Reliability of 03/04 Cobras now?

[NeedaCobra]

Hey,

So I'm going to be setting some cash aside for the next year or so to buy an 03/04 Cobra. I was originally thinking about buying a 96-98 Cobra, but I think the 03/04s are not only much faster, they already have a nicely built engine.

So for those of you who are or were owners or anyone who may have info. on the subject, are the 03/04 Cobras pretty reliable?

My drive to work is rather short, and the longest drive I have is to church (probably 15-20 miles away).

Thanks for the info. :idea:

 

[Juruense]

I would say that my Cobra is the most expensive car to own that I have ever had.

Mine has 46k miles and I have already had to spend $850 on tires and $900 on clutch. I am sure in the next year or two I will have to spend serious money on an alternator they are known to last about 50k miles which is pathetic compared to other cars. I have had the car about two years and have also spent well over a grand on preventative maintenance and minor modifications. So in the two years I have had it the cost has been premium fuel, insurance, and about $3600 on misc stuff. And I do not even seriously mod the car...

I would suggest if you are concerned about low total cost of ownership then the Cobra is not for you since it has a very high total cost of ownership.

However, if you are looking for a fun but expensive hobby car go for it!

 

[RAPTOR5V]

These cars can be very expensive and that's why mine is a hobby and not a daily driver

sooo much repairs, gas, insurance, tires, routine stuff etc and only 25k here

but then again 6 yrs now, very minimal mods, and still puts the biggest smile on when I blow doors off

 

[96stanggt]

When mine was my primary vehicle it was relatively cheap contrary to what Kilgore said. I ran Nitto drags which lasted close to a year of driving, didn't have to replace any belts, clutches, alternators, etc. Besides gas and oil changes it didn't take any more money from my bank. I've had the car a little over three years now with lots of modding and time at the dragstrip, still yet to have any serious problems. Just now installing my second clutch, no problems with the motor or transmission, no electrical gremlin's, etc. To be fair the last 2.5 years it's been basically a weekend vehicle, but with it's subject to even more of a beating as it's driven "fun" when it is driven.

 

[Jomo1994z71]

I have had my 2003 Cobra for about 8 months and it has around 35,000 miles on it...no problems so far knock on wood...a couple things you need to understand which I wish I would of knew before I purchased mine...
1. Get ready for the mod bug which is very $ because you will always want more power and with adding more power you will need to invest is supporting mods such as beefing up the IRS in the rear
2. This car will turn heads in the car crowd...but all-in-all, this car is the a blast to drive

 

[black 10th vert]

Honestly, it's like ANY car on the road today. You can end up with a lemon that has constant issues, or you may have a totally trouble-free ride. The only major difference between this car and most regular cars, cost-wise is the "premium only" fuel requirement. Unless you hammer the car daily, and mod the hell out of it, your basic ownership cost is the same as any other car, as is the reliability. If you leave rubber on the road everytime you leave a stop light, well then, duh - of course you'll be spending a ton on tires! It is dollar for dollar, the most fun car you'll ever have, though!

 

[Roger04Romeo]

I have a 04 with 35k miles, I just recently got it, and I really like it. Before the Cobra I owned a 02 Corvette Z06, and it is hard to judge which one is better, but I do like the cobra and I am going to get the odometer to 50k and make a decision. I think if I do get rid of the Cobra though I am definetly going back with a Z06 and a 150 wet shot... it is really hard to beat 28mpg on the highway and 22mpg average when you have been hitting on it a little... So not to try and send you to corvetteforum or anything but Z06's are reliable and get good mpg, and put down 380+-hp in a car that weighs 3000lbs.

 

[younggun04]

I have had my cobra for 2 years now and I must say when i first bought it, It was a nitemare. I had decided to do some upgrades (Ported blower setup) and took it to a shop that at the time had a good reputation. So they did all the work and tuned the car. well after that the engine lasted 4 days. The second time around has been much better. I have since done all upgrades myself with buddies and have found a VERY good tuner. The car runs awesome and hasn't had a majpr problem in a year and a half so far. There always is the normal wear and tear that comes from owning any car (brake, struts, oil changes ETC.). I say if you drive these cars properly, get the proper upgrades and a good tuner. These car are actually very reliable for how much power you make with them. My car is probably closer to 600+ HP now and I drive it to work 2-3 Times a week.

 

[fjules]

Aside for the $8,000,000 I spent on mods it is not expensive to ride. Gas and oil is about it. But mine is not a DD.

 

[vipergts281]

Aside for the $8,000,000 I spent on mods it is not expensive to ride. Gas and oil is about it. But mine is not a DD.

8 MILLION!!!!!!!!

Haha. :beer:

 

[spitin venom]

My 2004 Cobra is the most unreliable/most expensive to maintain car I have ever owned. It took me over a year to work all the bugs out. Now it is perfect. *knocks on wood*

 

[CobraBob]

If you want the best odds at having a Terminator with a low cost of ownership here is my advice.
1. Absolutely look for an '03/'04 Cobra that has never been modded. You might have to be very patient, but they're out there.
2. Look for low mileage. Under 30K miles is good. Under 20K miles is better. Under 15K miles is best.
3. Keep the car at least near stock. Add a catback/midpipe, shifter, and intake if you feel you have to. And then just do regular maintenance.

If you choose to go further with mods (pulley, tune, ported blower, twin-screw, fuel mods, etc., you'd better have a deep wallet. Because the direct and related expenses will grow quickly. The biggest reason why I sold my '03 Cobra was that I couldn't resist modding it and the costs just started getting out of hand. So instead of it becoming a money pit, I sold it. I have to say, though, that I had NO maintenance/repair issues with it at all. It's a money magnet IF you allow it to be a money magnet.

Oh, funny thing about the '03/'04 Cobra. For some reason the average owner ends up modding it. It's kind of rare to find a Terminator without at least an intake, catback and midpipe. And a ton of them have twin-screws, ported Eatons, and running 13+ lbs. of boost. And yet if I had an '06 Corvette Z-06 I wouldn't be interested in the least with adding any mods at all. I say that because I've driven my son-in-law's '06 Z-06. Maybe it's just me. LOL!

Best of luck with your decision.

 

[homer302]

Just curious Bob why would advise against a pulley? It it my understanding that you need a tune even with a cold air and full exhaust on these cars so if you're gonna pay for a tune anyway.......A 2.93 is still under the 15,000 rpm limit of a stock Eaton isn't it?
Thanks
:beer:

 

[Venomous01]

If you want the best odds at having a Terminator with a low cost of ownership here is my advice.
1. Absolutely look for an '03/'04 Cobra that has never been modded. You might have to be very patient, but they're out there.
2. Look for low mileage. Under 30K miles is good. Under 20K miles is better. Under 15K miles is best.
3. Keep the car at least near stock. Add a catback/midpipe, shifter, and intake if you feel you have to. And then just do regular maintenance.

If you choose to go further with mods (pulley, tune, ported blower, twin-screw, fuel mods, etc., you'd better have a deep wallet. Because the direct and related expenses will grow quickly. The biggest reason why I sold my '03 Cobra was that I couldn't resist modding it and the costs just started getting out of hand. So instead of it becoming a money pit, I sold it. I have to say, though, that I had NO maintenance/repair issues with it at all. It's a money magnet IF you allow it to be a money magnet.

Oh, funny thing about the '03/'04 Cobra. For some reason the average owner ends up modding it. It's kind of rare to find a Terminator without at least an intake, catback and midpipe. And a ton of them have twin-screws, ported Eatons, and running 13+ lbs. of boost. And yet if I had an '06 Corvette Z-06 I wouldn't be interested in the least with adding any mods at all. I say that because I've driven my son-in-law's '06 Z-06. Maybe it's just me. LOL!

Best of luck with your decision.

Outstanding explanation...

 

[12secgt]

I would say that my Cobra is the most expensive car to own that I have ever had.

Mine has 46k miles and I have already had to spend $850 on tires and $900 on clutch. I am sure in the next year or two I will have to spend serious money on an alternator they are known to last about 50k miles which is pathetic compared to other cars. I have had the car about two years and have also spent well over a grand on preventative maintenance and minor modifications. So in the two years I have had it the cost has been premium fuel, insurance, and about $3600 on misc stuff. And I do not even seriously mod the car...

I would suggest if you are concerned about low total cost of ownership then the Cobra is not for you since it has a very high total cost of ownership.

However, if you are looking for a fun but expensive hobby car go for it!

Mine has 52,000 and the alternator died last night. Pain in the ass to get off and Advance wants $209 for it.

 

[homer302]

If you live close to any sort of metropolitan area you can have your alternater rebuilt for $80. Just ask around. I just helped a friend in our club with a Terminator whose alt. failed....at 36,000 miles....replace his. Of course he had a 4lb lower so he was spinning the guts out of his and was lucky it lasted as long as it did. It sounds by your sig that your lower is stock so the alt isn't spinning any faster so it was definitely a flat out early demise. He got it rebuilt for $80 and it wasn't any kind of friend deal. That is of course exactly what Advance is selling you so don't go there.
Maybe the extra effort idlers put more strain on the alt bearings. Another friend of ours had a stock 03 that had 72,000 miles on the stock alt when he sold the car and it was still running like a champ.
Go figure.:shrug:

 

[Sonic605hp]

they are very reliable cars that require routine maintanence....if you mod and pound things will break or wear out, that's expected isn't it? as far as tires, they do wear as expected and obviously more the harder you drive....if you stay on the stock 17's you can find them pretty cheap same goes for the brakes..so it depennds on your mods and driving style other then that the only real thing you may run into is a slight rear end vibe at speed or an alternator failure; these cars are NOT that bad to maintain.....it's no Honda but for a performance car it's damn solid.

 

[thomas91169]

I would say that my Cobra is the most expensive car to own that I have ever had.

Mine has 46k miles and I have already had to spend $850 on tires and $900 on clutch.

zomg wear items!


Id say the Cobra has been just as reliable as my past cars (02 GT, 97 Eclipse GST), if not more, and with 450whp to boot. So for its output, its pretty freaking reliable.

then again, i dont consider general maintenance and replacement of wear items part of the expense or a negative part of the car, its just a fact of life.

Im pretty sure ill be doing brakes and clutch next.

 

[kwlscott]

depends on how you look at it i guess. in the 2 or 3 years before i bought my terminator i had an '02 ws6 w/10,000 miles, an '06 gto w/less than that and an '06 gt brand new. the cobra hasn't cost me anymore or less in basic operating costs-where it's killed me is that i left all the other cars basically stock and i can't help but mod the cobra every chance i get. so if you can 'just drive it' you'll be fine-and one of the rare cobra owners not bitten by the bolt-on bug.

 

[The Sync]

If you want the best odds at having a Terminator with a low cost of ownership here is my advice.
1. Absolutely look for an '03/'04 Cobra that has never been modded. You might have to be very patient, but they're out there.
2. Look for low mileage. Under 30K miles is good. Under 20K miles is better. Under 15K miles is best.
3. Keep the car at least near stock. Add a catback/midpipe, shifter, and intake if you feel you have to. And then just do regular maintenance.

+10000

I found my cobra with just a K&N FIPK and only had 12,400 miles on it. They are out there, just have to really look around for them.

I've since added a catback and have an x-pipe sitting in my dining room waiting to be put on :burnout: