Hey guys, part 2 of my review of the new Saleen just went up on Autoblog....
Hey guys, part 2 of my review of the new Saleen just went up on Autoblog. http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/31/first-drive-pt-ii-saleen-s331-track-day/ Part 1 is available by clicking here: http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/30/first-drive-saleen-s331-is-equal-parts-sport-and-truck/ Pretty fast truck, but the best part is it really still is a truck - payload, towing, and everything. But it's faster and better handling than a Mustang GT when you want to have some fun too.
I see them all the time at the Saleen center at the Spectrum. Interesting vehicles, but not my cup of tea. Still, they're nicer than any of the Ford trims available.
I've seen the same white one twice. Caught me off guard the first time. Not a bad looking truck, and has a real nice sound. But I would still find it hard to buy any truck for $60K.
Well $43K-$53K for the S331 and S331 SC respectively, but yeah, that IS a lot for a pickup. Anybody remember the Lincoln Blackwood? Lincoln dealers had resorted to giving away another slow-moving vehicle, the Mercury Capri, to close sales of those trucks, as beautiful as they were. But Saleen has the right idea here. If you need a truck to tow or haul stuff, it might as well perform and handle like a sports car. Think about it, you don't lose one pound of capacity but it has way less body roll, incredible balance, superb braking, massive grip, and again, without sacrificing the utility of the vehicle. People seem to buy trucks because they need them for some reason or another and then end up driving them daily, putting up with a floaty ride and sloppy handling. If it gets to be too bad, they might buy another car too. With the S331, you can really get by with just the one vehicle. I know it's possibly the only truck I'd ever consider.
Has anyone seen the Roush truck, its pretty nice. I don't think it compares with the Saleen. But it sounded nice, but looked like a regular F-150, except for rims, and Roush windshield sticker.
I guess this is the closest we will ever get to a new SVT F-150 Lightning. I've been waiting for the new one, I really liked the old one. What kind of hp/tourqe numbers does this put out? The new Tundra with the 5.7l V8 really pulls.
I priced out one of each, $74K and $84K respectively. And what's with that $19,000 "Custom Saleen Paint Job". That better include the dash, interior pieces and a blow job a day for a year. But seriously, I agree with what you said, except for the ownership part. I'm pretty damn sure I could buy a truck that could still tow/haul and corner like a son-a'***** for a lot less money. As well as look very sic.
How did they manage to get 30 grand in options on them? If the paint was included in that then maybe, but wow. The big ticket paint is that color-shift rainbow paint for show cars. It is ridiculously expensive and, well, I'll just say it's not my thing. But if that's what some people want, they offer it. And getting a factory truck that performs like this is the key. EPA legal, NHTSA certified, warranty, resale...all of that comes with the Saleen but not a modified or tuned F-150. You're basically paying to have the engineering and certification done for you rather than sideskirting the law and working out the bugs yourself.
I've seen a black one at the dealership at Mahattan Ford. It's freaking beautiful. Not my cup of tea though.
