Quote:
Originally Posted by twobjshelbys
Your goal is to get a Cobra. But what are your motivations:
1. I want a Cobra and a kit is the easiest and cheapest way to achieve my goal.
2. I want to build a Cobra because I love fabrication, and Cobra kits are plentiful and the end result is a cool car.
If your answer is #2: Good for you. Build a kit.
If your answer is #1: Look closely here. The failure rate of people with that goal is mind boggling. Only a small percentage of kits are completed by their original owners, and those that do seem to report completion a decade after starting. If you want to get a Cobra to drive, buy one that is done. Kit builders always forget that it is a labor and TOOL INTENSIVE TASK! You will need many tools that the typical weekend garage mechanic will not have. First and foremost will be a lift. Without it you'll take a lot more time to finish your car. Second, if you for example have never paineted a car, you're choosing the absolute WORST first car to paint. There are absolutely no flat surfaces or straight lines and a poor amateur paint job significantly reduces the future value.
Look on www.cobracountry.com and just buy an already built, sorted out car.
Edit: This sat in a compose window for a while and others piped in, especially about the "finished roller". That is probably your best choice. Even installing the engine can be a modest task and in some cases, require minor adjustments to the frame esp. motor mounts. But a much more manageable task with a better "calendar" for achieving a car that can be driven. Then you get to sort it out. And a sorted finished car is still something that you should consider. PS. Also add to the list of "roller" builders, Shelby American. A well built Shelby American CSX car will hold its value or appreciate, and noone owns one of these toys forever.
A Cobra with a Coyote is also a tougher sell. Some love them, but why put an engine like that in a Cobra? We have Cobras because we love the rough running smelly lumpy chunk of iron that needs some mechanical attention after every drive. If I wanted something I couldn't hear I'd get a Mustang. |
This is excellent advice for the O.P.
Unless you have a strong working knowledge of automotive maintenance
and troubleshooting, building a Cobra, even in the so called "kit" form
is a journey many become disillusioned with before completion.
A complete roadworthy Cobra that has met DOT registration requirements
maybe a better path for the first time owner who just wants the exhilaration
of driving/sharing the Cobra experience. After a few years of learning
if the desire to do a scratch build is still there...…..sell the car and do it.
I have the smelly, lumpy, maintenance needy over-powered big block,
attention grabbing, award winning Cobra I've always wanted. I will also say
it took years to get there and the journey was not smooth sailing.