[767Jockey]

The best advice for you is to just dive in head first here on CC and read everything you can. As far as body material, the originals were aluminum, and in the replica world the aluminum cars are the most expensive. With a limited budget (and I share your pain on this!) fiberglass is probably best for you. The vast majority of replicas are fiberglass, and almost all, when prepared and assembled correctly look wonderful. In some ways it is also more durable than the aluminum, although few would argue against the theory that the aluminum is more desirable.

There is a curious trend in the Cobra world where most are adamant that their particular make of replica is "the best". Beware of such biased advice. Look around at all the options, but decide for yourself what is "best" for you - not what others try to press on you due to personal bias or pride of ownership.

My best advice for you is to read everything you can here on Club Cobra, and once you have at least partially educated yourself and can ask more directed questions, start firing away.

Some things that are typically more desirable features to look for in a car:
Aluminum body (very expensive)
FE engine
Independent rear suspension (as originals had)
Original looking body (exact style and shape, no liberties taken)
Outboard rear brakes (some Jag based rears have inboard)
Original style Smiths instruments
Pin drive wheels
Aluminum panels in trunk and under hood
These are just some typically desired things - some who do not like or have some of these will probably scream bloody murder about this (see paragraph #2!). Again, read everything you can and decide what is important to you.

Welcome to the craziness, and enjoy - the pursuit is half the fun. Start reading.