im stuck at work until 1am tomorrow so i wont be making it out to towers. the reason my car is still bone stock is because i have read of some people just doing a catback and cold air kit and having a ridiculously lean a/f ratio. im not willing to toss my warranty out the window with a chip, so im trying my best to leave it alone until 36k. if i was in your shoes with the only problem being the tick, i would be thoroughly happy with the car. many of the stupid issues like the passenger seat rubbing and the moisture in the light i dont mind, but the throwout bearing and the vibe in my eyes are just ridiculous for a brand new car. i will try my best to be at the svtoa meet. if not though, id still love to check out the car and hear how the bassani sounds.STREETSNAKE said:Green I got the car in July of last year and so far the only thing Ive done to it is UPR Shifter,K&N FIPK and Bassani catback. Im a little warranty sensitive so I have resisted the urge to do some of the mods I would like to do. So far the only warranty issue I have had is with the tick, which believe it or not I had fixed at Delray Lincoln Mercury the guy did a hell of a job and you couldnt even tell the engine was pulled. Im sorry you've had the trouble with yours I know how frustrating it can be. But I gotta tell ya I live to drive this car it's the most fun Ive had with my cloths on. BTW why dont you try and join us at the Svtoa meeting a week from Saturday at World Ford in Pembroke Pines, a lotta good guys show up there if your interested 3:30 p.m. Im gonna try to make it to Towers tomorrow night I have a Sonic Blue 03 look me up if you can make it. BTW I did have it dynoed 3 weeks ago and my best run was 410HP uncorrected and 369 lbs. of torque Needless to say I was happy. Peace out
03' Cobra..the PERFECT car.
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Nostalgia & luck
Back in '72 a friend came rumbling up in a dark blue '65 and said "you gotta see this!" It was a school teachers 1965 with the disc brake option that a vet had spent his entire bonus on. A 302 from the LA airport plant, Mallory, Edlebrock, cammed, bored...full house. I forget what gearbox, but I remember it had a Galaxy rear end cut down to fit and 411's. Sweet shining valve covers that said "Cobra". When it started turning higher than 10.5's up at Little River in Temple Texas the vet sold it, and so my pal got into it for $600. Not bad for an under 11 car and clearly the fastest car with liscense plates in Austin Texas back then. Loop 360 had 7 miles of perfect concrete and no side roads, very few cops. There simply wasn't any traffic back then. It was basically safe to turn quarters, and many many kids were out. It was the perfect time...many of the true American supercars were used, slightly used, or a year or two old enough to find their way into high schoolers hands. Camero Z-28s, GTOs, Challengers, and even the then rare 426 hemi 'cuda, Super Bees, even Moms 455 GS Riv's.
Seasons changed and after College Dad said, "If you're moving to Houston, pick one out of the herd." " I pointed at the 70 383 Magnum Challenger and he grinned and said "Wrong pick".....I told him it "would be worth $35,000 some day" and he chuckled and said "enjoy the Datsun"
Dissolve to 77 X1/9's mid engines that would make a right turn at 30 mph and not squeal the tires, Alfa Romeo GTV-6s' that would turn mid 13's stock, etc....but....it wasn't a Ford. Someone once sang, "Those who felt the freedom won't forget" and I never did.
Much later my 17 year old son said "Pull in this dealership and at least look at the 2003 Cobra's" I muttered something about "plastic pieces of ****. But we did look...they wouldn't let anyone, not even Shelby himself, test drive the SVT '03s The ex Miami Pro salesman cranked the engine on a white '03 convertible and standing right there in the rain I wrote a check.
This car has had no problems....on 18K so far and it's only driven every week or two...it's just to lovely and fun. I haven't had a single problem.
Matter of fact...the kid wasted his '98 GT just the other day avoiding a head on in the turn lane out on Hwy 71....and we replaced it with a 2001 Cobra hardtop today. I picked the Boy up from his college entrance exams...he had made the highest scores they had seen in a long time....and with praise flowing from the admissions people we went on down and bought this 2001 Cobra with 38K on it.
Now, I have a dead 81 Alfa Milano sitting in the Cedar Forest here at the ranch...dead from dropping a timing belt after 103 high speed passes to Dallas (About the same as SF to LA) It's suede interior is still beautiful, the stock seats feel like Recaros, the instruments and controls are laid out like a fine aircraft...It is a .....beautiful car, in fit and finish, almost an object of art..not to mention it ate BMW M-3s like popcorn....stock. However, I have to say, after taking the 01' Cobra for a hot lap west into the empty quarter of Blanco county, that the Fords are really what driving is about....at least if you're my age and remember setting points and gathering to street race. And I'm very glad my son is getting to get a taste of "the way it was" and "real torque" in a rear wheel Ford. Priceless.
I've driven them all, admittedly using a MX-5 Mazda Speed as a commuter, and the Fords are still King!!!
Back in '72 a friend came rumbling up in a dark blue '65 and said "you gotta see this!" It was a school teachers 1965 with the disc brake option that a vet had spent his entire bonus on. A 302 from the LA airport plant, Mallory, Edlebrock, cammed, bored...full house. I forget what gearbox, but I remember it had a Galaxy rear end cut down to fit and 411's. Sweet shining valve covers that said "Cobra". When it started turning higher than 10.5's up at Little River in Temple Texas the vet sold it, and so my pal got into it for $600. Not bad for an under 11 car and clearly the fastest car with liscense plates in Austin Texas back then. Loop 360 had 7 miles of perfect concrete and no side roads, very few cops. There simply wasn't any traffic back then. It was basically safe to turn quarters, and many many kids were out. It was the perfect time...many of the true American supercars were used, slightly used, or a year or two old enough to find their way into high schoolers hands. Camero Z-28s, GTOs, Challengers, and even the then rare 426 hemi 'cuda, Super Bees, even Moms 455 GS Riv's.
Seasons changed and after College Dad said, "If you're moving to Houston, pick one out of the herd." " I pointed at the 70 383 Magnum Challenger and he grinned and said "Wrong pick".....I told him it "would be worth $35,000 some day" and he chuckled and said "enjoy the Datsun"
Dissolve to 77 X1/9's mid engines that would make a right turn at 30 mph and not squeal the tires, Alfa Romeo GTV-6s' that would turn mid 13's stock, etc....but....it wasn't a Ford. Someone once sang, "Those who felt the freedom won't forget" and I never did.
Much later my 17 year old son said "Pull in this dealership and at least look at the 2003 Cobra's" I muttered something about "plastic pieces of ****. But we did look...they wouldn't let anyone, not even Shelby himself, test drive the SVT '03s The ex Miami Pro salesman cranked the engine on a white '03 convertible and standing right there in the rain I wrote a check.
This car has had no problems....on 18K so far and it's only driven every week or two...it's just to lovely and fun. I haven't had a single problem.
Matter of fact...the kid wasted his '98 GT just the other day avoiding a head on in the turn lane out on Hwy 71....and we replaced it with a 2001 Cobra hardtop today. I picked the Boy up from his college entrance exams...he had made the highest scores they had seen in a long time....and with praise flowing from the admissions people we went on down and bought this 2001 Cobra with 38K on it.
Now, I have a dead 81 Alfa Milano sitting in the Cedar Forest here at the ranch...dead from dropping a timing belt after 103 high speed passes to Dallas (About the same as SF to LA) It's suede interior is still beautiful, the stock seats feel like Recaros, the instruments and controls are laid out like a fine aircraft...It is a .....beautiful car, in fit and finish, almost an object of art..not to mention it ate BMW M-3s like popcorn....stock. However, I have to say, after taking the 01' Cobra for a hot lap west into the empty quarter of Blanco county, that the Fords are really what driving is about....at least if you're my age and remember setting points and gathering to street race. And I'm very glad my son is getting to get a taste of "the way it was" and "real torque" in a rear wheel Ford. Priceless.
I've driven them all, admittedly using a MX-5 Mazda Speed as a commuter, and the Fords are still King!!!
Just Maybe
Green man, maybe some of the things can be contributed to you or your driving style or just your plain quirkyness. Yes there has been lots of owners with the T.B. problem, steering pop, and clunking rearend. If I had those problems and the dealer didn't want to fix, I would be ranting on the dealership, it sounds like they are the ones not holding up their end. How can 4 defective tires be Ford's fault? Aren't they Goodyear? And if tires are bad couldn't that be why it pulls to the right and has viberation over 80? The lumbar that inflates out the back of the seat, the dealer didn't fix it? The pass. seat rubbed in my Cobra also, an easy fix was to move the seat either back or up to stop rubbing, no big deal. The drivers door probably squeaks from your being frustrated and slamming the door to hard. My Cobra was built in June of 03 , it's a vert. and I picked it up on June 22. I drove 120 miles one way to get it after I went there in April to order it. It has almost 23000 miles on it. I had a smaller pulley, CAI., and an exhaust system sitting in the garage before I drove home with it. Installed all that and a few more mods. when I had about 500 miles on the car. It sees the track about 3 times a year , maybe 5 passes each time, just for fun. I do play with it hard sometimes , probably more than I should. I have never taken it back to have the dealer repair anything. My best friend is a front end mech. He found a loose IRS bolt while aligning it and just checking it over for me when the car had about 500 miles on it, again , no big deal. The dealer would have aligned it for me if I took it to them , but it cost me the same for him to look at it and he was a lot closer than 120 miles. If you had taken it to the dealer for the pulling and viberation and they didn't align it, both front and rear, then your gripe is with the dealer. My Cobra is the best thing I've bought in a long time, I'm 43, and if I had it to do over, I wouldn't change a thing. I have worked on some things myself that the dealer would have repaired under warranty, but I like playing with it and don't want anyone else working on it. I have called them up and gotten advice from them and they offered to look at/repair , but it wasn't worth my driving that far for something that I could do for very little cost and I had piece of mind knowing it was fixed and how it was fixed. I know you say yours is stock, congratulations on your self control, it was just to easy and cheap to wake it up, create a beast out of it for me. Sometimes we get a bad, not up to par auto. But to say that all of one type is junk is not fair. If you hate it so badly, leave the doors unlocked at a mall
Green man, maybe some of the things can be contributed to you or your driving style or just your plain quirkyness. Yes there has been lots of owners with the T.B. problem, steering pop, and clunking rearend. If I had those problems and the dealer didn't want to fix, I would be ranting on the dealership, it sounds like they are the ones not holding up their end. How can 4 defective tires be Ford's fault? Aren't they Goodyear? And if tires are bad couldn't that be why it pulls to the right and has viberation over 80? The lumbar that inflates out the back of the seat, the dealer didn't fix it? The pass. seat rubbed in my Cobra also, an easy fix was to move the seat either back or up to stop rubbing, no big deal. The drivers door probably squeaks from your being frustrated and slamming the door to hard. My Cobra was built in June of 03 , it's a vert. and I picked it up on June 22. I drove 120 miles one way to get it after I went there in April to order it. It has almost 23000 miles on it. I had a smaller pulley, CAI., and an exhaust system sitting in the garage before I drove home with it. Installed all that and a few more mods. when I had about 500 miles on the car. It sees the track about 3 times a year , maybe 5 passes each time, just for fun. I do play with it hard sometimes , probably more than I should. I have never taken it back to have the dealer repair anything. My best friend is a front end mech. He found a loose IRS bolt while aligning it and just checking it over for me when the car had about 500 miles on it, again , no big deal. The dealer would have aligned it for me if I took it to them , but it cost me the same for him to look at it and he was a lot closer than 120 miles. If you had taken it to the dealer for the pulling and viberation and they didn't align it, both front and rear, then your gripe is with the dealer. My Cobra is the best thing I've bought in a long time, I'm 43, and if I had it to do over, I wouldn't change a thing. I have worked on some things myself that the dealer would have repaired under warranty, but I like playing with it and don't want anyone else working on it. I have called them up and gotten advice from them and they offered to look at/repair , but it wasn't worth my driving that far for something that I could do for very little cost and I had piece of mind knowing it was fixed and how it was fixed. I know you say yours is stock, congratulations on your self control, it was just to easy and cheap to wake it up, create a beast out of it for me. Sometimes we get a bad, not up to par auto. But to say that all of one type is junk is not fair. If you hate it so badly, leave the doors unlocked at a mall
Uplink good post. I just feel bad that I jumped in there without even looking at how old a thread this was. It was a dark and stormy LOL , long slow night at work and was reading everything in sight. Uplink I remember some fine times in my dads ol mustang also. He special ordered a ....don't really remember the year model....but he had the 390 put in and also had a special rearend installed...must have been around 67, really don't remember like I should. I have a picture of the car though and next time I see Dad I will get more info from him on it and write it on the back just for keepsake. Sure wish he had kept it, sold it around 74. Anyway, it's good to reminiscence and think about what could have been. I have every intention of keeping my 03 Cobra forever, but that is a mighty long time and things do happen. Long live American Muscle. 
Hey JGruggs
No, I was responding to Uncle Meat the moderators' cryptic comments, not yours.
My 03 vert hasn't had a single problem. It's box stock with 18,000 on it.
The boy is pushing a non blown '01 now, which is a lot more than he deserves...I expect him to put 40,000 on it in the next year or less...it's got 39k on it now.
His '98 GT had enought cam/chip/exhaust on it to get into serious trouble, so I think it was a good simulation for the '01..except the Cobra handles and brakes a lot better than the GT. The thought of him wrecking it does keep me up nights, as he is clearly a buccaneer and not a farmer as Willie says.
However, this is the kids time in Eden and he will need some stories and memories too...this may be the best time in his life unless he can let go of the current "Curt Cobain" skateboard mentality that 95% of these punks have now.
Meat can laugh, but I remember us, back in the dazed and confused 70's, as all being little Ben Franklins about what was going on under the hood, how it worked, etc.
And we were all loaded on the best and had hair that made Meats look tailored.
It just an attitude.
Compared to a 65' with an LA plant 302, the '03 is junk. But short of a $50,000
restoration and a difficult parts and labor search, it's close.
We looked at a '69 Windsor with mods and a pony interior....absolute crap...
and the guy was firm at $14,000.
Whats with this thread...has everyone wrecked their precious '03?
No, I was responding to Uncle Meat the moderators' cryptic comments, not yours.
My 03 vert hasn't had a single problem. It's box stock with 18,000 on it.
The boy is pushing a non blown '01 now, which is a lot more than he deserves...I expect him to put 40,000 on it in the next year or less...it's got 39k on it now.
His '98 GT had enought cam/chip/exhaust on it to get into serious trouble, so I think it was a good simulation for the '01..except the Cobra handles and brakes a lot better than the GT. The thought of him wrecking it does keep me up nights, as he is clearly a buccaneer and not a farmer as Willie says.
However, this is the kids time in Eden and he will need some stories and memories too...this may be the best time in his life unless he can let go of the current "Curt Cobain" skateboard mentality that 95% of these punks have now.
Meat can laugh, but I remember us, back in the dazed and confused 70's, as all being little Ben Franklins about what was going on under the hood, how it worked, etc.
And we were all loaded on the best and had hair that made Meats look tailored.
It just an attitude.
Compared to a 65' with an LA plant 302, the '03 is junk. But short of a $50,000
restoration and a difficult parts and labor search, it's close.
We looked at a '69 Windsor with mods and a pony interior....absolute crap...
and the guy was firm at $14,000.
Whats with this thread...has everyone wrecked their precious '03?
uplink said:
Simmer down there Kemosabe'! I do object a little to the post because the original thread was so old! I had to go back and read stuff that was posted almost two years ago to see where the relevance was in your post!
I was just remarking how you decided to dredge up a post from November 2003 to post your thoughts in, hence the remark about digging up a thread from the archives.
..and in 1972 I was 10 years old, so the only thing I was driving was a Schwinn Stingray! Actually it was the Orange Crate model if I remember correctly.
U.M.
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Dr. Wu 2000
New Member
Where to start, where to start. This is a great site, don't get me wrong, but check outcobrastrike said:
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=81 this site will give you all the answers you need to most any question.
There are some things that are common problems with the 03-04' cobra, but every car is different.
Stangninjak
Member
- Apr 16, 2004
- 324
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I HAD a 03 Cobra. It ran dam good as well. extended warr and the only problem I had from it was the alternator...see my sig for my Mods.I too live in N Miami Beach, and when I went to towers people oogle and googled over it because of the color, and the other mods..had rims nobody else had on it, special order. Took it to the track at morrosso and ran 12.2 best, and 12.5 all day long.
Heh I guess my car ran to well, because someone hook a two truck to it and drug it right out of my driveway..found it 2 weeks later stiped to the bone..well ins paid me, but dam I miss that car. And heh I had very unique things. Lord help the person I find with those unique items in or on their car. Its called laser sigs, and you only need a special little pen light I have to see the sigs...
Anywho, when I was looking for another car, I looked at nissans and g35's. A: they are slow as dirt. Heh they are good for road track driving, but for the strip, they suck hard. Also I saw in the forums for those cars, people with many issues and problems as well. The final nail in the coffin was a guy who bought a g35, took it out 1st time, ran it, and boom ! something in the tranny gave away. Just talked to him a week ago and he is back in the shop for something else.
The bottom line is that all cars have issues. It seems that you had more than others. If that was the case, I would have gotten rid of the car. But to rag that hard on it, then claim a very much IMO, inferior car "for the same money" is so much better, in a SVT forums, is well dumb. But to each their own. If you like that nissan with a infinity badge, then trade your cobra and get one. The blue book value is pretty high on our piece of junks as you call them.
Heh I guess my car ran to well, because someone hook a two truck to it and drug it right out of my driveway..found it 2 weeks later stiped to the bone..well ins paid me, but dam I miss that car. And heh I had very unique things. Lord help the person I find with those unique items in or on their car. Its called laser sigs, and you only need a special little pen light I have to see the sigs...
Anywho, when I was looking for another car, I looked at nissans and g35's. A: they are slow as dirt. Heh they are good for road track driving, but for the strip, they suck hard. Also I saw in the forums for those cars, people with many issues and problems as well. The final nail in the coffin was a guy who bought a g35, took it out 1st time, ran it, and boom ! something in the tranny gave away. Just talked to him a week ago and he is back in the shop for something else.
The bottom line is that all cars have issues. It seems that you had more than others. If that was the case, I would have gotten rid of the car. But to rag that hard on it, then claim a very much IMO, inferior car "for the same money" is so much better, in a SVT forums, is well dumb. But to each their own. If you like that nissan with a infinity badge, then trade your cobra and get one. The blue book value is pretty high on our piece of junks as you call them.
