04 Cobra purchase, or just blow my 00 GT?

[RaceRat]

Was thinking of selling it for about 15k, taking 5k and blowing the stang, but have reservations on modifying a SOHC motor when I know the DOHC motor is more in line with what I want. I love the color of my GT (electric green with lemans stripes in black, and boss stripes on doors) but there are too many things that I will need to change, such as the front seats, exhaust, rear gears, and adding a s/c to make it a potential 12 sec car.

From what you said in that paragraph, you're going to be in the same place next year with a S/C GT as you are now...you're still going to want the Cobra and will take a heck of a hit with all the mod money you sunk into the GT.
Get the Cobra...you won't regret it.

personally I'd stick with the GT... 6k and an order from kenne bell gets you into 475 HP to the wheels

Not for very long on stock internals.

full boost at 2k RPM and a nearly flat torque line, with no drop off... cant be beaten, not even the 03 cobra.

Ever see a KB on an 03 Cobra? That dyno sheet will make your jaw drop. It's about half the $$ of a SOHC KB kit and the numbers are just sick. Plus the engine will handle it for a long time. My 587rwhp 03 is a daily driver...not too much for the street at all and I'm running less than 16psi of boost.

 

[Gray02GT]

personally I'd stick with the GT... 6k and an order from kenne bell gets you into 475 HP to the wheels while still being emmisions legal. that will take down an 03 cobra, even with the 2.8 pulley, exhaust, and good tune.

not bashing on the cobra, but i think people short change the possabilities of the GT... granted the cobra will scale to 600 HP on the stock engine, but thats a lil much for the street (in my opinion). also, the KB blower will easily pick up on the low torque for the GT. full boost at 2k RPM and a nearly flat torque line, with no drop off... cant be beaten, not even the 03 cobra.

and thats only 6k into the GT... go with the MM road and track box and now you have a cornering beast... lil bit wider wheels and tires and no more traction problems... upgrade the brakes with the cobra upgrade kit from steeda and you are smoking the cobra in every way.

http://home.swbell.net/jteague1/397dyno_web.jpg
See the torque curve there, flowmastera and K&N air filter only mods.

it just comes down to what you want to do.... I owned a 2002 RSX-S, but because i was still in love with the mustang i ended up selling the RSX even though the RSX was great... just gotta think if the same thing is going to happen with you and the GT.. are you itching for a cobra that bad that even when done you will still want a cobra, because it just a cobra?

Torinalth

And 475 on a stock motor to the wheels gets you a new engine. Those numbers are high anyway, I've been seeing low 400's.

And the low Torque on a Cobra is much the same, as it will be with any positive displacement blower, its nothing that is unique th the KB. Peak Torque on a Cobra is crazy low, combined with the high end breathing of a DOHC motor = win. And that's on the stock POS Eaton blower.

GT's are great cars, but stock for stock, which is the only valid way to talk about two factory cars, there is no Comparison. The Cobra is superior in every way but weight. For me it's worth the extra money over modding a GT to have a forged motor, 6 speed, excellent brakes and shocks IRS (I love it?), nicer seats, supercharged stock car that looks really badass (unique front and rear bumper and hood!). What's the fun in tearing a brand new car apart? =p

That being said, going broke to get a new car is dumb, keep what you have unless you can afford it.

 

[Ghostang]

You can run 12s with bolt-ons on a GT from what I've heard/seen. It'll be a lot cheaper than a S/C or a Cobra, too. If you really wanted a DOHC, couldn't you like sell your engine and purchase a Cobra engine or an engine that can handle lots of boost and still come off much cheaper for the price between 00 GT and new Cobra, plus with less insurance!

 

[Gray02GT]

You can run 12s with bolt-ons on a GT from what I've heard/seen. It'll be a lot cheaper than a S/C or a Cobra, too. If you really wanted a DOHC, couldn't you like sell your engine and purchase a DOHC or a forged shortblock that could handle tons of boost for much less than a Cobra?

Sure can, but not everyone wants a car that is 100% geared for the QM You pretty much have to setup your suspension for 1/4 mile only to get those times without a power adder.

 

[Ghostang]

Sure can, but not everyone wants a car that is 100% geared for the QM You pretty much have to setup your suspension for 1/4 mile only to get those times without a power adder.

True. I'd take a Cobra if I could afford it, but most people can't and a GT is fine to me. I paid 13 thousand for it and that leaves me a ton of cash to play around with on smaller payments and insurance to equal the cost of a new Cobra. I like the idea of it, but that being said... I'd still take a new snake if I could afford it because the things are awesome and that's that.

 

[Torinalth]

i know 475 will wreak havok on the engine after a bit, just saying what can be done with the blower on stock GT. and yes i've seen the numbers of a KB on the 03... disgustingly high dyno, but you pay for it too..

i'd personally love to have a cobra, but i cant afford it, nor the insurance.... so it comes to the GT getting blown with a new suspension (later getting a shortblock so i can get to 500HP, when i can afford it).

i was mearly giving him alternatives... everyone seems to just put down "03 cobra for the win!" and while the cobra is a beast, and definatly stronger than the GT, you are going to pay a premium for it (over the GT, mine was 21 out the door). and since nobody was saying anything about the possabilities of the 2v, i decided to step in.... not trying to overstep my bounds.

Torinalth

 

[Ghostang]

If insurance is a problem in having two quick cars then perhaps selling one would be a good thing. I think perhaps keep them both, since the Stealth is already an 11 second car and is not costing you a ton of cash to maintain. The GT isn't a bad car and if buying a new Cobra would put you in the poor house then don't do it, no matter how badass it is. I think your best bet would be to keep both cars or sell the Stealth and do some minor stuff to the GT and save the rest of the money then in the future if you still want a Cobra, go for it.

 

[hognutz]

If you like the cobra get it. it is a sweet car. my problem with the cobra is I don't like the wheels, hood, body kit, etc. I like the tranny and the motor. IF I were to buy a cobra I would put another 5k in in instanly. So I would go the gt route and just keep the cars. I mean you can do alot to a gt for $12k. kb suprcharger, cams, t-56, full exhaust, wheels. It boils down to do you like working on cars? or do you like just buying one. I like customizing cars not buying factory ones. not everone is into that. IF I was paying people to mod my car I would buy a cobra. it would be cheaper.

 

[TeriiK]

id stick with the GT, sell the stealth. pretty cars, stealth/3kgt's, but they cant turn, too heavy, and are expensive as hell to mod, as im sure u know from achieving 550hp.

Griggs suspension on the GT, forged internals, KB with a nice tune...you can go cobra hunting in the quarter or in the turns, for less money. i was a second off an 03' cobra at our last SCCA event down here, and im almost bone stock. not saying that driver didnt have to anything with it, but he wasnt exactly an amatuer.

Stick with the GT

 

[Lord Warlock]

I really do appreciate the input. I'm kind of looking to avoid doing alot of mods to a relatively stock car. The cobra offers the right platform with some flexibility with mods for the future if I decide I want more. I doubt insurance is going to be that much higher than what it is now, the TT has insurance rates as high as a viper, but then again, I'm an old fart and at 42 I really don't pay outrageous rates anymore. Either way, it is cheaper than insuring two cars.

The TT is capable and modded to run in the mid to high 11s, but at this level, to go faster you risk breaking the transfer case or the transmission. I prefer to launch at a lower and safer rpm which would realistically put me in the low 12s somewhere, if I had a track to use for accurate measurements. (I normally use a measured strip of highway to test on) Its never lost to another car yet, in the quarter or high end runs. But the TT is getting old, and eventually you have to replace your toys or they start breaking too often and ruining the fun.

This car is planned to be a daily driver car, to and from work for the most part. I really don't want to spend time modding or working on the car constantly. I have another project car if I want to do mechanical work (1969 Dodge Charger R/T Special Edition, w/ a 440 magnum and automatic- a rare one, the only one of its color currently registered on the charger registry) and plan on spending my spare time fixing that car up, its been in the garage for 26 years now and is time to get it back like new again.

I'm of the opinion that modding the 00 GT will only result in spending more than the car is worth which has proven in the past to be a bad combo and later if I wanted a cobra, the 00 won't trade for much more than what is owed. But 13k loan on the GT vs 20k for the cobra (plus funds from TT) sounds like a pretty decent investment. I expect the TT handles better than the cobra will, with its AWD, AWS, and ECS systems - real time on the street. But a 100k car vs a 1k car is a big difference.

What are the common problems that cobra owners (03 models) complain about most? I doubt I'd be able to turn the tt over quick enough to take advantage of discounts, plus I'd rather have an 04 than an 03. Just wish there were more colors available.

Lord Warlock

 

[tait_gt2002]

I would definitely stick with the GT. I almost bought an '03 Cobra from my friend when he sold his, DAMN glad I didn't. The '03s have lots of problems, and with the new platform coming up, I seriously doubt they'll spend any time resolving any of the issues for the '04 models. Weak trans. input shafts, combined with the STUPIDIST 6th gear ratio I've ever seen means the trans. is not really the greatest. Nice being able to say you have six forward gears but... eh... that's about it.

Overheating, ticking heads, ticking noises from the trans., cars that pull left or right, broken transmission input shafts, leaky diffs., broken halfshafts (with more power). Plus they're horrendously heavy, and people should face the fact that even a 3000 lb. fox-based Mustang can't quite keep pace with a well set up SRA setup on the road course. Nicer around town for bumps but that's about it.

I just have a pretty hard time making myself REALLY like the '03 Cobras. And trust me, it's not the price tag (although it's steep), because I could have bought my friend's for cheap but decided to stick with the GT. Best decision I ever made. They DO have one thing going for them though, they make awesome power with few mods and really run pretty hard. Takes a lot of power to keep up in a car that heavy, but they make enough to hold their own for sure.

If you REALLY want the '03-'04 Cobra, nobody can stop you. But put the parts you want on the GT and stick with it. You'll be glad you did.

 

[Gray02GT]

04 and 03 are identical, but you will get a better deal on a 03. I've also heard a rumor that despite the fact the cars are the exact same, since the motor is underrated ford might officially rage them at 405hp or higher to sell more cars, which will cause an insurance jump most likely, even though you have the same power out of the box.

BY the way, don't obsess with the problems you read about on the internet. Its a very small percentage that actually have problems, its just a very vocal minority and a ton of people consistently relay things "Ooh the Cobras have so many problems". I've been in 8 or 9 real life from this area and not a single one has had any problems at all that are not normal (the "CLUNK" is normal and easily remedied by getting used to driving the car).

Heres a piece of advice, don't take info about 'problems from these cars' unless the person actually owns one, or has owned one, because theres a lot of exagerated information going around and people just keep propagating it and the same stuff gets said so many times everyone just assumes there are huge issues that almost everyone experiences.

 

[BlackStripes]

If you have the TT AWD Stealth with 550hp, i'd say you are a car nuts.. same as i am, and probably you will end modying the 03 cobra as well, so warranty is not a difference.

I had a plan, and i sticked to it about my GT, at the end, i will spend around $25K in the GT and hopefully will be as powerful as a 03Cobra with $8K .... almost the same thing. (i bought my car with 156miles for $19K vs $35K for the cobra).

My advice, sell one toy, and get a cheap transportation that you won't want to mod... tow toys is just plain, too expensive and too much $$ you will never see again.

btw, i have a 88HP car and a 450HP..

 

[BrightBlue00GT]

You know, the big question here really is "what do you plan to do with the Cobra?" Leave it stock? Mod it? What? If you even have a slight idea you'll start putting money into for ANYTHING, then why not keep the GT and tinker with that? For me it's not just a matter of "having" the power, it's the fun in getting there. I'd love an 03 Cobra, but I know I woudn't leave it alone, so for me I just keep modding my GT, which gives me lots of power (now) as well as lots of fun, AND satisfies my tinkering urges.

 

[svtguy]

I've had the TT stealth for 10 years, and only started modding it last year, but had to replace the motor with a new oem block, then bigger turbos, better clutch etc etc etc, plus all the mods to increase boost, better exhaust, right now it is pretty much a potential 11 sec car, not that I would beat on it hard enough to get it into the 11s, I do know it will trap at about 118mph in the quarter. (on a highway strip) but repairs on it are expensive as hell, I spent over 30k on it in the last year, and am just finishing the custom paint on it (self painted) HOK medium teal pearl with ghost flames and viper stripes. Car looks fantastic, drives fine but is slowly turning into a money pit. So am leaning toward selling it in the next couple of months. I have to take it to the turkey rod run in November (daytona 500 track) for a regional meet of stealth owners.

Was thinking of selling it for about 15k, taking 5k and blowing the stang, but have reservations on modifying a SOHC motor when I know the DOHC motor is more in line with what I want. I love the color of my GT (electric green with lemans stripes in black, and boss stripes on doors) but there are too many things that I will need to change, such as the front seats, exhaust, rear gears, and adding a s/c to make it a potential 12 sec car. 12s are fine with me, for what I use a car for. So figured I could sell the TT and use the funds to invest in a new cobra instead of modding the mustang. I had hoped for an 05 or 06 cobra, but doubt I can wait that long, and if I sell the tt now, my wife will spend the proceeds long before the 05 model comes out.

Sell The TT & GT. The Cobra is the clear winner of this bunch if you want a headache free High HP daily driver. Sure you can mod a GT up to the power level of a stock 03 Cobra or more, but sooner or later your going to have to pay to play. Ie. dynotunes, clutches, trannys, & potenaly motor. (without major mods) The GT just isn't designed to sustain 400rwhp+ without breakage, The 03 Cobra is.

 

[Yellow01GT]

I think we need to see pics of that Stealth.

 

[stallion98gt]

yes. I agree..pics of the STEALTH !!!!

 

[SVTCobra66]

i'd keep the stealth... no sense in losing all the money you put into it. any pics?

 

[Lord Warlock]

Seeing as this is the mustang forum, I really didn't want to post Stealth pics here, but just to make sure you guys understand I'm not blowing smoke up the wazoo and actually have the toys I'm talking about here are a few shots of it. some of the pics are kinda big, sorry. You may notice the wifes car behind the stang and stealth (an 01 GTP) The charger is in the garage on the right side.

There are shots of my 00 Stang with stripes too, so I guess that kind of fits in with the board. I've already modded the body of the stang as much as I plan to.

Lord Warlock

Or to see tons of pics of all the cars just visit my webpage - this one has no family crap on it, is mainly just for the car forums to visit.

http://home.comcast.net/~nathan.gregory/index.htm

 

[Lord Warlock]

The TT has custom House of Kolor Medium Teal Pearl with 3 colors of metalflake in it which gives the appearance of specs in the paint at certain angles. I'm hoping to spary the final half quart of clearcoat on it this saturday, then I have to color sand and buff it out again.

LW