Come to think of it, none of the other Terminators tried that, we've never seen it at least. They fought till the end, of course, but it was about completing their mission, not about wanting to live.

That's exactly what I was thinking! Even the supposedly advanced Vic was all about finishing the mission at all costs in his final fight. As far as I know, the only other machine that has even been mentioned so far, let alone actually shown on screen, that has demonstrated a sense of self-preservation beyond simply wanting to accomplish its mission has been Skynet itself.

Although to be fair, I am not sure we've ever had a situation before this in the series where the terminator was immobilized and unable to fight, and yet was able to communicate whether or not it wanted to live, so we don't know if Cameron is *special* in not wanting to die, or if there are other terminators like her out there. Either way, though, I think we can be reasonably certain that this is the first time *John* has been confronted with a terminator not wanting to die. I can see how it would be something that would have a very big effect on him.