03 cobra

[Scapegoat]

What to look for, and at, when looking over a used one?

Any tell tale signs of abuse, mods, known wear and tear items?

Car has approx 67k, black, vert. Dealer is asking 21k, edmunds.com says that is fair value.

[lownslow95]

I would pm 05GT since he has an 04 Cobra.

[turbo4g63]

i would say that you'd look for the obvious signs of abuse....ticking, noises coming from the rear, does it grind gears while shifting, any mods on the car...stuff like that

[BlkWhtTSI]

wear and tear on rear tires haha, check where the clutch engages cuz my friends clutch started to engage really high and after a bit the clutch just stopped engaging so check the clutch assembly.

[PhillySVT]

Listen for a Head tick. You will hear it from 10 feet away. The injectors are loud on these cars so don't be fooled by that ticking. The head tick is way louder. See if it still has the stock upper pulley cover. If it doesn't it's probably been pullied and brought to stock. Cluch on these cars are funny and you need and adjustable clutch cable. The other guys friend might have had one and had it adjusted wrong. That will kill your clutch. Drive it and engage the clutch while coming to a stop and hold it in see if it stalls out. Also check for a bumpy idle or long hanging idle. The idle might hang for a little on a tuned car and thats ok but it shouldn't sit at 1,300 rpms.


http://www.stangshiftergaskets.com/2003_2004faqs.htm

[frosti108]

definatly look over the work records they have for it... if you see headgasket replacement at the dealer then it was probly pullied and making enough power to pop the gasket :lol: oopsie, bring it back to stock and take it in on warrenty!

just check it all out, and offer as low as you can. the dealer got it for wayyyyy lower than their trying to sell for no doubt

[Scapegoat]

Listen for a Head tick. You will hear it from 10 feet away. The injectors are loud on these cars so don't be fooled by that ticking. The head tick is way louder. See if it still has the stock upper pulley cover. If it doesn't it's probably been pullied and brought to stock. Cluch on these cars are funny and you need and adjustable clutch cable. The other guys friend might have had one and had it adjusted wrong. That will kill your clutch. Drive it and engage the clutch while coming to a stop and hold it in see if it stalls out. Also check for a bumpy idle or long hanging idle. The idle might hang for a little on a tuned car and thats ok but it shouldn't sit at 1,300 rpms.


http://www.stangshiftergaskets.com/2003_2004faqs.htm

exactly what I was looking for. Awesome faq too

[Scapegoat]

definatly look over the work records they have for it... if you see headgasket replacement at the dealer then it was probly pullied and making enough power to pop the gasket :lol: oopsie, bring it back to stock and take it in on warrenty!

just check it all out, and offer as low as you can. the dealer got it for wayyyyy lower than their trying to sell for no doubt

Yar, I'm gonna low ball them at 16k and see what they say :lol:

[PhillySVT]

Yar, I'm gonna low ball them at 16k and see what they say :lol:

Blown headgaskets are super rare on these cars. I mean super rare. My buddy in exton was pushing 23 PSI @ 700rwhp for 17,000 miles on a stock block Term before he sold it. Car was and is still running fine.

[twastheglow]

Just because I'm curious, let us know what they end up letting it go for. And good luck with the purchase!

[Scapegoat]

Just because I'm curious, let us know what they end up letting it go for. And good luck with the purchase!

thanks... I'm skeptical they're even going to let me take it out on a test drive. I get no respect at dealerships due to my apparent age and assumed income. I'm bringing my buddy along, who happens to be my cosigner.

http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/6137/rodneydangerfield_album_no_respect.jpg

[PhillySVT]

thanks... I'm skeptical they're even going to let me take it out on a test drive. I get no respect at dealerships due to my apparent age and assumed income. I'm bringing my buddy along, who happens to be my cosigner.

http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/6137/rodneydangerfield_album_no_respect.jpg

Thats why I never bought an integra type R (showing my age). They refused to let me test drive it....even the used one on the lot. Ardmore acura FTL. I bought a more expensive car 4 days later.

[Scapegoat]

Thats why I never bought an integra type R (showing my age). They refused to let me test drive it....even the used one on the lot. Ardmore acura FTL. I bought a more expensive car 4 days later.

Yeah, the only times I've been at a dealership that allowed me to test drive anything I wanted was when I went to Reedman Toll when I bought my SRT-4 (drove a mach1 a 01-02 cobra vert and the srt) and recently at the Mazda dealership.

Actually, I usually get smart ass remarks about cars that are seemingly "out of my price range".

When i test drove a ford Lightning, first time I walked in I was looking at a mustang GT shelby... granted, it was 50k for basically nothing more than a purty GT... but one of the jackasses there tried to be funny and tell me I had to be 25 to own a car like that... funny story... i am 25.. assholes...

I expect the same treatment at the ford dealership today... in fact I've received nearly the same treatment there last time i went in looking at Mustang GT's... only they thought they'd be smart asses and point out the used 07 Cobra they had... that is still there according to the website. lol

I hate dealerships...

[frosti108]

Blown headgaskets are super rare on these cars. I mean super rare. My buddy in exton was pushing 23 PSI @ 700rwhp for 17,000 miles on a stock block Term before he sold it. Car was and is still running fine.

oh i had no idea it was that rare. a kid i knew blew one out and had it warrentied lol

thanks... I'm skeptical they're even going to let me take it out on a test drive. I get no respect at dealerships due to my apparent age and assumed income. I'm bringing my buddy along, who happens to be my cosigner.

http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/6137/rodneydangerfield_album_no_respect.jpg

dont ya just hate that ****?? all you need to do is bring a couple grand in benjies to flash. fukkin assholes

[Scapegoat]

oh i had no idea it was that rare. a kid i knew blew one out and had it warrentied lol



dont ya just hate that ****?? all you need to do is bring a couple grand in benjies to flash. fukkin assholes

lol... i have no cash... nothing even for a down payment. But I get this **** before I start talking money anyway.

I'm bringing a pay stub in case they give me ****... or I'll just walk out and buy a ****ing miata b/c the saleslady there wasn't a douche bag

[05 mazda6s]

I would check with mustangforums.com and svtperformance.com

[Scapegoat]

what an awesome car :)

My credit sucks, so they are running it through one bank and letting me know how it goes. My buddy may cosign for me depending on what is said.

Car ran fine. Though there are some cosmetic issues... all tires have some curb rash, two of them are dented on the rim. The passenger didn't know how to open the door to well and there is chipping along the edge. The rear bumper was repainted, obvious by uneven paint.

Mechanically... it ran just fine. Though, I did notice when engaging the clutch there was a "thump". I've never driven this car before, and attribute that to the heavy clutch (that thing is a beast)?

The suede def showed wear... but there are 67k miles on it.

[frosti108]

hey, all those little flaws are just more ways to talk the price down :lol:

was it fast? or were you afraid to give her a beating with the sales guy in the passenger seat?

[twastheglow]

was it fast? or were you afraid to give her a beating with the sales guy in the passenger seat?

Yeah, x2.

[240sxDann]

dude, be very VERY careful. I'll find you a link real quick and pm you w/ a whole list of things to look for. I was gonna buy one so I did a **** ton of research.

[arkadyzv]

what an awesome car :)

My credit sucks, so they are running it through one bank and letting me know how it goes. My buddy may cosign for me depending on what is said.

Car ran fine. Though there are some cosmetic issues... all tires have some curb rash, two of them are dented on the rim. The passenger didn't know how to open the door to well and there is chipping along the edge. The rear bumper was repainted, obvious by uneven paint.

Mechanically... it ran just fine. Though, I did notice when engaging the clutch there was a "thump". I've never driven this car before, and attribute that to the heavy clutch (that thing is a beast)?

The suede def showed wear... but there are 67k miles on it.

Let me know how your credit scenario plays out especially in todays market. I'm going to be in the same situation this January, I want to spend about the same, 20ish, also very much want on 03 Cobra Vert, my credit's meh right now but I should be able to fix it before the end of the year, having paid off 2.5k in the last 2 month with 4ish to go, same scenario too, meh credit, nice pay stubs but only 22. I have a feeling I'm going to have to deal with the same bull**** you're dealing with when it comes to test drives.

[240sxDann]

also check out svtperformance.com they have GOOD deals on there. Cars w/ much less mileage going for similar prices.

[Scapegoat]

hey, all those little flaws are just more ways to talk the price down :lol:

was it fast? or were you afraid to give her a beating with the sales guy in the passenger seat?

I got a little bit of space give it gas... unfortunately we were behind people most of the time.

[Scapegoat]

also check out svtperformance.com they have GOOD deals on there. Cars w/ much less mileage going for similar prices.

I can't buy privately due to credit. I need to go through a car dealership where they have some pull with banks.

[240sxDann]

that sucks, your gonna get it in the pooper.

[Scapegoat]

that sucks, your gonna get it in the pooper.

can't be any worse than the SRT :)

[CleanNeon98]

what happened to the MSM??

If I was in your shoes, I honestly dont know what car I would go for

[Scapegoat]

what happened to the MSM??

If I was in your shoes, I honestly dont know what car I would go for

nothing yet, weighing my options...

anyone know how well an 03 GT handles a supercharger? :lol:

[TROLL]

no cash and bad credit... you cant hate on the car salesmen too much then can ya? not trying to be rude, but that just caught my eye.
i'm sure it'd be a fun ride, sounds like its got a fair share of wear and tear... and a bear in a lair on a chair. um, what?
what i was going to say is if you can get it for a steal then sweet... if not then maybe you can find one that was a little more well cared for.

[Scapegoat]

no cash and bad credit... you cant hate on the car salesmen too much then can ya? not trying to be rude, but that just caught my eye.
i'm sure it'd be a fun ride, sounds like its got a fair share of wear and tear... and a bear in a lair on a chair. um, what?
what i was going to say is if you can get it for a steal then sweet... if not then maybe you can find one that was a little more well cared for.

I'm not hating on the salesman for my situation. I was honest with him about it from the beginning. I'll need a cosigner, I knew this... i told him as much. Luckily, my buddy seems to be willing to do that for me.

I make decent scratch, but I been buying stuff for my apartment quite a bit so it wasn't so bare... it still kinda is lol... My debt to income ratio is stellar though...

[Kevin]

I've driven a black vert '03. Maybe this is the one that I drove cuz my buddy just got rid of his lol


Warning: Car is fast.

[Scapegoat]

I've driven a black vert '03. Maybe this is the one that I drove cuz my buddy just got rid of his lol


Warning: Car is fast.

ask, its at the John Kennedy Ford on Ridge pk in Conshy... it'd be nice to find out who the owner is to make sure it wasn't beat on.

Going to see the mazdaspeed miata on thursday to talk numbers...

I think the speed is a better car for where I'm at with life... the cobra will be to tempting to mod... and so would a gt.

the MSM not so much...

[CleanNeon98]

PMed ya some good info.

[2002stanggt]

good luck, with not good credit (unless your buddys credit is amazing) it's going to be hard to get a 21,000 car because the interest is going to be thru the roof. Normally banks don't want to give loans on co-signers unless it is family (mom dad etc.) I drive by that car everyday at JFK that's where I got my stang and they def. will work to get you the car. and there warranties are really good as well.

[sean3]

Might not be a good idea, you WILL want to mod it and it WON'T be cheap :lol:

Where did the THUMP come from? I get that if I engage the clutch quickly. Sounds like someone dropped a sack of bricks out the back.

03 GT (99-04 for that matter) would be fine procharged into the low 400rwhp range. After that you'll blow stuff up. You'll need a built rear as well, supercharger + sticky tires will snap stock axles like twigs.

[Scapegoat]

Might not be a good idea, you WILL want to mod it and it WON'T be cheap :lol:

Where did the THUMP come from? I get that if I engage the clutch quickly. Sounds like someone dropped a sack of bricks out the back.

03 GT (99-04 for that matter) would be fine procharged into the low 400rwhp range. After that you'll blow stuff up. You'll need a built rear as well, supercharger + sticky tires will snap stock axles like twigs.

I may go for a GT then... 13k or less for one anymore... much easier to get into I think at this point.

That thump that you get sounds like the same thump i was getting. It wasn't a bad sound... but the clutch in the cobra is a beast... I don't think I'd want to drive it everyday purely because of that clutch. My left leg would be twice the size of my right after a year...

[sean3]

Yeah the people who have driven mine all comment on how heavy the clutch is. I learned driving stick with it and it wasn't much fun. I pressed it with my right leg once and it was like "wtf it weighs a ton". I honestly have no idea what the thump is and I always figured it was bad. Letting the clutch out a bit slower on shifts prevents it but I'm probably raping my clutch doing that if the noise is fine.

You could look for a mach 1 or 01 cobra also. They have a 300hp 32v motor vs the 16v in the GT. They also blow up around the mid 400hp range as well. A few people have blown mach 1 motors even in the low 400s, though it's mostly due to poor tuning and overheating. I honestly have no idea how well the GT motors hold up in the 400 range, I just know it's often done. I wouldn't want to supercharge anything without having money set aside incase it goes kaboom.

[Scapegoat]

yeah... right now I'm thinking of getting the damage on the srt fixed (just filed a claim online) and buying an older early 90's something for 2k and saving all the extra money...

[sean3]

What happened to the SRT?

Found this on modularfords:
well i sorta took all of that to heart and decided to throw this thing back up on my lift for the hell of it.... i really didnt find any bushings that were even questinable except the shock bushings.... so i replaced them. on the other hand though i decided to rip open the pumpkin cuz i was a little scared and wanted to make sure i wasnt doing severe damage. Come to find out theres a goooooood amount of play in the pinion gear on my cobra! so i start researching more and more into it just to find out that pretty much (every) cobra has this problem!! Its play in the pinion lovely ford design that wears out, but is nothing more harmful than it sounds. Still im not satisfied with driving this thing the way it is my old gt never made this noise nor did my other mustangs so a simple "they all do it" will not fly. im gonna put some 3.55's in and just cross my fingers that my clunk disappears!

[240sxDann]

You could have a nasty fox body, supercharged for under 10k. Or even just a fairly built motor.

[Scapegoat]

What happened to the SRT?


someone decided to hit it while reversing out of a parking spot next to the car. All cosmetic damage... and really not that bad. Enough to annoy me and drive away buyers from a 16kish price tag.

[Scapegoat]

You could have a nasty fox body, supercharged for under 10k. Or even just a fairly built motor.

certainly tempting... but I won't be able to come up with 10k cash to buy one, nor would I put that money into one... it would go into the truck instead. 2k I can come up with fairly easily. it would require a little relaxing with spending money, eating ramen noodles for dinner and bringing lunch in instead of buying every day.

[05GT]

If you have to go through a bank or dealership, then I would say if you can afford an 03/04 Cobra, get one. All around better built for it then a GT modded.

I would never, ever, never, ever, never again buy a GT and mod it past simple bolt ons. Trust me I know, I went through it with my 05. Nope, nothing would change that now. What a money pit and waste of time and effort. Ok I'm done ranting lol.

[DownforceTom]

What's all this noise? I don't sign on for a few days while I'm on vacation and you're buying a grownup car all of a sudden? Here's my $.02. I like both of the cars you're talking about...but knowing you, you'd look really ghey getting out of the miata. Plus if you don't have a backseat, how are you gonna drive Stacey and I to the booby bar?

[Scapegoat]

What's all this noise? I don't sign on for a few days while I'm on vacation and you're buying a grownup car all of a sudden? Here's my $.02. I like both of the cars you're talking about...but knowing you, you'd look really ghey getting out of the miata. Plus if you don't have a backseat, how are you gonna drive Stacey and I to the booby bar?

I wish, I think I'm hanging onto the SRT, getting the damage fixed and trying to sell it privately... then bugging someone to cosign for me to get another car... or buy a hooptie so I can focus on getting the truck done.

They mazda dealership wouldn't budge a cent... and I had proof from Cleanneon for what he bought his for... and I was showing them an 04 MSM for 18.9k w/ under 6k miles on it...

they wanted 18.5 for the MSM and wanted to give me 10.5 for my car. That pretty much makes the MSM cost as much as the Cobra... I flat out told them I'd rather have the cobra for the price... they just agreed with me...

Salesman at the ford dealership hasn't gotten back to me about the Cobra yet... he said he had someone else interested in it, so it may have been sold. Probably better that way as I was unimpressed with the price 20.9k, the repainted rear bumper, and the dented rims...

I would loooove an 03 cobra some day. I've been a mustang fan since I can remember, owned a 73 and a 99(v6) in my lifetime and am ready for another... maybe I will go for a mid-late 80's. I have a special place in my heart for the 86 style... and my uncle had an 88.

If anyone knows anyone with an 86 gt let me know... I may be willing to buy a little early for around 2k if its in running condition.

I love the SRT, but I'm ready to get out of it and move on to something else now. I've got 15,290 left on it, which is around what the 05 is selling for privately in good mechanical condition. and once the dents are fixed I shouldn't have much problem unloading the car.