New couple here at Club Cobra!

[DeLorean03]

Hello everyone,

My name is Jeremiah; I am introducing both myself and my fiancee', Jessica.

We are both avid car fans. We love and admire all sorts of unique automobiles - from classics to hotrods, and muscle cars to exotics. While we both have "favorites" that the other may not admire as much, the lil' Cobra has been one we both mutually love.

One of our dreams is to build or purchase a Cobra, but first, we have a lot of homework to do (read: months upon months). For example, there's Shelby versus AC - what's the difference? We don't even know, so we just call it "the Cobra". And that's just referencing the car itself, much the less how to build one, how things come together and work when building a Cobra, what jobs can we do versus what jobs are better left to "professionals".

A lil' background on her and myself, we actually met due to our passion for cars. We met in an engineering economy class (we both were pursuing and are EE majors), and she asked me if I happened to be the guy that drives the DeLorean on campus. Needless to say, I jumped and made it very clear - yes I was/am. From then on, we've been together for 3 years, and we plan on getting married later this year. She's about to graduate on May 4th with her BSEE, and she has put some good work into it and done a great job. As for the DeLorean, I have owned it for nearly 10 years and have enjoyed it very much. We are part of the DeLorean Club of Ohio, and we enjoy the community and the ownership of such a creative and beautiful automobile.

As unique as the DeLorean is, I want to have a Cobra parked next to it. We love the styling of the Cobra, along with its thorough heritage and respected reputation both for being a smoking fast lil' car and its legendary creator.

Anyways, we are excited to be welcomed into this group and learn from everyone. I currently work as active duty AF at Wright Pat AFB in Dayton, OH, so we are very fortunate to have some state clubs in the area as well as the upcoming London Cobra Show, which definitely plan on attending as of now.

I have scores of questions, and I want to ask so many because I learned the hard way with the DeLorean. I bought one sight unseen, jumped completely head deep into the shallow side of the pool, almost broke my neck (metaphorically speaking), and was hugely blessed to meet my best friend who mentored me through my first 8 years of ownership. I don't want to dive in headfirst like that again - I want to do this right and enjoy learning about the Cobra before building or buying one. I can't wait to go to the London Cobra Show and talked with lots of owners.

So.........


My first big question and probably for me - my most difficult one: where do I start to learn about these cars?

Is there a place for "wannabe owners" like us to start from "square one" and learn as we go (online outside of tech sessions/get togethers)?

What should we learn first?

How did everyone here "start the journey" so to speak?

What did you do to decide between "build" or "buy" ?

What are the pros and cons of each?

Did you fabricate your own frames, or did you let professionals handle it?

How many other jobs did you "let professionals handle" ?

How much "homework" did you do before you started saving up and realized "It's time to begin..." ?

Thank you all for your time and consideration. We appreciate any responses that are helpful, and we look forward to being in this community with everyone!

This is us before I joined the Air Force - just so everyone has faces with the names!

[Bryan Anderson]

Bryan here from B&B manufacturing *B&B Manufacturing - :::: - Feel the Thunder - :::: - Hotrods from Kit to Turn Key - :::: I have been building Cobra replica's for over 30 years now and I would love to give you a few things to start looking at, please give me a call at 417 472-3547

[tcrist]

My opinion FWIW is, find a local club, get to know the people & tell them what your ideas are.

Maybe get a ride in one. More than just a ride around the block. A nice couple hour cruse on the freeway and hopefully in the hills a bit. A couple of hours in these cars will tell you and your fiancee' if this type of car is for you or not.

Most of these cars are raw, bare to the bones, street legal race cars. They drive and smell like it.

You can make them more comfortable to be in and there are quite a few of them that are like that. You can get them with a hard top, a soft top, or no top at all (which are most I believe).

If you get/build one that has high HP plan on working on it a lot, or paying someone to do it.

Also check out the registration process, limitations and insurance costs for the vehicle in your state.

Bryan will give you some good tips and from what I understand is a very up front guy but besure to check out other kit manufactures also.

As the saying goes, research,research,research.

FWIW, It is common knowlage that a lot of the kits purchased never make it to the road. Or at least not by the orgional kit purchaser anyway. So buying a used car sometime is the better option and will probably cost you less in the log run. Depends on if you can purchase one upfront of if you have to build it in time because of cash flow restraints or if you really want to build one for the experiance.

[twobjshelbys]

Go to the local car shows, especially Cars and Coffee if you have one. There won't be a Cobra owner there that won't talk your ears off about the cars. Not only the car but the decision making process that got them there.

Unless you have a passion for the mechanical work, building a car is a lot of work and can be very frustrating - there have been lots of uncompleted projects sold here and other places. A car that is already done will still give you hours of "tinkering" pleasure as you mold it into what you want it to be and the maintenance of the purely mechanical nature of the beast.

Congrats on your degrees!

[mrmustang]

First welcome to Clubcobra.

Second, I highly suggest you forget about this kit vs that, or allow yourself to be talked in to one over another by a salesperson or "happy owner". instead I suggest you get a hold of the local Club (in this case the Ohio Cobra Club) Ohio Cobra Club | Home Get together with them, see all of the cars up close and personal, then decide on your want and needs, and what your ultimate budget is going to be (add 20% to whatever you come up with, you will thank me later).

As for buying vs building, if you decide to buy (kit or finished product), again do your homework and set your budget based on your original wants and needs list you started in the first place.

You can then both take it from there.

Yours In Fords,

Bill S.

Originally Posted by DeLorean03

Hello everyone,

My name is Jeremiah; I am introducing both myself and my fiancee', Jessica.

We are both avid car fans. We love and admire all sorts of unique automobiles - from classics to hotrods, and muscle cars to exotics. While we both have "favorites" that the other may not admire as much, the lil' Cobra has been one we both mutually love.

One of our dreams is to build or purchase a Cobra, but first, we have a lot of homework to do (read: months upon months). For example, there's Shelby versus AC - what's the difference? We don't even know, so we just call it "the Cobra". And that's just referencing the car itself, much the less how to build one, how things come together and work when building a Cobra, what jobs can we do versus what jobs are better left to "professionals".

A lil' background on her and myself, we actually met due to our passion for cars. We met in an engineering economy class (we both were pursuing and are EE majors), and she asked me if I happened to be the guy that drives the DeLorean on campus. Needless to say, I jumped and made it very clear - yes I was/am. From then on, we've been together for 3 years, and we plan on getting married later this year. She's about to graduate on May 4th with her BSEE, and she has put some good work into it and done a great job. As for the DeLorean, I have owned it for nearly 10 years and have enjoyed it very much. We are part of the DeLorean Club of Ohio, and we enjoy the community and the ownership of such a creative and beautiful automobile.

As unique as the DeLorean is, I want to have a Cobra parked next to it. We love the styling of the Cobra, along with its thorough heritage and respected reputation both for being a smoking fast lil' car and its legendary creator.

Anyways, we are excited to be welcomed into this group and learn from everyone. I currently work as active duty AF at Wright Pat AFB in Dayton, OH, so we are very fortunate to have some state clubs in the area as well as the upcoming London Cobra Show, which definitely plan on attending as of now.

I have scores of questions, and I want to ask so many because I learned the hard way with the DeLorean. I bought one sight unseen, jumped completely head deep into the shallow side of the pool, almost broke my neck (metaphorically speaking), and was hugely blessed to meet my best friend who mentored me through my first 8 years of ownership. I don't want to dive in headfirst like that again - I want to do this right and enjoy learning about the Cobra before building or buying one. I can't wait to go to the London Cobra Show and talked with lots of owners.

So.........


My first big question and probably for me - my most difficult one: where do I start to learn about these cars?

Is there a place for "wannabe owners" like us to start from "square one" and learn as we go (online outside of tech sessions/get togethers)?

What should we learn first?

How did everyone here "start the journey" so to speak?

What did you do to decide between "build" or "buy" ?

What are the pros and cons of each?

Did you fabricate your own frames, or did you let professionals handle it?

How many other jobs did you "let professionals handle" ?

How much "homework" did you do before you started saving up and realized "It's time to begin..." ?

Thank you all for your time and consideration. We appreciate any responses that are helpful, and we look forward to being in this community with everyone!

This is us before I joined the Air Force - just so everyone has faces with the names!

[DeLorean03]

Hey everyone,

Thank you very much for your thoughts so far - please, by all means, keep them coming!

I won't deny that building a vehicle is a huge and can be a laborious process. Part of me does wonder - could I do it? Maybe it is just better to just buy with it said and done - I dunno ya know?

Bryan, I will absolutely give you a call sometime in the week. I work noon to midnight at WPAFB today, Monday, and Tuesday, so it'll be a lil' bit before I call - but I absolutely will! Any advice is welcomed!

To tcrist - absolutely - you are totally correct. We have some Cobra owners here in Dayton; I really would like to talk to them some more and get some time with them on the road. Obviously, I would be willing to pay for gas/lunch/ compensate for their time and putting their cars on the road for me. I strongly believe that when people do something to help me make a decision, I have a commitment to compensate in any way I can to show my gratitude.

And thank you mrmmustang and twos for the ideas about getting with everyone in the local Ohio Cobra Club. I definitely know what you guys mean about budgeting; I never thought the tab for the DeLorean would "still be going" so to speak. Definitely a good call to have a bit more than expected for the car's budget when the time comes to build/buy.

I have so very much to learn. I have no problem admitting that the full building of a car may not be for me; I may choose to buy years down the road. I would love to try to build with something like the Cobra - either that or something like a ratrod from the 1920's-1930's. I am very open-minded, and like I said - definitely want to do this right this time.

Thanks again to all who have replied so far. Keep the thoughts coming, please! One thing I've learned in life - if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. That, and you'll always have either enough money and time to do something - just never both at the same time.

Oh, and that picture I forgot of Jessica and me! This was when I was in my final semester of my BSEE - right before going to OTS and being a baby bar (2Lt) for the USAF. I look a bit different now . She still looks amazing though!

[saturnkk]

Great pic, you are a lucky guy!

What part of Ohio are you in? I just bought my very first Cobra replica in December and I am just starting to get a chance to enjoy it here in Michigan...

[csx4017]

First thing is to transfer from Wright Pat to Edwards AFB to really enjoy your project. Seriously , welcome aboard and mrmustang's advice is right on........Don't go to the pitchman until you hear the thoughts of owner/ drivers..........Good luck and do not miss LONDON !

[DonC]

X2 on getting over to the London show since you're so close. You'll definitely be able to see just about every conceivable make there. It would be more than worth the short trip.
DonC