Rebuilt title Mystic cobra

[BoostinFD]

Hey guys, did my fair amount of searching and reading, but in the came up short. Sorry if this is a newbie question, but wanted your opinion on this cobra I was going to purchase.
04 mystic with 80k miles; convertible; bunch of upgrades like kb sc, rtx clutch, fuel system upgrades etc... Claimed dunks 600hp. Only issues are bad motor for the convertible roof and the fact that it was prior salvage.

I ran ran a car fax and autocheck and it happened back in 04 when it had 4K miles. Went into the ditch back first. Only rear damage, no airbags deployed. Been fine since according to car fax.

Ive had my fair of mustangs (02 saleen, 93 fox, 97gt) but never a termi nor a rebuilt title. I know that they are worth almost 50% less and all that, that being said, this seems to be different. Maybe because I want it so bad. Ha! The guy was asking 16,500... Got him down to 14. Won't budge anymore as he owes close to 15 on it.

Ive searched the states and I can't find anything close to it for that price, salvaged or clean. So, I just want to hear your opinion... Maybe from some that bought rebuilt title Cobras... Is it worth it for 14k?

Thanks for the help.

R

 

[BoostinFD]

My stupid iPad keeps crashing when I tried to edit the thread for typos and to add the mod list from seller

"2.4l kenne bell, jlt cold air, bbk long tube headers, McLeod rxt clutch lethal performance fuel hat twin Walboro 255 fuel pumps with a kenne bell boostapump, aftermarket injectors, it made over 600 to the wheels on the dyno"

 

[Lycosa]

Get it inspected by a proper mechanic and base your decision on his analysis. I personally wouldn't buy a salvage car though

 

[03cobra#694]

My stupid iPad keeps crashing when I tried to edit the thread for typos and to add the mod list from seller

"2.4l kenne bell, jlt cold air, bbk long tube headers, McLeod rxt clutch lethal performance fuel hat twin Walboro 255 fuel pumps with a kenne bell boostapump, aftermarket injectors, it made over 600 to the wheels on the dyno"

Not you or your stuff, I was having issues too.

 

[TP 112]

Just remember with that type of title(salvage) for it. It will be a struggle for you to resale if or when you want to move it. You will also have to take a hit on resale price like this guy will to move it. I would just keep looking if it was me.

 

[cj428mach]

If you don't care about it then buy it but like others said it'll always be worth considerably less.
I personally wouldn't buy one. I cant believe spinning into a ditch backwards at that early in its life was enough to brand the title on it.

Also 99% of the time the people who rebuild wrecks like that are just looking to flip them so its the minimal repairs needed to get them sellable. Not a labor of love to restore them 100%

 

[badjuicedgt]

If its what you want get it,the nice thing is your buying a car made one year and while I was looking for my cobra back in October I was going to buy a salvage one because I plan on keeping it and not selling.I think at 14k you are to the point where you can get your money back and wont have to take a big hit you may lose a grand or 2 t nothing huge.I would do what others have said take it to a mechanic let him look at it and I would also take it to a body shop and have them look at it,but don't tell the body shop about the accident or the salvage title until after they have looked it over,that way you can see if they catch the work and how good it is.Good luck on your purchase.

 

[R.D.P.]

If it were me I would want to see the damage pics to see just how bad it was. If it happened when it was basically brand new and it was a rear end hit it must have been bad to be salvaged. Also 2.4 is an older blower, so it's been pushing high boost for many years most likely. With that being said - if you are paying cash and don't have much more budget to work with, it might be worth it. But if you started out with plans of spending closer to 20k, I wouldn't settle for that one.

 

[Goose17]

That's obviously cheap for a Mystichrome car. If you want it and it checks out, buy it. If it wasn't salvaged, you'd pay much more.

If you do buy it though, you'll have to realize there is a big difference between Mystic and Mystichrome. These names are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.

 

[RichM1983]

So where is the car located? I'd have a shop inspect it first.

 

[BoostinFD]

It's listed as Mystichrome... I'm scheduled to fly out Monday and go get it... I think for 14K it's pretty good deal, but obviously, i'm on the fence because of the title. When I started looking for a "toy", at first I wanted another Foxbody... but then changed my mind... started looking at cobras... Didn't want to spend more than 10-12K... Which I very soon realized it was impossible unless it's salvage or very high mileage.

I already have an Audi R8 as a toy and an explorer as daily... so cobra would be more of a toy/show off because I never had a convertible. It's got more HP than my v10 R8... so it would be cool to take it to the strip every once in a while.

I'm aware I would be taking a hit on resale... but if the car is worth between 16-18K Clean... maybe more because of the color/convertible/mods... Getting it for 14K at 80k miles seems like an okay deal, no?

As I mentioned before... i'm on the fence... 50/50... I want it, but yes, i'm worried about resale later on. I could keep looking, but I don't want to pay more than 14K... or I could go back and get another Foxbody for 7-9k and keep modding the hell out of it HA!

thanks guys.

 

[BoostinFD]

That's obviously cheap for a Mystichrome car. If you want it and it checks out, buy it. If it wasn't salvaged, you'd pay much more.

If you do buy it though, you'll have to realize there is a big difference between Mystic and Mystichrome. These names are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.

I just want to say, that's a nice stable you have there my friend. Absolutely Beautiful!

 

[R.D.P.]

You also want to be 100% clear on what the current title state is and what it will take to title it in your state. Some states it's not a big deal, some states it's a huge pain.

I can definitely highly recommend trying out a vert. I love mine and love doing pulls with the top down and being able to hear the car in full song. I ride around with the top down 95% of the time. Something else to consider - unless the current owner has some documentation that the kb has been in for a rebuild, you should assume it's going to need one, which is going to run you about 1k-1.5k. You can try taking off the blower belt and wiggle the snout and turn it by hand to assess the condition.

 

[Goose17]

I just want to say, that's a nice stable you have there my friend. Absolutely Beautiful!

Thank you sir. SVT fan here and love my Mystichrome!

 

[BoostinFD]

You also want to be 100% clear on what the current title state is and what it will take to title it in your state. Some states it's not a big deal, some states it's a huge pain.

I can definitely highly recommend trying out a vert. I love mine and love doing pulls with the top down and being able to hear the car in full song. I ride around with the top down 95% of the time. Something else to consider - unless the current owner has some documentation that the kb has been in for a rebuild, you should assume it's going to need one, which is going to run you about 1k-1.5k. You can try taking off the blower belt and wiggle the snout and turn it by hand to assess the condition.

Thanks for the info. Now that's a scary thought... Getting it and having to rebuilt it right away.

 

[ImThatGuy]

Im a salvage car buyer/reseller. It really depends on why it was salvaged for in the first place. Small body damage is no big deal, even flood damage depending on how high it was (ive had cars that sat it water that was 4" and didn't hurt a thing). If its has a rebuilt title it had to pass a stricter inspection than just state to get the title rebranded to rebuilt. Id go for it!!

http://www.salvagedb.com/ is what I use to run VINS and its free. Sometimes youll get pictures that were not listed on the site.

 

[BoostinFD]

Im a salvage car buyer/reseller. It really depends on why it was salvaged for in the first place. Small body damage is no big deal, even flood damage depending on how high it was (ive had cars that sat it water that was 4" and didn't hurt a thing). If its has a rebuilt title it had to pass a stricter inspection than just state to get the title rebranded to rebuilt. Id go for it!!

http://www.salvagedb.com/ is what I use to run VINS and its free. Sometimes youll get pictures that were not listed on the site.

When I ran the vin it said salvage history not found. Maybe because it's been so long? According to the carfax it went into the ditch with back first. So I could see a lot of crap there get damaged. However, it's been 12 years since... If it was done shitty, it would have shown by now... I think.

I think I already made up my mind that I'll get it... It just seems like I'm looking for reassurance. Ha! Do you think 14k is a good deal on it... Or is that too much?

 

[ImThatGuy]

Like I mentioned earlier just because it has a salvage title doesn't mean its screwed up, just some people don't care for that type of title, other likes myself don't care as long as all/most issues have been addressed, and it runs/drives. Salvage titles bring about 30% or more of the total value down depending on damage type.

Although $14K is a little on the high side for what salvage terminators sell for, the KB blower, mystichrome paint bring that value up. And as you mentioned rear bumper damage with no airbag deployed, seems really appealing to me.

I would go for it!!

 

[CobraBob]

Price is decent for a salvage title IMO, assuming there are no engine issues, etc. I would still inspect it before handing over $14K. Also, read through this info from my Terminator FAQs. Things To Check For When Buying A Used '03-'04 Cobra

 

[BoostinFD]

Price is decent for a salvage title IMO, assuming there are no engine issues, etc. I would still inspect it before handing over $14K. Also, read through this info from my Terminator FAQs. Things To Check For When Buying A Used '03-'04 Cobra

Thanks! I already that that whole thread 2 days ago ;-)