New to Cobra

[OBP12]

Would appreciate some advise on manufactures of Cobra's... Looking at Factory Five.... MKII and the MKIII??? Thank you in advance..

[Clois Harlan]

OBP

To answer your question is impossible without knowing how much you want to spend on this project. As you know most kits are priced less engine and transmission.

There are many kits available today and there have been many threads on this subject. You may want to review some of the other questions on this subject by doing a search on
Replica Kits

Good Luck and if you have specific questions more members will be willing to jump in and answer your questions.

Clois

[wagnis]

I am interested in purchasing a kit, but with so many makers, I have no idea on which one to choose. I'd like to build a car for around $20k to $25k, including engine and tranmission. could anyone be of help as to what i can expect and which manufacturer i should look into. Factory Five seems to have a good product, but is it as good as Superformance or Kirkham? Will I know the difference since I cannot test drive each maker. I'm mostly looking for a fun daily driver, maybe something to take the track. I'm guessing a 302 with an auto trans, maybe a 5 spd, don't know yet. can anyone be of help?

[tfarhood]

OBP,
If you are looking for a "donor" car type kit, it doesn't get much better than Factory Five. They've darn near perfected this type of build. If you already have an engine picked out or built, there are many good kits that can be built with or without donor parts (including Factory Five). If you don't want to build it completely yourself, Factory Five is not the best choice, since they don't do any building. B&B, Shell Valley, Unique, and others will build all or part of the kit if you wish. It all depends on you and your desires. I just bought a Backdraft because I couldn't finish a kit equiped the same way for the same money. Backdraft is a Turn-Key Minus car, not a kit. You need to decide your budget, abilities, and intended use of the car to make a good decision on which kit/car is best for you. Check out the manufacturers section of Cobra Country for a quick education on the different offerings.

Wagnis,
If you want a $20k-$25k car, fun daily driver, & reliable, then you should look at a Factory Five. Because of the donor car approach, it is very cost effective. The parts are all designed for factory type reliability, and it has a reliable 302 as part of your donor. Comparing a Factory Five to a Superformance or Kirkham is comparing apples to oranges. They are not on equal ground for saying "is it as good as". In some ways the Factory Five can be viewed as better than a Superformance, but in other ways it is not. This could stir up a whole lot of fire. Price wise, fit and finish wise, authenticity wise, Superformance and Kirkham are in a different league than Factory Five. As said above, you need to decide what you want in a car. Each one of these fit your need of a fun daily driver with the right drivetrain.

Take the advice of Clois and check out the thread listed in his post.