Hi, i have a 1995 trans am convertible and i want to trade it in and get something better,i was thinking of a cobra.but sence im only a kid i dont have to much money so i can only afford a 99 or older cobra.I would like to get the 99 because i want the IRS but i have heard some bad thing about them ,like they didint make the hp ford claimed,so i just wanted to know if that is true and if there is any reliability issues with them thanks james
Im glad your thinking of switching, I bought a 99 last summer for 16k with 65k miles. I was looking at 98 SS camaros which I loved alot but wow when you get in one of these DOHC cobras and hit the loud pedal all the way past 6 grand, I was sold! There was a problem that the cars were only making the same amount of power as the 96-98 cobras, about 305 instead of 320. But most of them by now have had the "fix". Basically Ford would take the aluminum intake out that was not flowing like it should because of excess aluminum blocking air from smoothly entering and well I forget the name of the process but you get the point...maybe hhaah. There was also a problem with the exhaust, it was not flowing right either. So basically, once you freed up your exhuast and intake you would be making the 320hp or in some cases a little more. My car has no identification that it had the "fix" and it felt even faster than many SS's and trans am's I test drove. The thing is just a totally new kind of animal since it makes now power down low. The IRS, don't worry about it unless you plan on drag racing alot with slicks or adding a supercharger, because on the street the IRS is much better than solid axle. The car will hook much better when you slam through the gears and even off the line too, not too mention how it will handle much better and take bumps like your moms minivan. ALL IN ALL, I m am a perfectionist and it gets my approval, I love it, and Im adding 410 gears in a few weeks I have already spent another 5k in aftermarket parts since I got it though so be prepared to want and want and want more!!! I could go on and on, but just pm me if you want to know more.
almost all of the 99's got the fix, if you are looking at one there is a number for SVT and you call them with the vin # and they will tell you if the fix was done or not, if not you can still take it in to ford and they will fix it for free. there is alos signs to look for under the hood but I forget what they are because when I got mine that was a concern to but trust me it makes the power and 4.10's or higher is the way to go with gears.
Cobra is a great car and and for me a lot easier to live with than my SS ( I just fit in it better ) the 32V is a great motor that can spin to 7800 responds well to mods (gears the most) and looks great almost as good as a 4th gen Fbody but to all their own. I think you should get a Cobra also a well modded LS1 might be more than a kid could handle
Definetly buy one if you can get a good low mileage one. Here's what was done in 'The Fix" 1. Lower intake manifold was either acid-dipped, or extrusion-honed to remove excess cast flashing. SHops did one or the either. Look for a green or blue dot on the lower manifold behind the alternator to identify if it was indeed fixed. Blue = extrude hoined, Green = Acid dipped 2. Catback system was replace with a 'Post Fix" catback very similar to flowmaster 50's. You can tell if they've been changed just by listneing. 3. PCM was reflashed to take advantage of the extra flow the above two mods gave. Look for a clear background, white and blue Ford logo sticker somewhere in the engine bay. They were supposed to be put on the lower radiator cowl support, but shops sorta just put em wherever. It will have a Date, Mechaninc's signature, and will mention what was modded on the car. If you don't see any of the above clues, call 1-800-FORD-SVT and give them the last 6 digits of your VIN. They can tell you from there if it has indeed been fixed or not. As far as how the IRS works, there are a billion threads on here about making iit work, but a general summarization is this: Solid axle = more suited for dragracing, less suited for street ride and performance handling IRS = less suited to drags [in its most stock form] but much better at street handling and ride quality. Get the 99, about 200 bucks in different polyurethane IRS bushings, and go whoop some butt! I hope this helped ya.
ok thanks guys for all the help, now im just wondering one more thing......how will a 99 cobra do against a newer z28 ss or trans am? also would ford really still do "the fix" for free?? thanks again james
I'm anther guy who doesn't think ford is still "fixing" them for free. You had better call to make sure. You can find nice 99's for as low as 14. In fact there are quite a few over at www.svtperformance.com for sale right not in the 'Market' section. Good luck.
the HP was fixed through a factory re-call, believe it had to do with the exhaust being more restrictive If you are interested, I have one for sale, will alot of plus' Here she is: front and rear shots of the car, and I have 2003 Chrome OEM Cobra rims on her as well, this is a picture of one of them Selling price is low, have to call in for the amount (if you are interested)
Heh, thanks for that bit of info...I just checked and mine has a green dot indicating it has been "acid dipped" Do you happen to know why they did it two different ways? or if one is better than the other? I did notice my exhaust sounded pretty meaty for stock, I didn't think they replaced the exhaust with something like that though, coooo.
i love my 99 ime close to putting down supercharged power all motor with stock internals after subframes and a few other mods its a truu track car
Love my '01. More than enough power stock to blow most wannabes off the road if you're so inclined. Now that KB has a blower out, you could fake it pretty well too. Mine puts down 300.2 RWHP/299.4 RWTQ with just a Borla cat back and a MAC CAI. Gets 24 MPG too.
I am also thinking about getting a 99+ cobra, but won't be able to until around this time next year. What are the major complaints of the 99/01 Cobras (besides the fix). What kind of gas mileage is everyone getting? What do they run in the quarter? Sorry to hijack your thread red, but I'm in need of a snake. I have two older 5.0's and need a snake in the stable. Probably a black or silver vert (like the one in the picture above). I wish I was back in the states.
Another vote for 99's. They're a bargain these days and have tons of potential. It's true that the 01 seats are better but as someone said earlier, the 01's are starting to get up towards used 03 price territory.
