Buying my first Cobra

[plharley331@aol]

Looking a Cobra tomorrow, like many I always dreamed of owning one and now is my chance, but I don't want to be blinded with excitement and not focus on what to look for. I was told that it is a LA Exotic built in 1979 with a 351 and a 5 speed with 11K miles.

Looks and sounds good from what was sent to me but what are some of the obvious things that I should be looking for? Standard mechanic's I am good with and of course stress cracks to be aware and weird noises of but is there anything else I should be looking for? The owner is an older gentleman that has had the car for a while but doesn't have a lot of information on the build but has all the paperwork to see. It has a state of Ill issues VIN tag that matches the title, is there anything else that I should be concerned with as far as the paperwork?

Looks like tires could be old if not original so Ill check the dates codes but I am concerned on the side pipes, no heat shields plus they look like they stick out father than I would expect.

This is a trade plus cash on my end, so I am comfortable on what I will have into the Cobra, if we reach a deal.

Thank you for your input in advance... PL