Drove the Cobra -- '99 Owners I need your help!

[Udtbadkarma]

Ok guys, i just got back from test visiting the 99 cobra that this dealership has by me. The dealer actually keeps it in his garage, so i drove to his house today to see and test drive the car. I have about 20 picture of the car that i will post below.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
The car was in the garage and looked in good shape. The paint looks GREAT on the car, almost as good as my 02 GT if not better honestly. After 1st glance of the car, i saw the bumper had minor road/debris on it (no biggie though, so does my GT) and i noticed on the passenger side rear, there was a side swipe scratching. The damage doesn't really bother me but its something i'd fix maybe way down the line when i get money for body stuff. Here are some pictures of the light damage...

The Front tires are worn, but still ok, and the back tires are starting to bald pretty badly. Real badly infact. Now i getinside the car. The interior is in mild condition. It looks used and worn but i've seen worse. Definately looked very dry and needed soem Macquiers leather conditioner =) The Mach Stereo system console looked really bad compared to my 02 GT system. The volume buttons were worn down to WHITE and it just looked old and ghetto. Not to mention mine is a 6 CD changer and i think the cobras was a single

(sorry its fuzzy, this is unfrotunately the best pic i have of the console...notice the worn buttons)

Now here is where i thought things looked wierd to me. The white faced guages. They didn't say SVT on them. I thought ALL cobras said SVT on them in red lettering...is that only the new 03/04 cobras? :shrug: Just wondering if these guages were stock factory or changed or something. Here is a picture with the car OFF (ignore all the indicator lights, the car is off)

(Above, Gauges OFF)

(Above, Gauges ON..i just started the car)

Ok here is another problem with the car. When the dealer started the car up, it had a very noticeable engine idling problem. After letting it run for 5 minutes I shut it off, got in it and started her up again. Now obviously the engine is still cold but i started it again anyway on purpose and watched the idling problem again. The guage fluctuated between 600RPM and 1000RPM up and down for about 15 seconds and then stayed at around 900RPM.

The dealer said the car had not been started in 3 weeks...and the temperature today was 23* (degrees). After taking the car for a test drive and making sure the car was well warmed up, i shut her off and started her again. The idling problem went away, and didn't do it again. Think that was just a cold-start problem? Can't say i really liked that....

The brakes on the car are much more powerful than my GT and i liked it, although they are warped and thin, and will need replacing very soon (on the cobra im talking about).

DRIVING THE CAR:
The car didn't impress me ALL to much. It was nice and ROCK SOLID to the ground (and i dont even think the car is lowered i didn't pay attention unfortunately). It turned with ease and the steering was nice and tight, even better than my lowered GT i think. Maybe its the IRS im not used to...
As far as the clutch goes...i think its failing on the cobra It was very slushy and was not NEARLY as springy as my stock GT clutch is. I seemd to be revving to much coming from a stop, because i was used to my GT clutch catching and the cobras wasn't. I dont know if the Cobra and the GT have different clutches and catch points, but it just felt slippy.
Shifting the cobra SUCKED. I hit my knuckles on the stereo EVERY 1st and 3rd shift. It was sooo annoying that i would without a doubt change the stereo face to the 01 Cobra style face (like my 02 GT) as soon as i got the car...if this is possible. Does this bother any of you guys? I couldn't stand it...what a poor design from ford :nonono:
UNFORTUNATELY, i did not get the cobra out of 3rd gear and wasn't able to take it on the highway so i went like 50 or 55 mph MAX while on the test drive. I revved it up real high in 1st and 3rd when i took off and the cobra felt a little more powerish...but i must say overall i wasn't too impressed with the 320hp increase over the 260hp stock GT. I'm chalking this up to the cobra not having low end torque and still stock gears.

MODS TO THE COBRA:
I saw the cobra was not stock like i had thought. There was a sticker in front of the radiator/frame saying the car had the "fix" done to it. The car had BBK (rusted) Long Tube headers and some random midpipe with 2 highflow cats and a DYNOMAX Cat-back (that sounded so raspy and shitty that i would throw this the hell away after i got the car hahaha).
Other than the exhaust, everyting else on the cobra seemed stock, even the gears and shifter seemed stock.

(rusted BBK headers)

(dynomax cat-back) :nonono:

(midpipe and LT header shot)

Sorry this is such a long post, just want you guys to help me out and let me know what is normal for a cobra and what is not. I'm really not used to these things and i know they are a different animal than my GT.

Here are some more random pictures of the car, and keep in mind: the dealer said anything that caused the cobra to NOT pass jersey state inspection, he would replace free of charge and would garauntee the car will pass inspection. Now the windshield has a nice gash in it on the driver side, so he said he will replace the windshield for me so it will pass inspection. I'm hoping the rear bald tires wont pass inspection either so i can get some tires out of him :beer: :burnout:

(driver seat)

(rear seats)

(engine)

(side engine)

:lol: (me busting the dealer RED HANDED with some black touch-up paint!!!)

(rear)

(front bumper again)

(UNFORTUNATE WINDSHIELD GASH -- hopefully fixed soon)

(SVT wheels with warpped ass crappy rotors)



And now for my BIGGEST problem with the car...

Thats right! Some Ass-Hat put window visors on the car...not only did they do that, but they installed them wrong, and they are attatched to the painted door molding :mj: :fm: :cuss:

These things are going to be a BITCH to get off, and im guessing it will peel some paint too, but i sure as hell aint leaving them on! I think a hot air dryer will help to loosen up the glue.



And here is a final picture of the car...This is me in MY car, watching the dealer drive the cobra back up his driveway. He stalled 4 times in a row in front of me trying to make it up that driveway. He had to gas it and pretty much burn out, to get it up the driveway. I'm thinking that, that clutch is GOOOOOOONNNNEEEEE. :nonono:

I drove off after that with the dealer hearing my SLP (which was louder and sounded better than the cobra) drive off in the distance :coolman:

He is going to call me back later in the week and we are going to work things out. He said: i know you want to do a straight trade, but i have to talk to my buissness partner about it, because i dont know....i mean i have to paint your hood and your bumper...but we'll talk later in the week[/b]

I was like: ?!?!?!? my hood and bumper are fine! My hood has some SLIGHT blemish around the hood scoop and my bumper has the SAME road chips that the cobra has on it! :cuss: PLUS after looking at my car thats ALL he could come up with?! My car is MINT compared to this cobra.

I just have this damn snake bite going through my veins :rolling: :burnout:


Let me know what you guys think and if i should say or talk to the dealer about anything this week!!!

I know his next move will be to say: "my partner doesn't want to do the trade so we cant"...which is because he will try and get more money out of me :kaboom:

 

[djtech]

Hey, I thought I'd comment on some stuff you mentioned:

Ok guys, i just got back from test visiting the 99 cobra
...clip...
Now here is where i thought things looked wierd to me. The white faced guages. They didn't say SVT on them. I thought ALL cobras said SVT on them in red lettering...is that only the new 03/04 cobras? :shrug: Just wondering if these guages were stock factory or changed or something. Here is a picture with the car OFF (ignore all the indicator lights, the car is off)

The gauges in the pictures are the stock ones.

...clip...
Ok here is another problem with the car. When the dealer started the car up, it had a very noticeable engine idling problem. After letting it run for 5 minutes I shut it off, got in it and started her up again. Now obviously the engine is still cold but i started it again anyway on purpose and watched the idling problem again. The guage fluctuated between 600RPM and 1000RPM up and down for about 15 seconds and then stayed at around 900RPM.

This isn't a big deal, it'll be easy to fix if it does it often.

...clip...
As far as the clutch goes...i think its failing on the cobra It was very slushy and was not NEARLY as springy as my stock GT clutch is. I seemd to be revving to much coming from a stop, because i was used to my GT clutch catching and the cobras wasn't. I dont know if the Cobra and the GT have different clutches and catch points, but it just felt slippy.

How experienced are you at driving different clutch setups? It took me a while to learn my car when I first got it. When I went to a different trans and clutch setup I had to relearn the car yet again (you think it is hard driving the car your talking about you should try one with an aluminum flywheel and a tall ass first gear).

I wasn't a big fan of the stock clutch setup either but it worked fine for me. I really disliked the T45 trans but it never failed me.

Shifting the cobra SUCKED. I hit my knuckles on the stereo EVERY 1st and 3rd shift. It was sooo annoying that i would without a doubt change the stereo face to the 01 Cobra style face (like my 02 GT) as soon as i got the car...if this is possible. Does this bother any of you guys? I couldn't stand it...what a poor design from ford :nonono:

I never had this problem myself but an aftermarket shifter may help you out. You remind me of myself busting my knuckles in my truck shortly after I installed my lift kit. The lift makes it so you have to shift in to third gear without putting any of your hand/finger/whatever on the forward part of the shifter

 

[Venomous01]

That thing is beat. The previous owner just ruined that car. Paint looks horrible.

 

[jbp99cobra]

That front end looks in rough shape and the fact that the dealer is giving you a hard time about the trade, I would say look elsewhere. I can understand you wanting a cobra, but be patient and make the right decision for the right reasons. Don't go rushing into it just bc you want a cobra.

When I was chosing mine, I had the choice of a black vert that needed a little body work with a few mods or one that was in mint condition and had never been modded. I of course wanted the black vert bc it felt a lot more powerful, but as you can see in my sig... I went with the one that was a better deal and in much nicer condition.

Good luck!

 

[slo-ryd]

Looks a bit ragged imo. I wouldn't pay anywhere near retail for it.

 

[green99_svt]

yep move on find a better car, unless that baby is dirt cheap

 

[johnjib]

Def agree to look for a better car. Why buy something that has so many problems when there are tons of deals for very low mileage cobras out there. If the exterior isn't kept up the rest is not going to be kept up. You already noticed quite a few problems. When I bought my cobra I was mad at a few rock dinks. This car is beat man.

 

[BreBar21]

I skimmed the thread, but that car is beat to all hell. Find another one unless they are selling it for like $8k.

 

[Udtbadkarma]

well it would be an even swap my car for that car....i wouldn't put a dime towards it.

But i'll probably wait it out and shop around some more. Kinda sucks because i wont be able to afford another one for like 8 years hahah. Just thought i would take advantage of the fact that i can even swap now. Next year my car wont be worth much, and a year after that and a year after that...:nonono:

I'm EXTREMELY picky though and wont get a car unless its black on black...needless to say its hard finding a black on black Cobra...then add in: one that is in good condition.


And to however said it before: no i have *0* experience with driving other clutches, i am used to my springy GT clutch and that is it. I also have never driven a car with a failing clutch...so thats why i think the cobra clutch was wierd. Either because it WAS failing, or because i wasn't used to it.

Anyone previously own a GT and now a cobra? are the stock clutches supposed to be the same? I'd imagine they were, thats why i said the cobra clutch was failing. A failing clutch at 45k miles on the cobra isn't a good sign either :nonono:

time to hit auto-trader all summer until i can find another one i guess...
I haven't fully decided..guess i'll see what the dealer says about the trade.


I just can't help but feel my GT is inadequate, and modding it seems almsot useless, i need the 4v :burnout: hehehe

 

[KingSnake99]

Well, based on the mods that this car already had, you can tell that the owner loved to get on his car-- only way he would go through the hassel of the headers--next he prob did try to burn out a lot explaining the clutch--most commonly is the TOB goes out on these cars fairly quickly, which means it might not be the clutch you are having the problems with--i agree when saying, pass it up or unless it's too good a deal-- you should make the dealer pay you for your GT and trade the cobra--"Remeber the car is only worth as much as you say it is!!"

 

[KingSnake99]

also, based on what i saw, the owner changed the headlights and the tires look like the stock ones--BTW did you check the oil to see if it was dirty or not??

 

[Udtbadkarma]

Well i will be asking the dealer for a warranty or something in trade. But he wont be having any of that im sure. In fact im sure he'd rather see me give up some cash isntead.

...soooo on to the next car.

 

[Udtbadkarma]

I was going to check the oil, but i didn't car about the oil becasue if i got the car i would do an immediate Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic oil change on it anyway...

so no i didn't check the oil. sorry guys

And yes those are 01 smoked headlights, i noticed that as well.

 

[slo-ryd]

Every Cobra I have driven has an excercise machine type pedal effort as compared to a lighter quick releasing GT clutch.

 

[johnjib]

also, based on what i saw, the owner changed the headlights and the tires look like the stock ones--BTW did you check the oil to see if it was dirty or not??

Yeah I thought the headlights looked tinted.

 

[Udtbadkarma]

Slo-ryd what do you mean by that, when you talk about the cobra clutch?

My GT clutch is very springy and will pretty much force my foot up to my chin when i let off it. Are you saying the GT clutch is supposed to be MORE or LESS springy thatn the cobras?

My GT clutch (stock clutch) can be quite a work out in stop and go traffic. Are you saying the cobras is supposed to be easier to push or something?

I'd really like to test drive the car more but i can't right now, maybe later in the week.
But i'd have to conclude the clutch was going, thats why the dealer couldn't get the cobra back up the driveway and kept stalling. :shrug: maybe he just didn't know how to drive?

 

[Udtbadkarma]

Oh yeah forgot to mention: The T-45 Trans GRINDED every single time i put it into reverse. This used to be a moderate problem with my 02 GT, but it only did it once in a blue moon and not everytime.

Is this reverse grinding a standard problem with the T45 or is this yet another sign of a bad clutch?

If he painted the bumper for me and/or fixed those gash marks down the side of that fender well. As well as gave me a new clutch, i would buy the car. ..he siad he would give me a new windshield, to pass inspection so. And if it doesn't pass jersey emissions, hed have to give me a new exhaust too

I have to do brakes and tires on my GT this summer anyway, so i dont really car about having to do them on the cobra...especially sine i was just going to upgrade them to cobra brakes anyway, at least i wouldn't have to do that if i got the cobra

EDIT:
If you look carefully on teh front bumper on the bottom, you can see the last owner had those "deer whistles" on the car... :rollseyes

 

[CY98Cobra]

Skip that car. It's been beat on pretty bad. It doesn't help that someone who can't drive it has it at his house. I'm sure he's beating the piss out of it too.

The idling was probably because it was cold. Any car that sits for awhile in the cold will idle funny until it warms up some.

The smoker shields are supposed to be installed there. Since there is no metal support across the top of the window they have to be installed on the molding. A heat gun would take them off easily.

Those brakes are shot and need replaced. The rotors are chewed up pretty badly.

Swapping to the 01+ CD6 is fairly easy. I've got the 01+ CD6 and console in my car.

Reverse wouldn't ever grind when I had my T45, every other gear did though:-D

The busted windshield, dent on the quarter panel flare and the touch up paint should be enough to scare you away.

Keep looking until you find something better.

 

[SnkBtn99]

Do yourself a favor and go looks at cars.com or autrader.com and search for another one.

That car is beat .....You would not be happy.

 

[brkntrxn]

As for you not feeling the power of the Cobra, you probably never got it above 4k rpm. It will feel the same as your GT until you wind it out. If the clutch was bad at all, then you will never feel the power of the car.

Hey, I know you are hit by the Cobra bug at the moment, but you should seriously consider passing on this car. If it were me (and I have two Cobras as you know), I would pick your GT over that Cobra. Your GT looks clean, has a few good bolt-ons and you already know the history of it.

If you gotta have a Cobra, then go ahead. But, there are better deals out there. Maybe not a one-for-one swap, but I wouldn't give up what you have for a vehicle of questionable value.