Im about to join the air force and know once i get in gonna have some money and im gonna be ready for a real sports car, i currently own an integra pretty heavily modded that i use for autocrossing (non riced btw)
Well, i have some questions about the cobe..
1. How is their reliability? 2. Gas mileage? 3. Average monthly payment for a 22 year old?
Also, how likely am i to find one unmodded with under 30k miles because im only interested in the 03 and 04s..
I have more questions, but have to go right now... Im dead set on getting this car though, when im set on something i usually achieve it..
dont listen to that guy i bought my cobra when i was 21 the reliability is pretty good, i have not had mine in for anything at except to replace a differential cover that i cracked while racing at the track. the gas mileage is not all that bad i make over 500 hp to the wheels and if i am on the highway driving it nicely i can see over 20 to the gallon. the payment is a bit high. mine is around 450 a month but as long as you can afford it by all means do it. insurance is also a bit expensive at around 200 a month.
there are a few out there that are un modded you just have to look around a bit.
Thanks for that reply.. Yeah 450 a month i can definately afford, and im assuming the 200 is full coverage...
Well... i plan to sell my integra which is in GREAT condition for 10 years old.. ONLY 80k miles and its worth at least 6 grand. Its good to be a certified mechanic
So i plan to put about 4 grand down and the rest of the money ill probably spend on a nice full exhaust, nothing but top of the line products ever touch my cars... Id probably go with a nice basani on my cobe... anyhow would that down payment knock my payments down?
So for a 4 year old cobra with low miles unmolested i should expect to pay what.. 21 grand? Sound about right, just off the top of my head...
IMO the car payment's a little on the high side but the insurance is halfway decent. I was expecting you to say something rediculous like $400 a month because I've heard before that the insurance companies know its a Cobra so they charge more because of what the car is.
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'03 Silver Metallic CC Cobra- Borla Exhaust, O/R H w/ hi-flow cat's, JLT RAI, UPR STS, BF 2.93 Upper, Black FR500's Custom SCT Tuned at Performance Dyno 459/472
'02 MG GT- SLP LM1's w/ Super 44's, Mac O/R H, FRPP "C" Springs, Mach 1 Grill Delete
they charged me alot more than what a gt would have cost me, yes it is full coverage but every insurance company is different. I would expect to pay closer to 24k for a stock cobra with low mileage. just to give you an idea i got mine for 24999 + TTL and i put 5 k down on it and my payment is 459 a month, my interest rate is a bit high though. you never know though you may find a deal, i have heard of some people getting some good buys lately, depends on what the market is like in your area i guess.
I know these cars have IRS which makes them IMO a true sports car along with a the DOHC because of the added refinement... How is the handling aspect of these cars?
When I bought my Cobra, it was between this car and an '01 WS6. The Cobra handled and rode 10x better.
When you asked about payments for 22yo, I assumed you meant insurance. The Cobra is going to be more expensive to insure than pretty much anything remotely close in its class/value. Shop around, but if you can insure it for $200 a month I would guess your getting a deal.
I've been driving performance cars for 40 years. My 2003 Cobra was the best car I ever owned. Never gave me a bit of trouble, and that was with the "basic" mods to bump it up to 504rwhp. It was a blast to drive, but you do have to respect the power. They are IMO very reliable if you keep the boost under 15 lbs. and go with a "safe" tune vs. a more aggressive race tune. If you buy a stock Terminator, or one that has the stock blower pulley and stock tune, and only plan on adding exhaust and intake mods, you should have years of relatively troublefree use. Of course that assumes that the car you buy hasn't been abused or heavily modified and then de-modded. Do your homework when looking for your car and you're less apt to make a mistake you might regret.
Thanks for all the intelligent and mature replies.. Im not gonna miss asking questions on the immature honda boards and risking getting flamed 50 percent of the time haha...
Oh and, im no fool.. I waited nearly 2 years for my first car.. And it was worth it.. VTEC, Only 50k miles, one owner (an old man), and most importantly unmodded UNRICED!!
And btw thats a $500 exhaust not just a loud ricer ebay exhaust, i HATE the image these cars have by the idiots out there that screw 'em up, they are miscoceived when in reality they are actually really refined sports cars..
Any how, yeah... Ill probably keep looking for as long as it takes and saving up in the meanwhile... hell i saved up 3500 bucks when i was 18!! I may even end up with 7 or 8 grand for the cobe..
And my hands will be full with the 390 ft pounds, ive never driven a car so powerful.. so after a few solid months of parking lot autocross and ill probably upgrade.. Im thinking off the bat, ill get I/H/E and a pully upgrade 8 psi... Im assuming they are 6 stock..
Oh and ive driven an Fbody with a LS1.. I could NOT stand it, they are soooo rickity and uncomfortable.. Felt like i was sitting on an exercise machine and shifting a stick through almost hardened concrete!! And it only had 59k miles! So yeah, i know what you mean there.. Not to mention all the f bodys i noticed as a valet that were fallling apart after 4 damn years!
I sure hope they do good with 09 camaro, damn gms..
Is the redline on these cars 7 grand?
Oh and thanks a lot for that webpage of FAQ on the cobe... what in the world is that nasty tick? Is that valvetrain chatter???
< Message edited by boltonGSR -- 9/1/2007 12:55:44 PM >
The stock pulley makes about 9 lb. of boost. Here's a link to a pulley boost chart on my website to give you a rough comparison between the different upper and lower pulley boost numbers. Bear in mind that the actual boost will depend on your actual configuration. http://www.stangshiftergaskets.com/2003_2004faqs.htm#_Toc35092361
Yeah, thats a really good site... Why isnt it stickied??
Wow, its already at 9 pounds? From waht ive read when looking up the eaton for my integra a couple years back is these blowers are really ineficient above 10 pounds.. but that was the m62 blower...
Also from what i read the max rpm of these is 14,000 rpm but thats not a reliabilty max, but an efficiency max?
Is there a way i can achieve that nice blower whine without actually upgrading the pully?
Team MF Member #5002 Posts: 5066
Joined: 12/4/2005 Status: offline
an open intake will let that blower whine out a little bit... but with a smaller pulley it will be really screamin... im 22 and i pay 1200 a month for insurance (new policy) and i live in tampa which is considering a big risk city...
It's a lot of car... I have had a few problems but most of mine are self inflicted .. the only thing that hasnt was the a/c compressor that's going out now... lol - damn fords..
an open intake will let that blower whine out a little bit... but with a smaller pulley it will be really screamin... im 22 and i pay 1200 a month for insurance (new policy) and i live in tampa which is considering a big risk city...
It's a lot of car... I have had a few problems but most of mine are self inflicted .. the only thing that hasnt was the a/c compressor that's going out now... lol - damn fords..
i thought you said you paid around 120 a month. did it go up or did u mistakenly add a zero. well im 19 and im paying 220 a month for three cars including the cobra. other two are liability.
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bassani ss catback, B&M pro ripper shifter, H&R ss Springs
Yeah, wow... 1200 a month!! I wouldnt expect that price for anything less than a damn Bugatti Veyron itself!!
If i couldnt find a cobra what other cars are comparable in price and performance?
I already thought of a 350Z cause they are RWD with a nice big V6 and not to mention japanese build quality but i really want something raw, and evil haha.. Cobra fits that so nicely...
I really wanna experiment with something other than a jap car.. while retaining at least some build quality.. I.E. no fbodys haha...
Mine I picked up for 23,500 bone stock from the orginal owner with 20,000 miles, just what I wanted. I pay $428 a month car payment and $70 for insurance a month. I'm a little older than some of the other guys, 27 married and have other cars and my home though the same insurance company, so that was a huge help. Good luck!
Wow! 70 dollars a month!! So a wife can serve a purpose haha.. jk..
Actually i was quite suprised by 562cobra... only 220 a month for 2 cars and a cobra wow... Guess it depends on a lot of factors.. Im 22 and have never wrecked (knock on wood) im a cautios driver..
Im started to think i can have a cobra AND a a lil purpose built race honda for scca sanctioned events.. hondas are sooo cheap to race..
One thing that keeps worrying me is the domestic reliability.. i mean, my first car was a domestic and DAMN talk about fitting the stereotype.. Break downs every few months.. major ones.. What is the general consensus toward cobra reliability??
Is there any kind of powertrain warranty with these?
Team MF Member #5002 Posts: 5066
Joined: 12/4/2005 Status: offline
not really to be honest. I can tell you that I personally have had a couple of things cause it to go down. But nothing major. But to be honest with the exception of the a/c compressor going out right now - everything that's broken was self inflicted. If your running modest boost levels and ~500rwhp you really shouldn't have much problems if any... even over 500rwhp most things will still go wrong.... just so you know, this is what i've had to replace.
Clutch (TOB busted while racing a 5.0) Idler pulley (pulley broke while racing a porsche) A/C Compress - i dunno, lol Exhaust leaks (random) - from aftermarket pipe - it's now fitted with a sleeve to stop that from happening.
As you can see, I busted a couple things with a high power level and racing, lol... so......
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Cobra questions - 
.. the only thing that hasnt was the a/c compressor that's going out now... lol - damn fords..
