03 cobra, no warranty.....

[ST165]

I am thinking buying an 03 Cobra that is local. I know the car has had previous damage and I am OK with it. It only has 5k miles on it and I am worried that some of the common issues (tick, vibe) will rear their ugly heads. How common are these issues with the early build 03s? It would definetely suck to pay out of my pocket for a cylinder head or any other Ford design/manufacturing flaws. I am just wondering should I:

a) cross my fingers and hope for the best
b) avoid it like the plague

 

[SeeDee]

I have an early 03. I have had a bunch of problems but mine are cosmetic stuff. How is it out of warranty already? 5K miles. Should still have couple months on warranty.

 

[fr03cobra]

Run the VIN through a ford dealer they will tell you weather it's still under warranty.

 

[ST165]

Definetely not in warranty. The previous damage took care of that. I got the OASIS report, "all warranty cancelled". It doesn't show any warranty or service history either. The build date was 7-24-02

 

[SeeDee]

Is there a reason why the warranty is void?

Seems kind of odd that it's void. I would definately do a carfax on the car before I would buy it... just my .02

 

[FredK'03Cobra]

ST165,
What you're saying just really doesn't make sense. You're okay with previous damage, but not with possible mechanical problems? If that is the case, simply look elsewhere. I won't debate how 'damage' (an accident?) could void the warranty -- unless this car is being pulled from a wrecking yard. If that is the case, where you think this is the deal of the century, because you are doing, or can do the bodywork on a wrecked car, the head tick and other noted possiblites are the least of your worries.

 

[fast1]

How much is it $$$?

 

[VOD]

I say look elsewhere,

Nothing is worse than spending more time under the hood than driving it. Not to mention spending X amount of money for serious repairs on a car that is only 2-3 years old. There are plenty of 03 cobras for reasonalbe prices and decent mileage that still have warranties.

 

[caveman6666]

What sort of damage?

 

[FireRed04Vert]

ST165,
What you're saying just really doesn't make sense. You're okay with previous damage, but not with possible mechanical problems? If that is the case, simply look elsewhere. I won't debate how 'damage' (an accident?) could void the warranty -- unless this car is being pulled from a wrecking yard. If that is the case, where you think this is the deal of the century, because you are doing, or can do the bodywork on a wrecked car, the head tick and other noted possiblites are the least of your worries.

It makes perfect sense....and is very common to those that have modded. The warranty was probably cancelled due to mods.

Smart move on your part to check that out! I would pass on the car....

 

[Paul's_03SVT]

How much is it $$$?

million dollar ????

 

[Cottonmouth]

Your deal will not be a deal if you have to spend $$$ on getting mechanicals fixed. Then you will have as much in it as a car that had not been hurt. There are Cobras without problems looking for a good home so I would be patient and keep looking.

 

[ST165]

Thanks guys. I am going to let this one go and keep looking. Anyone know of a 03 for low $20s. I've been searching for about a week now and the average seems to be in the $25k area.

 

[JoeNashville]

What sort of damage?

5K miles, "previous damage took care of the warranty", and no mentioned mods in OASIS.

Sounds like a salvage titled car. Would be good for a race car, IF the repairs were done right. Might wind up south of the border, or in Cuba after Castro keels over.

 

[FredK'03Cobra]

It makes perfect sense....and is very common to those that have modded. The warranty was probably cancelled due to mods.
Smart move on your part to check that out! I would pass on the car....

The original post said nothing about mods. He said that the loss of warranty was due to damage. The damage caused by a normal traffic accident will not effect the vehicle's warranty. This is why I questioned whether the vehicle was being recovered from a salvage yard. I'd have real difficulty endorsing the purchase of a vehicle with a 'salvage only' title. In some states, you won't even be able to license that VIN number.

Fred

 

[micksnip]

no warranty?

Okay, I bought my 1st cobra, 1st run, #273 or something, in mid May. So, even with a 3yr/30k warranty, it would still be valid. Ford warrantied a vert that was re-sold after trade and it had a bad ticking head and bad trans and clutch, but the mechanic reluctantly replaced everything because of the re-issuaance of warranty, which they can do. I'd stay away from 1st run cars like my old one because of head tick and paint probs, plus vibe, steering creak, TOB, etc. Plus, you don't want to buy a pus case that was wrecked and fixed-I've worked in a body shop, and if Ford won't re-warranty it, something is hinky(mods, frame damage, dead body, roof cut off, recovered filled with raw sewage and/or a hurricaine state, and the list goes on. If you saved a few grand, you'd end up using it to buy a weapon to use on yourself or the seller-it's too tempting. Micksnip

 

[JoeNashville]

Okay, I bought my 1st cobra, 1st run, #273 or something, in mid May. So, even with a 3yr/30k warranty, it would still be valid. Ford warrantied a vert that was re-sold after trade and it had a bad ticking head and bad trans and clutch, but the mechanic reluctantly replaced everything because of the re-issuaance of warranty, which they can do. I'd stay away from 1st run cars like my old one because of head tick and paint probs, plus vibe, steering creak, TOB, etc. Plus, you don't want to buy a pus case that was wrecked and fixed-I've worked in a body shop, and if Ford won't re-warranty it, something is hinky(mods, frame damage, dead body, roof cut off, recovered filled with raw sewage and/or a hurricaine state, and the list goes on. If you saved a few grand, you'd end up using it to buy a weapon to use on yourself or the seller-it's too tempting. Micksnip

Words of wisdom. It's not a street car...it's a race car.