The fact that I don't own one.

The good news- they are 1965 curvy beautiful, and look like what a sports car is supposed to look like.
The bad news- they are 1965 technology.
I have an authentic car. I would like to have another one for fun built on a 350Z or C6 chassis, suspension, steering, engine, brakes as a daily driver. Not a "Cobra", really, just a really beautiful 1960's looking car with 2003 techology.
The other bad news, (caused by the first bad news). They are kinda hard to drive, in other words, unless you are a good driver, you can flog a 300ZX, and stay on the road, but with the same amount of talent, you'd land your Cobra in a ditch.
The guys who have really powerful cars and drive them hard must be damn good drivers, because I have good hand- eye coordination, and get to my limit on the Cobra 10+ mph earlier on the Cobra than I do on my 300ZX.
Fun factor favors the Cobra though- even though I am going slower, it feels way faster because of the wind, noise, body roll, and pedestrians heads turning. :3DSMILE:

Think of a Cobra as a Motorcycle on steroids. MC's are not practical and work to drive for long distances - so's the Cobra. (Although I did drive mine from NJ to AZ in three days.)

I put a lot of miles on my Excal. Being in Hawaii I'm VERY spoiled when it comes to weather. I don't like the occasional rain, I don't like the SUN in the afternoon. I don't like the "winter" when it drops well into the 60's (brrrrrrrrr).

SO, I left my soft top up MOST of the tme! I REALLY liked the extra room the Excal had. I could do a McD's drive thru and had a place for my coffee and all that. Plenty room in the cockpit.

That's why I'm going with a Classic Roadster this time around! Now with a Hard Top and A/C as the goal. I've found Cobra's in general to be VERY reliable transportation. I worked on mine because I WANTED to, up-grade, polish, adjust, etc.

Look at Hal and his SPF, 50K plus miles and purring like a kitten! My goal is to make my next Cobra SO user friendly I WILL use it to go to the store, run errands, drive to work. And thats exactly what I plan to do with it, drive it everyday!

Ernie

In a cobra, people will honk to get your attention, only to give you a thumbs up. Scares the hell out of me every time....Wondering if someone is about to run me over.

Other than that, well, I don't think there's any other car for the money that brings soooo much fun to the table.

Here! Here! Ernie! A fun sports car you can drive every day.

One of the advantages of buiding a Cobra is that the builder can build it to his/her own end use requirements from street legal race car to daily driver. You decide on the components and end use.

What I don't like? Hah, here it comes. No way to install roll up windows or outside door handles. I could re-engineer outside door handles, but roll up windows instead of side curtains would be nice.

The car is a pain getting into, and out of. Worse with the top on. Although once seated, it's very comfortable.

As mentioned above, the exhaust note from the sidepipes can get to you. If I did this again, would have put an undercar exhaust on this rather than sidepipes. That being said, the sidepipes can be mellowed out substantially with judicious choice of exhaust components.

Cobras aren't as watertight in the passenger compartment as I would have liked, so a towel is kept handy. However, the MGA's, MGB's, Healy's, Triumph TR3's & 4's, and even Jags of yore were no better. If you want a mid-60's souped up British sports car, this is what hey were like.

The hardest thing to take in a Cobra is the attention it gets. When you just want to get about your daily business, you have to be humble to the ooglers and car people (men & women & kids) who ask "What is it?", and complement you to death on it. Say thank you, pop the hood (bonnet) show them the engine, tell them a little about the car, and get used to it. It's part of being a Cobra owner.

The question always comes up, "Is it an original?". You'll have to think of your own answer to this. Mine is, "No, it's a replica, and yes, I built it from a kit."

" Does it have a 427 in it?" "No, it has a 351." "Oh, a Cleveland?" "Well, 30 years ago, the Cleveland was the engine to use. Today, Windsors make better choices for street motors. This one is a Windsor, actually, a Windsor block, crank, connecting rods, and front timing cover. Everything else is aftermarket. It's been dyno'd at 400 HP." Other than other Ford folks, you're over their heads at this point.

From a maintenance standpoint, the things we hated in mid '60's British sportscars is (or oughta be) decidedly absent in a Cobra. Underneath, the car is basically a Ford Mustang with a lightweight fiberglass body and two seats. Change the oil and filter every 6 months, change the plugs and wiper blades once a year. Brake pads, belts, hoses, and battery every three years and that's about it maintenance wise.

There's nothing I don't like about my Cobra... except maybe

the cost...
and the fact that I have to fork over $20 at every gas station I pass...

Nonetheless, I drive it every chance I get. (No mileage restrictions.) I've driven it to work about four days a week for the last several weeks. (Gotta love Texas weather at this time of the year!) Almost every errand I run, I take the Cobra (I've told my wife that if she needs me to get some milk, I gladly go, and if she needs another half-pint, I'll go out again!
:D ). Oh, and I love the stereo. Can't hear it much on the highway, but its great around town.

Yup, it's great!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go do some work on the freaking thing!.

I like the sense of purposefulness the Cobra has. It is, after all, nothing but a minimal car with a heck of a lot of fun factor built in. I like the idea that it is a car with nothing attached that will not enhance performance. I like the fact that it is extremely easy to work on, and maintain. I REALLY like the fact that it has nearly limitless performance, and carries a lot of style. It is nice to have a car that is admired, and sometimes feared. It is a big plus that you can build one yourself, detailed and finished to whatever style or liking you choose. Another neat factor is that you can meet a lot of really good people in this hobby, it's almost like a family (keep in mind that we all have some family we could do without, but they are family nonetheless! :LOL: )
Negatives? Gas mileage I suppose is one. The roar of the pipes can get old over distances and the insurance and titling hassles can be like a root canal without novocaine. To me, these are extremely minor, but they do weigh on you. All of the negatives melt away quickly when you can find some solitude and just DRIVE! It really is a little piece of Nirvana! :cool:

Compared to a 1965 'vette
 

Which is a very cool car IMO... the attention the cobra gets is in a different league.. I received at least 2,000 "thumbs up", some of them "double thumbs up" in the first 3,000 miles. It's not just a car, it's an adventure. And the handling with my car, (which admittedly is an advanced cobra design with the latest add on gear) is exceptional. The braking is excellent (power, crossdrilled and vented discs) and the accelleration is only matched by my Yamaha V-Max 1200 V-4 motorcycle... in fact the cobra is likely faster, next summer this will be determined, after a few clutch tech issues are dealt with. I also have the computerized fuel injection system yet to install..

AND: I have a 600 watt stereo, 16 CDs in the trunk, in dash radio/cassette, with 4 speakers and an 8 inch subwoofer under the passenger's seat. For this I do not apologize, I am a music lover.... :3DSMILE:

The one thing that I don't like about my Cobra sometimes is that it tends to discract me from getting other things done that need to get done. Some people have much better discipline on this one than me. If its not the Cobra, or friends Cobras, its ClubCobra and reading about Cobras, or talking to others looking at Cobras. :)

The positive side is it keeps me from getting into trouble with other things that I should not be doing or spending money on! Speaking of that, I need to stay off here and get something else done. %/

"30 years ago the Cleveland..........."

Pleaaase:LOL:

Ever run one with ARP or 4 valve (not big, but four valves per cylinder) heads?

Any ways

If you want a cool car, stick with what you have. Or any number of other choices.

If you want an obsession, buy a Cobra.

Rick

One thing I forgot to mention that I do not like is this....

The tendancy of other drivers (while on the highway) to hang back in your blind spot or just off of you quarter panel, just looking and pointing at the Cobra. Then passing ever so slowly.
You always have to look for a "Lurker" as I call them before you pull out or at least be aware of that aspect.

The other thing I chastise myself for is waiting so long to get one.:o

What many people would not like in a Cobra is that it is not a dependable car, it is far from perfect, and that you will have constantly mechanical heres and theres and in the end you will want to upgarde to something that fixes the problem and there you are drawn ito this endless race for perfection which is never achieved. .

Not a "Consumer" car in short words.

On the plus side is that it is a car you will NEVER forget. The brutality of its acceleration, overpassing in a snap and leaving the overpassed checking if his handbrake may be on. And if you have the right mufflers you will enjoy the SOUND, which makes you get e feel of how the DEVIL'S car may sound.

I also recomend that you be prepared do do some work yourself and as mentioned here before, very, very often the mechanics putting the Cobras together do a lousy job, and then you have to fix things yourself and pay for it too.

For my drives I can choose between a Ferrari 348tb and the Cobra. I allways take the Cobra.

Don't be in doubt, get yourself one !!!!

Let's see.............................................
..............Thinking............................ .....
.................................................. ..........
........I give up, check back in a few years
mabey I'll come up with something?.

Because I live in SoCal, I don't have to worry about rain or the cold weather, but I sure hate driving the Cobra in heavy traffic. It doesn't overheat but the exhaust from the side pipes and the raw gas fumes from the Webers get me high, not that I'm already on a high driving the Cobra. It also gets freakin' hot in the footwells. It melted my friend's shoes. Other than that the pleasures of ownership and driving it outweighs any negatives it may have. When a ricer or low rider comes along playing obnoxious music, I just blip the throttle and they have to shut their windows.

Shin

Three things I don't like;
1.) Getting in and out of the car with the top on.
2.) Exhaust fumes from the side pipes when in stopped traffic.
3.) As mentioned, people hanging out at your side.

It makes me nervous when someone in a big SUV pulls up
on your side at 75-80mph and comes closer for a better look. Because the driver is not paying attention to the road.

But that would never change the smiles, kids waving,
the thumbs up, the great people, and friends, we made with this car.
When people see an older muscle car they look at it.
When they see a cobra they get excited! And don't think it's
only gearheads, No... it's mom's, grannys, kids, dads,
etc, etc.
I guess that's the same feeling I got when I saw one the first couple of times.
Anyway if I ever traded for an other car....
it would be a Cobra again.

:D

That's exactly why we have such distractions-to get(very quickly!) away from the "honeydew" list that never seems to get any shorter!How can our signicant other possibly argue with our helping others in need?The only thing I don't like about my Cobra is the fact that I can only drive it in my dreams!Of course I always win every encounter,nothing ever breaks,the windshield never gets hit,and the paint never gets chipped.And the best part-I get an amazing MPG! Do keep the Sube,Matt.They are amazing machines and great,dependable commuters(and parts runners!)I intend to never associate my Cobra with work.As trick as my Celica GTS is,once it became my daily driver it became forever associated with the daily grind,though it is quite therapeutic on both sides of the workday.I guess I better go blow of the deck and empty the dishwasher now.(da*n,when is that Cobra going to get here?).

Matt,
Although Lawton is a 2 1/2 hours drive away from you, if can borrow your Dad's 57' vett (My favorite year for the vett followed by the 65-67) and come down some weekend, I'll trade you turns in the each other's driver's seats.
Okiesnake

My babe and I have the mooost fun..
 

When we pull up alongside some twit of a girl with her head glued to her cellphone/pacifier.. they always give a snarky look of exasperation and roll up their window... oh what fun a cobra is! :3DSMILE:

Red,

Two very valid observations....:MECOOL: