Newbie Needs Guidance

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by indianamoon

Paid just north of your price range for mine which looked great and was advertised as needing nothing. not really a build thread...... Is the link to what i went thru. Better expect sumpin like this. Good luck!

Dave, if you're not a reasonably experienced mechanic, and you do what indianamoon did, then make sure you take out a nice life insurance policy so your "committee," and her next husband, can at least benefit from your mistake.

[Bartruff1]

You can buy a very nice C5 Corvette for that money, even a Z06. They are world class sports cars that are very dependable and can be driven in nearly any weather (but seldom are) and are very economical to maintain, fuel and insure and finance.

If you want a replica cobra, you need to be very honest with yourself about it's limitations and your intended use. Think motorcycle.

If you are willing to shop nation wide, you might find a good one for $45K plus the cost of a inspection ($300) and enclosed shipping at $3/mile.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out...

[Gee]

Hi guys!

Appreciate all of the insights. Thank you

Indianamoon that link is enough to terrorize me for weeks!

Looks like I am going to have to dig a little deeper for the Cobra. From some scouring various sites it looks like there should be options around $30k? ($45k is out of the question) Any other tips as I do my research? Features that are critical or not at that price point? Beyond basic oil changes and spark plugs on my boat and occasionally changing a lightbulb I am not incredibly mechanically inclined.

-Dave

[1795]

You should easily be able to find something in the $30K price range. Before deciding on a cobra, check with your mechanic to see how famliiar they are at working on carbs and in settling valve lash. If they are not used to working on carbs, then you may want to lean towards a fuel injected car. If they are not used to setting valve lash, then you may want to steer away from getting a car with solid lifters. A lot depends on how much you want to learn to do yourself. Setting valve lash is not that difficult, and you can learn to adjust a carb.

If you find something that you are interested in, take pictures and describe it here and people will let you know what they think, whether you want to hear it or not

Good luck. There are a lot of them on the market right now, so it is a good time to negotiate. Just make sure you go for a ride in any car that you are interested in. If they will not take you out for arid, then wanly away.