Not to be too harsh. But as a buyer in this market, this kind of experience really turns sellers off and makes someone much less likely to go the extra mile
Having bought and sold many motorcycles on line, this is what you worry about. You meet a potential buyer halfway and you get there and they don't have the cash. I have also visited sellers that didn't have a title after assurances or the bike wasn't anywhere near what was advertised. Sorry for your heartbreak, but the victim in this story was Frank Carroll.

In the words of Gary Cooper, "Ayup." :(

If you need to finance it, you should look for something other than a Cobra. Just my 2 cents.

Even when lenders were free-er, a few years ago, even a late model used car, was a more difficult proposition for most lenders. They usually wanted higher interest rates, more money down, or additional collateral. I had a client in the leasing and financing business of high end used cars who went totally belly up when the market changed. There, the manufacturers started certified leasing and used car programs that included subsidized rates.

Remember that most lenders, other than a small local S & L, have a warehouse line, which they pay back by selling the packaged debt to investors, hedge funds, etc. If packaged mortages are risky in this market, imagine what a portfolio of debt backed by kit or replica cars would look like to a potential investor. I just can't imagine Barrack Obama bailing out an investor in kit car backed debt as part of any recovery or stimulus plan.

But I also can't imagine anybody starting to look at these cars for purchase not realizing that financing would be a dicey proposition, and that they needed to be in a position where they were prepared to pay 80+ percent in cash with perhaps a small signature line to close the gap.

Go out and try and lease a new car nowadays and you will see the difference. These manufacturers don't want to be sitting with a big inventory of late model cars to sell and compete with their new cars. Its a new day.

Actually, I informed him of my situation with the lender prior to him shipping the car. Not that it mattered, he was going to show the car or one just like it at the Knotts show anyway.

Just to kind of put an ending on this thread, I took a ride in a friends Cobra a week ago (Beautiful Blue/white Superformance). we zoomed up the 101 & PCH north of Malibu near sunset. Great ride. I had a blast, but I quickly realized that, although I could spend all day in the car, my wife &/or kid really wouldnt have enjoyed the wind buffet or cold.

Ultimately the car is meant for OUR enjoyment, not just mine. Kinda why I gave up the Harley.

For what its worth, Frank is holding on to part of my deposite (about $1,600) until he sells the car. Why, I do not know, as this was never stipulated.
Sigh...
:(

Good ole Frank! Good Luck on your refund.

You shouldn't be criticized at all. I am sure they were hauling the car out there to show it. Even Cashburn wouldn't ship a car across the country to a prospective customer unless it was paid for first...:D

As I said to you once before...a nice M5 seems right for you.

Good luck...we will miss your insight and humor on these boards.

I can see it from both angles... and that is fine. I have had this happen to me before. You are given a deposit on a car and bring it to an event for the customer, something on their end falls through. Now you are out that sale and any sales of the particular car at the event because it was "already sold" or "on deposit".

Now if you also had the car listed on eBay and pulled the listing because you received a deposit for it ... well then again another venue and opportunity lost.

The car and the financing were not for you, end of another cobra story.

It's funny, now you are told " the car is not for you" or "buy a M5"...what ever it's BS...

they are replica cars...not originals...

business is business my friend, don't lose sleep over it.

Actually based on my ability to read and comprehend it was clear from LudicrousSpeed's post that the car was not for him. I know it was between all those big words and stuff... :LOL:

Yes, our Cobras seat two... but they're built for one.:p Better he found out now, than later on down the road.

Hold on, I'm about to sneeze......ahhhphuckyou....excuse me...:LOL:

They're built for one, so that means that they only need one roll bar. :p

Seriously though, there's got to be fair number of short term owners that buy on a whim and realize sooner than later that it ends up being one of those "oh shix, what have I done" moments. :eek:

I say the Daytona Coupe may be to little ladies liking....no wind, they can have AC...and it is technically still a Cobra...and depending upon how large the kid is, you could fold them up and stuff them in the back...

I'm sorry, I must be juvenile or something. I laughed hard on this one, I almost cried.

This thread kinda reminds me of the infamous, the notorious, the one and only "rsimones." Another nice guy that learned that the Cobra isn't for everyone.

Did the SPF Cobra you took through Malibu & on the PCH have a windscreen and power roll-up windows? :LOL:

Just joshing around. Late night humor. We wish you the best.

Doug, good catch on Patrick's comment about the Cobra being built for one and him having two roll bars and all. :rolleyes:

Yeah, you see them on Cobra Country with less than a thousand miles on them... all makes, all models.:( And of course, there was that one priceless incident of a couple of years ago that Rodknock mentioned where the guy built his dream car (+$100k) and then realized it was not for him. That thread was brutal. So brutal in fact that Jamo had to lock it down.

Doug and Dino just hit this one out of the park....:CRY:

That gentleman for months asked questions about almost every nook and cranny on his car. He spent $127,000 on his Kirkham and then sold it for about $88,000. It had a KC/CSX 527ci (+/-) engine and literally had everything option you could think of, including heater, defroster and top. Noted Cobra restorer, David Wagner of MI, finished it for him. It was top-of-the-line in every way. I think he subsequently went back to and purchased another Corvette. He only had the car for maybe a couple of months. A slightly different story, but very sad indeed.

Eh? I'm not going anywhere. I still love the car. The few Cobra meets I've been to, I've met alot of really neat people- plus all you losers on this forum:p

Theres alot of wisdom & passion for great cars here. I enjoy just trolling & reading all the posts.

And ya know, it wasnt meant to be right now. But I still lust after the car, and I will have one when the circumstances are better. It'll just have to be part of my 5 or 10 year plan.

I really appreciate all the good info & insight, this is a cool community, even if I dont have a Cobra...yet.

You know I was thinking about this last night, and again this morning. I was remembering Rsimones and how depressing threads like this are. I was even driving my Cobra this morning slowly through some back roads (the type that have 10 MPH warning signs before curves) and thinking "Even with this bad cold that my kids gave me, a nice solitary Cobra ride adds years to my life and spirit." Most of us have families, and kids, and we don't get as much time behind the wheel as we'd like (maybe that makes it even more special). But I honestly believe that a Cobra (if it doesn't kill you) will add years to your life, and add to your quality of life as well. Threads like this are like little kids giving up on Santa Claus, or scenes of poverty in Appalachia, it depresses me for days. There should be a black-box warning around them or something so it doesn't kill our moods....:(