Quote:
Originally Posted by twobjshelbys
It is a disservice to try to convince this guy that he can get a completed Cobra for 20K. It's kind of like trying to buy a house in San Francisco for $100K. Sure, you might find one but it's going to need $1M in fixer-upper repairs and you'll have to wait for years to find it (meanwhile prices go up). Same with a Cobra. A 20K Cobra is likely to be an unfinished kit being abandoned by an estate. You might find one, but you're going to have to finish it, with a fair amount of skills and tools needed, and then you still have to put an engine and transmission in it. And then you have to sort it out. Then you'll get 40K into the project and start to get frustrated after two years and sell it for 20K.
Think carefully if this is a path you want to go down.
And you won't get even close to a Kirkham for 100K. As a beginner, stay away from aluminum. Get your feet wet with fiberglass. If you decide you like the Cobra and want to upgrade then consider Kirkham (or Shelby American).
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I bought a West Coast Cobra in 2014 that was okay cosmetically, but a bit of a 'fixer-upper' mechanically. I did almost all the work myself, so very little $$$ for labor, but I estimate I've spent nearly $15K on safety and reliability upgrades - nothing to do with enhancing performance. Add in labor and you've easily got another $30-40K.
On a more positive note, the appraised value reflects the current state of the car, so I'm not dissatisfied. It's just very important to know what you're signing up for.
Think long and hard before taking the plunge.