I need buying advice! 1998 SVT Cobra Coupe! Help!

11Past9

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I found a 1998 SVT Cobra Coupe (Black) with 106,000 miles on it and I need some buying advice from people who know this car well. The guy is almost 4 hours away, and I don't want to travel for a car that is overpriced or could be junk. How do I know?

Things to know about the car:

-Clean carfax, the guy said he worked at a dealership and changed all his oil/fluids etc himself.

-Ford clutch kit 3 months ago (new clutch I'm guessing)

-New rear tires (Khumo Ecsta AST) but the fronts will need to be replaced soon

-Small 3x4 spider/paint crack mark from backing into someone (previous owner did)

-3 owner car

-Current owner said the transmission does not grind, and the rear end is stock and strong but anyone can SAY that.

-I've seen hi-res close ups of the entire car inside and out and it's in very good shape inside and out, engine bay, interior etc.

-Has "performance jet chip"... whatever the

-Dual Flowmaster straight pipe exhaust

-He said it was taken down the 1/8th strip and ran a 9 flat... (it's been raced).

He said he's had the car up for sale for a while and needs to move it. He originally wanted $7,500 but reduced it to $6,800 and said his rock bottom was $6,000 on the car. I don't want to travel, buy a car and then have the engine toasty on me, or the rear end blow or the transmission blow...

What should I pay for this car MAX! What should I make sure I find out from this guy before I make the trip and what should I do when I get there, listen for, look for etc? I like the car and it sounds good but I don't have the cash to fix anything major, I'm pushing my budget as is for the thing. Do you think I can get him lower? What should I tell him to do so?

What should I make SURE of before driving this thing home? I'd like some stuff to pitch to him to get him lower but I don't know enough about the market or the car...

Heres a pic of the boo boo... how bad is it? Cost to repair?

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SVT CAMR

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Here is the way I see it.

Your going to need a tune up. wires plugs and possibly air cleaner because he just put the air box back on. There is no way he drove around with the air silencer on.

Most likely new struts and shocks and alignment. at the least.

paint is peeling on that one side. new paint

the headlight lenses look frosted and should look clear.

The pic of the seat look normal.

The rims look great. one year only 1998 stock rims

This car was not anyones baby. it looks like a daily driver. Not a bad thing but you know what I mean.

6K may be a lil high for this car.
There are better example out there for you to buy. Don't get yourself emotionally involved.

Look at other options and then make a decision because there will be work to do on this car.

The transmissions on the these cars are not the best and seeing the car had 3 owners they all had their way with it. Even if the trans is good it's a matter of when.

I would plan on spending 2K with the things that need to be addressed assuming in the near future you will need a trans.

There are better examples out there... and the one you find will be somebody's baby.

did'nt mean to rag on the car but it looks a lil rough. it's great that he changed the fluids but will not insure what the last 2 owners did.:shrug:
 
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PSUCOBRA96

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car needs some love, 500-700 to have that rear cracked paint fixed and blended. 150 to get the entire car polished up by a pro to get the swirls out. Stock steering wheel needs to be painted becasue it looks like ass. Seats are well used.

possible good things to point out is the car has its stock air box so mods are minimal (but who knows if he just changed it over)and if it has a jet chip that means it prob has not been moded in a long time, no one really uses chips anymore.

To fix up the interior cheaply you could and would prob. would spend 500 on summit seats, 150 on new carpet, prob 250 on a shifter, 75-100 on new shifter boot and brake boot because I bet thats warn out too.

headlights need to be replaced, depending where you go you can get new ones for 50 bucks on e-bay.

Most likely you will need to replace the plugs 10 bucks, fuel filter, intake air filter, and new ford FRPP wires etc. for a proper tuneup.

also the clutch pedal cover is missing giving me the impression that this car has been used a ton and not as well maintained as it could be. Also the coolant cross over pipe has rust spotting on it.

The other issue is its got stock ride height, meaning your gonna want to lower it which means another 1000 bucks down the road.

thats some things to think about, there are cleaner cars with better mods that you can purchase for a few more bucks, but it will save you down the road.
 
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11Past9

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I'm not too worried about the small things like carpet, and seats. This would be a fun toy for a while but I didn't plan on keeping it for a long time.

I am worried about the transmission though, are these really that bad? It sounds like it's basically a certainty that I will need to replace it soon...

I explained all that you told me about the car to the guy in an email and I am waiting on his response. But he will not be getting close to $6,000 from me for it. Damn and I thought it was pretty clean.
 

PSUCOBRA96

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no that car is not clean, and its not that the trans are that bad its that if oyu plan on beating the hell out of it its not gonna last
 

crash549

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it's not super clean and there is stuff that needs to be fixed. i'd keep looking to atleast get options.
 
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xTomKx

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Looks completely stock. Tell him 5k but you might be better off finding one that was well maintained and taken care off. Sometimes it's better to pay a little more and get a nicer car. Personally I would find one that's somewhat modded out. It's cheaper than buying everything and you don't have to do the work or pay somebody.
 

Quin

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With the serious deals on cars in the market right now, I'd definitely pass on this. Not even worth a second look for 6k.
 

tankerman1981

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just alot of things could go wrong or could be wrong with the car and you wouldnt know til u went and picked it up... its a 3 owner car but how long has the current owner had it?
 

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