[6stang]

I recently came across a locally listed Cobra for sale. I'm considering attempting to take out a loan to get it.

1998 FORD MUSTANG COBRA SVT CONVERT.
82K mi. Atlantic blue, new blk top, blk lea int. Special
4.6, 32-valve motor. Wht gauges, multi-signed
Gold motor plate, 5-spd, Saleen bumpers, Saleen
ground effects. Custom headlights, taillights,
valance panel & grille. Car is worth $15,000. The
bad news is that a ticking noise was coming from
the valve covers. It was taken to the dealer & di-
agnosed w/bad injectors. That night the bldg
caught on fire, the car was parked outside & the
paint on the pass side got blistered. Nds 4 panels
painted (I have paint & supplies). The ticking
noise nds to be fixed & little minor things. Clear
title. An absolute steal at $5000 firm.

Is it worth the trouble? What should I check for on that car when I go check it out probably on Sunday? Thanks, -Nathan

[G.T. Rags]

no......

1. if it was involved in a fire at a dealership the dealership should have covered there damage. it's on there property, there insurance is responsible. I smell something fishy.

2. a tick could be anything from the injectors to oil getting passed the valves.... have the problem diagnosed profesionally first before purchase.

shall i go on?

[6stang]

I'm going to go check it out and see what's up with it and get a feel for this guy. Maybe he bought it back from the insurance company or somthing... I'm not sure. I want to look for any news stories about Ford dealership fires in the Salem NH area... What should I be paying attention to when I go there tommorrow evening?

[nHuman]

sounds like one of those classic carfax commercial, if i was you i would go ahead n get that taken care to see what kind of accidents it has been through.

and i tell you something i like to do(use to anyways, before i learned all about mustangs) when i buy a used sports car, i get me an appointment with a garage , for bout 50 bucks you can find out if you want the car or not (i know, give away 50 bucks and then not buy the car.. 50 bucks gone), but trust me if that 50 bucks saves you from getting hit by a motor that cant even hold compression it is waaaaaaaaay worth it.

if YOU kno a little bit about cars, take it to your house and break it down a little bit and see what kinda shape stuff is, usually if the stuff is old, brittle and just plain dirtay then most likely the compenents havent been takin care of.

[G.T. Rags]

Originally Posted by nHuman sounds like one of those classic carfax commercial, if i was you i would go ahead n get that taken care to see what kind of accidents it has been through. and i tell you something i like to do(use to anyways, before i learned all about mustangs) when i buy a used sports car, i get me an appointment with a garage , for bout 50 bucks you can find out if you want the car or not (i know, give away 50 bucks and then not buy the car.. 50 bucks gone), but trust me if that 50 bucks saves you from getting hit by a motor that cant even hold compression it is waaaaaaaaay worth it. if YOU kno a little bit about cars, take it to your house and break it down a little bit and see what kinda shape stuff is, usually if the stuff is old, brittle and just plain dirtay then most likely the compenents havent been takin care of.

i bring a mechanic with me and have him test drive the cars before i do....

i won't buy a car from a dealership unless they put the car on a lift for me, or let me have it put on a lift, and inspected by previously stated mechanic.

[6stang]

I'm going to bring my friend with me. We just got done putting a used engine in my '97 V6 after doing lower end bearings, all gaskets and a cam in it. And I worked with him on his 85 Chevy C10 with a nasty built up 350. I have some mechanical knowlege. I just wanted to see if anybody knew of any common problems with that model and/or engine. And If the deal is worth it for a '98 COBRA in need of paint and some other work for $5000.

[6stang]

I checked out that car last night. He said he'll take $4000. Would probably cost about that much to fix it up. Check it out I got a video with audio of the noise it's making.

YouTube - 98 Cobra Engine Noise

YouTube - 98 Cobra Engine Noise

[sxynerd]

Don't you dare buy that piece of shit. I don't care if it was 2,000. I'm not an expert at noises but the last time I heard something like that it was a combination of a spun bearing and a rocker falling out from under the cam. I personally wouldn't buy it without first already knowing and being prepared to have to do a full rebuild.

I wont even comment on that body kit!

[NinetySixVert]

Take the car to 2 separate professional mechanics. I had my '78 taken to one mechanic, who said the car was rusting apart and dangerous, but the other pointed out the specific rust areas, replaced them with new metal, and changed up some other stuff and the car was good to go and is still running (been a year already).

Mechanics job:
- Check for DTC (though the dealership may have already cleared those)
- Compression test cylinders
- Determine engine sounds (quote repair price)
- Look over the rest of the car looking for anything else

Your job:
- Run Carfax report
- Press on dealership to repair the car (insurance)
- Bargain the price

Sure, the car sounds bad, but it could be something not fatal to the motor. Don't judge the car just by it's engine sound (or don't swear by just one mechanics opinion)!

As far as the mechanics go, the car could still be fair game if the problem:
- Costs a small sum of money to fix (couple hundred dollars)
AND
- Hasn't damaged/affected any other part of the car/engine

Keep an open mind, do your research, take my advice. Good luck. And if you find out what that problem was, post it, I'm curious.

[6stang]

I just got done doing some work to my V6 Mustang. I bought a used engine and did lower end bearings, head gaskets with modded heads (as well as all other gaskets) water pump, timing chain and sprockets and a Comp Cam. Then I swapped the old motor (with a thrown rod... long story) with the used one.

I understand that this is a significantly more complex setup but I feel like I might be up for the challenge.

Project Cobra: $4000
Front bumper: $170
Rear bumper: $130 (Certa-fit prices)
Complete professional paint job: $1050 (quoted from Maaco)
fix engine trouble: >$1000?
new windshield: $200
Have new top (on car) professionally installed: $150?
Radio and other misc odds and ends: $500?

TOTAL: $7200

Worth it?
Not really sure.
Not to mention all the time.

[deedub97GT]

if you buy it ill give you 500 for it after you blow it up lol

[G.T. Rags]

dont give that guy a dime over 2500... all that car is, is a a cobra shell...

the motor is shot and needs a complete rebuild... from the block up....

the top is shot and the paint needs to be replaced...... to replace a top proffionally including the cost of the top is over a grand bro.... a decent paint job, because maaco sucks, is gonna run u 2-3 grand, if not more....

stay away from that car.... thats not a knock, thats a grenade going off inside

[ujslost]

that car is a total POS, dont be a sucker, cause those dudes seen you coming and you looked like a sucker to them.

[ReverendDexter]

Originally Posted by 96GTRagTop dont give that guy a dime over 2500... all that car is, is a a cobra shell...

Not even a Cobra shell considering it doesn't even have the right body panels.

Not worth it.

[G.T. Rags]

i just watched the movie again and through up in my mouth a bit

[ujslost]

I just watched it again also, and I threw up in 96gtragtops mouth.

[G.T. Rags]

Originally Posted by ujslost I just watched it again also, and I threw up in 96gtragtops mouth.

next i bet u'll want a snowball from HMUSN

[97S281]

Dude, new 24lb injectors don't cost enough to warrent lowering the price that far. It's not like their hard to change either. If the guy says thats the problem tell him to fix it and you'll give him the full 5k. He would make a profit by replacing them that way.
If he won't bite, thats not what's wrong with it.If you think your gonna rebuild THAT motor for 1k, you might want to do a little more research first.If the fire damage was caused at a dealership they would pay to fix it, maybe the guy already pocketed that money; or maybe the shits not true.

I would walk away. Regardless of how much automotive experience you have, that car is a fucking money pit.

[ujslost]

Uh that noise IS NOT coming from the injectors. If you change the injectors and that noise goes away. I will give you 5k. Thats how fuckin sure I am thats not the injectors pulsing!!!

[G.T. Rags]

Originally Posted by ujslost Uh that noise IS NOT coming from the injectors. If you change the injectors and that noise goes away. I will give you 5k. Thats how fuckin sure I am thats not the injectors pulsing!!!