Why to, or not, to buy...

72MachOne99GT

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Sounds like the OP just wants something fun and somewhat reliable he can go out and drive spiritedly and enjoy.

Personally, I’d choose the car you find most visually appealing.

A few years ago I’d have chosen the Mach 1 out of the three cars in your budget (96-98, 99/01, 03/04 Mach 1) however, since my brother picked up a “98 Cobra, that body style has grown on me.

Good luck.
 

kpmilia

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I was recently looking to purchase and had a sub 20 grand budget as well. Ideally, your best bet is an 03-04 Cobra. Second place would probably be an 11-14 GT and third would be an 03-04 Mach 1. I recently bought an 03 Mach 1 with bolt ons and a Procharger just under 12 grand. Happy with the purchase so far.
 

joetrainer31

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I was recently looking to purchase and had a sub 20 grand budget as well. Ideally, your best bet is an 03-04 Cobra. Second place would probably be an 11-14 GT and third would be an 03-04 Mach 1. I recently bought an 03 Mach 1 with bolt ons and a Procharger just under 12 grand. Happy with the purchase so far.
That's good to know. Where did you buy it? From here? Also, why would you put an '03-'04 Cobra ahead of a '11-'14 coyote? And, can quality Termis be had for <$20k?

Lastly, any pics of your beauty?
 

kpmilia

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I found the car on Autotrader. Looked on here and Car Gurus and a few other sites while looking. I think you could find a decent 03-04 cobra for right around 20 grand. May have to be patient. I would put the Cobra ahead of the 11-14 simply because of the rarity of the cobra. It’s more personal preference imo. Not sure how to post pics on here from my phone unfortunately.
 

joetrainer31

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I found the car on Autotrader. Looked on here and Car Gurus and a few other sites while looking. I think you could find a decent 03-04 cobra for right around 20 grand. May have to be patient. I would put the Cobra ahead of the 11-14 simply because of the rarity of the cobra. It’s more personal preference imo. Not sure how to post pics on here from my phone unfortunately.
I'm happy that you found a good car and are happy with it. Could you just send pics to my email? joetrainer31 at yahoo?
 

ScottAlan

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I know this thread is little older but I just got a 2003 Mach 1 and love it. Something about the Mach I like more then the cobra, maybe it’s the skater hood.
 

FJohnny

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Sounds like you aren't going to hit the car show circuit and will drive the car more than park it and gaze at it each night before hitting the sack. Since you won't be working on the car yourself maybe reliability and and how the car drives might be even more important in your case than someone who wrenches himself and rarely takes it out?

You owe it to yourself to go out and actually look at some. Sit in them and drive a bunch of the possibles while you decide on budget and stuff. Consider how much a twenty year old car will need in additional expenses and down time over a car that's only a few years old. Unless you are totally sold on the old body styles you can't really beat the selection of coyotes our there. So many that there are awesome deals available on really low mileage cars these days (at least around here).

The search is part of the fun. The more you test drive, the more likely you are to make the right decision for you the first time instead of the next time. Good luck, enjoy!
 

Machdup1

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Have you looked at a generation 2 F150 SVT lightning. I love mine.

From your list, get an 04 SVT Cobra.
 

joetrainer31

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Sounds like you aren't going to hit the car show circuit and will drive the car more than park it and gaze at it each night before hitting the sack. Since you won't be working on the car yourself maybe reliability and and how the car drives might be even more important in your case than someone who wrenches himself and rarely takes it out?

You owe it to yourself to go out and actually look at some. Sit in them and drive a bunch of the possibles while you decide on budget and stuff. Consider how much a twenty year old car will need in additional expenses and down time over a car that's only a few years old. Unless you are totally sold on the old body styles you can't really beat the selection of coyotes our there. So many that there are awesome deals available on really low mileage cars these days (at least around here).

The search is part of the fun. The more you test drive, the more likely you are to make the right decision for you the first time instead of the next time. Good luck, enjoy!
Where is "around here?"
 

joetrainer31

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Re 2011-14 Coyote cars: What wheel size do they come with, how many quarts of oil and what type of oil? It seems long-term maintenance should be a factor in the decision making. Tires get expensive once you cross the 17-18" thresh hold.
 

earico

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You can't go wrong with any of the options you are considering OP. I've owned a Fox, a 96 Cobra and a 03 Cobra. All of those you can feel the road like you are part of the car. The 11+ cars are more refined and you will not get the same feeling. Go test drive some and let that help you make the decision. All are great platforms. Use the forums like you are to learn their quirks to make them the most reliable and good luck!
 

08mojo

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Re 2011-14 Coyote cars: What wheel size do they come with, how many quarts of oil and what type of oil? It seems long-term maintenance should be a factor in the decision making. Tires get expensive once you cross the 17-18" thresh hold.

Coyote takes 8 quarts of oil, but the oil change interval is 2x longer than the older cars--so that's mostly a wash. The non-track pack 11-14s come with a 17" or 18" wheel. The larger brakes on the track pack require a 19" wheel.

If reliability is your goal, a SN-95 based car would not be my first choice. I've had a '92, '99, '03, '12, '14, '16 model year mustang. The Coyote based cars were new, so obviously they were reliable. However, the 92-03 cars I owned were used, and they have only been getting older. My '03 cobra was 9 years old when I owned it. It needed: engine mounts, transmission mounts, IRS bushings, throwout bearing, input shaft sleeve, u-joint, etc... It only had 32k miles, but there was no-hiding the fact it was 9 years old. I can't imagine it gets better as time goes on.
 

joetrainer31

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Coyote takes 8 quarts of oil, but the oil change interval is 2x longer than the older cars--so that's mostly a wash. The non-track pack 11-14s come with a 17" or 18" wheel. The larger brakes on the track pack require a 19" wheel.

If reliability is your goal, a SN-95 based car would not be my first choice. I've had a '92, '99, '03, '12, '14, '16 model year mustang. The Coyote based cars were new, so obviously they were reliable. However, the 92-03 cars I owned were used, and they have only been getting older. My '03 cobra was 9 years old when I owned it. It needed: engine mounts, transmission mounts, IRS bushings, throwout bearing, input shaft sleeve, u-joint, etc... It only had 32k miles, but there was no-hiding the fact it was 9 years old. I can't imagine it gets better as time goes on.
Thank you for the input! Are you pointing me in the direction of an '11-'14?
 

08mojo

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Thank you for the input! Are you pointing me in the direction of an '11-'14?

Yes, if reliability is a key goal. Although, I haven't followed the 11-14 cars so I don't know how they hold-up long term. I have had my share of fox and sn-95 cars. I know for a fact they are not the most reliable option. That's actually one of the key reasons I got rid of my '03 Cobra: I was tired of working on the car. It never left me stranded on the side of the road, but it certainly had its share of repairs.

Hopefully others will chime in on the long-term reliability of the 11-14 cars. In stock form, I believe they are pretty solid. Another good point for the 11-14s is the hydraulic clutch vs the cable clutch on the previous mustangs. The cable driven clutches are HEAVY (not sure if this is a factor for you or not).
 

joetrainer31

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Yes, if reliability is a key goal. Although, I haven't followed the 11-14 cars so I don't know how they hold-up long term. I have had my share of fox and sn-95 cars. I know for a fact they are not the most reliable option. That's actually one of the key reasons I got rid of my '03 Cobra: I was tired of working on the car. It never left me stranded on the side of the road, but it certainly had its share of repairs.

Hopefully others will chime in on the long-term reliability of the 11-14 cars. In stock form, I believe they are pretty solid. Another good point for the 11-14s is the hydraulic clutch vs the cable clutch on the previous mustangs. The cable driven clutches are HEAVY (not sure if this is a factor for you or not).
Clutch isn't really an issue.

I've had my share of foxes and SN95 (pushrod), too. I keep hoping to find that stock car in good shape and as reliable as possible. Not sure if that's a pipe dream or not. I certainly like the '11-'14 cars, but I keep running into $16k-$20k for a used car. That's hard for me to swallow.
 

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