Need Advice on an 04 Cobra

[UrS4]

I have been looking to buy a new 04 Cobra and I can get one for $29,500 (X-plan price + $2,500 rebate + $1,500 rebate if I finance through Ford). However, my current car is a 94' Audi UrS4 with many mods. It's not practical to have both so I would be selling the S4. My problem is that the audi is a great car in the winter and selling it now (winter in Minnesota) to get the cobra may not be the best choice. My question to you guys is how do the cobra's handle the snow if equiped with snow tires? Is it better to wait and hope to find one in the spring? Also, is that price going to get any lower by spring time?

 

[03 stallion]

UrS4 I have a mach 1, not a cobra, but I'll take a shot at this question. Your asking.....how does a 390 horsepower rear wheel drive sports car with a light rear end handle in the snow...the answer....it doesn't.

I'd keep the audi

-Dan

 

[UrS4]

ttt

 

[UrS4]

thanks 03 stallion
I know it wasn't going to be good, I was just hoping for some one to say it can be done as long as you use extreme caution. A friend of mine has an 02' GT as his daily driver, but when the snow is flying he drives his wife's focus.

 

[UrS4]

any comments on the price?

 

[poopnut2]

Not a bad price if it's under $30K. The cars have traction control. Power, with practice is not hard to tame if you want to. Especially with traction control. It's just gonna get harder and harder to find them the longer you wait.

 

[verbal]

That sounds like a pretty good price. Who knows where the price is going to be at the end of the winter. You may not even be able to find a new 04' by then. I have not driven mine in the snow but a few others on this forum have with snow tires. Do a search to find some of the threads. I have problems just in the rain with stock F1's. I say buy the Cobra and buy a cheap beater. The paint jobs on these things are s&%t, the winter roads would probably destroy the Cobra in no time.

 

[TnPaulMan]

If you can stand it, buy the cobra and get a winter beater for 3K. That would be the best of both worlds if it were me.

Paul

 

[DenverJay]

I've driven my '04 cobra in up to around 7-8 inches of snow up to this point. The key is to get a couple sand bags (I got them at home depot) just to weigh down the back end a little (I only load them in the trunk when I'm driving in the snow btw) and then just make sure just before winter hits, get a really good set of dedicated winter tires. I got a set of Dunlop Wintersport M3's in 245-45-17 I believe and they have been GREAT.

Obviously these cars are extremely nose heavy so when it comes to turning and stopping, I have yet to slide or even have the ABS kick in. Getting started is a little more touchy but still better than I thought it would be. The key obviously is just to take it easy. Go slow, watch out for other people and take your time.

The thing you have to watch out for, and this is what would really keep me home on a snow day, is if it snowed over 7 inches or so. At this point the car pretty much becomes a snow plow due to ground clearance. So if you get more snow that that, find another way to work or just do what I do and take the day off. I usually don't use my vacation for much anyway so I just stay home and enjoy the snow if we get a bunch.

That's just me though. I really thought long and hard about whether I was prepared to own a car that wasn't that great in the snow but was awesome the other 98% of the year that we don't have snow. My answer was yes, absolutely. And I came from an '01 Audi S4 and then an '02 WRX, both great in the snow with the right tires. But you live in Minnesota so that's a different situation than colorado. We get snow often but it's usually gone the next day. You really just have to decide if you are willing to sacrifice some mobility in snow for having a kick ass car the rest of the time. I was more than willing.

 

[the ambush]

buy the cobra and keep the audi for winter epper:

 

[UrS4]

Thanks DenverJay
Now all I have to do is sell my S4, the Ford dealer over the phone would only quote me $1,500 to $3,000 trade in, KBB prices the car at $11,500. I have around $10k in mods so I was hoping to get at least $11,500 but not everyone appreciates modifications or is willing to pay extra for them.