I love my mild n/a combo and will always keep my '94 'vert...but in the future I'm looking to get a used low milage coupe with a blower. I'm guessing '03-'04 Cobra is the best way to go, especially because the blower is stock.... who knows what I shouuld look for and stay away from with these cars (besides the normal car shopping criteria)? thanks for the advice in advance
I dont know much about them, but from what Ive read the engines are built well to handle the boost. I know a guy in my area that upgraded his supercharger and some other mods to net 600 hp on the stock engine and so far so good. The only thing I wouldnt be too fond of is the IRS....
They are very well built cars. I would just look for one with under 40k miles & one thats mostly stock, because the more mods, the more u know its been beat on. The only common problem I can think of is what they call "the tick". Alot of 03-04 Cobra's & 32v (dohc) cars in general develop an engine tick in the driver side head from lack of coolant flow to that head....Some have it bad & some dont, but also keep in mind that the Modular motors are just noisy in general, & especially 32V's... Its really not anything that hurts the car, its just annoying... Besides that, these cars make great power out the box & can make insane power with a few mods, & I know IRS sucks for drag racing, but it rides soooooooo nice on a daily driver. With a few mods to the IRS, it can work pretty good at the track too, but solid axle is always gonna be better for the track... My car isnt a Cobra, but its a 32V & if u have never driven one, your gonna love the way they pull, especially up top.... & theres nothin like the sound of that blower whine!!!! when i drove my buddies 03 with just a few mods like a pulley, exhaust, & a tune, it made every other mustang I have driven feel like a 96 GT automatic.....LOL... Good luck... this is my buddies 03 Cobra & my 03 mach in the back....
Both of those cars are purdy Thanks for the help, just wanted to make sure there's nothing to stay away from in particular, I'm unfamiliar with their options and ect. It doesn't seem like there's too much of a choice when buying these cars except whether you want a blower or not...No worries about the IRS, I don't really take my cars to the track!
Thanks.......All 03-04 Cobra's come with blowers, but 99-01 Cobra's come N/A. 03-04 Mach 1's come N/A also with a revised version of the 99-01 Cobra motor but with higher compression & the better flowing 03-04 Cobra heads....99-03 Cobra's all come with IRS & for a DD u will love it & it will feel unlike any stang u have ever been in b4...The interior is very nice too....
If all of them have blowers, is there a choice between available blowers or are all/any of them kenne bell from the factory? From what I've found this morning it seems like the '04 has fixed the "tick" issue you spoke about...but I know people have differing opinions and I could hear different elsewhere
found this if anyone has questions regarding these cobras http://www.stangshiftergaskets.com/2003_2004faqs.htm#_Toc35092309
The Kenne Bell is actually an aftermarket upgrade for the Cobra's...they are equipped with an Eaton roots style blower from the factory. I dont think the Cobra's have many available factory options other than the 10th anniversary package on the 04's which I beleived added red calipers, red & dark charcoal leather seats, & the 10th anniversary wheels...there might be a few other things, but Im not too sure...
There are two things you want to look out for. First being that the Intercooler pump likes to crap out on these. Causing nasty peak boost pinging that I have first hand seen melt the tips right off on the spark plugs. Signs it is starting to go bad is a fine white steam, very small amount coming from under the hood under WOT. The other thing that really is very common and really sux, is that the alternator's ALL Crap out pretty quick. Even aftermarket ones, Something to do with the design in the brushes. Other than that AWESOME CAR and I would really love one.
Agreed on the stock car. They do make a kit that route coolant from the driver side head to the pass side head for better cooling. Also they have in the MM&FF Jan. 08 on pg. 126 a twin turboed and supercharged Cobra making over 1,100 hp.
The 03/04's are awesome, don't get me wrong... But I like the 99/01's. No, they don't have the blower factory, but they weigh less than the 03/04's, thus givin' better power/weight ratio. But, if you are heart set on an 03/04, get a low mileage one. Additionally, it doesn't take much, CAI and pulley, to make real power.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing because the 03-04 had a blower stock, it has better supporting parts that need no modding if I were to use an a/m blower? I really just want a supercharged coupe, and as I said I don't really go to the track so power:weight is no issue, I'd bet it's snappy enough for the street!
Its definately snappy enough bone stock, but like the others said, it only takes a few mods to make insane power.... The 03-04's have better flowing heads & a forged bottom end, & also a T56 6 speed tranny. They also have stronger halfshafts/axles, but if u were gonna up the power, I would think about getting a better clutch & building a stronger IRS rear end, or installing a solid axle. The IRS rides very nice on the street though, & when fully built, can be almost as strong, & perform as well as a solid axle... The 03-04s are a better all around car than the 99-01 Cobras, but the 99-01's are nice too...If u are set on getting a blown factory car, I would either get the 03-04 Cobra, or maybe look into a 99-04 Saleen S281 sc, or a 06-08 Saleen S197 sc...
The engine is set-up for major power. Some approaching 1000 hp on the stock engine That alone makes me care less about the 1-200 pound difference between it and the 99/01 Cobra. The "tick" is the only real problem I have heard of in some of the early '03's. I would PM 04Sleeper on here as well, or just ask him to check out this topic. He is an avid 5.0 and 03/04 Cobra guy, and has got a nice whipple sitting atop his 04 One of the best bang for the buck performance cars outthere with out of the box performance and an extreme amount of performance potential from the factory.
