Buying Cobra (HELP) So many decisions

[Donal407]

Hello all,

About a month ago I fell in love with the cobra and I decided F#ck it i want one but this is proving far more difficult that any decision iv ever had to make. The thing is that there are so many different options to choose from like different chassis options, engines, transmissions ect and the more I look at them the more I learn and still the more confused I become.

I have a budget of about $35,000 and am totally ready to buy. I would rather a manual transmission (not sure which transmission is best) and after that im really not sure what I should be looking for.

My real other problem is that im living in Ireland and these cars are extremely rare here, so rare that iv never actually saw one so im totally going on impulse and what I read SO PLEASE HELP ME MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION. Any advice received would be brilliant and much appreciated. I just want a nice car which I could keep for a few years without too much heart ache. Also can anyone tell me do all these engines run on the standard 95 octane petrol/gas?

HELP ME PLEASE

[bobcowan]

This is a tough decision, because the options are almost unlimited. Big vs. small block. Auto vs. manual. 5 speed vs. 4 speed. Red vs. Blue. It's tough.

Most of that is just personal preferance, though. So nobody can really help you with that. But a well built car from a reputable kit maker with a 302 and 5 speed will satisfy almost any new buyer. It's fun, quick, looks great, and doesn't consume a whole lot of fuel.

First, decide what you're going to be doing with the car. A simple back roads touring car doesn't require much. But if you're looking for a rally or track car, then you have to be picky.

[Donal407]

Im prob never going to put it on the track but would still like to have respectable power. I would rather manual but not sure if im better off wite the 4 speed top loader or a t5 or some othe transmission.
Also there seems to be big price differences between cars. is this due to the engine. Which of the engines would be more expensive and is the a middle of the road engine

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

The best thing would be to find a Cobra builder or used Cobra locally within your driving or traveling range, as I would think importing a Cobra from the USA would be quite costly. I remember at least one British Cobra builder who used Rover V8 engines (I think there may be more). Most Cobra purchases and builds take place after years of planning. Also check with any exotic car dealers in your country for leads on available cars. Good luck.

[CHANMADD]

Donal ,there are a lot of good Cobras in England. Check the UK Cobra site ,Cobra Club Forums they will probably be able to help you!! Good luck.

[double ugly]

I sold a Superformance with a Ford 351 W and 5 speed manual to a broker in Germany who was purchasing the car for a buyer in England. I think I got 42.5K for it. With the Week dollar that may be close to your price range. Definately stick with Ford power and a manual transmission for re-sale if nothing else..
John

[jshel1]

Club Cobra Forum that CHANMADD mentioned would be a great source of info.

I stumbled across this other UK cobra site a few months back:
All Things Cobra - Home

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

This is a thread I tapped from the Cobra Club Forum in the UK:
Brand new 2008 Dax (DB Replicas)
Like the idea of a Cobra replica but worried about just what you are buying?

Why not have one built to your own specification.

We at DB Replicas have been building Dax cobras to order since 1993 and have built over 100 examples to date.

All our commisioned builds come with a minimum of a 12 month warranty and often cost less that it would if you were to build the car yourself (Due to our buying power as the UK's biggest Cobra replica builder).

Builds take around 13 weeks, and can be finished in the customers choice of colours and trim.

Prices start at £29,500 (OTR) for a car built SVA tested and registered with all new parts (Where available) that can hold its head up at any event.

For spec. details please visit our website:- DB Replicas Cobra Build Agent and take a look at the "For Sale" page.
Finance available subject to status.

[Donal407]

Thanks for all the advice all and keep it coming, I should prob explain one more thing about our twisted country (Irelaand) that very few others seem to realise. We have a tax which has to be paid on all cars which are imported into Ireland (we all do i hear you shout at you me) Ah, but not like we do.

Let me explain. When a car is imported most Governments make purchasers pay maybe 15% -20% TAX and we have all learned to live with this.

Well the Irish have their own way of doing things. Our money hungry Gov start by making you pay 10% of the purchase price in what they like to call stamp duty, Then you pay 21% on the new combined figure which is a VAT rate (so this results in you paying TAX on stamp Duty) and then just for the crack they dicide they havent screwed you enough so they have a system where the car is valued in its current state and TAXED agaig at 30%.

So a car costing, say $40.000, in the USA could end up costing ( 40,000 + 10% +21% + 30% ) iv done the maths for you, $69,212 ( heartbreaking ). However all vintage ( cars over 30 yrs old are exempt ) so my plan is to get a cobra Tilled over 30 years ago and avoid the 30% tax but the other Taxs will apply.

This is why i cannot have one built myself and the UK seem to have very few if any Cobras registered for the years i need.

So this is why i look to YOU my friends across the water in the mighty USA. Also the Cobras in the USA look and sound so much better than the UK ones which i have seen. Hence i have come to you for help.

[Donal407]

Also i see what some of you's are saying about buying a Cobra in the UK and i agree it would be eaiser because buying one from the UK would mean i would get a RH drive and it would be much eaiser but i have my heart set on a Ford engine and its nearly impossible to a car that meets my requirments in the UK but they seem to be plenty over with you Guys,

So again this is why i look to USA.

[Power Surge]

Donal, you should contact Jerry (Gerry?) Hawkridge from Hawk Replicas in the UK. I am sure he can help you out with a car.

[GlynMeek]

WOW...how unfair! I always had thought Ireland to be one of the most forward thinking European countries from an economical perspective (I was the CIO at Dell when we opened the plant in Limerick!!!)

This taxation policy is PUNITIVE!!!

[Excaliber]

30 year old Cobra is going to be tough to find, 20 plus years are readily available, but that won't cut it for the tax thingy.

1978, or so, Arntz Butler maybe, were they making them then? I think they were one of the first replicas.

[WarrenG]

I agree with Sal. Check out the Hawk cars. They have a great 289 car, both slab and FIA styles. Seem very reasonably priced and well built. Gerry might even know of somebody who wants to unload a completed one.

[gt500bill]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

30 year old Cobra is going to be tough to find, 20 plus years are readily available, but that won't cut it for the tax thingy.

1978, or so, Arntz Butler maybe, were they making them then? I think they were one of the first replicas.

Why does it have to BE a 30 year old car, but a recent build titled as a 1965
as mine is titled

[Excaliber]

Because your car is NOT a 1965, unless you plan on convincing the government it 'really' is because the title says so. Try that in Calif and you could go to jail. My ERA is also titled as a 1965 and I had an offer to sell it in Norway. That country required proof of when the car was FIRST REGISTERED, which was 1986, all though the car left ERA in 1984. They declared the car was a 1986 year and I could put the title where the sun don't shine.

[imagine2frolic]

EX,
Would that be on the backside of the MOON??????????

[Smokingcobra2]

And people here in the states want nationalized medicine. Now you see where the money comes from TAXES TRIPLED on everything.
Cheaper for you to move here.
joeg

[Dangerous Doug]

First of all, any Cobra owner is more than likely to tell you that you need to buy the same brand Cobra he/she has purchased. That's just human nature.

By the way, you need to buy an ERA.

That out of the way, I see your budget is $35k. I'd say that pretty much pushes the big block or small block question over to small block, as those FE's are mighty expensive to buy and maintain.

Many Cobras when built from a kit quickly rack up to be about a $50k investment. I recommend looking at the used market for a Contemporary or a Factory Five Racing Cobra with a small block and a 5-speed (I'm thinking you'd want to squeeze out as many miles as possible out of that litre of petrol over there). There are a LOT of FFR Cobras on the used market. Sometimes you can pick up a kit that someone had started but never finished and get a good deal.

Take a look at 427 Cobra Country--Ford AC Cobra replica manufacturers SUPER-SITE and see if there is anything to your liking. Check on the cost of shipping overseas. I've known of guys that have purchased Cobras sight unseen and have had help from the Club Cobra crew getting the car picked up and shipped. You've found the right place.

Dangerous Doug

[Excaliber]

Thats solid advice Doug (get an ERA).

No really, a small block in something like an FFR is not only affordable within this budget it WILL be much easier to maintain and if it's done right won't be to bad on the gas mileage. But it wont be 30 years old.

You know, my friend is going to sell his Excalibur in the near future for around 30-35K. Now THAT would make a nice ride, easy to get parts for, easy on gas and built very strong. Whoa, shipping from Hawaii to Ireland might put a damper on that plan.