Should I get rid of the 01 for an 03?

[cobra4rat]

ya dude good luck getting arround 19k, i'm having a hell of a time selling my 99 w/22,000 miles. keep the 01 call the guys @ turbohorsepower.com and throw a twin turbo on it and do a solid axle swap. that's what i was going to do but i'm switching to a lightning.

[/IMG]

 

[Sanchez]

ok, your post confuses me, could you explain again because it seems there is some quality info hidden within lol :shrug:

When you get a loan to buy a car, the bank will typically only loan you money equal to the car's current NADA value. For instance, NADA value on a 99 cobra coupe is about $15k right now, so if I bought I 99, I could get a loan for up to $15k. If the actual price of the car is $11k, then I only have an extra $4k for mods, and that would hardly even cover the cost of a blower, much less a full bottom end build up. You have to come up with at least another $5k cash out of pocket for the rest of the build. If you don't have that much spare cash, you're better off getting a loan for an 03. You only have to borrow a couple of thousand more than the cost of the car to safely get it up over 450 rwhp, or just buy one of the many 03's that already has the standard mods. That way you get your fast car with no cash out of pocket.

 

[chuckstang]

the way I look at is like this...
t56 tranny, clutch/flywheel and labor=$4,000
supercharger + labor=$6000
rebuild motor=$5,000
total=$15,000

lets say you have a 99 cobra and sell it for $13,000 and are looking at a 04 cobra for $28,000. The difference you pay is exactly the same as the build up on your 99, $15,000.
I think it is only common sense to not dump more money on an old car unless of course you have plenty of money to keep it running for years to come but if you are of the normal working man/woman, it would be a much more intelligent move to purchase the 04 which will have many less miles, less wear and just overall a much newer car.
I would love to keep my 99 but I think you have to use common sense and know what you are getting yourself into. The decision to stay with your 99/01 or move up to a 03/04 varies from person to person depending on their financial situation.

 

[ExplorerThis]

u must have had a hellofa fast 01 lol

It dynoed at 330+rwhp....plus the 4:30 gears and drag radials...it was a monster....I really got used to the gears the 3:55's suck in the 03

 

[americanthunder]

I drove 3 03s, I was ready to trade, one was dynoed at 475 the other stock,non of the cars realy impressed me,well 475 was fun,but all around my car was much lighter feeling, with any fast car its always about the the weight and with the 430s,mgw shifter,and all the suspension mods my car was more fun to drive despite the horse power difference, the thing a person should keep in mind that if you are doing a trade and you get an 03, its still not over, by purcahsing the terminator you most likey will want the to do most of the same mods that you've mods likey done already, exhaust gears subs bushings shifter clutch tires, ect and if you buy a car with all these mods theres always the question of was the car shit kicked? I think sometimes sticking with what you have is not so bad because at least you know what you have, and whats up with your own car.

 

[chuckstang]

but what if your 99 or 01 is already a used car to begin with, i bought mine with 70k miles on it but i am very seriously considering buying an 04 cobra. mod for mod there is no comparison, and i find it hard to belive that your drive in the cobra was not amazzzzing because i drove in just one, and well that is all i needed, it drove just like mine but much much much faster despite only have 355s.
ahhhh i dont know what to do
decisions suck lol

 

[Screamin Cobra]

I had a strong running '01 cobra before i got my '04 Cobra and all i gotta say is that im glad that i went with the 04 cobra because its a whole other story.
Over all...i would say hell yeah do it. :beer:

 

[Torch10th]

But still there is much more of a difference in the 03 then what you named. The rear end is much better, aluminum flywheel and driveshaft, better wheel/tire combo. I luv my 99 but I am still trying to decide if I should keep modding it or just sell it and buy a low mile 04 and it would cost the same amount but id now have a much newer lower mile car.
Well actually I know deep down, me being only 22, I should just be happy with my car and save my money but we all know how hard that is.

Sure there are some differences but unless you're beating the piss out of the cars and pushing big big power they are differences that aren't going to mean much.

The decision is ultimated yours and both cars are very nice. Here's my only suggestion though. Take a hint from my situation.

I traded my 2002 GT for my 2003 Cobra for my 21st birthday. That car to this day was the best car I've ever had. It took everything I could throw at it and came back for more.

I had to sell it however because my priorities changed and I was spendign mroe money on rent than I would have been for a mortgage. Buying a house made it necessary to sell the 03 Cobra because of debt to income ratio issues.

That left me without wheels at all for about a month while I finalized closing and looked for a replacement vehicle. I was then without a fun car (mustang) for about 6 months. The entire summer. When cars is what you know or do, that's really hard to stomach.

When the time was right I purchased the 99.

That's why I say keep your 99. In the long run until you are settled in without the possability of drastic changes, keep your car.

 

[lasercobra]

You have to baby the crap out of it or it will roost them. The car had 4.10s when I get it. I will most likly be yanking them out soon hoping to get better traction.

You want my 3.27's

:beer:

 

[blue35thgt]

I say stick with the 01. I always wanted a Cobra and was finally able to get one, although the 03 would have been perfect, but I don't think I could get approved to get one so I was able to get my 99 for hell of a deal. I've test drove a 03.. They do seem heavy.. I plan on sticking with my 99.. Besides, I have my GT that is being built, so pointless for me to get a 03..

 

[VirtualSVT]

I say stick with the 01. I always wanted a Cobra and was finally able to get one, although the 03 would have been perfect, but I don't think I could get approved to get one so I was able to get my 99 for hell of a deal. I've test drove a 03.. They do seem heavy.. I plan on sticking with my 99.. Besides, I have my GT that is being built, so pointless for me to get a 03..

OH MY GOD. Did you look at the date?

 

[viperbluelx]

Benefits of 03 over 01:

Already forged bottom end, better heads, supercharged and intercooler, T56 tranny, aluminum driveshaft, 31-spline halfshafts with better traction lok, better bumpers, better hood, better spoiler, better seats, better rims, better ride height, better resale value. Heck for under $1000 in bolt-ons you'll have 450rwhp RELIABLY.

Cons:
Cost more than an 01, heavier than an 01 stock(but an 01 will weigh just as much with a blower and T56), 03-04's are EVERYWHERE now.

 

[VirtualSVT]

Not you too....

 

[viperbluelx]

Not you too....

Well the real benefit to having an 03 is when it comes time to sell it.

Take a used 03 for say $25K and add $3K in mods and you're making 500rwhp, when you get ready to sell it it's probably only gonna bring maybe $25K.

Take a used 01 for say $15K and add $10K in mods to get it to 500rwhp reliably and when you decide to sell it you MIGHT get $18K out of it.

The problem is the 01 doesn't have enough book value for anyone that has to loan money for the car to be able to get enough to cover the asking price.

 

[VirtualSVT]

I meant on the whole date issue.

 

[viperbluelx]

Oh, LOL

 

[VirtualSVT]

hahahhaahhahahaha....I'm gonna make a list and see if I can bride LL into locking some of these damned things.

 

[99flblackcobra]

Sounds like you dont want to do much work to it so you should go with the 03. The 03 will cost more for the power but it looks a little newer. If you have the teskid block you should have it forged and install a D-1sc . If you buy a 03 cobra you still need a solid axle if you want big power.

 

[viperbluelx]

If you buy a 03 cobra you still need a solid axle if you want big power.

Plenty of 03-04 guys are running in the 10's with the stock 03-04 IRS.

 

[99 KOBRA]

Get the '03!! Search Auto Trader on the Internet. I found my '04 there. You can find reasonably priced, low mileage 03/04 Cobras. I paid $28,400 for mine with 12,000 miles. The Terminator is a much better Bang for the Buck. I think the drivetrain has been shown to be really reliable. I loved the '96 and '99 Cobras, but they just aren't as good as the '04.