Buying a 03-04 Cobra

Hi everyone, new user here and I've recently been lurking this forum. This is my first post so please go easy on me. Car enthusiast in my teens and early 20s, the Terminator Cobra has always been a dream car of mine.

Now I'm older with some money and time to spare. I know buying a Terminator Cobra can be hit or miss. Maybe less of a risk if you know all the red flags. There is the catch, I've been out of the car scene for so long and am not mechanically sound anymore.

Would you suggest someone like me buy a Terminator Cobra? At the end of the day the decision is up to me, but I was just looking for some opinions.

Anyways I'm jealous of all of you that own a Terminator Cobra.

Terminator FAQs

You've got a handful of guys in and around Houston that can help you out as well.

It's a great sports car to own and an absolute blast to drive but you have to be very cautious. I looked for a while before I found mine and I drove 8 hrs to get it, as soon as I got it home and went to get the smog taken care of I found out the egr had been removed and now I'm having to buy the whole setup to pass my local emminsons which is a pain in the ass. But other than that I have not been happier. People who know these cars always give me props and it definitely catches attention!!!

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Welcome. Don't be afraid to buy a Terminator. Plenty of people here will be glad to help...even more if you change yer name to donmaga.

You 100% want and must demand a compression test on the motor and a thorough evaluation of the car, see how it sounds and drives. I'm surprised the compression test is not a sticky here. If you find a good egg, they are highly reliable with the exception of the dubious alternator.....but that's a known issue on these cars.

Good luck with your search.

@MG0h3 already posted a link to my Terminator FAQs above, so definitely browse through them. From those FAQs, here is some info on what to look for when buying a used '03-'04 Cobra.

Don't rush on a buy until you first determine what year, color, mileage, price, mods, condition you're looking for. You'll find that the Terminator sub-forums here are going to be very helpful if you choose to buy one. Best of luck!

donm3ga said:

Hi everyone, new user here and I've recently been lurking this forum. This is my first post so please go easy on me. Car enthusiast in my teens and early 20s, the Terminator Cobra has always been a dream car of mine.

Now I'm older with some money and time to spare. I know buying a Terminator Cobra can be hit or miss. Maybe less of a risk if you know all the red flags. There is the catch, I've been out of the car scene for so long and am not mechanically sound anymore.

Would you suggest someone like me buy a Terminator Cobra? At the end of the day the decision is up to me, but I was just looking for some opinions.

Anyways I'm jealous of all of you that own a Terminator Cobra.

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Do you want a low-miler or one that’s well used, but cheaper? Do you want a modded car or a pristine virgin? If I was buying a modded car or one that I suspected may have been modded and then returned to stock, I’d want a thorough checkout to make sure all is well. Both Terminators that I bought were low-mile/never modded cars, so I never felt the need to have them checked other than a test drive by me.

The 03/04 Cobras are a good collectible at a decent price. Go get one!

Welcome.

Jump right in with both feet. The Terminator is a great choice whether you're mechanically imclined or not.

This site is also a great resource for not only finding a car (marketplace) but also for learning about the car or just hanging out.

Take your time for sure. There are plenty of nice Cobras out there so don't just jump on the first one you fall for.

If you buy a modded Cobra, make sure the mods were done correctly. I have an interesting thread on my car with all the crap done to it prior to me taking ownership.


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Don't rush! Take your time and find exactly what you want. It's out there, just be patient and keep looking.

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Definitely take your time. I looked for six months for mine. The market section here is a good source. Once you know what you want post a wanted ad and you’ll definitely get responses, maybe even some gems from owners who have been on the fence about parting with their Cobras. Good luck

"which" car to get really depends on what you want and what you want to do with/in it.

if you want to get your hands dirty and rebuild/customize, look for one with some miles and blemishes. it'll save you some bucks, and you won't feel like you shouldn't drive it or that every mile you put on it kills value. just be prepared to have to address issues with multiple systems in the car. i've had to rebuild the transmission and rear end in mine. i knew about the trans when i bought it, the rear end was a surprise. certain terminator specific parts are getting hard to come by as well.

if you want a garage queen and don't mind paying a premium, hold out for a low mile, unmolested car.

ultimately, whether it's a good decision for YOU to buy a terminator is impossible for anyone else to conclude.

my cobra hates traffic.

San Antonio area is nothing like Houston.

Thanks for the input guys! Some very useful tips and also very motivating. I already came into this with the decision to buy one. I just wanted to get some of yalls opinions.

Everything there is to know about the car and its history: Home

Your price range will dictate what car you can get.
Many of these cars have been around the block too many times. They'll of course be cheaper.
Take the time to get a low mile lightly modded car if possible. Or a stock one, they still pop up pretty often.
Decide what color you want, hardtop or roadster, wait it out. It'll pop up & you'll be a happy camper.
Don't settle for a car with questions, it'll make you a not happy camper. We've seen that here too many times.
Find the car, get pics & vids, get the vibe of the owner, and get in the game.

hotcobra03 said:

my cobra hates traffic.

San Antonio area is nothing like Houston.

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This. Don’t plan on commuting in regularly heavy stop and go traffic. Both your clutch and your left leg will try to kill you.


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rolive said:

This. Don’t plan on commuting in regularly heavy stop and go traffic. Both your clutch and your left leg will try to kill you.


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YES! Out of all of my Mustangs, my Terminator is by far the heaviest clutch. Driving it in stop-n-go traffic would not be pleasant.

Twin disk solves this even though I don’t daily mine.


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BlksvtCobra01 said:

Twin disk solves this even though I don’t daily mine.


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For sure.

I have the RXT, but I'm sure the DYAD, mantic, etc.....are equally as easy to drive. I mean like a hydraulic level of ease. Very daily driveable.

I daily'd my '04 vert for 25k miles with a factory clutch, and it was ten times more effort to work. The factory clutch actually holds decent levels of TQ for a surprising amount of time....but friendly it is not.