Anybody use thier Cobra almost as a daily driver

cakennin · #1 (**permalink**) 10-22-2001, 03:46 PM

Just seems to me that when I get a car such as this I couldn't help but driving it every opportunity.
Chaz

Ed Csoltko · #2 (**permalink**) 10-22-2001, 08:18 PM

The only TCC member I know who drives his FFR Cobra as a daily driver is Gerhardt Gast.

Tongue Pirate · #3 (**permalink**) 10-22-2001, 09:08 PM

Those of you who would drive a Cobra as a daily driver must live in one of them there warm climates. It's starting to get cold in these parts this time of year. It must have been in the 60's today

mikiec · #4 (**permalink**) 10-22-2001, 10:30 PM

Not sure I qualify as a daily driver, but since January, with 3 months off because of HEAT, I have over 8,000 miles on mine. It's out almost every day.

Mike

excelguru · #5 (**permalink**) 10-23-2001, 06:18 AM

Hal Copple doesn't belong to the TCC (he lives here in SC), but he does drive his SPF every single day (it's his only car). To my understanding, he actually has more than 30,000 miles on the car with just under 2 years of ownership.

KM

James Baldwin · #6 (**permalink**) 10-23-2001, 08:52 AM

I couldn't afford to drive this gas hog everyday!

Of course it is right outside my office window today... I couldn't resist, it is a gorgeous day!

bwcobra15 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-24-2001, 09:11 AM

James you make me SICK!

Honestly, when we finally get our SPF I don't know how I'm NOT going to keep it in the garage. I have a hard enough time keeping the Bullitt in the garage all week. I was thinking the very same thing yesterday as I was driving in to the the client site: "What a great day it would be to drive a Cobra... almost at the end of October, even."

James, I'm so glad you get that beautiful car out and drive it work occasionally, instead of keeping it hermetically (sp?) sealed in a temperature/humidity controlled museum.

Clois Harlan · #8 (**permalink**) 10-24-2001, 10:33 AM

I drive my B&B Cobra at least two to three times a week to my office and almost every night somewhere from April thru November (weather permitting). In Tulsa we have different car clubs that meet on different nights and I like to at least cruse in front of their meetings just for the looks. Just can't help it.

James Baldwin · #9 (**permalink**) 10-24-2001, 10:46 AM

Bobby,

I would drive the car to work virtually everyday if they were not doing all the road work in front of our building, or if it were not cricket season in our parking lot!

I really should have purchased the top from ERA in preparation for winter....

Ray Russell · #10 (**permalink**) 10-24-2001, 03:46 PM

I always said if I got a Cobra I would drive it all the time, and I do drive it almost every day weather permitting. What I was not ready for was the amount of attention that it gets, and the number of jerks out there who won't let it alone. I have come out of a restaurant and found kids sitting in my car with their parents standing there watching them. I caught some high school kids sitting in it. So, the driving is super, as long as you never have to park it !

Tongue Pirate · #11 (**permalink**) 10-24-2001, 03:52 PM

I must say in my dreaming of my future ownership I have thought about this...What does one do when they park the Cobra somewhere? You must have some sort of hidden kill switch or lockout don't you? It must be a pain to go anywhere where you have to leave it unattended such as the grocery store. What do you guys do or do you only drive it to places where you can keep an eye on it?

Wade Chamberlain · #12 (**permalink**) 10-24-2001, 04:39 PM

I drive mine almost every day so long as it's not pouring. If I had a top, I'd probably drive it then too!

Since completing it in mid-May of this year, I've racked up 8500 miles. The supercharged 302 gets 23-24 MPG (IF I can keep my foot out of it!) which is definitely better than the rest of my "fleet"

If you're going to use a Cobra as a daily driver, you just have to get used to poeple looking at it, getting way to close to it, touching it, etc. I usually don't worry about parking it in a public place because it's the most watched car on the lot. I haven't found anybody sitting in it yet. Not sure what I'd do!

Tongue Pirate · #13 (**permalink**) 10-25-2001, 06:45 PM

I do know what you mean about people. I presently have a 1959 Coupe De Ville which is in flat black. Everywhere I go people want to stop me & ask questions. I gets really tiring at times. I'm sure a cobra draws even more attention. I think when I get mine I'll buy some hearing aids & pretend I'm deaf.

Dennis Mosley · #14 (**permalink**) 10-25-2001, 09:10 PM

I drive my Cobra to work at least 2 times a week weather permiting. I also like to take it on road trips. To date I have never trailered it unless it was broken.

The only reason my car does not have more miles on it is that I am always "making it better" (read...screwing it up trying to do something I don't know how to do). Well that and I have to spit the good weather days between the car and the motorcycles.

ERA600hp · #15 (**permalink**) 10-26-2001, 12:26 PM

Driven daily, weather permitting, and I've got plenty of FUEL!!

pk · #16 (**permalink**) 10-26-2001, 01:28 PM

I few years ago I had a nice BMW 535is in perfect condition. Came out of a bar on the upper west side and a rather "urban looking" 20 something yr old guy was sitting on the hood. Without thinking about the consequences(sp?) I walked right up to him and said "gotta save up quite a few slice cans to buy one a those" he jumped right down startled. My buddies still quote me from time to time.

pk

Gerhardt Gast · #17 (**permalink**) 11-03-2001, 11:18 PM

I drive mine to the store and stuff when I can. No top makes it nasty when it's nasty out, but it's almost never nasty enough to ground me. I work next door to where I work, so I usually walk or take my bike to work, but I still take my car out 3 or 4 times a week. It's just a stock 5.0, and it gets better mileage than my wife's minivan (24-25 highway mpg). Gas cost isn't a problem for me--I was paying double for a gallon of premium in Hawaii, so this is gas heaven. As far as gawkers and parking, part of the reason for having a Cobra is so that people gawk (please admit that). As far as someone boosting it, that’s what they have stated value insurance for. It’d just give me a great excuse to buy and build.

Gerhardt

jrussell · #18 (**permalink**) 11-04-2001, 06:13 AM

Well,
I certainly don't drive my car every day, but it is rare that it doesn't get out for at least a short drive when the weather permits. I have over 8,000 miles on the car in two years, & the only time I have trailered it- since I drove it home from Chalmette, Louisiana when I picked it up- was to Tulsa in the 2nd.spot in Tom Meadows trailer for the 27th Mid-America meet. I should be getting my hard top in a month or two, which will extend my driving time.
Hal Copple is the "KING" of Cobras that I know of in S.C., with over 33,000 miles on his car.
I guess that the bottom line is "drive your car as MUCH as YOU can", because there is no such thing as too much, but descretion certainly applies to wet weather........ high horsepower/torque combined with light weight,wide tires and ancient windshield wiper design are NOT condusive to a "fun" event!
Just go for it, whenever you can.
John Russell
SPF#586