2004 Cobra vs. 2002 Z06

Tony01GT · Nov 4, 2003

Here is my problem, I start work for my dad's company in september 2004 and can afford the payments of a 2004 cobra right now with my current job too.So in june I'm thinking of selling my 2001 GT and in july buy a 2004 Cobra.Now just the other day I saw a 2002 Z06 for sale for just a little more than the cobra.So i dunno if I should pay a little extra for the vette and slap a blower on it or buy the cobra do the KB swap etc. Someone please give me some insight on which to get. give me all of your opinions, no bullsh**, just what you think and take off your ford painted sun glasses and open up to another nice sports car

gemex · Nov 4, 2003

I had a similar dilemma, I settled on the cobra because the power is cheaper to tap into, and for a daily driver it is way more practical.

I think the real question you should have is a Cobra or a 2000 Viper GTS. You can pick up a viper for the same price as a 03 cobra, an it will hold its value better than the zo6. It has plenty of power, the only reason I didn’t get one is because the wife wouldn’t let me.

RealQuick · Nov 4, 2003

Well, the vette is an awesome all around sports car. The cobra is an awesome pony car. Two cool cars. If you need a daily driver and want a backseat, get the cobra. Cheap money for power and you'll have a good engine and new warranty. The KB blower is an awesome charger to swap for.

The ZO6 has tons of power N/A and will make some crazy power with the lingenfelter blower. The car is solid all the way around. The car launches like crazy and has the best small block ever built.

It comes down to what type of use and budget. Remember, aftermarket for the vette is big bucks. Keep that in mind down the road. Oh,, and before anyone comes in here and tries to use the lame "the interior is cheap" line, get real. Tony, take a ride in each and make the decision. Good luck. Wish i had your dilema.

vipergts281 · Nov 14, 2003

gemex said:
I think the real question you should have is a Cobra or a 2000 Viper GTS. You can pick up a viper for the same price as a 03 cobra, an it will hold its value better than the zo6. It has plenty of power, the only reason I didn’t get one is because the wife wouldn’t let me.

Show me where you can get a 00 Viper GTS for no more than $35,000 and I will be all over it.

Realistically a 00 GTS would sell for about $48,000-$52,000 right now, and it would most likely have no more than 10,000 miles on it. Last week I looked at some used ones, my Cobra is pissing me off lately.

BONE_STOCK · Nov 14, 2003

Oh man...I wish I could afford your delemma right now!! lol!

Um..I've been in both and they're both sweet cars but I'm a Ford freak so of coarse I'd choose the 'Bra over the 'Vette.

The 'Vette so nice because it hooks like no other and every knows that when they see a 'Vette it's nice and fast....

Most people couldn't even tell a Cobra from a V-6....lol.

I say in your position to try and get a Mystic Cobra!!

RydeOn · Nov 14, 2003

If you are not brand loyal then by all means go with the Z06. Its just flat-out a better car. The only mods you would need are probably a catback exhaust and a K&N kit.

QUICK91LX · Nov 15, 2003

well ive yet to drive an 03+ cobra, but i have driven an 03 Z06. the Z06 was flat out sick. crazy power at all RPM's, handles as if its on rails and the interior is far from cheap looking. i also like the fact that it looks incredibly refined but when you hit that key the engine roars to life with just enough muscle car feel to make a grin appear on your face.

however, i would never, ever, ever have any corvette as a daily driver. incredibly low, difficult to get in and out of, extremely poor side and rear visiblilty and lack of interior space.

if these things dont matter to you and you just want all-around performance, go with the vette, if you want a more practical daily driver with crazy power, good handling (from what ive heard) more visibilty, upright seating position and more interior room, go with the cobra. swing by both dealers and see which one suits you best, good luck...and send some of those moneybags my way!!!

stallion98gt · Nov 17, 2003

vipergts281 said:
Last week I looked at some used ones, my Cobra is pissing me off lately.

what happend ? anything wrong with ur cobra ?

Personnaly I would go with a 04 cobra...but I'm sold to Ford

vipergts281 · Nov 17, 2003

stallion98gt said:
what happend ? anything wrong with ur cobra ?

Personnaly I would go with a 04 cobra...but I'm sold to Ford

My Cobra has given me a few headaches since I bought it about 2.5 months ago.

Halfshaft snapped
Rear end tink/pop
Rear end pop/clunk when going up an incline
Radio does not work properly
Driver seat suede came loose from the seams
Front end makes a strange noise when I brake hard
Vibe

While the car was in for replacement of the halfshaft, I told them about the other problems. They said they couldn't duplicate the radio problem, even though I told them specifically how to do it. They ordered a new seat back, and they told me they did the TSB for the rear end clunk. Still waiting for the seat to come in. Clunking noise is still there. So I asked to schedule another apointment to show them the other problems and to take a mechanic for a ride. But I can only go on Saturday because I work all week. They told me they don't have Sat. appointments. Fcuk them, I already lost a days pay when I couldn't get to work since I couldn't get a rental car.....the dealer is 45 minutes from me and I had no way of getting there to get the rental. So I assume now I am supposed to miss more work so they can fix my NEW car. I just paid over $30,000 for this car and now it is costing me hundreds of dollars more in lost pay from missing work.

Sorry for the long rant, but it pisses me off to think about it.

I am looking into a new job. If it turns out to be what I hear it is, the thought of selling the Cobra and getting a Viper will cross my mind again I'm sure.

stallion98gt · Nov 17, 2003

vipergts281 said:
My Cobra has given me a few headaches since I bought it about 2.5 months ago.

Halfshaft snapped
Rear end tink/pop
Rear end pop/clunk when going up an incline
Radio does not work properly
Driver seat suede came loose from the seams
Front end makes a strange noise when I brake hard
Vibe

While the car was in for replacement of the halfshaft, I told them about the other problems. They said they couldn't duplicate the radio problem, even though I told them specifically how to do it. They ordered a new seat back, and they told me they did the TSB for the rear end clunk. Still waiting for the seat to come in. Clunking noise is still there. So I asked to schedule another apointment to show them the other problems and to take a mechanic for a ride. But I can only go on Saturday because I work all week. They told me they don't have Sat. appointments. Fcuk them, I already lost a days pay when I couldn't get to work since I couldn't get a rental car.....the dealer is 45 minutes from me and I had no way of getting there to get the rental. So I assume now I am supposed to miss more work so they can fix my NEW car. I just paid over $30,000 for this car and now it is costing me hundreds of dollars more in lost pay from missing work.

Sorry for the long rant, but it pisses me off to think about it.

I am looking into a new job. If it turns out to be what I hear it is, the thought of selling the Cobra and getting a Viper will cross my mind again I'm sure.

sorry to hear that dude... that sux...your not the first one to complain about the 03 cobra...anyways..I've heard u can get some 97 or 98 viper for a decent price...I'm thinking about it too

CrimsonCobra_01 · Nov 18, 2003

The 01 - 03 cobras all make a clinking sound when shifting and i was pissed to. i heard it after two days of having it and there is nothin we can do about it. Quess cobras have their advantages but arent perfect, but find a car that is.

gemex · Nov 18, 2003

vipergts281, do a little research and you will find plenty of vipers around 35 to 40k. Last month Dupont Registry even had some. A local Dodge dealer just sold a 95 srt10 with 36k miles on it the other day for 28,500. There are plenty in the bay area for sale too for under 35k.

I am an exotic car collector and am very much into the current market. If you are truly serious I can point you in the right direction to look for one in California.

P.S. I haven’t had any problems with my car at all (aside from tuning the mods). I think because it was a hand tested anniversary model with a hand signed certificate might be why it has no bugs.

DirtyD916 · Nov 18, 2003

look you could get a viper- add some rims, lower it, intake, stroke it, exhaust, suspension , maybe even a blower and be in 10's easy, then you could go to a vette, add a blower and also be in 10's or 11's ( they actually had an article on a s/c ZO6 in CHP magazine and it just had exhaust intake and vortech s trim and had 600 hp and ran like 11's. then you have the 03 cobra, cheaper, more power for the $, WAY and i mean WAY more reliable then the other two, also has good looks, and has aftermarket parts that dont cost an arm and a leg to get. Also it can very much hold its own.

i my self would go wiht saving up a while and get the viper, heres why,
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/253375
now thats juts nasty in my mind.

if your still interested in what they can do on the street go to racingflix.com and look as they have plenty of stuff on vettes, cobras, and vipers, happy shopping

Miklowcic · Nov 19, 2003

uhhhh

A Viper for that price? I've never seen that before.. They have to have way more than 10,000 miles on them to be that cheap and one can only imagine whats been done to them in the mean time...

My CObra is faster than any Z06 I have ever seen run at the track and Im there all the time. I have only seen one Viper go faster than me and it has a different cam, exhaust and other things and runs low 11s....and gets kicked out for no roll bar..

Id say get the vette, but anything used has been abused. Id rather get the CObra if I was in your shoes and deal with FOrds quality issues rather than deal with a car that has been beat up by someone else.

QUICK91LX · Nov 19, 2003

dont forget the cobra comes with a full warranty, id think the 02 Z06 has one but isnt it only a 3 year?? gonna run out soon...

Miklowcic · Nov 19, 2003

yeah

Warrrenty? YEah and with the Cobra you will need it. The couple of vette owners I know and the ones I have talked to at the track rarely had to use their warrenties if at all. Only problem one had was a microscopic fracture in his wheel making the tire slowly go flat. That was the only thing he ever had to take the car in for. And he drives the car almost every day.

It sucked having to use the warrenty on my 03 so many times and it sucked even more how much abuse and damage occured at the hands of the local dealers I took it to for service.

So IMOP who cares about warrenties..

Also...do just about anything to your Ford and kiss the warrenty good bye anyway. Ford has become really rediculous about warrenty work in the past few years. I had my 01 GT chipped and x pipe gears etc etc and never had a problem when I took it in for things. Now I wouldnt even try unless I put everything back to stock first.

wjfawb0 · Nov 20, 2003

I got the Cobra cause it is even more fun when you can snap three passengers necks at one time. Watch out, though. The people in the backseat might knock out the window with their heads.

All kidding aside, I would have bought a Z06 if I could have afforded one. I drive almost exclusively interstate. All the way to work everyday, and every other weekend I drive about 700 miles on the interstate. The ~28 mpg in a Z06 would be great for that as opposed to the 23-24 mpg I get in the Cobra.

-Jason

saleenster · Nov 22, 2003

Just something to think about..Pro charger is almost ready to start advertising their new supercharger for the '03/'04 cobra...which is forecasted to give better dyno figures then the Kenne Bell....Hope this helps.

kirkyg · May 4, 2004

RydeOn said:
If you are not brand loyal then by all means go with the Z06. Its just flat-out a better car. The only mods you would need are probably a catback exhaust and a K&N kit.

Well thats not all together true. Handling wise the z06 will run circles around the 03 cobra. Considering that you can buy a 03 cobra for about 12k less than a z06 it makes complete sense. HOWEVER, the z06 does not have forged internals and wont handle high boost without TONS of money poured into the engine. You better be ready to put an additional 15k in modifications to build the engine and get a ling. supercharger. The 03 cobra is a much more practical car in most cases. You could get the cobra and put 3600 and KB swap and run 25psi and spank any vette out there. It has alot to do with taste too...and dont forget the cobra will sound 10x better

kirkyg

kirkyg · May 4, 2004

sorry didn't realize i was bringing this back from the dead...doh

kirkyg

2004 Cobra vs. 2002 Z06

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