Cobra regrets

Snake2998 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-31-2015, 01:35 AM

Seeing the thread by David Williams regarding old classifieds brought the following to mind - I'm sure many others have similar stories.

In 1972 I was a University student touring the then Southern Rhodesia (Now Zimbabwe) with my folks and during the evening before our last day in the country we were walking around Salisbury (Harare) when we passed a used car lot.

In the lot was a red 289 Cobra and an orange Muira. I immediately fell in love with the Cobra - the sticker price was $2000 and I had the money in my account. I said to my folks that I was going to buy it and they said "well we are leaving early tomorrow morning and how are you going to buy it, arrange payment and import it into South Africa, drive it the 1500 miles home in mid winter and start your lectures all in three days time."

Needless to say I never bought it and regretted that move until I built my replica 29 years later. I was an idiot - although at 22 I might well have killed myself in it..

Ron61 · #2 (**permalink**) 05-31-2015, 01:51 AM

Back when I was working for the labs and had all the money I needed, I was in Los Angles looking for a 289 Cobra. A lot there had 3 of the 427 bodied ones on it with none of them having over 8K miles on them. I had visited that lot several times and I could have bought all three of them for just $14K, but I wanted a 289 and couldn't find one at that time. I still wish I had bought the three of them as they were having a hard time selling them at that time.

Ron

fordracing65 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-31-2015, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron61

Back when I was working for the labs and had all the money I needed, I was in Los Angles looking for a 289 Cobra. A lot there had 3 of the 427 bodied ones on it with none of them having over 8K miles on them. I had visited that lot several times and I could have bought all three of them for just $14K, but I wanted a 289 and couldn't find one at that time. I still wish I had bought the three of them as they were having a hard time selling them at that time.

Ron

Do you remember what csx numbers they were...

mdross1 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-31-2015, 04:29 AM

Back in the 60's there was a 427 Cobra for sale at one of our Ford dealerships. One day a friend and I went to see it. The day before a guy had taken if for a test drive lost control and totaled it. Shortly after that went to a body shop where a 289 Cobra was apart waiting for a front fender from overseas. At that time that fender was $2500.00 the body shop owner warned me about touching the car because the aluminum was so thin.
So happy years later to have discovered the fiberglass replicars, now very content.

madmaxx · #5 (**permalink**) 05-31-2015, 01:46 PM

I was 16 in 1985 and knew of Berkshire Hathway as an investment option. I had saved about $10K, I had delivered papers, cut grass and was working in a grocery store. Bottom line each $2K share of Berkshire Hathway in 1985 is now worth $215K....... Instead I bought a CD at 9.3%.

LMH · #6 (**permalink**) 05-31-2015, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmaxx

I was 16 in 1985 and knew of Berkshire Hathway as an investment option. I had saved about $10K, I had delivered papers, cut grass and was working in a grocery store. Bottom line each $2K share of Berkshire Hathway in 1985 is now worth $215K....... Instead I bought a CD at 9.3%.

Ouch, that hurts!
Larry

twobjshelbys · #7 (**permalink**) 05-31-2015, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmaxx

I was 16 in 1985 and knew of Berkshire Hathway as an investment option. I had saved about $10K, I had delivered papers, cut grass and was working in a grocery store. Bottom line each $2K share of Berkshire Hathway in 1985 is now worth $215K....... Instead I bought a CD at 9.3%.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LMH

Ouch, that hurts!
Larry

Yep, I thought about that too way back then (but I was a little older than 16), but of course hindsight is always 20/20.

Dominik · #8 (**permalink**) 06-01-2015, 04:58 AM

Heard of a red Cobra too, in the 70s in Rhodesia. But I was told it was a 427.
my neighbor in Cape Town actually walked up to my left-hand-drive CCX in 2002 and told me the story of owning it in 1976, after paying $10.000 (Rhodesian)

Ron61 · #9 (**permalink**) 06-01-2015, 05:33 AM

Sorry for the delay in answering. And no, I don't recall the CSX numbers. I had them in a book here for years but now I can't even find the book. I know that one of them was in the first 50 427s he made as it was a Comp car and had the single 4 barrel and dual fuel pumps.

Ron

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordracing65

Do you remember what csx numbers they were...

TimG427 · #10 (**permalink**) 06-01-2015, 07:55 AM

A classic car dealer in Austin had two 289 street Cobras for sale in 1983. I had a car I needed to sell to buy one and I couldn't sell it fast enough. I've never seen the blue one he had again, but the red one is still with the fellow that bought it in 1983 and I see it from time to time. It's a good car that was damaged in its past.