Advice from the experts!!

[keebs888]

Advice from the experts!!

I currently own a '96 Mystic Cobra that I am looking at spending about $5000 on in the near future in maintenance/small fixes, and a buddy price on a paint job. I haven't decided yet what I want to do...keep the car and spend the money, or fix a few things and trade it in for a newer model. On top of that, I don't know what I would trade it in on. I keep jumping back and forth between a Terminator or a 2000-2001 GT. I look at it like this:

Keep car: No debt, build motor and add blower = 10 second ET's.
Terminator: Lots o debt, but best bang for the buck....add a few mods and a KB = 10 second ET's.

GT: Less debt, cheaper insurance, comes with solid rear, cheaper maintenance, add the extra $$ insted of buying the Cobra, and it is faster than all of the rest.....but it's a GT.

What do you guys think? Need help here. I am so indecisive as to what I should do. Give me some pros and cons of my options.

For the record, the Mystic needs tires, struts, C/C plates, alternator, plugs, wires, one O2 sensor, and a clutch......don't forget the paint. I will have the plates, tires, struts, plugs, wires and clutch in the next four weeks. Maybe I should trade it in at that point after it't actually running correctly.

Help? Please??


-keith

 

[svtcobra98]

Keep the 96 man... Mystics are bad ass. Who cares if you don't have the LATEST car out there. No debt = no worries.

 

[svtcobra98]

Oh... by the way. I'm not an expert... just thought I'd post since noone else was.

 

[Slo01Cobra]

Keep the 96 and make it a 10 sec car and you'll rape most of the 03/04s and have alot less money in it.

 

[CY98Cobra]

Keep the mystic.

 

[KobraKimo]

I'd keep it, why throw all your money away on new payments when that money can be going to your car?

 

[scottq60]

I gotta go with the rest on this one - KEEP the MYSTIC!!!

Scott

 

[keebs888]

Geez....seems like a unanimous decision so far......

Thanks guys for the replies. Any specific advice?
And does anyone have any Mystic paint? Thought I'd ask.....

I hate having little money and wanting LOTS of cars......

 

[Jwilliams]

Keep the mystic, throw a twin turbo setup on it.. as for the paint you have to call SVT and they will set you up with a certified BASF shop with the paint.

 

[98 svt]

i would never sonsider trading in a mystic for a 00-01 GT. lol...why? they are about a s common as a civic. you have a 1 of 2000 car!
as far as a 03-04 cobra goes....only for a Mystichrome cobra. but still the original mystic paint is a much better color. the mystichrome looks too "rainbowey" to me. almost looks feminine

 

[CobraSvt9746]

keep the mystic

 

[pottsy]

One thing's for sure: don't get the GT. Either keep your Mystic or get the 03, but between the two I would be inclined to keep what you have. Although if a SB 03 was staring me in the face....

 

[love bandit2]

screw the GT! If I were you'd I'd find an '03 with 20,000 miles on it.. I've seen em as cheap as 24 grand.. which is not bad. See, if you want to put your 96 into the 10s, think of the costs. Rebuild of engine, build-up of engine, trans swap when the T45 goes, axles, supercharger... ect.. in the end you'd be spending probably close to if not more than 15 grand with all the work you'd be doing to your 96 (including the odds and ends and paintwork you want done). With the 03, many of those problems are already taken care of. Besides, the mystic is a rare car.. I can't see how modding the **** out of it would help the collectors value of the car in the future. Look at the 93 cobras... the stock ones are worth the most.

 

[LSWHAT??]

He wants to run 10's, so he must feel that is more important than collector value. So......Worst case scenario on keeping the mystic would be putting about $2000 into the parts you described as needing fixed. As far as the mystic paint goes, do you want the whole thing repainted? A very close estimate to have it completely torn apart and resprayed perfectly is about $6500-7000 (don't ask me how I know that). So we are at around $9000, if insurance won't cover any of your paint repair. To get into the tens, you will need at least an HD Tremec T45, or a good TKO or T56 (say $2k). You will need to build your bottom end (Houston Performance has a completely built shortblock for $2800). Then we need boost.......any blower or nitrous will do....say $3000+ for a complete kit, followed by another $2500 or so in supporting suspension/bolt-ons. This plan provides that you do all the work on your car, having someone else do it will cost you alot more than what is stated.

Grand Total:

$19,300

If you have the car paid for you can probably get about $7k trade-in in the condition you stated. An 03-04 will cost you around $25k.

Cost for 03/04 cobra after trade-in: around $18000

I'm not even going into the G.T., it IS a way cheaper option, but why?? You have a great and rare factory car, I love mine.

Good Luck Deciding!!!!!!

 

[Doug]

build the mystic.

 

[JustaGT]

build the mystic