Is a Terminator for everybody?

[jrg718]

Hey all, I'm new here and this site rocks btw :rockon:
Anyway, I've always wanted a 04 Cobra and I'm in the market now for a new Daily drive and I was wondering a couple things,
1. How are these cars as daily drivers, assuming that I get one as close to stock as I can, and keep it there?
2. Are these cars good for people that don't know everything about their cars? And like don't do work on cars?
I mean that in the sense that I've never done any work to my own car, not that I don't want to, I just would be too scared of majorly messing something up. But are these cars only good in the hands of people who know everything about them?
I've wanted one of these cars for years, and I really want to make it happen. Just want to make sure it's a good idea first before I start a wtb thread, and really looking.
Any and all input is greatly appreciated,
Thanks!

 

[SVTCobra60]

I'm in the same situation man, I'm not an expert on cars, and its also going to be my daily driver! But i'm going for it! I have no doubts, make sure you don't jump on this type of purchase if your having and type of doubts

 

[jrg718]

I'm in the same situation man, I'm not an expert on cars, and its also going to be my daily driver! But i'm going for it! I have no doubts, make sure you don't jump on this type of purchase if your having and type of doubts

Well hopefully it won't be too much trouble to tame as a daily driver.
I'm mainly worried about the not being the expert on cars part. I guess I'll just have to learn a little bit then.

 

[kachup]

to be honest terminators are good for daily, in my case i drive it on the highway more than the city..in comfort i give it a 8 out of 10 in gas i will also give it a 8 out of 10, i never had a mustang before and bought a terminator and the car has never gave me a problem and i think they are such a great car and love the little attention lol,the reason im selling it is because i want to buy a supra im curios about them...but once again that's my opinion



here the link if interested
http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...l-254/807934-trading-03-terminator-supra.html

 

[Booky]

I knew very little about Mustangs when I bought my Cobra two years ago. It is not my DD but I drive it almost every day after work or on the weekends. I have put almost 20k miles on it in two years. That is how much I enjoy driving it.

Also, you do not have to leave them stock to enjoy driving them. I had a 2.76 upper with a ported Eaton installed on mine along a few other modifications and it drives just as nice as when it was stock, only a lot more fun with 490 rwhp. I work on the little things on my Cobra, but I leave the big things for the professionals.

Get yourself a well kept Terminator and you will never regret it.:thumbsup:

 

[lubrizolsfin3st]

I would say they make great daily drivers. And if your worried about stop and go traffic with a 6 speed just buy one with an auto conversion. That way u can be more consistent at the track and less shifting. But I feel a sports car like these r suppose to be manual. You'll lose a little more horsepower through the auto but these cars r easy to make more and more power


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[MoKo_03SVT]

I have been DD'ing my cobra year round for close to 3 years now, and love every minute/mile of it. I wouldn't trade my car for the world.

As long as you buy one that has been well maintained and is in good shape, then you won't have to worry about working on it. In the 3 years of DDing mine, the only fixes I have had to do was the alternator (more than once), brake pads, tires, and clutch. However, all of these things are normal wear and tire items that will need to be replaced on ANY car.

To answer the question- is the terminator for everyone? I would have to say no. If u have never driven/owned a sports car with power, or a v8....then I'm not so sure a terminator would be for you. I feel that one should graduate to these power levels, and perhaps start off with a GT.

 

[serper3]

just depends what you want in a car.

personally i wouldnt want to daily my cobra. i think the majority of people do not daily them. dont get me wrong, i love driving it, i am just too concerned with parking, it getting damaged, hit, etc. i just want to do as much as possible to protect it. i also would probably be getting way more tickets in it as well.. i dailyed it for a short period of time when i just got it, so i know what that is like, sort of. but i also really like the fact that when i do drive it, its more of a big difference power wise vs my daily. it makes it "special" every time i drive it. not sure maybe its just my own reasoning but there are a lot of reasons why i dont daily my car.
as far as keeping it stock.. this is an enthusiast car. it was meant to be modded. you can drive around with basic bolt ons, making 500 whp all day, as long as its done properly. i would definately buy a slightly yet properly modded cobra. i think driving around in a stock 03 cobra is a waste. just buy a new 5.0.
everyone starts somewere with cars. people have excellent write ups and how-tos. if you feel intimidated with a project, ask for help, buddy or take it to a shop. its a very good idea though to be familiar with the car, but ultimately its up to you how far you take it. again the more you know and are familiar, the better car you will buy, know if issue with car, etc. for me, and i think a lot of enthusiasts, i enjoy working on my car. i enjoy the time i spend doing it, (except when stuff doesnt go as planned and i want to throw tools or w.e is nearyby) and i enjoy knowing that the job is done right! another reason why i love having a daily. i dont mind letting the car sit on jack stands for a week while: a part i need comes, i work on the car on evenings and days off, etc...
good luck on finding the car you are looking for though. take your time, you will find one that you like, regardless if its an 03 cobra or not.

 

[*SVT*]

I daily drive mine. When you're not on it you dont build any boost so it's like any other car. When you get on it it's like very few cars. I live in Florida so I don't have to deal with bad weather.

 

[Ryushin]

Daily drive mine every day. Rain, shine, fog, and snow.

I always try to park far away, but other things happen anyway during just driving it. Board flying off a truck and hitting my bumper, some jerk backs into my rear bumper while I'm in the store and I'm parked clear across the parking lot. Another jerk swipes the rear side bumper and actually takes out a few tiny pieces of plastic from it. Yea, that all sucks.

But, everyday I get into it and turn that key, everyday I push down that throttle, everyday I hear that supercharger wine, everyday it puts a grin on my face. The Terminator is meant to be driven. Drive the heck out of it. Looking how little some people drive there cobras, there should still be examples that you can pick up in 5-10 years that are under 25K miles on it.

Though a lot of these things are going to change for me in 8 months. Should have my GTR by then and that will turn into my daily driver. The Cobra will then be built into the killing machine it was named for.

 

[keith89]

OP is in Chicago. I'd worry about snow. Yes, some people drive their cobras in snow with snow tires but I wouldn't chance it.

 

[ramstein]

IMO, if you really like Terminators and want to have and drive one every day, it is totally fine. As long as you like the car you will be happy. It will take a couple mods to make it comfortable for daily driving. For instance, shifter position sucks, clutch is stiff, car feels heavy, no telescopic wheel, HUD, not much leg room. These cars also get bad mileage, especially modded. After having my Cobra for a year and driving it 4-5 times a week, I realized that I wanted something more comfortable, refined, lightweight, nimble. I had a C5 before my cobra and really missed it. That is why I'm trying to sell my Cobra so I could buy C5Z06 or C6. I will always love and respect Terminators, but I think I have had my fun with them and it is time to move on. Bottom line, go with your instincts. If you really like it, get and drive the hell out of it.:beer:

 

[black 10th vert]

just depends what you want in a car.

personally i wouldnt want to daily my cobra. i think the majority of people do not daily them. dont get me wrong, i love driving it, i am just too concerned with parking, it getting damaged, hit, etc. i just want to do as much as possible to protect it. i also would probably be getting way more tickets in it as well.. i dailyed it for a short period of time when i just got it, so i know what that is like, sort of. but i also really like the fact that when i do drive it, its more of a big difference power wise vs my daily. it makes it "special" every time i drive it. not sure maybe its just my own reasoning but there are a lot of reasons why i dont daily my car.
as far as keeping it stock.. this is an enthusiast car. it was meant to be modded. you can drive around with basic bolt ons, making 500 whp all day, as long as its done properly. i would definately buy a slightly yet properly modded cobra. i think driving around in a stock 03 cobra is a waste. just buy a new 5.0.
everyone starts somewere with cars. people have excellent write ups and how-tos. if you feel intimidated with a project, ask for help, buddy or take it to a shop. its a very good idea though to be familiar with the car, but ultimately its up to you how far you take it. again the more you know and are familiar, the better car you will buy, know if issue with car, etc. for me, and i think a lot of enthusiasts, i enjoy working on my car. i enjoy the time i spend doing it, (except when stuff doesnt go as planned and i want to throw tools or w.e is nearyby) and i enjoy knowing that the job is done right! another reason why i love having a daily. i dont mind letting the car sit on jack stands for a week while: a part i need comes, i work on the car on evenings and days off, etc...
good luck on finding the car you are looking for though. take your time, you will find one that you like, regardless if its an 03 cobra or not.

Excellent post, and I also would never want my Cobra for a DD for many of the reasons you mentioned, but as you said, it does make it "special" whenever I do have a chance to drive it.;-)

 

[supman]

Been DD'ing my 03 for 2 years now and love it. It's modded and dynoed at 440 RWHP. Only problem is i have to take it off the road from Nov.-Feb. due to weather. Looking at possibly getting a Lightning for winter months.

 

[Grimster]

I DD mine. Couldn't be happier with it

 

[my98stang46]

Well hopefully it won't be too much trouble to tame as a daily driver.
I'm mainly worried about the not being the expert on cars part. I guess I'll just have to learn a little bit then.

You don't have to be an expert to own/drive a mustang. It's just a car. As long you don't do anything stupid you'll be fine

 

[jrg718]

I am from Chicago, however in a couple months I plan on moving to South Florida. And thank you everyone for your input, it helped a lot! :beer:

 

[P49Y-CY]

mine is my daily... i bought new and i just clicked 100k on it... it runs great and is a blast, but i think that if i had needed to bring it to somebody each time for maintenance, i probably would have gotten rid of it along time ago.

like most performance machines, it requires alot of maintenance, so i think it really helps if you can do most things yourself.

but they are awesome cars, so if you buy one, best of luck with it and enjoy! :beer:

 

[tomcat]

Do it! Especially if you are moving to Fla.....
They are fun and reliable. I would look for one that is near stock or maybe just lightly modded (pulley & a tune). And of course the lower mileage the better.
Good luck!

 

[05satinGT]

Hey all, I'm new here and this site rocks btw :rockon:
Anyway, I've always wanted a 04 Cobra and I'm in the market now for a new Daily drive and I was wondering a couple things,
1. How are these cars as daily drivers, assuming that I get one as close to stock as I can, and keep it there?
2. Are these cars good for people that don't know everything about their cars? And like don't do work on cars?
I mean that in the sense that I've never done any work to my own car, not that I don't want to, I just would be too scared of majorly messing something up. But are these cars only good in the hands of people who know everything about them?
I've wanted one of these cars for years, and I really want to make it happen. Just want to make sure it's a good idea first before I start a wtb thread, and really looking.
Any and all input is greatly appreciated,
Thanks!

IMO for what I just read, this isn't a car for you in your situation. If your just buying one for a daily, don't know much about them, and your going to leave it stock, it kind of defeats the purpose for owning one. That's just my opinion, but if you want one, if you have the money, more power to ya. If you end up getting one you will not be disappointed :beer: