The problem is these cars are not from a manufacturer like GM or Ford etc. Those cars are tested over and over before production and come with a warranty, and even then the BIG guys don't always get it right.
Yet there are plenty of buyers who prefer a brand new car (low to zero miles) and won't buy anything else. Good? Bad? Well thats marketing, different strokes and all that. A more educated buyer understands the need for a replica with a few miles under it's belt. I suspect there are more available 'newbies' looking for a low to zero mile cars than there are 'educated' buyers looking for a car thats had the bugs worked out. This hypothesis may be supported when you consider one of the fastest selling replicas on todays market, the BDR. Decent 'entry level' price combined with a manufacturer offering only a 'roller' leads one to conclude it is a 'solid' car that won't be a problem. There are far less variables than say an FFR or many other potentially 'home built' replicas. There is some logic to such a purchase and the main reason SPF's retain good value, also a 'roller' only type of car.
Disclaimer:
I am NOT a fan of BDR or SPF, personally I wouldn't want either one for various reasons, which could be a whole thread by itself. I'm just recognizing a great marketing plan aimed at the MASSES; flood the market with a low cost alternative that all but ignores the 'soul' of a real Cobra. There are other manufacturers that follow this theme as well, with great financial success while lowering the standards of what I feel a well designed replica Cobra should be, but hey, thats just me.
A friend of mine recently bought a used SPF Coupe, with a couple of thousand miles miles on it. Even then he has to work out a few 'bugs', some of them serious. Same can be said of the BDR (and others), there WILL be bugs to work out, some can be down right serious.
The SPF owner made an interesting observation, the SPF Coupe when compared to say a modern GM or Ford type product, falls far short of what would be acceptable build quality. Fit, finish, wiring and a other details are 'below grade' in such a comparison. Engine and trans installation, all though done by a professional builder, still fall 'below grade' in such a comparison. It should be noted the newer SPF Coupes (after # 100 or so) have substantial changes in their layout, design and build to address the areas that were sub par (if thats the correct terminology to use). Kirkham, ERA and others are constantly improving their cars. Compare that to a few hundred builds (if that) to Fords millions of builds and the problem comes into focus.
This is not knocking any particular brand it's just a reality check. You cannot buy a replica that will equal the build quality\warranty of a modern Big 3 type of car. You can limit the variables perhaps, but it's still a roll of the dice on any given replica purchase.
Solution? Buy a replica with enough miles under it's belt to have gotten MOST of the major bugs out and be prepared to deal with the rest. "Road Tested" for me!
This thread should be moved to "All Cobra Talk" in my opinion, it is an important topic and deserves a higher rating than the lounge.