03-04 cobra vs. 03-04 mach 1 vs. 99 cobra

canesstangnitro · Sep 20, 2008

I am in the process of buying one of these 'stangs and I want to try to see the difference in these 3. I know obviously the 03-04 cobra has a supercharger and 390 hp. But as far as brakes, motor (other than supercharger). I know they are both 32 valve motors. and suspension/interior, is there much of a difference in the 03 cobra and mach 1? Second, I may decide on a 98-99 cobra if I can get one with low mileage. Is there much difference between this year cobra and the 03-04?

With the mach 1 having 320 and the cobra at 390, if there is not much difference, I could use the extra money, because they are a lot cheaper, and put a supercharger on there. By doing that, I could put a bigger blower and still save money. Let me know what you guys think

LaserSVT · Sep 20, 2008

03/04 Cobras have IRS and a six speed as well. Machs are live axle and are quite different inside. Different seats and gauges and the bezel around the shifter. Auto Machs have the lesser 6 bolt non forged crank. 99/01 Cobras are alot more like a Machs but have an IRS as well. The 96-98 Cobra is a different animal all together. Has prolly the best engine block Ford ever had the balls to put out. Called the Teksid block they are aluminum and very very strong. Alot of Terminator owners strive to get a Teksid block for their cars. The 98 will be the Aero body SN95 as opposed to the New Edge which is the 99+ version.
That being said if you plan on SC then the 03/04 Cobra is the car to get. 700 rwhp without tearing into the engine is a nice thing Dont get me wrong, the Mach1 is a bad ass but the Terminator is its daddy.
Hope it helps

EPIK · Sep 20, 2008

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Everything he said, but Machs are sexier!!! LOL!!! Im biased though....

2BADSTANGS · Sep 20, 2008

Most of the '99 cobras had the teksid block and a few of the early of the '01's engine compartments were also blessed with it's presence (Both have the IRS as laser stated). Heres a wiki link to help you understand the differences in years of cobra. Ford Mustang SVT Cobra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LaserSVT · Sep 21, 2008

EPIK said:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Everything he said, but Machs are sexier!!! LOL!!! Im biased though....

Mang if I wouldnt get holly hell from everybody here I would put on a Mach hood and scoop Thats why I like your Mach so much. The wing made such a big difference

hotcobra03 · Sep 21, 2008

That 390 on cobra is very underrated .that number is more at the rear wheel hp on most stock cobras imo the cobras in a class of its own the mach is like a beefed up gt with the left over 01cobra engine nice 2nd choice

John00Stang · Oct 10, 2008

Cant believe im sayin this, but if you have the money, i would just buy an 03-04 cobra. Yea you could always buy something cheaper and build it. All depends on what you want, if i did it again, i would have bought a termi...and i haven't even built my car yet.

Nazman · Dec 11, 2008

Each car has its merits on thier own way. Im bias, since I own a 99 Cobra, yes, its not blesed by the SC and 6 speeds of the 03-04, or have te cool hood/shaker of the Mach 1s or the better seats/"Cobra" bumper of the 01 Cobras but its unique in thier own way.

My 99 is FAR from stock, but I love the 99s! They have a special feel to them and they look great!

Depending on what you want to build, each and everyone will make a great platform!

Naz

PS. Wow, it has been a looooooooooooong while since I posted!!!

STREETRACEMY50 · Dec 14, 2008

I was just in the same boat, i was trying to decide which one to get, after doing some serious consideration i bought a 99 cobra, the main reason was that i could afford to buy it cash and not have to worry about financing an extra $15k for a terminator in this crappy economy, the extra power would have been nice, but its not worth $15K(plus interest) to me.

Sicarius428 · Dec 15, 2008

The brakes are pretty much the same between all of the years... I believe the 03/04 dual piston fronts are a hair larger... 38mm vs 40mm. You won't notice a difference. the 03/04 cobra sports a 3.55 gear as do the mach but I believe the 99 has a 3.27. The 99 and up cobra has IRS but the 03/04 have a better geometry along with 31 spline axles and an additional bracing across the pumpin. The termi motor is completely forged. The mach 1 motor has a forged crank if you get a manual. I am not sure about the 99 other than the teskid block which was outsourced by ford and is the strongest oem block by ford. The mach has 28 spline axles... 6 speed was offered in the 03/04... people with good power and rough driving habits tend to break the 3650 in the mach. The 99 and mach would be closer in comparison other than the IRS and the 03/04 is a different class car. My friend bought a mach and is now kicking himself for not throwing in a little more to get the termi. The cobra will always hold more value than the mach if that is a consideration. The power on the 03/04 was lowballed it puts about 400rwhp with the air silencer removed. The block is plenty strong and adding HP is cheap and easy. The termi also starts the power much lower which the mach needs to wind out more.
Kevin

Rad Ray · Dec 21, 2008

Save your $$ and get something with better gas mileage, better reliability and a company not going out of business. I drive my Stang now only when I want to listen to the rumble, Saturday night cruise, and guzzle gas. When I go to the track to escape from posers I take either my S2000 or Evo III, either of which will blow the 03 Cobra away.

shoobs99svt · Dec 21, 2008

Rad Ray said:
When I go to the track to escape from posers I take either my S2000 or Evo III

am i reading too much into that?

21MsclCr · Feb 18, 2009

Theres not too much difference between the mack 1 and 03/04. I prefer the 03/04 just because of looks and theres a lot less of them. The supercharger doesnt help my decision either . The 99 is a fun car but if I had to choose Id go with the 03. But if you buy it used make sure you know what has been done and how it has been driven because that car was put out for one reason only so you know the previous owner may have been out having a little too much fun and straining it.

32ValveRom · Mar 8, 2009

If I remember correctly the Mach1s also came in automatic.

Damn, I completely forgot about the differences between the Teksid block and the Windsor block. Now I forgot which one I have in my 99. How do you tell?

95 yellow 5 0 · Mar 20, 2009

32ValveRom said:
If I remember correctly the Mach1s also came in automatic.

Damn, I completely forgot about the differences between the Teksid block and the Windsor block. Now I forgot which one I have in my 99. How do you tell?

If you look closely under the manifold where the engine is split you can see a diamond shaped pattern throughout the block; i believe you can see it on the sides of the block as well. my 01 had a teksid. it's been so long i cant remember.

and to the original question... with 03/04s being so cheap now, definitly take that over the others. The forged internals and T56 are enough to make up my mind; although I'd prefer a solid axle if I were to make the car very powerful. I love 96-98 cobras and always wanted to make one a project car, so who knows what my next will be. I won't be ready to buy one until another 2 years. I've taken a much needed break from mustangs.

Fomoco1649 · Apr 18, 2017

EPIK said:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Everything he said, but Machs are sexier!!! LOL!!! Im biased though....

It depends what you can afford & your driving habits I am 58 & also have a nice 2007 Honda accord V-6 & enjoy taking my Mach out on week-ends just because its different & fun....plenty of power 310 HP........... JLT - CAI & MGW Shifter.....Cobras are a Mach with a super charger & independent suspension.....

Fomoco1649 · Apr 18, 2017

21MsclCr said:
Theres not too much difference between the mack 1 and 03/04. I prefer the 03/04 just because of looks and theres a lot less of them. The supercharger doesnt help my decision either . The 99 is a fun car but if I had to choose Id go with the 03. But if you buy it used make sure you know what has been done and how it has been driven because that car was put out for one reason only so you know the previous owner may have been out having a little too much fun and straining it.

Ten four......I made sure this time mine was a one owner car with low miles.....turned out to be like new....transmission & clutch are perfect

TechnicallyMasterful · Apr 20, 2017

The thing that made me buy my termi is the complete package. The engine can handle to around 750-800 rwhp without cracking a valve cover and due to it's low compression ratio it can handle alot of boost. The T56 trans is bullet proof as well but some do find it harder to shift than other trans. The only thing that needs upgraded is fuel, clutch, irs and you can have a monster of a car. For about 3-5 grand more than the other cars it has alot more value. It's the "supra" of Ford.

Fomoco1649 · Apr 30, 2017

canesstangnitro said:
I am in the process of buying one of these 'stangs and I want to try to see the difference in these 3. I know obviously the 03-04 cobra has a supercharger and 390 hp. But as far as brakes, motor (other than supercharger). I know they are both 32 valve motors. and suspension/interior, is there much of a difference in the 03 cobra and mach 1? Second, I may decide on a 98-99 cobra if I can get one with low mileage. Is there much difference between this year cobra and the 03-04?

With the mach 1 having 320 and the cobra at 390, if there is not much difference, I could use the extra money, because they are a lot cheaper, and put a supercharger on there. By doing that, I could put a bigger blower and still save money. Let me know what you guys think

I agree.......I chose to put the extra $10,000 in my retirement account & be grateful for what I have

03-04 cobra vs. 03-04 mach 1 vs. 99 cobra

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