Advice for a New Buyer

[fastd]

Wait, it's not that one. Not an fia and no webers.

[1795]

That looks like a nice car, but never, never, never say that you want to by a car on the same site that said car is listed prior to negotiating a price It limits your ability to then negotiate as the seller knows that you really want the car

When you take it for a test drive, make sure that the seller takes you on a long test drive. A couple of miles around the block is not enough. I spent about 30 minutes in the car when I purchased mine and when I sold it I spent on and off about 3 hours in the car with the buyer. Some things do not show up during the initial startup and drive. Make sure that the car is brought up to temperature, let sit for a few minutes and then started up again. Good luck.

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by byronpete21

So much good advice. I knew I was wise to ask. A little more details on the car. I am looking at the 289 FIA car that King Cobra has for sale just north of Atlanta. (Light blue, white stripes and webers) I will be hopefully making the trip soon to see the car in person, and hopefully purchase said car. Just trying to gather as much info as possible before making the trip. I currently live in Virginia, so the trip home would be a hot one. I have ridden motorcycles for many years, and have made several 1000 mile plus trips on my old Ducati monster. I would imagine a cobra trip would be somewhat similar. Loud, hot, and fraught with the potential for mechanical breakdowns. I promise, that whatever I decide, many pictures will be posted. Thanks again for the kind words.

If it is THIS ONE

I'd have no issues driving it home. Of course things I'd want to check before hand would be the dates on the tires (last thing you want is a dry rot crack to let loose at highway speeds),anything over 7 years and I'd demand that they be replaced at his top of the market price point. Same goes for all fluids, brakes checked, cold tire pressures, knock offs safety wired, all the basics, etc.

Finally, if you do plan to fly in and drive it home, make certain you are ready. Having helped various friends move their Cobras by this method (NE PA to just north of Tampa, Fl was the most fun ), you'll need to pack certain things:

Suntan lotion
Various levels of clothing for different weather conditions and temperatures
Hat (baseball hat will do)
Aspirin
Sunglasses

Things to have on the trip back

Large bottle of water or Gatoraid (no soda, no coffee)
Snacks that can be accessed easily (3 Musketeer bars, energy bars, etc, no open bags of anything)

Other than that, yours is a simple day trip, if all of the above are in order, then you are pretty much ready to go should the car be in the same condition.

Bill S.

[joey4420]

I drove mine from Montgomery AL to West Chester OH 573 miles and google maps claims 8 hr and 40 mins, of course with stops every 100-110 miles it took me 12 hours to get home. This time did include a 1 hour stop for a odd overheating issue that popped up 6 hours into the drive.

Would I do it again, I would love to, with the car I bought in the condition I bought it in? NO WAY.

After getting home I found out the tires, hoses, belts were all original... 22 years old. I have also been plagued with an overheating issue since I have been working on it since I got home in February.

Even after spending almost 2 hours talking to the previous owner and driving it around, I still have been finding little things that make me wonder. I have no complaints really about the previous owner, but buyer beware. My car had 3700 miles when I bought it, I now have almost 6000 miles on it, but I have been working on it almost weekly since it came home.

[cobrakiwi]

I would have no problem driving the car from Ga to Va, in fact I just made this trip, there has been good advise already on this thread but just wanted to say Steve is a stand up guy and great to work with. I am sure he will treat you right.
My advise is go see the car, look it over, drive it and work with Steve to get the deal done. I am sure Steve will have no problem going over any concerns or answering any questions you may have.
Have fun and drive the wheels off the thing.
Good Luck and welcome.

[moore_rb]

Beautiful car - One more important thing to consider regarding driving it home: Rock chips.

8 hours on the road will mean bugs, road debris, and at least a couple paint dings on the nose and/or rear fenders.

Bugs and road grime wash off, paint dings don't.

Think about whether you are ready and willing to live with owning a "lived in" car right off the bat...

If you do decide to go for the road trip home, then go back up and read Mr Mustang's "shopping list" above one more time

[66gtk]

I would have it transported. This opinion has nothing to do with any first hand knowledge of that particular car. Nor does it have anything to do with the seller (who I think is a good one). There is just too much risk with something going wrong and ruining your experience with your "dream car". There will be plenty of opportunities once you have it home. If you need an enclosed transporter, you can likely expect to pay about $800 for such a trip. Maybe less. This would be money well spent.

[1985 CCX]

New Buyer,

If this is an ERA in GA, Steve Daniel car, I would drive it from GA to NH without a worry today. Either of his ERA's would be no worries.... My opinion
The car is clean, straight and runs strong.

Condition of this car is 10 as it really had no leaks, stinks, noises etc....
I had the car a week and nothing but good to say.

My $0.02 Jeff

[Antny]

First hand experience, although not a Cobra; a few years ago I bought a ground up every nut and bolt freshly restored '67 Vette in Maryland and decided to drive it home to NY. Only a 5-hour drive up I-95, piece of cake, right? Whelp.....an hour into the trip on I-95, the car suddenly dies. No electrics, nada. Dead as a stone. I get a $300 tow to a nearby service station where they diagnose the problem... after 2 hours of diagnoses.... the tech says it's a faulty alternator, and he charges the battery. Another $400 bill. I'm back on the road and it's now dusk. After another hour on the road and pitch black darkness on the Garden State Parkway (parkway is not lit), same thing happens....total electrical system failure, car dies in the middle of the parkway. Lucky for me there was no one behind me...image if there were? I might not be here typing out this drivel. Thankfully I didn't get rear-ended and I had just enough momentum to pull off the road onto the service shoulder. Get another tow, this time to my house. Pay another $600 bill!!!!!! So a 5-hour fantasy drive turned into a $1300, 12 hour drive from hell. A uhaul transport would have cost me only $130.

After a few days of searching, I found the real problem: a loose main power feed to the fuse box. 10 minutes with a soldering iron and the problem was fixed forever. So the moral to the story: I don't care how perfectly built or restored I think a new-to-me car is...if it's more than only a few miles away, it gets transported home.

[fastd]

For better or worse you probably remember the drive home for the rest of your life.

[lippy]

Definitely drive it, unless it's a SBC with 165k mi

[Antny]

Originally Posted by fastd

For better or worse you probably remember the drive home for the rest of your life.

That is VERY true! LOL.

[byronpete21]

Once again, thank you all for the advice. I know that I have probably given up all negotiating power by posting here, however there would be no way of removing the perma-grin from my face once I actually see the car in person. Like I said before, I will keep you all posted on what actually happens.

Byron