Street friendly, 300 hp, cobra or 5.0?

dstang01 · Mar 12, 2007

Like the title says.. im torn between a 94-95 5.0 or shelling out more for a 96-98 cobra (which i know is a better car in all aspects, power, handling, braking, quality etc, but also come overpriced) This will be a semi-daily driver for me, so streetability is important. What im aiming for is a fun, reliable, well handling, somewhat gas efficient, street friendly car with around 300 hp at the flywheel. With the 5.0, Id be starting out lower, but a nice 94-95 can be had for about half the price of an equal condition cobra, so leftover money can gradually be spent to match/surpass the cobra in all aspects (except maybe gas mileage, but im not expecting alot either way) Would you suggest I start with the cobra and call it a day (and pay pay pay..) or buy a 5.0 for about half the price and gradually modify it to hit my goals?

Also, if I were to go the 5 oh route and decide to mod, would it be best to go with a nicely built hci setup from the start to replace the restrictive stock components, or should I bolt up a blower and call it a day? I know this is a very broad question, but keep in mind what im looking for in my car. Thanks alot for any opinions, much appreciated :SNSign: hope to be driving a stang soon

HISSIN50 · Mar 12, 2007

Are you talking about getting a mod motor Cobra vs a 94-95 GT (or a 94-95 Cobra)?

cbarr300 · Mar 12, 2007

buy a 94-95 cobra, slap a vortech s-trim blower on there, change maf and injectors, get it tuned, call it a day.

Or....you could just get a 94-95 GT and slowly build that up. I don't know how your financial situation is, but you can EASILY get 300 FWHP out of a 5.0....heck, you could get that in RWHP rather easily.

whichever one you get...make sure you change the rear gears out; it'll feel like a completely different car

HGFireHazard · Mar 12, 2007

I can't give you an honest opinion about costs and the fun of a mod motor, but I can tell you that your goal of 300 fwhp is easily achievable and fun with a 5.0. I would steer away from a blower if you're looking for solid streetability, mostly because the mileage will suffer and honestly you'll be blowing past 300 fw and into rw horsepower. I'd say a mild H/C/I will give you exactly what you're looking for and should provide fantastic driveability.

Black95GTS · Mar 12, 2007

I'm a fool, kept thinking rwhp.

Go with the 5.0.

Adam

ProKiller · Mar 12, 2007

3 grand for 300fwhp? thats only like 240rwhp. that can be had for under a grand.

of course i'm biased, but i would go with the 5.0. there's just more that can be done to a 5.0 car. you get bored with 300fwhp, and want an all out screamer, drop in a 351 stroker.

cheaper than mod motor for just about every engine mod. intakes for 5.0s are like $500 new tops while the 4.6 intakes are easy $700 new. also don't forget there are alot more fox cars being modded so the aftermarket is enormous for 5.0s.

handling\driveability is moot. even a cobra after 10 years now needs help. your going to have to put some money into the suspension if you want that "perfect" driveability. and since your talking both SN-95s, the prices are the same.

interiors are the same so no difference there. body is the same so no difference there again.

all and all, 94-95 FTW!

P.S. 94-95 Section of Stangnet is the best group of guys I know :SNSign:

BlackVert · Mar 12, 2007

if you have time to work on it and if you are the type who would work on it yourself, then the 5.0 would ge a good option. otherwise, the cost of a good heads/cam/intake upgrade on the 5.0 would probably not be worth the money saved by getting a 5.0. for an h/c/i, you are looking at probably $2000-$2500 for parts alone, then another $1000 for labor and other stuff.

the only 96-98 i'd consider would be a 4-valve cobra.

if you go with the cobra, you won't have many options as far as upgrades. by that i mean, there are no heads to upgrade to, there may be an intake or 2, but they are extremely expensive, you can do cams, but there are 4 of them and they aren't cheap either.

and upgrading a cobra is alot more expensive than it is for a 5.0.

that said, there are lots of options with the 5.0. that is why i went that route

BlackVert · Mar 12, 2007

ProKiller said:
there's just more that can be done to a 5.0 car. you get bored with 300fwhp, and want an all out screamer, drop in a 351 stroker.

i'm with you on this all the way ... my sig shows that!

final5-0 · Mar 12, 2007

This one is a no brainer

The best bang for the buck spent is with the 94-95

Heck ... 300 motor hp is only 255 to the wheels

That ain't nothing but few OEM parts

No finicky Blowers, Turbos or Juice needed

Just ... Plain Ole Basic Hot Rodding at work here

I bet when you get to that level You'll Want More

Grady

greenstang1313 · Mar 12, 2007

My biased opinion: go with the 94-95.

My unbiased opinion: go with the 94-95.

I post a lot on the 94-98 Cobra forum on svtperformance.com and for the amount of money ive put into my '94, I have more rear wheel torque than any other mostly stock cobra in that forum, and I havent even touched the stock heads yet. More torque equals more fun.

I mean sure you can rev to 7000rpms in a 4V cobra but the posibilites with an n/a 5.0 are endless.

I used to fantasize about one day owning a 96-98 cobra, now I fantasize about going out and driving my '94 around town.

My $.02

Car Nut · Mar 12, 2007

Go for the 5.0........

Better brakes? $800 for a complete front and rear 2004 Cobra brake setup
Better handling? $500 for better springs/shocks/struts and lowering too. $2K for killer handling.
Add $100 for subframe connectors.

The list could go on and on, but basically anything you would need for the 94-95 GT you would need for the 96-98 Cobra for everything except for engine mods. Either way, the top of your spending list should include and oil change, tune-up, and a replcaement of all fluids and filters.

When age is the issue, I think I would rather have the 5.0. If I had a bit more money to throw at a 96-98 Cobra and acctually owned one instead of my 94 GT, I'd look no further than Sean Hyland for one of his custom mod motors. Considering how big the aftermarket is for Mustangs though, I see almost unlimited possibilities for the 5.0.

OrangeMustangGt · Mar 12, 2007

if your into blowers, turbos, etc then the 4-valve cobra motor is known for having great breathing heads.

BUT for n/a power, H/C/I 5.0 rules

both engines, you will have to be careful with boost on stock internals.....and the 5.0 block is much weaker than the modulars

Cobra4075 · Mar 12, 2007

I test drove a 98 Cobra with only 5,000 miles. Very disapointed on the lack of torque. The next week, I bought a 94 Cobra. No regrets here.

Yobi1Kanobi · Mar 12, 2007

94 but hey be unique

hookups333 · Mar 12, 2007

I say get a 98 cobra theres more sex appeal plus my friend w just longtubes and cai put lie 294 rwhp so its real easy.

Cobra4075 · Mar 12, 2007

Beside being much cheaper to mod a 300rwhp 94 will be faster than a 300rwhp 98.

final5-0 · Mar 12, 2007

Cobra4075 said:
I test drove a 98 Cobra with only 5,000 miles. Very disapointed on the lack of torque. The next week, I bought a 94 Cobra. No regrets here.

Yes Sir

I'm with Ya

The 4 cammer does make power ... Peak Power that is
but
Punch it from a steady cruise without a gear change

You'll have to wait for it

Now ... Put a blower on em to prop up the low end
then
You got a whole different ball game

Grady

95horse · Mar 12, 2007

just buy a chevy and forget buy extra parts

droptopford 5 0 · Mar 12, 2007

300 bhp? the 96-98's already have this out of the box, well with pullies and a k&n it would... but that aint no thang when it comes to either of these cars... since the 96-98s tend to be a tad more pricey, i would say buy a 94-95, and upgrade the rear gears, suspension, simple motor mods etc. Actually, just find the best condition car for the best price, you cant go wrong with either car for what you're looking for out of it. and yes, chevys will make more hp out of the box, but they are half the car in other ways.... frame, interior, build quaility, engine access... the list could go on... plus im sure those chevy guys arent as good as the group we have on stangnet, the 94-95 guys are the most helpful around. im sure someone will flame me for the chevy comment (both parts of it) but oh well. theres a reason im a mustang/ford guy

blksn955.o · Mar 12, 2007

BlackVert said:
there are no heads to upgrade to, t

Actually, there are a few diff. heads out there, the stock 96-98, 99/01 cobra heads, 03-04 cobra/mach1 heads, and the GT/gt500 heads. Depending on what your goals are each one is alittle diff. But yeah, no aftermarket heads.

Buddy of mine has a 97cobra, I like the 4v and hope to have one someday (but will not get rid of the 5.0). You have to preaty much gear the crap out of them to get good numbers. The buddies has 4.30 gears and runs 13.1's fairly stock (gears and a K&N with drag tires). We are planning on putting a single turbo on it this year though to give it some low end balls.

I would look for a 94-95 cobra...they were about the hp level your looking for stock (with some around 230-240rwhp)

Street friendly, 300 hp, cobra or 5.0?

dstang01

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