95 cobra, things to look for when buying?

JohnnyRebel · Apr 19, 2009

hi guys, found a 95 cobra up here for $6000 (cdn), i dont know much about this body style as all I have had was the 87-93 mustangs, so id like to know what to look for when buying, i am in a salt area so rust is a factor but this car is supposedly from texas. what are the key things to look for when buying a car of this year?

Adam95GT · Apr 19, 2009

Check the harmonic balancer make sure there is no rubber coming out for starters.

Bosko5.0 · Apr 19, 2009

adam that an easy fix.

Check carfax.
what does it sound like when running?

Stopsign32v · Apr 19, 2009

I think I would check things to make sure its a real Cobra first and not just a debadged GT. After that realize that this is a 14 year old car and it will probably have things on it that needs to be replaced. Weigh out the pros from the cons. 1994-1995 Cobras are not easy to find and if its a nice car I don't think I'd let it pass by because the rubber is coming out of the stock balancer.

Chythar · Apr 19, 2009

There are so many things to check I'm not sure where to start. Many of these things are fixable, some cheaply and easily; some not so easy. But they can be bargaining points to try to talk the seller down in price. To start:

Take a look at the brake rotors through the wheels. They should look pretty clean with no gouges or major scratches. If there are some, the brake pads are likely worn out and you will need new pads and rotors.
Pull the dipstick and see if there is any coolant in the oil. The oil on the dipstick will look kinda milky. If you've got coolant in the oil the engine is in trouble.
If the engine is cold, remove the radiator cap and immediately take a sniff right where the radiator cap was. Yes, with your nose. If you smell an exhaust smell, the engine is leaking exhaust into the coolant. You might also notice an oily or dirty film in the coolant there by the cap, but that can be caused by plain dirty coolant. If there is exhaust in the coolant the engine is in trouble.
Start the engine and let it idle. The engine should settle down within several seconds to a decently quiet idle. If the engine shakes and/or the idle goes up and down, you have some maintenance to do, but you can probably talk the buyer down in price because the engine "runs rough".
Take the Cobra for a drive. Shift it up and down through the gears a few times. Do any of the gears grind when you shift into each gear? If so, the synchros in the transmission are going out and you have to have the transmission rebuilt.
You should be able to spin the rear tires if you shift into 1st gear and let out the clutch quick. Sometimes you can spin 'em in 2nd gear. This will give you an idea if the engine has been maintained well, or if it has lost some power and needs maintenance.
Drive along a side street, pull the transmission out of gear and listen. Are there any squeaks or grinding coming from any of the wheels? Check with the windows up and down. A squeak from a wheel usually means the bearing is going out and will need to be replaced.
Test the brakes. Press down lightly, then try pressing hard. The Cobra should not pull to either side, but stop evenly. If the wheel shakes under your hands when braking, one of the front rotors is warped and will need to be replaced.
When you press the brakes, you should not hear any squealing or metal-on-metal grinding. Squealing may just be cheap brake pads, but the metal grinding means the brake pads are worn out.
Keep an eye on the gauges while driving:
- The oil gauge in the lower-right corner should read over halfway and not drop down at all.
- The voltage gauge in the upper-right should be about halfway and should only move when the engine cooling fan turns on and when you turn on the lights.
- The tachometer should move up and down with engine noise. If it moves around while you're maintaining a constant speed, you'll have to do some troubleshooting.
- The speedometer should move up and down as expected. If it moves around while you're maintaining a constant speed, you'll have to do some troubleshooting.
- The temperature gauge in the upper-right corner is a bit hard to troubleshoot, it's known for not reading right from the factory. But you can get some info from it. The gauge should never go above 2/3 of the gauge. When the temperature gets high enough, the engine cooling fan will kick in and you'll see the voltage gauge dip. The temperature should slowly drop down to about halfway. The gauge should also drop to about 1/3 of the gauge when driving on the freeway. If it doesn't do these things your coolant system might need an overhaul.

That's all I can think of offhand, Anyone else care to add to the list?

JohnnyRebel · Apr 19, 2009

i havent looked at it yet as its 7 hours away but heres the ad

1995.ford.mustang svt cobra - Fredericton Ford Cars For Sale - Kijiji Fredericton

Venom351R · Apr 19, 2009

Would be nice to know the mileage. From the pics it looks nice but never know what it could be hiding so be sure to car fax it if you can.

02 281 GT · Apr 19, 2009

The previous owner might give you an idea of how the car has been treated as well. The guy from whom I bought my Cobra was the second owner, and his father-in-law was the first owner. The in-law kept up to date records of maintenance, and the son-in-law still had the original window sticker, and even a 1995 Ford Mustang dealership brochure that came with the car. The owner's manual was still in a plastic bag from the dealer tucked away neatly in the glove box, and the car was garage kept. It had just a hair under 100,000 miles on it when I purchased it for $6,500. This was a good deal for my car. I could tell by the previous owner's attention to detail that the car was definitely taken care of. That, and I didn't notice any problems during my test drive.

stang88j · Apr 19, 2009

check it good by looking at pics the cobra on the fender is backwards my 97 they both face forward also my hood is a cobra hood that car has gt hood not sure if their different or not

02 281 GT · Apr 19, 2009

stang88j said:
check it good by looking at pics the cobra on the fender is backwards my 97 they both face forward also my hood is a cobra hood that car has gt hood not sure if their different or not

The '94-'95 Cobras used the same hood and rear bumper as the GT/V6 and V6, respectively.

Can't explain the backwards facing Cobra emblem. The rear spoiler looks correct.

Chythar · Apr 19, 2009

Good catch on the reversed snake on the fender. The spoiler is correct. The Cobra should have the third brake light in the spoiler, not in the trunk lid. The wheels are correct for a stock Cobra, as is the hood. The rear bumper should say "MUSTANG", not "MUSTANG GT". If they have replaced it, it might say "COBRA".

A lot of people complained that the 94-95 Cobras were not "unique enough" from a GT or V6, so Ford made the Cobra hood and the "COBRA" rear bumper for the 96-98 model years. I think they had the "crab claw" spoiler, but it did not have the third brake light in it and it had the same bolt pattern as the GT spoiler. The 94-95 "crab claw" spoiler does bolt on differently.

Stopsign32v · Apr 19, 2009

backwards Cobra emblem was only on the 93s.

95 cobra, things to look for when buying?

JohnnyRebel

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