It's really too bad that you had some bad experiences with the 3 Cobra replicas you had built. I'd have to agree with Patrickt that it all depends on who you surround yourself with in this industry. It's the Hot Rod industry and you've got the best people in the world and some of the worse, unfortunately. Luck just was not on your side.
I have personally built 3 Cobras myself and worked on dozens. They are all different and unique in their own way. You can have a Show Stopper Cobra or a Daily Driver, I've seen it all. But, it's the passion that the owners and newbies have for the car itself that drives us.
Yes, there are Cobras with problems. Nothing is perfect. It's a custom built automobile with high performance parts. And any Cobra owner can tell you that it's pretty easy to enjoy your Cobra a little too much, especially when it comes to the throttle. But, plain and simple, it's a Hot Rod. If you go to a classic car show and look at he rides you'll know what I mean. Or, if you've ever owned any other classic cars, you know what I mean.
For the newbies out there, don't let one bad experience ruin it for you. Ask around the Cobra community, go to Cobra gatherings, attend Cobra meets and you'll see that there are way more positives to this than negatives.
Finally, the depreciation in any automobile is going to depend on how inflated the original price begins with. Whether it is a new Suburban, Lexus, Corvette, or Cobra replica. But I can tell you, if you stay moderate in your building price, you will not loose as much as stated the first year, and the following years will not depreciate hardly at all.
By the way, didn't the C6 Corvette have thousands of recalls for the roof "flying off???" Just a thought about perfection. Great car, but it still has issues as everything else.
Thanks WildBill for the kudos on my Coupe, much appreciated...
Bests to all...
James