Dumb Stuff Previous Owners Done to your Cobra

[BladeX10]

A lot of these cars have been straight up abused and tore up, then sold and repeat by the next owner. Its becoming real risky for buyers to buy these cars now because you just never know what youre getting yourself into. An $18k Cobra can turn into a $30k Cobra before you even get a chance to enjoy the car.

 

[svt_snapp]

...

 

[GodStang]

The problem is they are so easily moddable and easy to put back to stock. The number of cars that have had big blowers put on ran hard and then put back to stock is in the 100s. The number of times a see "found a stock Cobra with 60K miles" when actually it is "found an extrack car that had a 3.4L Whipple with 23psi and a lower pulley combo that was put back to stock before being sold." but the person selling that never says that.

A lot of these cars have been straight up abused and tore up, then sold and repeat by the next owner. Its becoming real risky for buyers to buy these cars now because you just never know what youre getting yourself into. An $18k Cobra can turn into a $30k Cobra before you even get a chance to enjoy the F'ing car.

 

[BladeX10]

The problem is they are so easily moddable and easy to put back to stock. The number of cars that have had big blowers put on ran hard and then put back to stock is in the 100s. The number of times a see "found a stock Cobra with 60K miles" when actually it is "found an extrack car that had a 3.4L Whipple with 23psi and a lower pulley combo that was put back to stock before being sold." but the person selling that never says that.

Yep. Then the new owner beats the hell out of the car without getting it retuned then the documentation/paper trail of the car gets lost somewhere between owner 3-7. Same old story with alot of these cars. Hell, my buddy had a modded to hell KB 04 Cobra that he returned to stock in 2012 and traded it in for a new F150. I guaranteed whoever owns that car now believes its a clean unmolested car when in reality, It was "enjoyed" for quite a while under my buddies 2 year ownership. Thats just the nature of the beast with these cars.

 

[ZYBORG]

Where did you buy your car OP? Thats a little ridiculous...

Hate to say it but 03/04s get molested worse than Ned Beatty in Deliverance.

 

[BladeX10]

Where did you buy your car OP? Thats a little ridiculous...

Hate to say it but 03/04s get molested worse than Ned Beatty in Deliverance.

Im never going to be able to listen to the Terminator whine the same way again

 

[ZYBORG]

Im never going to be able to listen to the Terminator whine the same way again

I found it very appropriate.... lmao.

 

[Black Gold 380R]

Hate to say it but 03/04s get molested worse than Ned Beatty in Deliverance.

LMAO!!!!!

 

[coremaster21]

I have been pretty lucky with mine so far *knock on wood*. I bought it about a year ago and haven't had a single problem yet. Since then I have installed a duraflex body kit, sick lambo doors, and a Cobra R wing. I get looks everywhere.

 

[Buckwheat 1]

The first owner took a SY terminator and added even more screaming yellow to the interior but some how ****ed it up that its cool.

 

[SVTdreamin04]

Where did you buy your car OP? Thats a little ridiculous...

Hate to say it but 03/04s get molested worse than Ned Beatty in Deliverance.

Craigslist. Bought off of a guy who needed money quick and could never afford to plate it due to a DUI. I could have flipped it and made money on it, but I'm glad I didn't. I would've felt bad for the next owner.




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[zredfire04]

just found the newest dumb thing a PO did.

car has been tuned. i know this for a fact because the traction control is permanently disabled. did a tuner with the stock tune come with the car? nope. now, since the pulley that's on the supercharger is a diablosport piece, one might be led to believe that the ECM has a chip tune instead. NOPE. just pulled the ECM to verify this.

so now if i want to tune the car i need to get the ECM reflashed to stock AND buy a handheld tuner. FML

 

[SVTdreamin04]

Love these cars. Strongly dislike some the previous owners.


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[cj428mach]

just found the newest dumb thing a PO did.

car has been tuned. i know this for a fact because the traction control is permanently disabled. did a tuner with the stock tune come with the car? nope. now, since the pulley that's on the supercharger is a diablosport piece, one might be led to believe that the ECM has a chip tune instead. NOPE. just pulled the ECM to verify this.

so now if i want to tune the car i need to get the ECM reflashed to stock AND buy a handheld tuner. FML

You don't have to reflash to stock. Your handheld will take your current tune and consider it "stock"

 

[Zemedici]

just found the newest dumb thing a PO did.

car has been tuned. i know this for a fact because the traction control is permanently disabled. did a tuner with the stock tune come with the car? nope. now, since the pulley that's on the supercharger is a diablosport piece, one might be led to believe that the ECM has a chip tune instead. NOPE. just pulled the ECM to verify this.

so now if i want to tune the car i need to get the ECM reflashed to stock AND buy a handheld tuner. FML

Where/who did you get the car from? We may have tuned it, as HP Tuners allows us to flash directly to the PCM, so no need for a tuner or handheld

 

[*Jay*]

As owner #4 (and last until grandkids get her in my will) I found my main ground and positive power cable cut and twisted back together underneath some electrical tape. I can only assume this was from an old trunk mount battery since I can see the old holes filled in on my trunk floor, only holes for a battery and not NOS thank goodness.

I re-did all of my main power/ground lines and thought I was good only to find a ground line from the engine tucked and hidden near my driver side lower control arm lookinlikeitwastillattachedFML about a month ago.

I do believe that ground went from the engine to the battery, the strap from engine to body is still attached. Still gotta fix that but aside from that I feel real fortunate after reading some of these horror stories.

 

[apex svt]

Let see, previous owner did...
SRA swap with a junk 28spline carrier and axle setup, with Monroe shocks, cut eibach springs that rode like a dozer

The car came with white wheels on a SB cobra

Once I got the car into the air it was clear it's seen some track/street duty by all the rubber and residue from the pimp juice. But can't blame them for that!

 

[zredfire04]

You don't have to reflash to stock. Your handheld will take your current tune and consider it "stock"

that's what i thought. the local dyno guy said i'd need to start with a stock tune. could be he doesn't know what he's talking about. gonna call sct tomorrow just to be sure.

Where/who did you get the car from? We may have tuned it, as HP Tuners allows us to flash directly to the PCM, so no need for a tuner or handheld

i bought it from a chevy dealer in auburn alabama. i don't know anything about it before that other than what appears to be the second owner bought it in texas in 2007 for a tick over $33k w/4k miles on it.

funny you mention HP tuners...talked to another (less local) speed shop about tuning my car before i found out about the local guy...they said i needed a handheld for them to get a tune into the ECM and that they had to buy credits and it was a big pain in the ass. i specifically asked if they could just go through the obd port and they said no. i just wanted the rear O2 sensors turned off. when the guy started talking about how that would affect the way the engine runs, i realized that either he didn't know what he was talking about or wanted to rip me off for a dyno tune that i didn't want/need.

 

[Iamchris]

After rolling my 04 on a highway I picked up an 03 in 2006 with 10k miles. It had Cobra R wheels and spoiler. I didn't understand why he would do that unless he was road racing it... he wasn't, he just liked it I guess. He had two Cobras, sonic blue with R parts and Mystic ghost flames, and a black 03 with green flames... he sold the SB and bought a Maserati.
I eventually removed the R spoiler,went wingless and replaced the wheels. I liked the subtle look of the black chrome Saleens but I kind of wish I had gone with some stockers in a very dark black chrome, or some CCW classics.
I suppose if I sold my car today, someone might wonder why I removed the spoiler and put on saleen wheels!

 

[01yellercobra]

that's what i thought. the local dyno guy said i'd need to start with a stock tune. could be he doesn't know what he's talking about. gonna call sct tomorrow just to be sure.



i bought it from a chevy dealer in auburn alabama. i don't know anything about it before that other than what appears to be the second owner bought it in texas in 2007 for a tick over $33k w/4k miles on it.

funny you mention HP tuners...talked to another (less local) speed shop about tuning my car before i found out about the local guy...they said i needed a handheld for them to get a tune into the ECM and that they had to buy credits and it was a big pain in the ass. i specifically asked if they could just go through the obd port and they said no. i just wanted the rear O2 sensors turned off. when the guy started talking about how that would affect the way the engine runs, i realized that either he didn't know what he was talking about or wanted to rip me off for a dyno tune that i didn't want/need.

Mine was tuned when I bought it and I never got the tuner. I retuned it myself and it flashed the ECU with no issue said. As cj428 said, it saves the current tune in the spot for the stock tune.

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