Buying my 1st Cobra?!

[wilf]

Tinka - why aren't you giving birth?

[TINKA]

Originally Posted by wilf

Tinka - why aren't you giving birth?

Decided to just sit back and watch all the action going on

[wilf]

Just getting warmed up Tinka, just warming up. BTW - FPSB dinner thurs? You have texts.

[titch]

Ok, 15k on a cobra have a look at hallmark cars. Nice looking one for 16ishK with a rover v8, the rover v8 is a great engine. i had one in a marcos, circa 280hp which was great for the first year but then found it needed more power. if you could massage the budget look for american v8 chevy or ford in a sumo sub 20k for something nice. my chevy dax has made me smile for 3 years, never got bored (daughter thinks it should be painted pink though) regards ian

[coilybap]

HI EVERYONE.

i was wondering on the back of the original question, what sort of miles per gallon do each of the engine options get

cheers.

[slogger]

Originally Posted by coilybap

HI EVERYONE.

i was wondering on the back of the original question, what sort of miles per gallon do each of the engine options get

cheers.

Your having a laugh! You drive a Cob, forget about fuel consumption.

Anything from 20 to gallons per mile!

All down to engine size, tune and size of your boots. I've seen Rover V8s as low as 8 mpg and big blocks as high as 18 but that can drop to, well, a few!

Why not post in the Newbies and pose your question.
Welcome to the forum.

[stuart.in.leigh]

Originally Posted by Andy Smith

Hi Everyone,

I have just found the forum today and would ask for your help!

I have of course admired the Cobra for many years and am now in a position to make my first purchase, but only on a budget of circa £15k.

At this level, am I wasting my time or is there good value to be found out there?

I have looked at the cars on offer at Sovereign Car Sales but these all seem way out of my budget, and I feel nervous about buying via ebay.

The ads on the Pistonheads Website seem to be more like it, but I'm not really sure of what to go for and what to avoid. At this stage, I think autos are a no no, and anything registered as the donor car.

Furthermore, should a 3.5 litre V8 be the starting point, as I have seen a 3.2 V6 on Pistonheads for £13,500 that sounds good.

Cash is burning a whole in my pocket and I would really appreciate any thoughts on this matter.

I live near Loughborough in the East Midlands and would really like to hear from anyone within 2 to 3 hours travelling time who may have a car for sale.

Finally, the car would be very much for weekends and I'm no mechanic!

Cheers

Hi Andy,

I bought a Cobra from Hallmark cars last June, Fiero Euro 427 with a Rover V8. It was well under 15k with an alleged 500 miles on the clock!
I have enjoyed the experience, but I have been involved in some interesting repairs over the last year, which are still ongoing.
I would take someone along who has some knowledge of the model you intend to buy and have a real good look over and under before you part with the money.
In a rough order I have had to sort out:
Machine down the bottom engine pulley which was resting on the steering rack and rubbing a crescent shape in it. Involved radiator out, water pump off and an engineers lathe & expertise to sort.
New spark plugs, leads etc, new battery, new electronic ignition system, new coil, split wishbone which has had to be welded and 'beefed' up, no thermostat in the cooling system and the current fix, fabricating a set of new exhaust headers as the originals have disintegrated.
Be prepared for anything, after all you don't know just whats lurking beneath the surface!

[Dixie]

In my experiance it is best to read, read, read and then read some more on the subject, also go and look at several cars, don't fall for the first one, these Cobra's have a WOW factor and tend to rule your heart and not your brain.

Take some one who knows a thing or two about cars. Also ask the owner if he/she doesn't mind taking you for a good run in it, at least 20 miles, that way you can get some feel on handling how many rattles it has etc and what does and does not work.

Take some grubby clothes with you, get under the car have a look around. If the engine is warm when you arrive, walk away and come back an hour later when it has cooled down, you can hear all sorts on a cold engine. Then get it warm, listen again, turn it off and try to re-start when warm, hot starting problems can be a pain to sort out.

Also in my experiance check the exhaust system completely, from headers to exhausts pipes, most of these cars have bespoke or modified systems, some of which have not been done well ( Guess how I learnt that one).

Most of all take your time, don't rush there are plenty of nice cars out there, but there are also some pigs. A good start is this Forum, also good if someone can give you the nod of a car they know and has been seen at a few events, that way you can be reasonably certain that it actually works and is safe to drive.

Also very important, check the V5, it must say the name of the kit or car, not the Donor car, in time almost certainly you will have to SVA an old Cobra that has kept the old registation document with the old Donor car, this could prove very costly if not impossible. There are several cars running around with the log book showing it to be a XJ6 Jaguar.

Good luck hunting.

Dixie.

[janandchris]

Plenty of Very good advice so far...


I didn't discover thie forum until after my buying my first cobra (Rover V8, Pilgrim Sumo) for WELL under 15k

But, although it's had it's minor problems....I still love it! And the members on this site are a great source of Cobra knowlege.


One thing you have to remember (as I have been reminded in the past) is that you are buying a kit-car not a factory built car, and especially on budget. You will find problems and oddities, but they can ALL be sorted out.

[Andy Smith]

Thanks Tinka,

Great to hear that quite a few Cobras around locally.

Will PM you with email address for the newletter.


Cheers,

Andy.