rdorman,
Let me save you some time and trouble. I became interested in owning a Cobra replica in November of 1991 when my December issue of Car & Driver arrived in the mail (which I
still read on occasion). I've been studying and researching the replica market ever since.
As you can see from my bio, I do not yet have a replica, but I
have decided on who I will buy one from: Unique. Here's a detailed account of my personal experience with them...
In July of 2001, during a week of much-needed vacation, my wife and I decided to make a surprise visit to the Unique factory in Gadsden, AL. We lived in north GA at the time, so it was only a couple of hours away. Their website and literature had always encouraged interested individuals to just drop on in... so we did just that. We drove to Gadsden and THEN made a quick phone call to get the final directions to their place (when I say "surprise visit," I mean it).
Now bear in mind that my wife and I were a very-young-looking 28 & 29 respectively at the time and I'm sure we're a great deal younger than the average replica buyer. Hell, I get a hard time just trying to get information about a Mustang from the car dealer down the road
. My wife and I were both worried about how we would be treated.
Immediately upon meeting Alan Weaver, I explained that I was "a few years" from making a purchase. This would have sent the local Mustang salesman into the "give them a brochure and let them go" mode. But did this change
Alan's attitude? Nope.
Alan took several hours from his schedule that day to walk us around his building and explain everything. Every question was answered, bar none. I took numerous photos and was allowed to crawl around, in, under , and over several cars that were being manufactured. I had also come prepared with a detailed list of pointed questions (about 40 of them, if memory serves). Alan and I sat down in his office and went through the questions, one by one. I received answers for all of them. In the meantime, my wife had lost interest in my questions and was looking through a photo album with Jean. There was no pressure at all and we were taken
very seriously. The Weavers treated us like family.
I took his list of references and contacted
all of them. I even visited some of them personally. Every car I saw was of the highest quality. And everyone had the same thing to say about the Weavers: "They're the nicest folks you're ever gonna meet."
Since that time, I have seen even more of their cars and have talked to dozens of owners. I have made my decision.
That's my 4 cents.
Keith