OregonMustang said:
Please help me decided.
With the Mach 1 I get the nice 4V setup w/o the eaton. But it's a little less then the cobra. Is the cobra that much superior?
I realize that the cobra has IRS and it makes 390hp..heheheh...but it's about 8K more then your average Mach1 is it realy worth that much more?
I'll give my opinions on this subject. I own a 2003 Cobra. I hang out on a weekly basis with Mach 1 and other Cobra owners. So I know quite a bit about both cars.
When comparing these two cars, a few things should be addressed. Some things may or may not pertain to you depending on what you want the car for.
Solid Axle vs. IRS-- Since I own a 03 Cobra I know what the IRS is like. And since I used to own a 2000 GT, I also know what a solid axle feels like. For the drag strip, solid axle wins. But for normal everyday driving, the IRS wins hands down. I can take turns now with the IRS, way faster than I could with the solid axle. The rear end stays planted on the ground when I hit bumps.....a very good thing when you hit a bump in a turn. The down side to the IRS, and everyone probably knows this, is wheel hop. It is pretty much impossible to nail the gas pedal from a stop (with stock tires) and expect to go anywhere. With my stock tires I experienced very bad wheel hop. It eventually led to a broken halfshaft (about a $250 part). Launching on an IRS is very diffucult because of this reason. I evetually got new tires and rims. And luckily 90% of my wheel hop is gone. So tires play a major role with wheel hop.
Price-- Obviously money is a factor for alot of people. 04 Cobra's can be bought now for about $30,000 after rebats. And used 03 Cobra's I have seen for sale for as low as $25,000. Not quite sure what you can get a Mach 1 for right now. But I'd venture a guess and say atleast $26,000.
Modding Ability-- The Cobra wins here hands down. With only a catback and CAI I dyno'd at 422 rwhp and 391 trq. Stock, Cobra's will dyno between 360-385 rwhp. With your basic upgrades like exhaust, intake, smaller pulley and chip/tune, you are looking at atleast 450 rwhp. A buddy of mine has a 03 Mach 1 with all of the bolt on's and dyno'd at 335 rwhp....very impressive if you ask me.
1/4 Track-- Here is where the solid axle helps out the Mach 1. Stock Mach's run mid to low 13's....usually about a 13.3. My buddy with the 03 Mach I mentioned above ran a best of 12.7 on DR's. Stock Cobra's will run anywhere between 12.5-13.4. Cobra times depend alot on the driver.....because of launching on IRS.
Road Course-- Cobra wins. More power and IRS.
Interior-- Obviously this will vary depending on certain tastes. But I perosnally like the Cobra interior alot better than that of the Mach. I like the Cobra guages better and I like the Cobra seats better. I used to like the Mach seats. But I guess after getting used to mine, I now hate the Mach seats. I sat in my buddies Mach and couldn't stand them....they felt so "flat". And I find the Mach guage cluster difficult to see. The numbers are too close together.
Exterior-- Same as interior, looks are subjective. Personally, I don't care too much for the Mach 1 looks. The hood scoop does nothing for me, I don't care for the strip going down the side of the car, I don't like the black wing, and the rims aren't the greatest. But at the same time, the Cobra is somewhat "bland". Smoother lines and not as outlandish as the Mach. Perfect example of the smoothness is the Cobra side rockers. Although it seems like alot of people like them.
Few other things to consider...........
Cobra has a 6 speed transmission
Corba has forged internals (HUGE plus in my book)
If you really want a solid axle, then swap out your IRS on the Cobra with a solid axle....it's not a big deal
Supercharger whine
It's a Cobra
Obviously the last two things above don't matter to much. But the better all around car is the Cobra, I think we can all agree on that. But don't think the Mach 1 isn't a good car, because it is. It's just not "me".
Hope I helped somewhat.
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