Camaro Z28 SS vs. Roush Performance Stage III Mustang - General Data - Comparison

Meanwhile for the Ford faithful, the Roush Stage III Mustang is a lustworthy, if not a really economical choice. With an as-tested price of $39,135, the limited-production Roush Mustang costs about $12,000 more than a well-equipped Cobra SVT. That's a significant chunk of change, but one that devotees would justify by the extensive depth of the Roush work. For the money (a lot of it), it delivers a considerable advance in performance over a Mustang Cobra (and it'll even outstop and outslalom a C5 Corvette), plus it provides deep-down satisfaction for blue-oval hardware junkies. The big Roush logos don't hurt either. In other words, for the roughly 250 owners lucky enough to get their hands on one, the Roush Performance Stage III Mustang is a hell of a ride.

Both the Camaro SS and Roush Stage III Mustang deliver the horsepower message they promise. Their performance is amazingly close, considering their markedly different approaches to cranking out the ponies. But after the time slips are in and the smoke (literally) has settled, value becomes the deciding factor. In this matchup, the Camaro wins the holeshot and finishes first, by virtue of its being nearly $12,000 cheaper than the Roush-ified pony. And even though Roush is a top-quality firm that will stand behind its products, there's something to be said for the fact that every inch of the Camaro SS is warranted by Chevrolet.

Either way, it's incredible that such monster machines are still available, right off a Ford or Chevy dealer's showroom floor, that will outrun most of the musclecar era's heroes. Just set a few extra bucks aside to invest in tire company stock.