New to the Cobra world? Have you always dreamed of having a Cobra? Read carefully.

[Jim Wintz]

I have been reading this keeping amused, but just thought I would chime in and give my thoughts.

Like we were told when we were kids at Christmas time, sometimes it is funner and more exacting to want for something then when you actually get it. Maybe you were in love with the dream and excitement, but not really the car. Kinda like the difference in love and lust.

I also aree with woodz428 comments, after reviewing several of his previous post, it seems he has investment written all over them, not love and desire, and thats fine as well but call a spade a spade, if it was a bad investment and did not work out, pick up the pieces and move one, don't make it sound like the car and the experience destroyed your childhood dream.

Now for me.

I have to figure out where I stand with all of the different descriptions of car guys, gear heads, Cobra guys / gals, now Im lost. I am building my own Cobra so that makes me a gear head, but it is taking my 7 years, so I guess I am a slow or low gear head. But I did not build the engine or drive train, I bought it, so now I am more like a car guy, but not really because I am not all show and shine, or pretend. I am not doing it for an investment, heck I can't even tell you how much I got in my Cobra. I plan to do some track time in my Cobra, but I also plan to go to some local shows and gatherings, I am all confused, I must be a Cobra Car Guy with a Gear Head??????? Oh well who cares. I bought the car to build because I love it, love the Cobra people and atmosphere and good times when gathered, either in person or over the net.

I have had my share of huge set backs during my build, it slows me down but I keep trucking and work through them because its my dream and I am doing it for me! Man that sounds selfish?

Bottom line you can get a lot of information here on the pros and cons of kits, but no amount of feedback, opinions or comments can tell you if this is really the right care for you. If you are not sure, I suggest you invest some time and go to a local event featuring Cobras, such as the London Cobra Show, see them upclose, in person, talk with the kind folks, and take a few rides while you help out the charities. I would think you would walk away with a real clear understanding of what a Cobra is and you would know if it is really your dream, or if it isn't the car for you. Either way you had a good time.

I only chimed in to add to the amusement of this thread, but did not care for they way this guys experience came across as "a bad idea, and you better think twice before jumping in". Sorry about his luck, I am sure the corvette will be great, my daughter loves them. And oh yeah, sometimes you have to talk to a 3 year old to understand what you already know in your heart but need someone to tell you, and sometimes a 3 year old is just the person for that.

Times up, got to go......

[Fred Z]

I won't bore you with re stating the obvious here.....we all have experiences.....some good, some not so good! It comes as obvious!
I could have purchased anything i chose to purchase. I have been a car guy forever, and had hoped the silly side of me had passed!! It didn'! I got sucked in......quickly went and bought a Cobra for a seemingly good guy, turned out not so.........and sold it! Met a great builder/racer of cobras......had one built, had some issues, but all were expected....as i did a lot of homework. I completed the car last Dec...have driven it approx 6800 miles.....and yes, a few issues...but ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THAT OVERRIDES THE FEELING AND THE POWER AND THE ENERGY that this car exudes!!!! I know, it is professinally built, i did not build it myself, but I have a job that requires my full attention, and besides.....the guy that did the work....did it real good, so it saves me problems!
Bottom line here..........some should own Cobras, some should not. He made an attempt, did not work out. no bigggy.....he is happy, and so am I! So.......at 7:30 in the morning here in So. Calif.....I think I will fire up the beast....that smelly, loud, nasty thing on 4 wheels, and take a cruise...........I will be thinking of this thread.....abut as long as it takes me to get to the first stopsign.
have a good one guys............ALL OF YOU!!
fred z

[mgilbert]

greetings be careful of what you wish for. you may just get it

[jperickson2001]

Oh man. My Cobra has BOTH swirl marks & paint chips AT THE SAME TIME and I love it! Any Guitar players out there? Fender makes a line of high-end guitars called "Closet Classics". They are new premium build Stratocasters that are aged and roughed-up ON PURPOSE to look like a well-worn, cherished, old guitar, while playing and performing like a new guitar. These are very expensive and they are covered with chips, cracks, and stains. They are very cool! And the best part is, if you accidentally make a nick, chip, or scratch in it, nobody will ever notice because it makes it look better! Now call me weird, but I really like a Cobra that looks like it has been around the block a few times. Chips, scratches, dents (oops, fiberglass does not dent) and blemishes add to the character of a loved herloom car. Car guys call chips and scratches damaged goods and promptly get them repaired. I call them badges of honor. -John

[Excaliber]

Jim Wintz, tough to put most of us in a 'box' labeled 'gear head' or whatever. Through the years I've put together various projects (unrelated to cars) and found immense enjoyment and satisfaction 'specifying' the details and over seeing the project that others built.

Just picking the car, deciding options, choosing the motor, trans, rear gearing, cam and carb can be quite a challenge, even if you simply write the check(s) in the end. I think most of us fall some where between a complete builder and a partial installer. Of course, and I'm guilty of this as well, we love to bash the 'check writers' on occasion and 'puff up' the 'real' builders, but we each choose our road to the same end. A Cobra we can call our own.

There generally is more respect for the guy that really does build his car from a kit, like there is a certain respect for the guys that drive the cars and drive them hard. I did not build my car, but I searched for it, knew what I wanted and was thrilled when I found it. When the motor blew up I was OK with that! I had a great time building my new engine to MY specs (and I wrote a LOT of checks along the way, with an original 'BIC' of course). I would NOT have done it without Club Cobra and being able to stand on the shoulders of giants who came before me.

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

After reading through the threads (I commented back on page one) I realized that this guy probably really wanted a good Cobra, but maybe some outside influences combined with some not-so-good luck with his first cars helped him to bail. Certainly a Corvette can give someone fits if they don't know how to correct problems (if not under warranty). If he in fact had wife issues or kid issues, he would not have the patience to overcome what he really wanted, which was a good running Cobra. I would have suggested a milder engine (much like my own) to go along with his Kirkham. Nobody says you must have six hundred horsepower, which is a lot of effing horsepower. And now maybe he thinks he has to justify bailing on the Cobra dream just because his didn't work out.
When all is said and done, I'll bet he's not done with Cobras...just has to put some other things in order. If we didn't crucify him (myself included), maybe he would have returned to this forum when he was ready.

[Woodz428]

Rob, I attempted to send you another PM, but keep getting a blocked message.

[fsstnotch]

ZOERA, I think you hit it right on the head. I am fully aware that we build these cars for US! But some people just aren't willing to sacrifice their family for their cobra. For all we know, his wife loved that he had his dream car, but refused to ride in it because she didn't like the smell or whatever! Having the vette gives him more seat time and a better chance to spend some time with his family. It's real hard to justify a $100k cobra and a $50k vette when you have kids.

Some people are meant for this, some are not.

[computerworks]

Originally Posted by fsstnotch

Some people are meant for this, some are not.

A nice, civil closing line.

...now, we can all move on.

Since the original text was deleted by the thread originator....we've lost context anyhow.

[Jamo]

Originally Posted by computerworks

A nice, civil closing line.

...now, we can all move on.

Since the original text was deleted by the thread originator....we've lost context anyhow.

One of the few benes of being a Mod is being able to post after a thread is closed. Don't use it very often, but I feel compelled by Rob's action in revising his thread starting post.

That has got to be one of the most chicken sh!t things I've ever seen happen here. Pure unadulturated bullsh!t.

Rob, I was one of the first that mentioned during one of the dozens of separate threads you started to ask single questions during your build that maybe, just maybe, you weren't meant to have a Cobra. You even indicated months later that I may very well have been right. I saw little misinterpretation of what you wrote here...hell, everyone had to live through your damn flipflops...you refused to listen to advice given to you by folks here many times. Great example was towards the end when you just wouldn't listen about the phuking breathers no matter how many times folks told you to put plates under the gawddamn holes...an extremely basic thing to do on any freeking car. Instead, you continued to b!tch about oil coming out of the breathers!

And you're offering to "help" others?

Given what you just pulled on everyone who posted in this POS, it's a good thing you have decided to leave because I'm not sure this is a good place for you.

Hopefully, I won't come across dozens of threads from you at the Corvette forums asking how the phuking cupholders work.

P.S. ...and the horse you rode in on.