Looking at a Cobra. StreetBeasts

[rgnbull1227]

Ive been wanting to get a cobra for some time now. I just found a decent deal on a low mileage Cobra Kit by StreetBeasts. Ive looked and have heard some bad stories on how they ran the co and now they are out of Biz. My question is, how were the kits? Resale?
Any help would be much appreciated.

[Mastiff107]

Do a search. I did some checking some time ago when I got mine. Lot of reports of "support" problems. Many reported missing parts and finish problems. One thing I do know is there are many more of these for numbers sold that never get completed. Folks who own the completed ones do seem happy with them. Always a market for a Cobra but I think resale, from what I have seen on their Cobras and Hot Rods have been lower priced than most. Company gave them a bad rep that spread. Like anything else, you don't make money on these, unless you have a real one. Get the best one you can for the best price you are happy with. You always lose money with toys but you're paying for fun. You wanna make money invest in gold and silver and stay single.

[rgnbull1227]

Thats hilarious and so true. Thanks for the info.

[YerDugliness]

There's a long history with the company that runs "Street Beasts"....some not so savory...lotsa people were left

That is probably the reason we don't see much around here about them.

I kinda liked their "fastback" version of the Cobra...would never have considered buying from the company, though.

Try the search function....maybe you can find some SB info that way.

Cheers from Dugly

[DAVID GAGNARD]

I've seen 3 or 4 finished cars and they were very nicely done.....the car itself is not a bad car from what I could see....the company support is non-existant and if your looking at an unfinished kit, look really long and hard!!!!!! you will need to inventory the parts there and the parts needed to finish the car see what the costs and avalability of these parts are.......
like others have said,the bad rap the company has aquired over the years has seemed to show up in re-sale value unless it is a really first class built car........

Just re-read your post, low mileage car,so I'm assuming it is a finished/running car.....drive it and inspect it closely, I'd be more worried about how it was built than the company name..........

David

[mdross1]

As you have read be more worried about the build than the company name.The CMC/Streetbeasts frames are very solid and the glass is very nice.So many of the parts some people had a hard time getting will get replaced anyway.A few of us did get everything not without a hassle.Whatever kit you decide on don't be afraid to ask questions,there is a lot of experience and very knowledgeable people here to help you.Keep in mind there are vendors that should be able to supply any Cobra parts you might need. Good Luck.

[rgnbull1227]

thats alot for all the help guys. This is uncharted territory for me with Replicas.

[Got the Bug]

Try to look at a variety of cars and talk to the owners about the pros and cons of each model. Compare the car you're looking at to those that are available for sale here, on Cobra Country, eBay, etc.

There's lots of used cars available, so don't jump at the first one you see.

Luck on your search!

[Grubby]

Low mileage can be code for something isn't right and I couldn't drive it. I would suggest a car with a minimum of 3k on it. It would most likely be sorted out.

John

[CowtownCobra]

It so depends on the builder. Have him inspected, then the car.....

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by rgnbull1227

Ive been wanting to get a cobra for some time now. I just found a decent deal on a low mileage Cobra Kit by StreetBeasts. Ive looked and have heard some bad stories on how they ran the co and now they are out of Biz. My question is, how were the kits? Resale?
Any help would be much appreciated.

Run Forest, RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Enough said.

[joyridin']

I would bet that for the price of that car, you could probably find a FFR in the same price range and be much further ahead. I had CMC/StreetBeast and they were a lot of work to build. If you were not very mechanically inclined, it would probably have become a nightmare. For this fact alone, my guess is a lot of people got frustrated from the poor support, worthless build book, and missing.or shoddy parts and either hacked it to get it together, or just gave up.

I am sure there are some nice ones out there, but unless you REALLY know what you are looking at and are very good at repairing cars, I would look elsewhere.

[mdross1]

Sure is no lack of brow beaters when it comes to this Co.Certainly understand the frustration that comes from building a project with little to no support,on top of that the lack of mechanical knowledge would make this a near impossible task.
My CMC kit is near 20 yrs old maybe my affection for it comes from not letting the frustration overwhelm me.Once I made the choice to buy this kit there was no turning back.Was totally unaware of the bad customer service and spent a year or more researching kits of which there were few choices then.
Whatever your choice or your skill level there is plenty of qualified help on this site including the underdogs.Despite what you hear these kits can turn out to be an incredible example of this 60's hot rod.It really all boils down to what level of performance you seek,that will dictate what kind of investment you can look forward to.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by mdross1

Sure is no lack of brow beaters when it comes to this Co.Certainly understand the frustration that comes from building a project with little to no support,on top of that the lack of mechanical knowledge would make this a near impossible task.
My CMC kit is near 20 yrs old maybe my affection for it comes from not letting the frustration overwhelm me.Once I made the choice to buy this kit there was no turning back.Was totally unaware of the bad customer service and spent a year or more researching kits of which there were few choices then.
Whatever your choice or your skill level there is plenty of qualified help on this site including the underdogs.Despite what you hear these kits can turn out to be an incredible example of this 60's hot rod.It really all boils down to what level of performance you seek,that will dictate what kind of investment you can look forward to.

+1
as I said,I've seen a few finished cars and they were as good as a lot of other manufacters out there.......The car is a good car, the company is another story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David

[cobraleonard]

Bull
It has been well said above .. Cars are very good quality depending on construction---certainly not unique to CMC/SB. But the company CMC/SB suck!! I bought mine all from people with "sorry" tales of the "buy" and lack of delivery. You are past all of this with a completed car.

I have had years 3 of these cars over the last 20 years and they have been great to have and run.

Have a "third party" look at the car and give opinion to satisfy and get past your uncertainty.

Joe

[joyridin']

Sorry, but my car was twisted like a pretzel. The fram was straight, but the right rear sat way higher than the left and the right rer sat 1/2" further back than the left rear. The material may have been good, but the body was not. Do a search on here and I'm not the only one that ran into these problems.

Say what you want, but you'll be much better off looking elsewhere and saving yourself the grief.

[mreid]

Why would you buy a Streetbeast cobra with all the bad publicity when there are much finer examples from other more reputable manufacturers out there? There's an old saying that the more explanation required, the more wrong it is.

[rgnbull1227]

Thanks for all the posts and have decided to stay away from the StreetBeast.