SPF 648 going cheap on eBay 2.5 hours left

[B/Stock]

Thanks Terry I'll check out Second Strike. Meeting with a SPF dealer tomorrow. Should get a lot of my questions answered. Thanks again.

[gsharapa]

I sold my SPF (924) last fall (Nov) for $ 56,000.00 (514 stroker) and contacted this guy back then. He was stuck on $ 45,000 and I told him I'd be interested at $ 40,000 and he told me he was not negotiable! Got my money locked up right now in the dam stock market.

TerrySPF, don't worry about the 17s as there are plenty of SPF guys out there that would trade you their 15s for those polished P & S Engineering wheels and Michelin Sports Z rated tires. Those are a $ 3,500.00 option from SPF.

[Bannon]

B/Stock,


Check out the following link. Not the most up to date but it will give you an idea of the improvements over the years. Good luck meeting with the dealer. I've got one on order with almost all options and a 460 and I'm not much more brand new than that 392 is going for.

Good luck with your purchase!

JB

http://performanceunlimited.com/supe.../features.html

[B/Stock]

Bannon

Thanks a lot. This a great help. BTW, how long of a wait for your car?

[Turk]

If you put a car on EBay, and expect to get $39,900 and it does not sell....there are two possibilities as to what happened.

1-It is NOT worth $39,900.
2-It IS worth 39,900

Confusing? Not really. At the same time the auction was going on, and begging for $39,900, someone somewhere was buying another SPF, maybe not as nice as that one for more money.

It is not like everyone who is shopping for an SPF saw that listing on EBay.

Proliferation of Cobras will make the prices drop and drop. If you paid $50,000 for yours and hate to see them sell for $40,000...get used to it. That is what the Ford Explorer owners been living with , Buick owners been facing for years.

Yeah, you have a buddy who built one for $36,000 and sold it for $41,000.
That was then. This is NOW.

Cobras are becoming dime a dozen, yours and mine. No more the rare sightings.

I can drive 30 miles of my home and probably lay my hands of 30.

Bunch of us went and bought aluminum cars.. Do you think they are going to be worth more in a couple of years from now like they used to be, when there may have been only one within 100 miles of where I live?

That is the market place. If there are more and more manufacturers building cars and they are able meet the demands, why should our cars be worth more?

It was like that, only when more of us wanted them and less were built.

TURK

What you paid for your car has no bearing on what it is worth.
Get used to it, and at the mean time enjoy them.

[JWheaton]

Anyone who believes that Cobras are an investment should reconsider owning one. They ARE an investment in fun. Their cost of ownership over the long haul will most likely be less than maybe a new Corvette. There are more and more Cobras out there now across all price ranges. The market will be someone wanting a car for the way it was built and what features it has. That begins to narrow the possibilities. With SPF's there are a bunch of them out there. TerrySPF is an example. He wants a car a certain way and evaluates all others against his wish list. These "toys" cost a lot of money, and he might as well get what he wants for that money.

When put on the market though the competition will be increased by a factor of all the Cobras made since the original purchase.


If I wasn't so damm stubborn about getting the ERA, I would buy that SPF. It looks like a great car.

[Bill Wells]

any replica car, collector car, old car...like boats and planes, they aer EASY TO BUY AND HARD TO SELL !!

there is a butt for every seat, ya just have to wait for the right one to fit, or let em go cheaper if ya need out sooner.

these are not investments, neither are my two other toy cars..but they typically depreciate / cost you less in 3-4 yrs (barring any major engine or trans rebuild) than buying a new caddy or lincoln today and selling it in less than one year.

the cost is part of the hobby, both a collector/replica/muscle car and boats are holes in which one can pour money if they want...and take time to sell.

. it is a buyers market today: seasonally typical for this time of year but exacerbated by the lower economy, higher unemployment rates, fewer and lower bonuses being paid, 401ks shrunk to 101 k levels etc.

i smile every time i turn the key and know i get more enjoyment out of the toys than i do my civilian cars and know that my civilian cars cost me bigger bucks in depreciation, especially since i turn two cars for new ones every year. maybe i should keep em longer and buy a 60s csx 3000 series....hmmmmmm....bill

[vegan2]

I'm one of the tire kickers! I have cash to close a deal, but the market for Cobra's makes me nervous and I don't want to end up with someone else's problem Cobra or pay too much in a down market. I'm very surprised at the number of Cobra's on the market and surprised at how often there is just a few miles on the Cobra's for sale. I, for one, am a nervous buyer.

[frankym]

Vegan2,

You should be a little more nervous about the super low mileage cars. I have heard some good ones about that, like the owner got scared of all the power, or the owner had more fun building it than driving it, or the owner only likes to build and he's ready for his next project. Use logic, for some folks these are legitimate excuses, but by and large, home builds often are referred to Backyard Builds for a reason, some home builders can do an outstanding job, but when coupled with 300 miles 2 years after completion, it looks a little suspicious. A backyard build will have many components that were never intended to be put together. I had a clutch problem with another cobra, took about 80 lbs of leg pressure to disengage the clutch. 3 mechanics never figured out the problem. With the help of this forum and Enzo at Finishline and Bob Putnam of ERA, I learned that the hydraulic slave activation geometry was flawed, I converted the pull style slave that was previously mounted to the frame (a real NoNo) and welded Enzo's push style slave to the engine block, and my clutch was like a honda accord. If you go with a superformance, the chances of a backyard build are zero. Sure you could have had a terrible engine builder, but the componentry of the car, from the alignment, suspension, cooling, steering, electrical wiring, rear end, axle lengths, position of A-arms, interior/exterior finish is all as it should be. you won't get hurt as long as you derive value from enjoyment. You could take a trip to hawaii for 5k with the family, and guess what, there's no resale, just memmories. Cobra lookers have to look at a cobra purchase as 5 parts investment and 1 part consumption! Figure it out and you have a small decline in resale after you've owned it for 3 years. maybe more efficient use of capital than taking a vacation.

[casaleenie]

Frankym,
Some good points on that posting.. I disagree with one point and that being to be a little more nervous about purchasing a low mileage build.. Some of the low mileage cars like Superformance, ERA, Unique are, essentially, factory built. Not too many problems construction wise and those problems are usually common knowledge. So many great buys on slightly used cars are out there right now.
Every car needs to be scrutinized and double checked before buying. Don't be wary of a low mileage, relatively new build, because you're going to go over it top to bottom anyway...

Vegan2

Take the plunge... I honestly think that the quality replicas have pretty much bottomed out price wise. For 30K you can pick up a quality kit that cost a hell of a lot more to purchase not counting the sweat to put it together... If you choose to tweak it to make your mark then you've got the money left over to do it..
They are a depreciable item...
I bought a great car from a great guy. I don't know why he sold it for what he did because it was none of my business... He was both sad and happy when I drove away...
Help one of these Cobra owners by buying their car..(a lot of fun was in the shopping for a car)

Two best days of boat and airplane ownership ---- the day you buy it and the day you sell it, but lots of fun in between.

[HIQ]

Turk,
Very well said. There are a ton of QUALITY replicas available today....this drive down prices. Prices only increase when demand exceeds supply. I don't think this should be a suprise to any of us.

But while the values have softened I think you can say the quality has gone up. Many, many nice cars to be had.

[vegan2]

frankym

Thanks for the reply. It confirms a lot of the logic that I felt was missing from the various scenarios that I have heard since I began looking at Cobra's a few weeks ago.

I'm in awe of the Cobra look, but as with a lot of things in life the facade is one thing but it's what is beyond the fasade that really counts in the long run. Although I have the funds for a $30-$35 unit, it appears that $45 is required or a lot of luck.

Cobra owners have a interesting dilemma. On one hand, they own a relatively expensive car that is, in effect, not “real” and hand built – possibly in the garage. On the other, the car is awesome to a lot of people that are looking for a little extra out of life. Who would buy a car from someone that built the car in their garage and trust that they knew what they were doing and pay $30-$35?

Perhaps I’ll just talk myself out of this project!

On the other hand, Cobra's are awesome!

[vegan2]

casaleenie

Thanks for the reply.

As stated above, I'm at a cross road on the pursuit of a Cobra, but your input is appreciated.

[gomarlins3]

I see the bidding has closed. Does anyone know the reserve? Just interested.

[vegan2]

Originally posted by HIQ


There are a ton of QUALITY replicas available today

Is the quality branded, e.g. Superformance at the top, but what brands are in the first 5 places?

[HIQ]

Vegan2,
Rollers from SPF, SAI, Kirkham, ERA and Uniqure are all QUALITY products. Other cars sold in the kit form can also be built well....just depends on the builder. Some of the NICEST cars I have seen have been FFR. Some of the WORST cars I have seen are also FFR. Just depends on if you want to build it, buy it, wax it, show it, race it, drive it, or just own it.

[vegan2]

HIQ

Thanks for the info. I'm a buy it, wax it, drive it, own it type with no skills in the build it or assess it area, so that's a dilemma. I just attained the buy it phase, e.g. I have the money, but the assess it phase is turning into a extreme experience. There's the built it but don't drive it set, bought it but don't know much about it set, extreme price set, etc. etc. But, it's a used car so pursuing a Cobra has all of the used car elements to consider, plus someone may have built it in their garage!

Anyway, there is a lot more homework than I anticipated.

[Lowell W]

Vegan2 and B/Stock,

My $.02: Go to Cobracountry and look at the used cars. Order the video: "Bitten By the Snake" and Kurt Scott's book: "The Complete Guide to cobra Replicas". Go to the Spring Fling and look at the cars and talk to the owners. That will help you to decide what you want in your car, ie. IRS vs. solid rear, tube frame vs. box frame, big block vs. small block, etc. Visit as many of the manufacturers/distributors as you can. They should be happy to talk with you even if you're a customer for one of their used cars. Sit in and ride in all the cars you can. The more time you spend around them the more you'll say either, "Yep, I gotta have one" or "Nah, I can live without one". It's a lot of money for a toy, and only you can decide what you want to spend your entertainment dollars on. Good luck.

[vegan2]

Originally posted by Lowell W

Thanks. Unfortunately, I just don't have the time to get around the country to complete some of the listed tasks, but I have been all over the internet and looked at hundreds of Cobra's for sale, manufacturer sites, etc.

The Cobra "thing" is almost like a sub-culture. It's not a practical car, it's part of a lifestyle that appears to fade when other lifestyle factors place the Cobra between a rock and a hard place. A Cobra is a toy, an expensive toy.

[HIQ]

Vegan2,
I am in the same boat and when the time comes it will be Superformance or ERA for me. The SAI and Kirkham are out of my price range. Both ERA and SPF cars can be had used, but when you consider how many have been produced (around 1500 SPFs and less than 750 ERAs) you won't find many on the market. To me, this shows that most people are VERY satisfied with these cars. In fact, for those who own them these cars become part of their lifestyle.