Need Help...looking to buy an '03 COBRA

[VENOM650R]

Hi all, I'm new to this Board..my first post. Don't shoot me... I have a '98 Viper GTS Hennessey Venom 650R and am known as DEVILDOG on the VCA Board. In the past I've owned a Thunderbird SC and two Taurus SHOs. I'm strongly considering buying an '03 SVT Cobra Coupe as a daily driver and was looking for some information from the folks in the know. I've done dealership searches in the Dallas area this weekend and have targeted some new '03s that are available. Some questions:
1) Anyone in this area that can advise best SVT dealership for purchase and service ( great COBRA mechanic )?
2) What would be a good purchase price on a new '03 considering '04s should be out soon ( I'm assuming there will be '04 COBRAS )?
3) Can anyone post any pics of their cars on this thread including 10th Anniversary edition pics ( from what I know there are different wheels 7-spoke )?
4) Any common problems with the COBRA I should be aware of?
5) What are some common first mods I should do to improve overall performance and HP & TQ...ie pulley, chip, exhaust?
6) What is the best exterior color?
7) What is the best Mustang Club to join that has regular meetings, cruises, track events, shows, etc.?
Thanks in advance for all helpful replies!:beer:

 

[03BLKCOBRA]

you can buy mine.

 

[03cobra#116]

The frequently asked questions thread on this forum can help with many of those questions.

My Cobra works well as a daily driver.

 

[SVT4ME]

2. don't pay anything over $32K

 

[nuxx]

Originally posted by VENOM650R

1) Anyone in this area that can advise best SVT dealership for purchase and service ( great COBRA mechanic )?
2) What would be a good purchase price on a new '03 considering '04s should be out soon ( I'm assuming there will be '04 COBRAS )?
3) Can anyone post any pics of their cars on this thread including 10th Anniversary edition pics ( from what I know there are different wheels 7-spoke )?
4) Any common problems with the COBRA I should be aware of?
5) What are some common first mods I should do to improve overall performance and HP & TQ...ie pulley, chip, exhaust?
6) What is the best exterior color?
7) What is the best Mustang Club to join that has regular meetings, cruises, track events, shows, etc.?
Thanks in advance for all helpful replies!:beer:

1) Lief Johnson Ford in Austin for Service. Talk to Lance... ask any of the local Austin guys on here, they'll concur. Thor is a great mechanic too.
2) Low 30s for a 10th car, High 20's - Low 30's for normal 03 Coupe.
3)

4) Some early cars "tick", need a head replacement. 1/2 of the cars have a pop in the suspension, or vibration at 65+.
5) Intake, Catback (and xpipe), chip, pulley, shifter... good for anywhere from 420-480rwhp / 420-500 ftlbs.
6) Sonic Blue for regular 03's, Torch Red for 10th Cars (matches interior and exterior cues)
7) You're here

-Peter

 

[JR_Cobra]

Welcome to the board!

I'll give my opinion on a few of your questions. I just purchased a Torch Red 10th Anniversary convertible as a "daily driver" at North Central Ford in Richardson. I was happy with the deal - I paid in the very low 30s.

I'll post pics of mine as soon.

The only "mods" I've done so far are getting a Valentine 1 with the remote installed, stainless steel letters for the back and a cobra emblem for the front. I intend to get a CAI and catback - I don't want to void the warrentee.

I've had no problems with mine. I love driving the car.

Good luck!
Jeff

 

[noslo50]

DEVILDOG,
I am also a VCA member(ndvipergtsr).
1. not even close to your area so maybe someone else here can help.
2. In my local region souix falls,sd was selling 10th anniversary's for 29,760.00 just earlier in the month but they are gone but you should be able to score one at about 30g.
4.common problems, Tick in earlier cars as stated, pop-clunk in driveline, clutch quadrant, vibration(over 80),tranny noise, some others as well but some cars have them some have none.
5.CAI, catted -h, cat-back, pulley/chip(diablo) or tuner, Idlers.
6. Color is all opinon so?

 

[nuxx]

Re: Re: Need Help...looking to buy an '03 COBRA

Originally posted by nuxx
5) Intake, Catback (and xpipe), chip, pulley, shifter... good for anywhere from 420-480rwhp / 420-500 ftlbs.

To be more specific ::

Intake = Get a non fenderwell intake, like the Steeda Unit, Powerstack, K&N, or Anderson Ford Motorsports Intake (I have that one). Some people are happy with units such as the Densecharger, but others have problems with them. I had the car run dangerously lean because of my Densechager / Tune combo.

Catback = Bassani, Borla, and Magnaflow seem to be the most common for the 03. I have a Borla catback and so does my best friend. His has a deeper sound with the stock hpipe, and mine is much raspier with the offroad xpipe. The Bassani is quieter (maybe built better), and the Magnaflow is even more mellow. All seem to give similar power.

Xpipe = Don't really see many 03 owners going with hpipes, or DOHC owners for that matter. Xpipe's seem to give the most power (not as much as catbacks) on these cars. If you plan on going offroad, you will lose torque down low. Bassani is the only way to go here.

Chip = The Diblosport Predator is a flash tool, where you can reflash you factory tune to suit your mod needs. From stock to pulley applications. It is a bit more expensive than a normal chip, but you do not have to thug out your compter to install it. (DO NOT combine a Densecharger and Predator, unless you are getting a custom tune) There really isn't a clear leader in chips, JDM, Diablo, and Superchips all make good chips. Just down to the tune.

Pulley = Size range from 2.7x to 3.4x. The most common sizes are 2.80(1) and 2.93 (Lightning Pulley). The smaller the pulley the more power you make, hands down. But 2.80 and smaller you start to heatsoak the blower and overspin it towards redline. Although for most driving it is fine, and redline is ok, just don't live there. Pullies are either made out of steel or aluminum. The downside to aluminum is that after you take them off, they are good to be thrown away. (ie not re-usable) Another popular option is to add a tensioner or idler pullies to stop the belt from slipping with a smaller pulley. I have the Steeda 2.80 (AL) with a Steeda Tensioner, and Gates 74" belt and have 0 slip, dyno proven.

Shifter = The stock shifter is crap, I don't care what anyone says. My only suggestion is the Steeda Triax shifter. It feels great and has a preloaded 3rd / 4th gear centering for shifts. Pro 5.0 is also popular.

Blower = Swapping out the Eaton for a Kenne Bell yields amazing power, with similar or lower boost levels. Also much more efficent.

WORD OF CAUTION = Get the car on the Dyno after any mod.
-Peter

 

[VENOM650R]

Thanks guys for the great information. Peter, I appreciate the pic...that Torch Red is very nice and I like the split 7-spoke wheels! However, my Viper is red and I want to get a different color. I've never had a black car so I was considering that as a first choice. I too was thinking about $30 - $31K so I'll see what I can do. I found some COBRAs at Sam Pack's 5 Star, Nichols, Southwest and Westway Ford in the DFW/Ft. Worth area...anybody done business with any of them....opinions? Hopefully, I'll get the deal done soon and will be joining the club. Look forward to meeting you all and having some fun! :burnout:
BTW, were there TSBs issued on the affected cars for the tick and clunk problems?

 

[nuxx]

Originally posted by VENOM650R
BTW, were there TSBs issued on the affected cars for the tick and clunk problems?

Sure are...
-Peter

 

[fangstang]

I just put money down on a new red anniversary coupe, I'll be trading in my 01 coupe. First, they're offering me 18.5 for my coupe, and they dropped the price on the 03 to $35,000. I still think thats a little high, I was looking at more like $34,000. What rebates does ford have going right now? Last I heard it was $1,500.