[rms427]

I purchased the car in Los Angeles from the original owner. He was given the car for graduation and was selling it and use the money to go to graduate school. He was Japanese and when I arrive to pick up the car his mother, a very proper Jananese lady, answered the door and told me it was a Cobra evening. It was a cool evening and it didn't take to long driving the car to understand what she meant.

When I got the car I was about to graduate from college and needed new clothes. I saw the add for the car in the classifieds and decided to stop and take a look on the way to buy the clothes. The guy asked me if I wanted to drive it and of course I said yes. However, I had trouble getting behind the wheel so I settled for a ride. I forgot about the clothes and went back home and asked my dad to cosign a loan for the car. Of course he said no. I spent a week telling all about the car and how it would be worth more in the future. I was thinking $10,000. After a week of pleading he finally said OK. I called the fellow that had the car and he still had it and agreed to a $100 deposit to hold the car until I graduated and could get the loan. That was 2 months away. I hadn't told my dad that I wasn't able to get behind the wheel. I was sure I could figure that out later. When I went to pick up the car I found I could kind of step over the steering wheel and slip behind the wheel. I put the key on my key ring started the car and drove about 2 blocks and the car died. I thought oh no I just paid almost $5,000 dollars for a car and it doesn't run. What happened is that my knee hit the key chain and turned off the ignition. So I always run the car with a bare key.

The original owner told me that he had lot's of calls on the car but only two people came to look at the car. I was the first and another fellow showed up the day after I gave him the $100 deposit. The second person offered cash on the spot but the owner told him the car was already sold.

The cobra was my second car. I still have the first one as well. It's a 52 Chevy hot rod I purchased in 1962 with paper route savings.