Hawkwing

Hey all. This may seem a subject suitable for another forum, but I think I will get a better, more honest and unbiased answer here. My girlfriend wants to get rid of her 2001 3.0 BMW Z3 (too claustrophobic and no back seats). Well we were looking at the new Thunderbirds, which she didn't care too much for after test driving, and she stated that she loves driving my 2001 Vette convertible with all the power. So I led her to the new 03' Cobras with the 390 horsepower and she was very impressed. Especially when I told her it was faster than my Vette! And they are pretty inexpensive (@$34K were the Thunderbird was @ $40K with the hardtop and loaded out). She was kind of sold on the SVT until I dragged her to the Infiniti place and we looked at the new G35 coupes (@ $34K loaded out). She cannot decide: power or refinement. So now the big decision-maker is the question of quality. Well I know that Infiniti/Nissan builds good cars, but what about the Cobras? I don't think the normal Mustangs are built as well as the G35, but what about the SVT? It is built better than the normal Mustangs, but how much better? Does the SVT group hand build anything? The Ford website flash animation is kinda vague. How is the quality of the final product? This is important because she is used to her BMW and my Corvette, which are very well built cars. I do not want her to step down in quality. I heard they stopped production on the '03 Cobras, but it has resumed. Any info? To any guys that own both a late model Corvette and the 03' Cobra, give me a rundown. Any problems with the Cobra. And yes. I have surfed the Cobra and SVT forums and did find info, but I thought I would come here and get a more unbiased opinion from some of you that own both. Those other forums seem way too biased, you know? Personally, I think she would be better off with the G35. But she would love to talk smack to me about having a faster car (what a turn-on!). That is until my 2003 Z06 arrives in March! Haha. Anyway, any info on 03' Cobra quality would be appreciated. This car would be her daily driver, by the way. However, she does not do a lot of commuting. Oh yeah, and they just named the Infiniti G35 Coupe/Sedan the Motor Trend car of the year (picked it over the new Viper lol!). And don't give me any crap about Motor Trend's opinion sucking, because the Corvette was their car of the year in 1998. :yesnod:

silversport

Well the G35 is a cool car...it's a Nissan 350Z (2+2)...an 03 Cobra is faster than your Z06??? Hmmmmmmmmmmm...who are you really??? Anyway if it is a turn on for you to have her have a "faster" car than yours...the Cobra is your choice...enjoy life! :chevy :flag :thumbs: :D :rolleyes: ;)

Hawkwing

Dude, I don't have a Z06. I have a 2001 triple black A4 convertible. My Z06 arrives in March. I stated that in my post. An 03' Cobra is probably quicker than my current ride. If she got the Cobra now she could talk smack until my Z06 arrives in March. That is what I said. So who am I really? I don't know what you are asking. Just a normal guy asking an opinion...

silversport

Sorry...the smile and wink were to show I was teasing...There have been SO MANY "who's faster than who" so I was teasing...Welcome to the Forum! :seeya :chevy :flag :cheers: :cool:

FLYNLO

Hawk, welcome to the forum. First off, I do not think the Cobra is necessarily faster than your car.....probably equal. Expecially the A4 versus your GF ramming thru the gears.....I don't know if she is a ripper on the gears, but she better be to beat you in that car.....they are both about 13.0 second flat car(Stock of course).....there are better and worse times for both. Enough of that. The G35 is a nice car. WAY better build quality. There is absolutely nothing special about the Cobra in build quality in relation to a regular GT. The only thing hand made in these things are the engine(I think). It all depends on what she is looking for. All out brutal staight line speed.....the Cobra can be made very fast for a relatively small amount of cash. The G35 is just a good looking(IMHO) decent car that will probably generate more looks than the Stang. I hate to say it, but one of my biggest problems with any stang is they all look alike.....product differentiation. Again, all just depends on what she wants. Tell her to hang in there and y'all get dueling ZO6's!!!!!!! Or sell her your vert and you get the ZO6 and that way y'all can have the performance of the Z and the open air cruising A4 on the "ragtop days".......yyyyeeeeahhhhhhh......I like that idea. Good luck, sounds like shw will have fun either way.

John

nunemaker7

The G35 gets my vote...very classy ride

mgaskins

I read in Autoweek that Ford Cobra production was halted due to quality problems with the 4.6L motor. Wait for a C6 and give her your convertible; chicks love convertibles!

Hawkwing

Well thanks for all the advice, guys. She will appreciate it. She currently has a Z3 convertible and doesn't really want another one. Inclement Louisiana weather and all. My convertible is just my weekend car, being I have a daily driver. Thanks for the suggestion though FLYNLO. Oh and Gonzalez, who said I was "worried" about her having a faster car? I stated that it would actually turn me on. I think it is so cool that she is interested in performance cars, and she attributes that to me. I am sure that some of you fellas have gotten your gal genuinely interested in something you enjoy -- it just makes you feel good when you can enjoy it together. I am 29 and she is 26 by the way, so to answer your query, no we aren't teenagers. Low blow there Gonzalez. :boxing
Nunemaker7, I agree with you, that car is classy and she is a classy girl. But that SVT is a bad boy. Oh yeah, great car that WRX. Are you gonna trade it in on the 270hp STi? Sheesh I wish I had that as my daily driver.
mgaskins thanks for the info.
Any other opinions would be appreciated, except for the teenager accusations! :mad

CJS

G35! Then you have that one for a quiet, comfy, classyride, and you will have the Z06 for hauling a##!

nunemaker7

I may trade it for the STI or the EVOII, it depends if they get here unadulterated in full JDM spec. If we get some watered down version without the 6speed and full power I won't bother...it is an awesome daily beater :smash:

TAL

Israel;

The 03 Ford Mustang Cobra is a nice car but.....the quality is poor. I've seen had first-hand experience in seeing these cars. Poor paint & body panels not lining up are most of the concerns. The Cobras go down the same line as all the other Mustangs. Only the engines are hand built.

Other quality issues have raised the hair on my back since I thought about buying one of these. I've heard the gas pedal falling off, a Mustang GT brake rotor & caliper installed on one side, poor fit on the rear spoiler, and the third brake light not working.

There was a guy in my area who tried to buy a Cobra THREE times (he's still looking the last time I talked to him) and he refuses to give up. First car came in with white/clear blotches all over...refused car. Second car the delivery guys ripped the front end off unloading the car...refused car. Third car he had for 83mi and the engine threw a rod...luckly got his money back.

If I were to buy one I'd wait till the spring to see if they can get these issues resolved. I'd be pissed if I spent 35k and have the car blow up.

Has she actually driven the Cobra? Does she know how stiff the clutch is? Since it is a mechanical clutch (as opposed to a hydraulic cluch on the F-body & Y-body) it is going to be very stiff to use because of the massive amount of torque in needs to hold. I thought it was stiff, too. You DONT want to be caught in a traffic jam with this car. The Z06 is a breeze to drive compared to the Cobra.

I think the Infiniti G35 would be a winner for your girlfriend. It will hold it's value, too.

Z06 Quin

Hawkwing....


CLICK HERE AND READ THIS!!

:cheers:

Hawkwing

Poboy, I read that thread the other day. I can't believe some of those guys would prefer a Cobra over a Z06! Those guys are way too biased, and that thread was one of the reasons why I came here. Can you imagine if I would have asked this same question on that forum? Anyway, the question isn't whether the Z06 is better than a Cobra, it is out of the Infiniti G36 and the Cobra. Maybe you were linking me to some of the posts that piont out problem areas of the Cobra? If so, thanks.

TAL, thanks for the info. That is the kind of stuff I want to know. Impressions of other objective drivers who aren't afraid to point out the negatives of a car. We are aware of the stiff clutch, and that was just sitting in the car pressing it down! But she did not drive it. If she is really serious about purchasing the Cobra she will definitely drive it first. Again, I think she is better off with the G35, as it posseses the qualities she likes about her Z3, but lacks the negatives of the BMW.

Gaijin

Hawkwing, welcome! This is a tough one but I'd go with the G35 too if that is the only choice you have over the Cobra. Now if can expand the selection to include a M3, then I'd vote the M3 in. It really depends on all the application she plans to use her car with. It's not all about speed and performance. Sometimes we settle for the mundane out of necessity. I have a Tahoe for the grocery trips and trips to Home Depot. Also works well on extended travel (suit cases and such).
You'd want to take her out to a dealership that carries the particular marque you're both interested in. Do a solid test drive and if at all possible, do it back to back. Make notes and decide from there. Good luck and let us know what the final verdict is.

:seeya

Hawkwing

Hey, Gaijin
It is funny you mention the M3 Coupe, but that is a whole different ball game. We looked at the M3 Coupes and the prices on those continue to rise. The dealership we went to had a white 2003 M3 Coupe that was loaded out. I'm talking SMG, nav, it even had 19" stock rims, all for the low price of ... $59K. That is a huge chunk of change difference that the $35K G35 or Cobra. Although an awesome car, unfortunately for her, that is not really an option. And even if she was in that price range, she would get an EB '03 Z06 instead! :p: