How to go about buying a used Cobra?

[julius]

Sorry to post here. I'm a newbie. Been looking and reading for some time now trying to figure out how to buy a used Cobra. Any good books or threads here on this subject? Here in Hawaii I won't be racing so car will be for the sunny weekend drives. Say I buy a mid priced Cobra and I want to upgrade some of the parts. How interchangeable are parts btwn manufacturers? Most likely I'll be buying from mainland via this site. Price will be a limiter I know. Still got kids in private school. Thanks.

james

[Ron61]

James,

There are a lot of good threads on the site from new people asking about buying a Cobra. You also have some right there in Hawaii that would be good to talk to as they have gone through the experience and you could look at their Cobras and get some ideas. Depending on the parts that you might want to interchange, that is hard to answer. Some Cobras are true to the original size and design, more or less, and others vary widely in wheel base and size. Sorry I can't give you a definate answer, but that is just hard to do. To quote Earl's Flying Cobras, Research, Research, and more Research.

Ron

[jmarsey]

James,

Take your time and be careful. I would not normally respond to your thread except for the fact that a friend of mine was grossly taken advantage of on a recent cobra purchase. There is a lot of hype around these cars and it’s sometimes easy to get swept up in it. So take your time, really look at and understand what the heck you are buying. Make sure the car is what the seller claims it is. Sounds like you have time on your side so take advantage of it. There is more to it than one might think. If you purchase correctly, your car should hold its value while you’re having fun with it.

Be careful and best of luck,

John

[mrmustang]

As an addition to my "How to sell a used Cobra" series, attached is the flip side:

"How to buy a used Cobra"

Editors Note:
Ok, the first thing you have to ask yourself is "how much money am I willing to spend for a used Cobra", and what my usage is going to be. Now, by usage, I mean a either a daily driver, weekend cruiser, show car/trailer queen, 1/4 mile drag racer, road racer, or any combination of the above. Once you have set your budget and have a pretty good idea of what you want to initially spend, your next goal is to find the right car for you. Whether your spending $22,000, or $150,000 should not matter at this point, as I've personally seen beautiful, well built cars at $22,000, and some truly horrible cars with over $100,000 in to the build.


Your qualifications:
Know your strengths and weaknesses when shopping for a used Cobra, if you know bodywork, and not the mechanicals, take along someone who has a greater mechanical ability than yourself. Vice versa if your strengths are in the mechanical end of things, and not the cosmetics. Two sets (or more) of eyes are always better than one.

If your going to see a cobra in person:

What to look for:
Fit: How does the body sit on the chassis, do the doors, hood, trunk all line up?

Finish: How is the paint, are there runs, drips, sags. Does the paint have a nice shine to it, or does it need to be buffed out or stripped and repainted?

Interior condition: Does the interior show a lot of aging, do the seats need to be recovered.

Mechanical: Are there any leaks or drips under the car? What about the overall appearance, does the car look like it was well taken care of, or does it look like it was ridden hard and abused.

Engine: Again, any leaks or fluid drips, how does it sound (this can be tough on a car such as the Cobra). Check the engine warm, cold, at partial throttle and at idle. Make sure to check the temperature gauge once the car is warmed up and at idle. Also check to make sure the thermostatically controlled fan (if so equipped) kicks in when it is supposed to.

Transmission: Take the car out for a road test if possible (don't expect to let the seller to allow you to drive it), does the clutch work properly, does the transmission shift smoothly through the gears. Check for leaks here as well.

Rear End: Does the rear end clunk, leak fluids (check behind rear rims for signs of fluid, along with the front and rear of the differential housing)

Suspension: Check the bushings, do they look cracked and worn out, if so, factor in replacements to your costs. What about the shocks (coil overs or ???), if you ask the seller to push down on each corner, watch the rebound, if they bounce forever, then expect to replace them. If the car is equipped with coil over shocks, set the car on an even surface and see if the car sits level or not. if so, then the shocks do not have to be adjusted, if not, then expect a few hours getting things right.

Brakes: If you place your hand on the front disks (do this before the car has been driven), can you feel any grooves in the disk itself? Does the brake pedal feel firm when your sitting in the car, what about on the test drive, ask the seller to do at least one hard braking maneuver so that you can tell whether the brakes are adjusted correctly for the car. Some cars will have a combination of disks and drums, others will have four wheel disk brakes. If set up correctly, a disk/drum set up will work for all but the most extreme usage (IE: heavy road racing, endurance racing, etc).

Wheels: Are the wheels balanced, bolted on, or held on with knock off's? Bolt on wheels are a matter of personal preference, if you like what is on the car, great, if not, factor in a replacement some time down the road. Knock off's should be checked to make sure they are tight, if the knock offs and safety wired on the car, that shows a level of attention worthy of a good owner/seller....

Tires: Are the sidewalls cracked, are the DOT approved, radials or biased ply? What about the sizing, do the fronts both match? What about the rears?

Electrical system: Do all of the lights function, hi beams, lo beams, turn signals, brake lights, horn, etc? What about all of the gauges, do they read correctly?

If your buying a Cobra sight unseen:

Use the above as a reference guide as to what questions need to be asked. If the owner is forthcoming with detailed answers, then you can feel a little more comfortable in dealing with them. if the answers are a little more ambiguous and vague, then perhaps the owners is trying to hide something, or does not really have any mechanical ability or qualifications to answer the questions above..If this is the case, and your still interested in the car, pay to have the car professionally looked at by a qualified inspection service.

In closing, most of the above is all based on common sense. Don't let your emotions get involved in the decision whether to purchase one car or another. Also don't let other so called "experts" sway you to this brand or that, after all, it's your money, not theirs that your planning to spend..Finally, if you need assistance, or don't understand something fully, feel free to ask questions.

[WV66AC]

Excellent advice above -- I am relatively new as well, and I bought a very used machine (good condition) without extensive investigation. Chevy running gear lowers price tremdously for a used machine - this is not common on newer replicas. This site and the links provide great information. Check cobra country for ads -- for some reason more ads appear there. Also, check Hemmings Motor News for ads and information. I found the Nationals at Carlisle, PA to be interesting -- but that is quite a trip from HI for you. Good Luck.

[julius]

Hey,

Thanks for all the advice. Good chance I may wind up buying from mainland since there are only a handful on island. I cannot fly so I have to find a very trustworthy seller I can deal with long distance. Like you all said, patience, patience.