New member looking for Cobra

[peters44]

Hi, my name is Peter and I'm glad I found this forum.
I have allways liked the Cobras but know little about them. In the past week I've developed a better understanding of them from viewing this forum.
I would like to find a well built reliabe car. I have located many cars for sale in my area (MA). I'm trying to lurn the differences between the cars.
One car I have called on is a 2002 Factory Five with a Ford 302 GT 40 fuel injected motor built by Chris Richards.
Any feedback on what to look for and what to stay away from would be greatly appreciated.
Considering spending $30,000 to $40,000
Thank's Peters44

[mrmustang]

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.


Now, with all of that said, if you decide to raise your budget just a bit more you could come take a look at my ERA .


Bill S.

[GeorgiaSnake]

Welcome to the fray Peter. I have a very nice car on the market - it's worth a look as are many on this forum.

Revised Unique FIA Price

[wtm442]

There are tremendous differences between brands, including price!

I live in Quincy if you would like to see an SPF up close.

Good Luck on your search.

List of manufacturers ... send me a message with your e-mail address if you would like the Excel spreadsheet which has all of the sites hyperlinked.

[peters44]

mrmustang, thanks for the responce. Great looking car and I will definitely keep all options open.
Geargiasnake, thaks for the responce.

[peters44]

wtm442, I would like to see your car. I live in Kingston and work in Holbrook.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
email peters44@adelphia.net
Thank You Peter

[1badmofo]

I have a new Cobra for sale .......

NEW Cobra for sale


Thanks for looking,
Sid

[Cashburn]

I've spent sometime at a friend's summer place in Kingston, out on the way to the cape right? Good luck with your search. If you are ever down our way (Wallingford, CT) give us a look.

[Remod]

peters44,

Welcome to Club Cobra! I was in your situation less than four months ago, and torn between an FFR, Era, Classic Roadsters,and Superformance. I'm sure there are other worthy cars out there, but these three were readily available to me and optioned the way I wanted. Obviously I chose the Superformance and I'll cut to the chase...
I didn't know enough about every detail of a car to buy a kit car like an FFR, and the resale value of that car is questionable at best. I chose the SPF because of its quality reputation and resale value and I don't regret that decision for second. It cost more than an FFR, but a SPF quality car will hold its value better in the long haul, and will most likely be the least expensive car I ever own.

Take a long look at Mr. Mustang's ERA, that is the type of car you want to buy.

I can't comment on a backdraft, simply because I have never seen or driven one, but I have driven Classic Roadsters and ERA. I must admit The ERA I drove was a notch above the SPF I currently own, but the owner was asking 15k more than I paid for the SPF.

[Excaliber]

Dont forget to check the FOR SALE forum here on Club Cobra.

[peters44]

How well do the Cobras hold there value ie will a well built FFR for 30k retain its value as mutch as 50k superfomance?

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by peters44

How well do the Cobras hold there value ie will a well built FFR for 30k retain its value as mutch as 50k superfomance?

Value is placed on a combination of the quality of the kit/manufacturer, the quality of the parts used, along with the quality of the build itself. If you are buying a new build, expect to take a larger financial hit down the road at resale time just as you would with any new car purchase. However, if you are looking at these cars as an investment, perhaps you are better off not buying one at all as every day there are more and more of them being built thus diluting the marketplace with even more cars..Some well built, others not. See my original post (so as not to cloud things, not the line where I am trying to sell you my car) and read it over and over and over again until that part sinks in and you can say it from memory, and remember you get what you pay for when it comes to these cars.....


Again I hope you find this helpful.


Sincerely,

Yours In Fords,

Bill S.

[MadDog]

The value in a FFR is in the quality of the componants and the quality and skill of the builder. The FFR kit is an excellent well desighned piece of work.
Not everyone has the skills to build a quality car but I believe anyone with some mechanical expieriance could build one.
As far as value for your dollar. If you can build a quality FFR car it will cost less than the same quality Superformance. Reson being your not paying for assembly labor.
As an example I have about 45k into a FFR that you would pay 60k for if it were a Superformance.60k is a pretty basic Superformance. Most of the nice ones that I have seen were 70k to 80k.
It just depends on how deep your pockets are and how much you are willing to spend on a replica. because they are all replicas.

[peters44]

Narrowed it down to the Superformance or Backdraft.
Thank's for all input.
Peter.

[CoupedUp]

Just MHO - "Cookie Cutter" is a very relative term. Even though there are 105 or so (and counting) SPF Brock Coupes out there, my car is still much more unique that any Viper, Z06 or 911 Turbo out there. Also, it's faster and much more interesting. Just get what you want and enjoy it. Kum-ba-frickin'-ya everyone!

Doug, Just Another Coupe

[Mister]

Wow, did this deteriorate.

Mr Mustangs advice is very very good. I think the two big questions are...What do YOU plan to do with YOUR car? And ...How much, do YOU want to spend?

Look at as many as possible and chat with the owners....most of us are pleasant and helpful.

Make sure you fit in a car, some are a bit larger than others. Remember, unlike real cars, some items are optional..heaters, tops, windows, wipers etc. Some of these are necessities for some of us. Which are necessary for YOU?
Enjoy the search.

Mike

[Fred Z]

Back?........heck Remod.......he thought the car was brutal......until he got on this forum.......Chri$t.......the poor guy might even be considering a Yugo!!

BTW,...for what it is worth......I have been down to Hilbank motors and had numerous conversations with Lance Stander.....CEO of SPf down there..........he is a great guy, and has been extremely helpful in my needs on my build!! I actually took their color combo and he gave me the codes........didn't have to do that at all!! I like their cars, myself, and if I got one I would tweak some areas, which they allow......ie: no glove box, and a few things......but they do make a nice car......tight, and fast.......(Ernie, ERA is good too, so don't jump on me here) just never seen one up close, or ridden in one.
.....anyway, SPF is good car.

fred z

[Mister]

Yep, and I have a small block too.

But I do have stripes...that's good right?.... black stripes on a black car....come to think of it, I have a black hood too.

Mike

[Fred Z]

that's cool.........like the black.......actually was heading in that direction......but already have a black car.....decided on SPF anniversay 'BMW dark silver w/ diamond black stripe'.....oops......guess I have black comin' too.....
...............

[Mister]

Thank you. I like black but I don't like pollen, dust, rain, puddles, etc. etc. I have learned to like Autopia.

I like the dark silver with black. A good friend has a titanium and black, another one of those bad SPF cars, and it looks very sharp. Looks especially nice when he has the hardtop on.

Mike