Newbie enthusiast with mileage question...

[McLane1]

Why is there a different standard when it comes to mileage on a Cobra vs a normal car? 6,000 miles on a regular car is basically new, the same on a Cobra is treated like a very big number. I can only find a couple good reasons for this. Most of the engines are very basic, classic V-8's that are used in all sorts of durable vehicles. Is it all the mods that makes them run harder? I just don't get it. Any thoughts? thanks!

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by McLane1

Why is there a different standard when it comes to mileage on a Cobra vs a normal car? 6,000 miles on a regular car is basically new, the same on a Cobra is treated like a very big number. I can only find a couple good reasons for this. Most of the engines are very basic, classic V-8's that are used in all sorts of durable vehicles. Is it all the mods that makes them run harder? I just don't get it. Any thoughts? thanks!

Interesting question.

Such a question requires more information before it can be responded to properly.


What cobra engine are we talking about?

What car engine are we talking about?

[RodKnock]

It's about perspective.

You're comparing a daily driver to an occasional SUNNY weekend toy. 6,000 miles for DD car that will travel 100,000-200,000 miles, averaging 15,000-20,000 miles per year, is completely different animal than your typical no top/no A/C/no heat/no radio/I can't leave it anywhere Cobra.

Using your example, 6,000 miles in a Cobra is like the equivalent of 90,000-120,000 (+/-) miles in a daily driver. From what I've read, 6,000 miles in a 2005-2006 Ford GT is considered alot too.

Perspective.

[Ace23]

Originally Posted by McLane1

Why is there a different standard when it comes to mileage on a Cobra vs a normal car? 6,000 miles on a regular car is basically new, the same on a Cobra is treated like a very big number. I can only find a couple good reasons for this. Most of the engines are very basic, classic V-8's that are used in all sorts of durable vehicles. Is it all the mods that makes them run harder? I just don't get it. Any thoughts? thanks!

This is a great question and something that I have a completely different perspective on after purchasing my first cobra. When I was looking at buying my first cobra I was looking at the market and had made my mind up that 10,000 miles was HUGE mileage......little did I know. After owning my car for roughly 15 months I have put a bit over 3000 miles on it. Do not fear normal mileage within reason. I don't see the gain of buying a car with super high miles unless the owner knows the car up and down and has a full log of maintenance and the life of the car. If that is the case then mileage would be an after thought.

The advice I would give you is buy a car that is clean and meets your expectations for the exterior color and motor combo. I would venture to say that there are far more lower mileage cars that are not sorted near as well as a car with say 10,000+ miles that someone actually drives. Mileage is nothing more than an indicator of wear and tear. My car had right at 10,000 miles but the interior and exterior was in better shape then cars I have seen with much less mileage. Even at 10,000 miles my car was not sorted to the level that I expected. Have a $5,000 slush fund on the side for upgrades or general maintenance that you intend to do. These are replicas cars so buy it and drive it. Do not be the guy that drives it 2 miles to Starbucks for Cars and Coffee and likes to yack to his friends how he has a cobra or the guy that rides around with that Carrol guys signature on his glove box

[rodneym]

It's taken me 8,200 miles to sort mine...

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by rodneym

It's taken me 8,200 miles to sort mine...

Yes, but that statement requires several footnotes in order to fully explain what is meant by "sorting" in your case.

[1795]

I would be more hesitant to buy a cobra with 500-1,000 miles on it than I would be to buy one that had 6,000+ miles. With a very low mileage car, you have no idea what you are getting. The engine is just off the break in oil! If a car has only 500 miles on it and is a couple of years old, that means that the break-in period was stretched over 2 years; not a good thing in my book. Things haven't even had a time to loosen up. Some issues take time to develop. I concur with a prior post in that, always expect to pay a few thousand dollars more for repairs over the next several months just in case.

[Dwight]

typical Cobra 10 years old with 10,000 miles.


I agree with 1795
low mileage Cobra could have problems

[lnfletcher]

I don't think mine will ever be "sorted" out completely, at least that's what my wife says.
With each modification, it takes multiple trips around my favourite route to make sure everything is just right and then I have to celebrate with an ice cream at the little dairy bar about 12 miles away. Then I have to verify that it stays that way with another test drive. Did I feel a little stutter?
Another tweak and test drive!
I've driven 134 miles one way to get a hamburger in mine!

Mine will never drive like a factory Toyota, but it puts a smile 10 times as big every time I get in it. I say that anyone that has a car that is 10 years old and has less than a thousand miles on it; either doesn't like the way the car drives or has it for a trophy. IMO!

[66gtk]

Great question and not easy to answer. My experience with buying and tinkering with a handful of high watermark replica Cobras has been that mileage means VERY LITTLE other than perceived value/use. There is nothing REAL about it - it's all false perception. I'd rather own some of the 30K+ mile Cobras I have seen and know about than MANY that I've seen with less than 10K miles. The cleanest Cobra I've owned myself had over 18K miles when I purchased it. It was still rated a #1 condition by a certified appraiser. The underside was spotless, as was everything else. It was used, enjoyed, and well cared for. Who cares about mileage - you need to shop for condition, maintenance history/records and how you feel about the seller and his treatment of the car.

I strongly disagree with the statement that a 10K mile Cobra is equivalent to a 100K mile daily driver. Mileage is just one SMALL part of the total equation when evaluating a potential Cobra purchase. I would not have known this if I haven't repeatedly learned this lesson time and time again.

This logic/personal experience goes beyond just the toy car market. I think the same would apply to all used cars. Low mileage only helps within a factory warranty period. Beyond that, you need to shop a car based on far more factors than low mileage.

[Tommy]

I'll hazard an opinion on this question. ... I suspect that for many, if not most, prospective Cobra replica buyers, outward appearance (including impressive fit and finish and the impression of high power and originality) weighs heavily in the decision of which car to buy. After all, nobody ever bought a Cobra so no one would stop and stare at the gas station. A car with 6,000 miles might be a ten year old car (and paint job) or a two year old car that was frequently driven by someone more interested in the driving experience than keeping his car detailed. .... Now don't jump on me because I'm not saying this is true for every Cobra owner. I'm sure there are some who drive every time they can and then spend hours cleaning up afterwards. But as a frequent driver myself, I am not obsessed with cleaning after every outing.

So, I suspect that the mileage concerns of prospective buyers has less to do with the condition of the drive train than with the appearance of the car. A Cobra with less than 1,000 miles likely looks as good as the builder made it, whatever that was. As the miles go up, the potential for road rash and other small but nagging discrepancies goes up. .... I wouldn't recommend a prospective buyer use mileage as a major factor in the buying decision, but it would be helpful in deciding which cars to look at first.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by 66gtk

I strongly disagree with the statement that a 10K mile Cobra is equivalent to a 100K mile daily driver. Mileage is just one SMALL part of the total equation when evaluating a potential Cobra purchase.

You obviously misunderstood my statement and/or took it out of context. Any car can be maintained to a high standard, whether it's a 10,000 Cobra or my 200,000-mile DD. Of course, mileage is just one component of a decision to purchase any used car. Duh!

A 6,000 mile 2005-2006 Ford GT is a high mileage vehicle in the Ford GT realm of buyers and sellers. Perspective. The maintenance of that 2005-2006 Ford GT is a separate issue. The owners of this hypothetical GT could have maintained it to the highest standard or not done much at all. But when a buyer is sorting through ads for 2005-2006 Ford GT's, the potential buyer could well ignore/toss the ad just based on his or her perspective of the mileage at initial blush. And never get to other purchase criteria, because of the "high mileage."

As I said, it's about one's perspective, when evaluating any car purchase and comparing a sunny weekend toy, which isn't driven much versus a high mileage DD when sorting through various ads.

"This logic/personal experience goes beyond just the toy car market. I think the same would apply to all used cars. Low mileage only helps within a factory warranty period. Beyond that, you need to shop a car based on far more factors than low mileage."

And thank you for this statement of the obvious. Yes, we all should evaluate maintenance records when purchasing a used car, if they're available.

And assuming a car has been maintained, low mileage significantly impacts resale value, not just the factory warranty period.

[Bernica]

I would be as interested in the seller as in the car. By comparison, if I was looking at a Cobra with 7-10k miles on it and it was owned by someone that didn't have a clue about the car, how everything worked, what has been fixed etc and how to work on it I would be suspect.

On the other hand, same car from a knowledgeable seller who talks you ear off about all the things he has fixed and how he has maintained it would make me much more comfortable.

[66gtk]

One should also note that it doesn't take much effort to reach under a dash and twist a knob to unhook a speedometer in these cars. Not to mention the high failure rate of gauges and other factors where owners change things to suit their tastes. Let's just say that for me personally as an end user, mileage is taken with a grain of salt (:

There is currently a CCX car locally for sale by a local high end dealer. They are advertising it as a 1000 original mile car. When you point out the obvious they stand by their statement. They have been advertising it this way for over a year now and yet it sits... It's a total pile of crap of a car and by the looks of it has 201,000 miles.

I think we can all agree that people mistakenly buy the wrong car based on wrong information and poor assumptions all the time. Unfortunately, the Cobra market buyers are likely on the wrong side of average in this regard. In the end, purchase a car from a trustworthy person and check it out for yourself. If you can't do that, pay a very qualified person to do it for you. Those are becoming harder to find these days, too.

[RodKnock]

Here's a perfect example, at first blush 17,000 miles on this ERA is "high mileage." Just listed:

PhotoPost Classifieds - FS (PA): ERA 2124 FIA with LeMans Hardtop - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds

And some might just dismiss it because it has 17,000 miles, but the owner, who's a CC member and has posted his build and his various exploits here over the years, has always appeared to be meticulous and fastidious with his build and maintenance. And a gentleman too. I'd buy this ERA immediately, 17,000 miles or not, if I were in the market, after proper due diligence.

Hopefully, potential buyers will see through the "high mileage" and grab this car now.

[Bernica]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Here's a perfect example, at first blush 17,000 miles on this ERA is "high mileage." Just listed:

PhotoPost Classifieds - FS (PA): ERA 2124 FIA with LeMans Hardtop - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds

And some might just dismiss it because it has 17,000 miles, but the owner, who's a CC member and has posted his build and his various exploits here over the years, has always appeared to be meticulous and fastidious with his build and maintenance. And a gentleman too. I'd buy this ERA immediately, 17,000 miles or not, if I were in the market, after proper due diligence.

Hopefully, potential buyers will see through the "high mileage" and grab this car now.

Yup. I speaks right to what I was saying too. A known owner / builder with reliable history that won't be afraid to tell you all the good and bad about the car.

BTW, some owners are also picky (to an extent) about who they are selling their cars to as well. They want to be sure that their "baby" is going to a good home. After all, the way I see it we are just the current caretakers of these cars.

[Winchester67]

When my wife got me a Backdraft Cobra for my 50th birthday, it had 4,900 miles on it. My friend looked at it and said..."Well, small block Ford with 4,900 miles. This will be your last performance car, as it will last you the rest of your life". True statement....it should go 200,000 miles.

[csw]

I've had my BDR for a little over a year and have put almost 5000 miles on it, but the weather is good enough to drive most of the year. No trailer queen here, but I agree the miles are catch 22. Too many miles could scare one depending on how it was driven. Looked at a Cobra with over 35k on it, the car was immaculate, but on the test drive it was driven hard which made me start wondering how it was usually driven. Something told me to run a compression test before agreeing to purchase, the seller wouldn't agree, and 2 weeks later the motor was in the shop. On the other hand, the miles told me it was sorted out and the seller wasn't afraid to drive it.

[csw]

I've had my BDR for a little over a year and have put almost 5000 miles on it, but the weather is good enough to drive most of the year. No trailer queen here, but I agree the miles are catch 22. Too many miles could scare one depending on how it was driven. Looked at a Cobra with over 35k on it, the car was immaculate, but on the test drive it was driven hard which made me start wondering how it was usually driven. Something told me to run a compression test before agreeing to purchase, the seller wouldn't agree, and 2 weeks later the motor was in the shop. On the other hand, the miles told me it was sorted out and the seller wasn't afraid to drive it.