03 -04 cobra buy and sell quickly

[930chef]

I am new to the forum and fords in general. My background is turbo porsches, and Im trying a 2012 sti now. As soon as I sell the STI I will be looking for a 03-04 cobra.

Ive noticed the last 3-4 months that buying and selling these cars has been brisk.
Is this true or is it always like this with the cobras of those years.

Im hoping there will be some decent cars left after I sell the sti.

Im in SoCal, and id like some feedback from the veterans of this forum. I cannot wait to get behind the wheel of one of these monsters

Kevin:-D

 

[Smacked_in_ATL]

Buying any used performance car is a risk. What else do you want to know? Go read Cobra Bobs FAQs.

Find as close to stock as you can unless you turn wrenches.

 

['03snkbt]

Terminators Buy/Sell - SVTPerformance
^ you should be able to find what you're looking for in here^

as far as why these are selling/being sold, they are still sought after cars whether people admit it or not.
some say, "OLD PLATFORM---POS IRS CARS"....
others say, "BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK"....
IMO....these things are beasts and too fun to drive to get rid of....yet!
good luck with your search!

edit: find one well documented if possible. alot of these "stock" cars have been beaten up and returned to "stock" appearance!

 

[SonicDTR]

What exactly is your question?

Some of these cars sit forever with an owner that wont budge on the price. Others, like mine, sell very quickly due to a fair price.

 

[930chef]

what is my question

Ive seen many very nice stock appearing cobras offered for sale in the last 3-4 months.
my question is, has there been a recent resurgence in the cars popularity? or are the amount of cars being listed and sold now more than the norm?
Ive owned 3 930 turbo porsches and loved em, but now collectors are scooping them up, driving up the cost.
Just wondering if that is what is going on with the cobras now, or if there has always been a large interest in buying these cars.
I discovered these cars approx 6 mos ago, and I think they are the best bang for the buck By Far in the performance market.
Im not a collector, I just want to get one and drive it.
Have to sell sti first.
thanks for the input, and i will have more questions when i start shopping for one.
So has the popularity spiked recently is my real question.
Kevin

 

[SpectorV]

the 03/04 have always had a big market and held value better than more mustangs in the same year set. The issue now is they are older and probably 25-35% are totaled, of the remaining probably half are beat on rather bad or in need of TLC from daily driving duties. That really only leaves about 25-35% that are clean and those with low miles are even more rare. With 20k made thats not to many hanging around that are show car worthy with low miles.

Plus as they get older they get issues, just part of it, so many are starting to sell their car now that they are 8-9 years old.

 

[cj428mach]

I think you're seeing a little a bit of 03-04's hitting the market as bigger and maybe better cars are now being produced. The guy that I bought my car from was going 2013 GT500, I see a lot of people listing that as a reason to leave the Terminators.

 

[Mikeyb619]

yea everything you'd need has been listed pretty much.

Cobra Bob's list is 2nd to none for useful tips

 

[520Terminator]

The car is getting old, the 2003 models just turned 10, and with the new 2013 GT500, owners of Termis are upgrading to a newer car. The Terminator is still a legend in it's own right for sure, and I'm sure you will be happy with your purchase. With any aging performance car, there will be issues here and there, but it sounds like you have it covered. Good luck with the car shopping and come back and let us know what you got!

 

[SonicDTR]

You can buy good drivers that have 70-80k miles on them, so dont be looking for those 20k mile cars if you dont want to spend the cash.

 

[520Terminator]

hell, mine has 126K and rising, no leaks, good compression on all 8, still runs like a top.

 

[hotrodjcc]

I've been looking at the market to see what a good price for mine is with 51k miles and only having minor bolt ons. I've got all the stock parts and wondered about converting it back to stock.

 

[thomas91169]

They sell if they are priced right.

If you think you can get $25k for a car that msrp'd for $35k 10 years ago just because you never drove it and only put 10k on it because you thought it would become a collectors item when they produced 19,000 units a year, youre sadly mistaken.

Imo, and I love the platform, paying over $20k for even the cleanest low mileage and well built examples are lulz status.

 

[CobraBob]

Kevin, '03-'04 Cobras pop up for sale all the time, some with low mileage and some with high mileage, and in-between. Prices seem to range from $13K to $24K on average. Many have been modded and driven hard, but the motors are pretty stout so unless the car you're looking at has been abused and not adequately maintained, you should be fine. I would strongly recommend that you browse through my Terminator FAQs. Read this section in particular. Tips When Buying A Used '03-'04 Cobra

 

[BladeX10]

Cobras typically go fast when the price is right. A good 70-80k mile Terminator should be sold around $15-16k. Theres some out there that try to get $20k for them and end up sitting on them for a longgggg time.

 

[930chef]

thanks again

Thanks for your expert analysis. CobraBob, the faq's were really helpful. When I find one, I will certainly run it by you all, as part of the ppi.
Buying the STI was a mistake, but there is a market out there for them.
Ive gotten more positive info in 1 day than I got in 6 mos at sti forums, not to ruffle any feathers, but lots of sniping over there.
Will talk soon,
Kevin

 

[VancityCobra21]

Sometimes it's not really how many miles or kilometers the car has on it, it's how it's driven that plays a bigger factor.

You could have a car with only 25,000 miles on it and beaten the crap out of, or you can have a Cobra with 70,000+ miles and taken care of properly.

It's just a matter of getting it checked out by mechanics and trying to find out as much as possible about the car as possible. Ask as many questions as you can about the car before buying it.

 

[03cobra#694]

When you're ready, I highly recommend looking in the market section here. We know most of the cars and owners pretty well, and most are well modded and maintained. Oh yeah, you can go direct to the "Terminator" section and search for more detailed answers to any questions you might have. G/L and welcome.
The Terminator - SVTPerformance