove like a douche all the time.

rjwz28

My only response as far as that goes is that it's natural selection for them and a reason to pay a lot of attention for you. I almost got in an accident on my way to work today. I was going 60 and an old guy in a Bonneville pulled out in front of me at the last minute. He was just sitting at a red light and right when I hit the intersection at 60 is when he decided it was a good time to go. No rush either; he just accelerated halfway into the lane and then crept the rest of the way out as I locked up all four tires and laid on the horn. I stopped about half a car short of hitting him. Bad drivers are everywhere, and regardless of age or vehicle choice they are still dangerous. The only way that will change anytime soon is with a better mandatory drivers education program, and more frequent testing of people's vision when they renew their licenses as they age.

SCM_Crash

Yeah... I live in an area where the ratio of good to bad drivers has to be horrifying. (Like 1:100)

I'm a very "aware" driver. I'm always looking around for bad drivers and how to stay clear of them. But a lot of drivers simply aren't aware of other drivers. I'm not as worried for myself as I am for my girlfriend or family.

Taking defensive driving courses would help a lot, but that doesn't solve the responsibility issue. You nearly hit someone pulling out in front of you. But what about those kids that take 2-ton cars up to 130+MPH? I think I could live with the city driving idiots more than the highway driving kids. At least most of the city driving idiots are going at slow speeds.

From what I can recall, they're changing it so that the legal driving age is 18 rather than 16. I'm not sure how much of a difference that would make. I didn't stop driving like a total idiot until I was around 24. LOL I'm not saying they should raise the limit anymore (since that'd just be ridiculous) but I was actually thinking that kids should be able to get their permits earlier via a defensive driving course. I think kids should be introduced to driver's training around 13, get their permits around 15 and get their license around 18. That way they have at least 5 years of understanding and drilling the idea they shouldn't do stupid crap on the public highways.

rjwz28

I don't know. I think if the tickets were set up on a scale basing the severity of the offense on the density of the traffic around you, it would eliminate a lot of the danger. It would push people without a local drag strip or road course further into the boonies where there isn't nearly so much risk. I did 148 in my Z28 once. I went out on a rural area of freeway at 5 or 6am on Sunday morning (virtually free of traffic as well as the hazards of darkness) after checking my car over thoroughly, and ran it up as fast as I could without undo risk. I say if you've gotta fool around on the road, do it where there isn't anybody's lives being risked other than your own.

rjwz28

I definitely agree that kids should get way more training on how to drive. I've bumped into a lot of people that couldn't put a car in gear or fuel it until they took driver's training. That's unnacceptable when the courses are so short.

SCM_Crash

I agree. I don't drive stupid around others. Unfortunately there's nowhere else I can drive so that there'd be nobody around, so I generally don't drive stupid at all.

When I had my 02 Trans Am some years ago I topped the car out. But it was dumb and who knows how many people I put at risk besides my own. The car was mostly stock and still under warranty. Would have been interesting if I'd blown up the motor and got a new one under warranty. LOL

Fastest I've gone with my Z06 was at the track. I don't care about going fast. Just getting up to speed faster than others. I don't weave through traffic. No point. You get to where you're going at almost the exact same time. I don't tail gate because that doesn't get you anywhere faster, but it does cost you a lot when you're jamming on the brakes often or if you rear-end someone. I ALWAYS use my turn signals and let others in if I can when they use their turn signals... I find that the only people that slow me down for no reason are the people that DON'T use turn signals and jump over. (Usually they speed up to get in front of you, then slow WAY down once they're in your lane.)

But getting back on topic (sort of), I just worry about people who do not know how to drive [at least] as well as I do and get behind the wheel of a 650HP car. I'm not saying I'm the best driver... But I'm a pretty good driver.

Reciprocal

I dunno. Reading the post above, sounds like a guy late for work who speeds through intersections at 60 mph and then gets mad and lays on the horn when someone gets in his way...also the same guy lecturing about the low risks of driving 148 mph on public roadways as long as he is making the choices sounds to me like a guy who is in denial and headed for trouble, or already been there.

rjwz28

Already been there. Now an LEO. Going 60 in a 55 on my way to work isn't out of line; pulling out in front of somebody going 60 when they are literally right on top of you is just as dangerous and stupid as weaving through traffic, if not more dangerous due to the differential in speed between the two. That's failure to yield on a grand scale. He made a right turn on red while looking left (directly at me), and began his turn (westbound) when I hit the east side of the intersection. By far not enough time to complete the maneuver. Hell, I may have been going 50, as traffic doesn't generally move quickly here this time of year. Also, I definitely did not say it isn't risky to drive 148 on a public roadway; I said it is less risky to do so in a remote environment with safer conditions (rural freeway at extremely low-density hours).

rjwz28

But I digress; I think better driver instruction, not higher car prices, will do much more for road safety as far as high-performance autos are concerned.

sub006

The UAW wanted the specs on the Shelby, that their members will be able to buy below wholesale at the Ford employee price. and no waiting.

Any 600 bhp new car had better get 20 mpg highway. And superchargers can help, if you use a light foot as the test demands.