[jrock]

looking to spend a little of my hard earned money. thinking about buying a 04 cobra or a 01 trans am, i am looking at the more power for the buck and what is a better building block for some real power. or i am also looking at putting a nice down payment on a new 5.0. hmmm what do u guys think

[just_a_281]

Easy.... 04 Cobra

[DsmDave]

Bang for the buck sadly the trans am. Can be had for less than 10k. With 4k into it the cobra would lose, and for less money. Cobra has more to offer though.

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[Shaun03GT]

I say cobra. A ls1 makes good power with a cam and full exhaust, but a cobra will make that with a midpipe and catback. Nevermind swapping to a 2.7 pulley. Then Ur at 450rwhp+ and 475rwtq+ (with a boost a pump)

[DsmDave]

It sounds like a cobra is out of his range price wise. An ls1 am will be 9k for a nice one now. Figure 18k minimum for a cobra

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[wtfcrunch]

Terminator for terminating.

[just_a_281]

Originally Posted by wtfcrunch Terminator for terminating.

[wtfcrunch]

Must be high miles but, >

2003 FORD MUSTANG COBRA SVT 10TH ANNY

[Shaun03GT]

I see cobras go for 14-16k a lot.

Or a C5ZO6

[PsnSnake_19]

yea you can get clean termi's for 14k-16k easy around here at least in the tampa area

[LAZER RED GT02]

get the cobra trans am's are trash

[jrock]

or do u think i should keep my paid off 03 gt auto. if i put like 8000 in it will i be putting some big number up bc so far my gt seems like a money pit with no real power

[MT0911]

Honestly, it's hard to beat the platform of an 03/04 Cobra. In a perfect world if you had to choose between a Cobra or a Trans Am and they were free, than the Cobra would be my choice. Reason being, you start with forged internals and you are already blown so if you want big power then you start with great resources.

Unfortunately, it is not a perfect world and price does have to come into play. Ls1 Trans Ams can be beasts. You can pick them up for a decent bit lower than the Cobra, the aftermarket support is huge and they have amazing potential as well.

You have to think: Trans Am $10k, Blower cam + supporting valve train $600, Supercharger kit (intercooler, fuel, etc = everything needed) $5k, Clutch & Flywheel $500 = Total you are looking at 16k or so and you'll have easily over 600 whp a great looking ride and decent handling. Or you can just pick up a H/C/I setup and put down mid-400's N/A and throw on a 125 shot and put down similar numbers for around 13-14k. (of course I'm just summarizing the above, but that's how much you can expect to pay)

So if you take the path for the T/A then realistically you can save money over the Cobra. The choice is up to you; for me, it would really be difficult to choose since I would love to own either. But nonetheless both are great options, it just depends on your how deep your pockets are. Good luck man.

[T-Lee. 30]

Originally Posted by jrock or do u think i should keep my paid off 03 gt auto. if i put like 8000 in it will i be putting some big number up bc so far my gt seems like a money pit with no real power

keep your paid off gt and mod it. You can either spend 8grand into a car you own or go out and spend like 16+ k on a cobra that you dont know the history on. If your car is paid off take advantage of the broad aftermarket that the mustang has.

[02gtKev]

Originally Posted by Rockwell29 keep your paid off gt and mod it. You can either spend 8grand into a car you own or go out and spend like 16+ k on a cobra that you dont know the history on. If your car is paid off take advantage of the broad aftermarket that the mustang has.

[T-Lee. 30]

check out the vids in post number 15 and 16 on this thead im gonna paste below. You already have a platform to start from my dude.
MMR STREET MOD 750 SE 4.75L 2V Long Block(Up To 750RWHP) JUST BOUGHT! post #15 and #16

[T-Lee. 30]

MMR stroker 750 for $2699
New v1 S trim $3014
mhs stage 1 blower cam $595
cx racing intercooler with piping $200 ebay
maf/blow through $199
and odds and ends to complete but that alone what i listed is $6,707 even though that doesnt include installation of the various parts thats if you dont do it on your own and that has you with a new shortblock but thats cheaper than a $16,000++ car with an unknown history. Just my opinion though big guy. And ive seen a few cobras with high miles for around 16k but ALL the ones ive seen with decent mileage have been in the mid to low 20k range.

[86er]

Originally Posted by DsmDave Bang for the buck sadly the trans am. Can be had for less than 10k. With 4k into it the cobra would lose, and for less money. Cobra has more to offer though. Sent from my DROID3 using AutoGuide App

HMMMMMMMM, must not be familiar with a 4th gen F body rear end or trans. If its an auto, GOOD luck keepin it together, the 4l60e is junk, then you have the 7.5 rear end out back thats glass. So a solid rear end is 1500 bucks, trans if its an auto is another 3k, so theres 4500 and you havent even touched the engine yet. Heads arent cheap, cams 400 bucks, if you replace the lifters, heads have to come off. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

bang for the buck kind of falls short when you really look at them

[wtfcrunch]

8 grand. Sheesh. Build a badass motor for sure.

[MT0911]

Originally Posted by 86er HMMMMMMMM, must not be familiar with a 4th gen F body rear end or trans. If its an auto, GOOD luck keepin it together, the 4l60e is junk, then you have the 7.5 rear end out back thats glass. So a solid rear end is 1500 bucks, trans if its an auto is another 3k, so theres 4500 and you havent even touched the engine yet. Heads arent cheap, cams 400 bucks, if you replace the lifters, heads have to come off. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bang for the buck kind of falls short when you really look at them

Sadly, this is true though. F body rear ends aren't the greatest lol. And yes if you get Auto than be prepared to work on it once you get into the higher power levels, the T56 will do just fine though.

As for the H/C setups, you could get Heads, Cam, Valve Springs, Spring Seats, Valve Seals, Retainers, Chromoley Pushrods, Timing Chain, and Oil Pump- all brand new for around 2k so it's not so bad.

But as some have mentioned, I didn't realize you're Mustang is paid off. If I were you I would just invest money into that and build it to be better than both the Cobra and T/A for a fraction of the cost.

I had my Vette before I got my Stang and I actually was deciding between buying a Cobra and a T/A or Camaro also. It's funny, I actually came across my GT completely stock in very clean condition for 1/4 the price of the cars I originally wanted and decided that I'd rather just build on it instead. So one day it'll get there but at a fraction of the price and at the same time, I'll be able to build it how I want it.