Mach 1 newbie to this side of the stangnet

I raced a minivan last night....smoked him by 4 carlengths
















Well, if you play with a few mods, you can see 300rwhp, or at least close to. In my area there aren't that many 'fast' cars, just idiots in DDs who think they're Earnhardt or something. But the car pulls like a mother, more than you'll ever need legally

Depends on how much you want to spend and how much work you want to do yourself.

You can do tons with the 4.6 liter engine, in either form (2 valve or 4 valve).

The Mach and Cobra are 4 valve and will get you more out of the box, while the GT (2 valve) will require some more work--but some people like this challenge and they can get their own unique setups.

I would recommend you troll around and read some threads in 4.6 tech and just ask questions in the 4.6 talk about anything you might be wondering.

If you want to do heavy modding your better off with a Cobra with the iron block.

I used to get pestered all the time in the GT, no one bothers the Mach though.

Supposedly the "R" in the VIN code for the Mach's might as well stand for rape when it comes to insuring it. Myself, it does'nt effect me, I'm to friggin' old. The Mach will edge out the '99-'01 Cobra's but it probably really comes down to drivers. Afew simple mods to the '03-'04 Cobra and you'll be way over 400 HP at the rears. Afew simple mods on the Mach and you'll be over 300 HP at the rears. The aluminum Mach engine is good till 600 HP with the stock internals, but I would'nt want to push it to that. The iron '03-'04 Cobra engine is good for about as much HP as you want to throw at it.

My Mach stands up pretty good to competition. I'm usually able to pull stock and lightly modded LS1s by a car or two. But yet, i've also lost to some by the same amount. This includes the C5s, Camaros, and T/As. I'm not so sure how well I would run against a 99/01 Cobra since i've never crossed one on the street. But at the track here I've seen several run in the mid-to-low 14s while I've seen mid-to-high 13s in my car even when I was bone stock. I would imagine the Mach has the advantage, especially since it has a solid rear axle setup for drag.

If you had a choice between a 03/04 Mach and 03/04 Cobra, though, I'd definitely pick the Cobra even though the insurance would be even higher...... They have basically the same engine minus the blower, but of course the Cobra already has the forged internals and fuel system to run some serious power, while the Mach would be a bit more of a project but easily capable of the same power output.

You have your eyes on some good cars though, so no matter what route you go, you won't be disappointed.

I paid 19.5 for the mach and my ins is $101 a month.

but im 29 and married so its a bit lower than yours would be.