I'm still kicking myself for not buying this ERA

[sea2jet]

Originally Posted by King- cobra

I did and it did have a bad motor that the owner was not aware of. Still a good deal and a great car.

I would say the same thing in case I ever wanted to sell it, or had another ERA Cobra that I am trying to sell for a lot more, LOL....HAHA...

Joking aside, sorry for the extra expense, and good luck going forward with the car. Karma will take care of the previous owner.

The ad says: Under the hood: 427 side-oiler built by the legendary Kurt Gartner of Vintage Ford and Fabrication, only 1800 miles. I would contact the company and see if they will help you out. So much for legendary...

I contacted the original owner who says there was absolutely nothing wrong with the engine at the time of sale. A thorough inspection with leak down and compression checks confirmed this. Who knows???!! The original ad on the for sale website mysteriously disappeared as soon as this thread popped up.

Good luck with the sale of your other ERA Cobra. I hope your not having to sell it due to the bad luck with this car.

[Dimis]

Good pick up King!
Enjoy your new ride. As others have observed, you've done well!

I'm thinking this motor may fit in nicely
FordFE.com Classifieds: Aluminum 482 for sale
482 Aluminum FE

Just sayin'

[Hotfingrs]

Originally Posted by sea2jet

The ad says: Under the hood: 427 side-oiler built by the legendary Kurt Gartner of Vintage Ford and Fabrication, ...

Depends on what he's legendary for.......maybe he's legendary for building bad motors.....

[madmaxx]

Bad Karma, LOL. I was going to sell my 15 year old boat 10 years ago because i had convinced myself the block was about to rot through. Salt water service. I mentioned it to everybody that looked at it and nobody bought it. Now 11 year later i still have the boat with another 900 hours later. I guess my assumption was wrong. I am glad nobody bought it as I have seen a lot of other boats come and go. Now when I sell something just like everyone else my response is "its in perfect" condition, and it is. LOL! Once again I have seen items PO never noticed and others that did. Buyer beware Period. Its buyers responsibility to do their OWN checks and balances and if they can than they should assume the worst and go from there.

[1795]

I was conversing with the seller before I bought my car, and initially he was at $50K and then I received an email from him just before tuition was due and he had dropped his price to $43K. In retrospect, I am glad that I hesitated as I am not quite sure that I would have had the finances to have to rebuild the motor.

Good luck with the car and enjoy it, she is a beauty.

Jim

[madmaxx]

My buddy was buying a boat over the holidays. The seller stated it was perfect. I ask why doesn't the trim go down, his repsonse weak battery. Batter raised it!!! Why wont it stay running, bad battery. How does it only have 29 hours, his response not used. My response was why is the date on the hour meter 2012 but boat is a 2006.

Make a long story short I got him down from 17 to 13, fixed the reversing valve in the trim pump, rebuilt carburator, runs great now. who know how many hours it has. The guy acted and beleived himself the boat just needed the battery charged. When I asked about the hour meter he said his father in law gave him the boat and he thought it was original.

Once again buy new and fight with warranty issues or buy used and expect the worse and budget for the worse. Buyer beware I never hold sellers accountable for anything but price.

[charles Mills]

Called for almost 2 week 2 time a day ,didn't get reply until days after sale, left phone,email and smoke signals .something was no right.price started at about 60,53,52, then down to 43,000.claimed to be some kind car dealer.

[fjrgary]

bill: this is the same car that i e-mailed you about late last summer as to its worth. i too almost went after this one.

[madmaxx]

The last one i sold for less than it was worth (i am known for that) i had 9 calls in 24 hours. most had looked for over a year and others longer. They researched, monitored sites etc. The guy that bought it looked for about a month. Very wealthy business man thought they looked cool. He said if he didn't like it he would just turnaround and sell it and move on. Guess he liked he still has it!!! and could sell for thousands more than he paid. The moral of the story if you are looking for a year or more and haven't found one a Cobra isn't for you.

If its a very good deal as this one was, you have to be able to make quick decisions or you won't get it. If you like to take your time, doing extensive research, and if necessary get buy in from others, it is not a problem but it is about a $15k-$20K option.

The exception to the above is if the car is not titled in the sellers name. If that the case run from the car as he doesn't own the car. If the seller is working it through a dealer his brother in-law….. blow it off, not worth it. Bottom line is you are attempting to buy a car off somebody who does not own it!!!

In my opinion most are probably the most comfortable paying the extra 15K to 20K and taking your time etc.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by madmaxx

In my opinion most are probably the most comfortable paying the extra 15K to 20K and taking your time, etc.

Having a car completely built by ERA to your exact specifications, your every whim, so that it is fitted to you like a fine suit -- that is really the ultimate reward. And it is worth the premium.

[kevins2]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Having a car completely built by ERA to your exact specifications, your every whim, so that it is fitted to you like a fine suit -- that is really the ultimate reward. And it is worth the premium.

Agreed. And having ERA do all the really hard stuff and then finishing the car yourself is even better

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by kevins2

Agreed. And having ERA do all the really hard stuff and then finishing the car yourself is even better

And buying it as a kit and bonding, painting and assembling it yourself is even better - as long as you don't mind taking 5 years from initial order to completed car and doing a few things over more than once.

[madmaxx]

And there lies the problem 5 years. Family size changes, priorities change.... I would strongly recommend a first time cobra buyer a moderately priced spf,bdr. They get to understand the Cobra experience before commiting to a multi-year relationship. If after that they just can't live without a Cobra than buy one and assemlbe. Way to many broken dreams in the kit car market

Originally Posted by DanEC

And buying it as a kit and bonding, painting and assembling it yourself is even better - as long as you don't mind taking 5 years from initial order to completed car and doing a few things over more than once.

[kevins2]

Originally Posted by madmaxx

And there lies the problem 5 years. Family size changes, priorities change.... I would strongly recommend a first time cobra buyer a moderately priced spf,bdr. They get to understand the Cobra experience before commiting to a multi-year relationship. If after that they just can't live without a Cobra than buy one and assemlbe. Way to many broken dreams in the kit car market

Very good advice, particularly for the younger enthusiasts among us. Some of us older folks know ourselves better (at least I think I have better judgment now than when I was younger). Also, not much chance of a new kid changing my life at this point. Regardless, buying a Cobra completed or in kit form is a major commitment. If you're not absolutely sure, then not shooting for the moon the first time makes a lot of sense.

[sea2jet]

And unexpected costs. The extras add up...

[madmaxx]

Nobody stocks anything but summit and jegs they are exceptional. That where it ends. You want something ceramic coated 3 weeks, motor mounts three weeks, Ebrake shoes wtf knows, so you search for somebody to realign. 40 minutes each way be ready in couple days. You can't even get some of the vendors on this sit to give u price and delivery. Defective parts u pay shipping back wait two more weeks. I am just talking repairing one I could not imagine building and dealing with paint body, chassis supplier, engine builder it would take years. Even if u are retired do you always want to be waiting on somebody else? This assumes u are a very accomplished mechanic. It will take u 4 hours to understand AN fitting sizes.

[mrmustang]

Reading this makes turn key, fully sorted used ERA Cobras like mine sound like a bargain



Bill S.

Originally Posted by madmaxx

Nobody stocks anything but summit and jegs they are exceptional. That where it ends. You want something ceramic coated 3 weeks, motor mounts three weeks, Ebrake shoes wtf knows, so you search for somebody to realign. 40 minutes each way be ready in couple days. You can't even get some of the vendors on this sit to give u price and delivery. Defective parts u pay shipping back wait two more weeks. I am just talking repairing one I could not imagine building and dealing with paint body, chassis supplier, engine builder it would take years. Even if u are retired do you always want to be waiting on somebody else? This assumes u are a very accomplished mechanic. It will take u 4 hours to understand AN fitting sizes.

[madmaxx]

Because it is!!! and it will only appreciate if kept in current condition.

Originally Posted by mrmustang

Reading this makes turn key, fully sorted used ERA Cobras like mine sound like a bargain



Bill S.

[lamaluv]

When I decided to finally fulfill my Cobra dream 10 years ago I was going to build my own car. My wife pointed out the length of time some of my other car projects had taken. Frame off restoration of 60 Corvette (4years) versus 65 GT350 Clone & 40 Ford Street Rod purchased ready to go. I had to admit she had a very good point. When I purchased my used ERA in Jan 2004 it was ready to go and I could start driving her immediately. Over the years I fixed/improved things and made her my own. I now can no longer physically drive her like I use to. I have had 10 years of enjoyment that I will never regret. What if 4 or 5 of those years had been spent building the car? If the build would have been the most important part for me, it would have been OK. For me the driving is what's most important.

Remember things change over time. New kids, house, college, jobs, divorce, physical condition and we all get older. So unless the build is what's most important to you, buying used can be the best option. It is also usually the cheapest way in the long run.

[fjrgary]

what lamalov said