Thinking about buying a 96 Cobra, Suggestions Please!

[89OctaneStang]

My boss's neighbor is selling her 96 Cobra. Haven't driven it yet to see what kinda condition its in but its got a few rough spots on the front end appearing like she may have bumped in to something and a spot on the upper rear quarter panel that is missing some paint but doesn't look like it was struck by anything. It's white with black leather interior. Manuel transmission. She says there is a problem with the reverse. Sometimes the shifter will slip out of reverse when backing up. She was asking 7,000 for it.... Without driving it, I told my boss that I wouldn't even talk to her about it unless she came down to 5,000. He called me yesterday and said she would come down to 5,000. Is that a good deal? What should I look for when I go over to speak with her? Any tricks to the trade to find out how good of a condition its in without taking it to a shop?

 

[Rootus]

I sold my '95 GT for more than $5000, and it was far from flawless. So yeah, I think $5K on a '96 Cobra is a good enough deal. The only caveat is that a 32V modular is not cheap to fix if anything is wrong with it, so make sure it's solid.

 

[89OctaneStang]

Thanks!

 

[VR4]

good deal and i suggest sending me the intake plenum and associated parts

 

[SMOKEDYA]

Werent these motors not all that great? peace



john

 

[DNA DOA]

Good motors but if you plan on boosting it, build the bottom end for sure. This is what I have heard and read in Mustang mags. This is what Brads from Seattle did and it makes 600 hp all day on boost. Stock heads and cams.

 

[89OctaneStang]

Werent these motors not all that great? peace



john

I don't know much of anything about them, that's why I am asking those of you that do know.... Any input is greatly appreciated and taken into consideration before buying... Thanks all!

 

[VR4]

they werent considered good because they are gutless. much like the 96-98 sohcs. th heads flow tons of air and take very well to boost. for NA doing the basic mods to free things up and a tune will really wake them up though. my mark has the same engine and just a tune is usually good for 20-30 hp.

 

[SMOKEDYA]

So maybe thats why i've heard there not to good then? peace




john

 

[89OctaneStang]

Just test drove it.... I can see where you mean gutless... It sounds really good but to me, it feels like it has less power than my 89 GT. But for 5k, if I got it and didn't like it I could resell it for at least 7k. Just looking around online for a 96 SVT, I haven't been able to find one for 5k. They have been at least 8k or above. So I think I'm gonna get it and play with it for a while and see what I think. Wasn't able to put it to the test I wanted to cause the owner was having a heart attack when I got above the speed limit. But whatever, we will see what it is really about when I bring it home sometime this week....

Thanks all for your input!!!
Brian

 

[WANNA_BE_GT]

If I am not mistaken, it has a teksid block which is a pretty stout block. with some forged internals and a blower, they are pretty hoppin' motors. Another thing to consider is they don't have much torque under the curve, so going to a 4.10 rear gear will change the way the car feels.

 

[stock50LX]

For the first couple years, the four cammer had some intake and exhaust bottlenecks that robbed power. I'm sure those could be found and corrected. However, I think you'll get far more performance for the dollar from your pushrod engine ('89), and it will be easier to work on.

 

[89OctaneStang]

Yeah, I don't really plan on racing the Cobra. Just want to make it a nice daily driver that will get up and move out with the rest of the go faster's when need be And we are still going to be putting money and time into the GT. Another good thing about having the Cobra is that it'll free up some miles that I would have been putting on the GT and allow me to do more extensive work without relying on it to be a daily driver. The lady told me that it has 3.73 gears in the rear end but she wouldn't let me really get into to to find out what all I am working with. But for the most part, I think its one heck of a deal for now!

 

[352Ford2]

The “B” series heads can make great power; they flow pretty well but are a little hurting on the low end numbers. The solution, rev them high…

The powered rods and hyper pistons are a little weak, but the forged crank and block are very strong. The weak rods and pistons can actually take more power than most people give them credit for, its just you have much less margin for error, and they are far more sensitive to tune.

I have quite a few gripes about Mod motors but most of them revolve around how ridiculously heavy (yes even the Al ones) they are and their tragic bore spacing. But the honest truth is you can make plenty of power with them (just ask the 03-04 cobra guys).


Don’t forget to check your spark plug torque regularly, and be very careful while doing it not to over tq them. Mod motors love to shoot spark plugs through hoods because some CAD monkey at Ford only put about half the spark plug threads he should have in it.


One last thing; Great Deal!

man, and I thought I get a good deal on my cobra

 

[98V6 K.I.T.T.]

Well....you have to understand that the Cobra has 305hp, not bad really. It's a DOHC motor so it's going to rev higher and the power will come at alittle higher RPM than you used to in your pushrod. Stock for Stock the Cobra is a faster car then any 5.0, but it might not feel as fast because of the lack of low end torque. Like Corey said, put some 4.10's in it and you'll be amazed.

5K for a 96 Cobra is a REALLY good deal as long as it's not got some major work. Especially if you put in another lets say 10K into it, you be as fast if not faster then most 03/04 Cobras for less then what you could buy one now.

 

[DragQueen]

they werent considered good because they are gutless. much like the 96-98 sohcs. th heads flow tons of air and take very well to boost. for NA doing the basic mods to free things up and a tune will really wake them up though. my mark has the same engine and just a tune is usually good for 20-30 hp.

Really? 20-30 hp just from a tune? That's pretty good.

Sounds like a good deal for 5k, if you back out let me know...I might be interested.

 

[wythors]

I would invite any of you that think 96 Cobras are "gutless" to come up to Edmonds. We have a couple in this neck of the woods that will dispell that bad information permanently. Also, the Teksid blocks are considered one of the stoutest, most desireable blocks to use for high horsepower mod engine build ups.

 

[89OctaneStang]

Well, bad news from my financial adviser.... He thinks that I should wait a while longer before purchasing another Stang. With all my goals for the winter time with the GT, I would really limit what all I can do if I bought another one at this time. So, I have decided to not buy it But, good news for some of you that are interested. She is putting it back on the market but is still asking 7k. Now, if I talked her down (as a complete stranger to her), I see no reason why someone else couldn't either. But she is asking 7k OBO. Her number is 808-783-0811. I forget her name but as I see it, for that price who cares what her name is... lol.. Anyways, if anyone is interested, give her a call. She is located on Fort Lewis. If you have problems or need assistance getting on post, just give me a call and I'll lend a hand getting you through the gate. My # is 253-301-0931. Let me know if anyone buys it.

Brian

 

[VR4]

shipped the car from hawaii?


as for being gutless....when the mods start flowing we all know thats out the window. they are not all that impressive in stock form though i would still rather have a 96 GT over an LT1 camaro.