[decooney]

diverrick,
For a first Cobra, one thing some folks don't mention is the idea of buying a brand similar to what other locals in your area have already. It simplifies things a bit for newbies when you can leverage support in your area with a group of common friends. This can be particularly helpful when you hook into a local group who has built their own cars and can assist you along the way as you start with small changes or repairs.

For example, when I started there was a local group of us who got into the Unique Motorcars and ERA Cobras and we all helped each other. At the same time there were two other large camps of Factory Five owners who built their cars and they all helped each other out. Its not critical, but its another factor that makes it fun and helpful when you have something in common. I'd recommend straying away from brands no longer in business even if its a good deal. Fabbing up parts that break is okay if you are handy but much easier to buy from a manufacturer who has parts on the shelf today. You mentioned Sonoma, so if it were me, I'd try meeting up with some of the North Bay Cobras group to start and locals around you there who have just about one of every type brand. There are friends in Napa, Sonoma, and all around you who have Cobras there. Get your high level requirements list together and go to one of the monthly meetups there and start looking at the different cars there. You also can spend time on CobraCountry.com getting ideas of what the different type of used cars list for in your price range. It's definitely worth taking your time meeting different people locally first and have them show you their cars in person at the periodic meet-ups. Good Luck.