SOLD
Well, I received bad news at work last Friday... which was confirmed Monday when the President released his budget. NASA is reverting back to FY2010 funding levels for FY2012. My specific funding source is getting hit. Everything still has to go through Congress, but my boss told me I’m looking at a ridiculous 35% pay cut. On top of that my job is at high risk altogether come September-October timeframe. Last night, I made the difficult (but easy in some perspectives) decision to sell my favorite toy. I just need to slim down on luxuries. I figure it’s also best to sell now as opposed to summer time when my job might be swept away. I’m hoping that some folks are getting their tax returns and are in the cobra market for the spring / summer.
I will reveal absolutely everything I know about the car. I’m a firm believer in being a truthful seller. Nothing on these forums ticks me off more than a shady for sale ad with just mods, mileage, and price jammed together in a few sentences. This is my second terminator. I sold my mystichrome through this site about 2 years ago. I learned a lot through that experience. Link: http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...si-whipple-cobra-16-5k-miles-make-offers.html
You will not be able to take advantage of me by trying to play any shady payment games or sending unreasonable offers. Sorry, but I cannot accept any trades either. This needs to be a clean cash sale. Keep in mind my description and opinions of this car are really all relative to my previous terminator. My first terminator was a pristine, low mileage, 600+ rwhp whippled gem… purchased at 3600 miles for $35k and sold at 16,500 miles for $26k in a crap economy. That car was literally perfect inside and out.
Now… onto this car!
Overall, I believe this is a great car for someone looking to get into a true terminator (6 speed, IRS) at a low price point in one of the highest demanded colors. It is a very tastefully modified cobra, and I’ve only changed some things from the previous owners to get back to that “stock” look inside and out that we all appreciate. The car won’t win any shows for having the best clear-coat or paint, but it’s still a real head turner. I’ve gotten more complements with this car than I did my mystichrome. Sonic blue / 18” chrome replicas / polished exhaust / tint / lowered / wide meats / has THAT effect.
Car history:
The good:
The car has very tasteful modifications including:
All mods were performed by previous owner(s). I do not know how long the car has been ported and pullied. But, the blower SCREAMS on this car and it is incredibly strong. It has never failed me on any hard pull.
The not so good:
Problems I’ve had since I purchased the car and status (as you’ll see… a lot of goofy small things that just popped up out of nowhere). Nothing serious like transmission, motor, radiator, smoke, etc:
On a positive note (for the new owner), the car does have a new FPDM, FRPS, and CCRM. I replaced the FPDM and CCRM while trouble-shooting the “dying while driving” problem and when the fuse box solder joints came lose. You will receive a good spare CCRM. I gave the extra FPDM to Senkak for his duel FPDM setup.
The sale process will be simple. I am no longer accepting deposits. The first person that comes to me with 100% cash to meet an offer I accept gets the car. A lien still exists on the car, so once I get the money, I have to go to my credit union to pay it off and get the title. I get the title and sign it over to you. As soon as you receive the title, the car comes off my insurance. You purchase insurance. You come get the car or have it shipped. This is the way I did it with my mystichrome. I honored my word and things went very smoothly. We can even do the payoff / title transfer together at the bank. I'm totally open to that.
Asking price is $15,000 O.B.O. As you can see, it’s not a perfect cobra, but it isn’t something you won’t be scared of getting a scratch on while driving around. I can’t go much below that because of how much I still owe on the car.
Thanks for looking and taking the time to read everything.
Pictures: (Sorry for some of the smaller pictures... they are from flickr. The bigger ones are from photobucket. Don't understand the re-sizing). Note: the car does not have the tinted headlights and tail light tint. New stock OEM front lights and no tail light tint.
Dyno sheet
Interior
Before Tint on Black FR500s
When I first got the car (after clay, polish, and wax):
UPR K-member we dropped out
Stock K-member we put back in
Solid rear we took out
IRS we put in
Rear diff
Rear diff
IRS In
ALL NEW PICTURES TAKEN 2/19/2011:
ALL NEW INTERIOR PICTURES TAKEN 2/23/2011:
Video:
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VAF2OCWZGI"]YouTube - 2003 Sonic Blue Cobra[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isr7BE_Ri1I"]YouTube - 2003 Sonic Blue Cobra In Parking Garage[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rxGwmdjp2s"]YouTube - 2003 Sonic Blue Cobra in Parking Garage 2[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYrHn5Tcq1g"]YouTube - 2003 Sonic Blue Cobra (0-60mph)[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXV1AFc-5CA"]YouTube - 2003 Cobra Startup and Idle[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMhJUz1suoM"]YouTube - 2003 Cobra : Cruising to Gas Station[/nomedia]
Well, I received bad news at work last Friday... which was confirmed Monday when the President released his budget. NASA is reverting back to FY2010 funding levels for FY2012. My specific funding source is getting hit. Everything still has to go through Congress, but my boss told me I’m looking at a ridiculous 35% pay cut. On top of that my job is at high risk altogether come September-October timeframe. Last night, I made the difficult (but easy in some perspectives) decision to sell my favorite toy. I just need to slim down on luxuries. I figure it’s also best to sell now as opposed to summer time when my job might be swept away. I’m hoping that some folks are getting their tax returns and are in the cobra market for the spring / summer.
I will reveal absolutely everything I know about the car. I’m a firm believer in being a truthful seller. Nothing on these forums ticks me off more than a shady for sale ad with just mods, mileage, and price jammed together in a few sentences. This is my second terminator. I sold my mystichrome through this site about 2 years ago. I learned a lot through that experience. Link: http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...si-whipple-cobra-16-5k-miles-make-offers.html
You will not be able to take advantage of me by trying to play any shady payment games or sending unreasonable offers. Sorry, but I cannot accept any trades either. This needs to be a clean cash sale. Keep in mind my description and opinions of this car are really all relative to my previous terminator. My first terminator was a pristine, low mileage, 600+ rwhp whippled gem… purchased at 3600 miles for $35k and sold at 16,500 miles for $26k in a crap economy. That car was literally perfect inside and out.
Now… onto this car!
Overall, I believe this is a great car for someone looking to get into a true terminator (6 speed, IRS) at a low price point in one of the highest demanded colors. It is a very tastefully modified cobra, and I’ve only changed some things from the previous owners to get back to that “stock” look inside and out that we all appreciate. The car won’t win any shows for having the best clear-coat or paint, but it’s still a real head turner. I’ve gotten more complements with this car than I did my mystichrome. Sonic blue / 18” chrome replicas / polished exhaust / tint / lowered / wide meats / has THAT effect.
Car history:
- I’m the car’s 5th owner (6th if you count Carter Motorsports... the dealership I purchased it from). The carfax I have on hand only lists 4 owners before me. I purchased the car from Carter Motorsports Dealership in Mississippi in April 2010. Mileage at purchase was 88,XXX. I purchased the car based on internet photos and dealer / previous owner interviews. I did not test drive it before buying it… I didn’t even look at it in person. I was told the original owner was an older guy until roughly 66,XXX miles. After that, it was given to his son. Then, it traded hands with a few people.
- The car was purchased with a UPR tubular K-member. I swapped that with Senkak’s stock K-member a couple months ago (October 2010 timeframe). Roughly 5,000 miles ago.
- The car was also purchased with a 96-98 cobra solid rear axle. I also swapped that with Senkak’s IRS a couple months ago (October 2010 timeframe). We also swapped magnaflow catbacks and springs during the process. Roughly 5,000 miles ago.
- The carfax will come up clean except for 1 reported incident… car fax says less than $500 damage for front right impact under original owner. I cannot find any remnants of the accident. The only physical blemish I can see on the car is that the rear passenger quarter panel looks partially repainted. I cannot find any frame damage or structural remnants of it being in an accident. The K-member and IRS swap were easier than expected (no miss-fitting items). But, the rear right quarter panel has an area that is slightly dissimilar in shade than the rest of the car. It almost looks as if someone buffed it too hot or it sat in the sun at the wrong angle for a long time. I first saw it after I had the car for a few weeks. It isn’t very noticeable unless the sun is at a certain angle and you view the car at a certain angle to see it. I could not see this in the photos presented on Carter Motorsports internet listing. In fact, nobody (family members, friends) have even noticed it. But, I know it’s there and I’m disclosing it. Also, Rick (Senkak) and I found overspray underneath the car while doing the solid rear swap.
- The car currently sits at 99,960 miles. I’ve used it as a daily driver back and forth from east Orlando to the Kennedy Space Center (32 miles one-way). So, I put a lot of miles (almost 12,000) on it in a period of about 9 months. It has been a dependable daily driver.
- I have never taken it to the track. Previous owner ran a best of 11.10 @ 127 with the solid rear and UPR k-member in. According to him, he tracked it 3 separate occasions. Video link - [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKwIAeI_L80"]YouTube - HubcityProZac09[/nomedia]
The good:
The car has very tasteful modifications including:
- Ported Eaton
- 2.76” upper pulley
- 2lb lower pulley
- Metco billet idler pulley set
- 60lb injectors
- Kenne Bell Boost-A-Pump
- PPRV delete kit
- MAF
- SCT BA2400
- Accufab single blade throttle body
- Off-road x-pipe (no brand name on it)
- Magnaflow catback
- SPEC Stage 3 clutch
- Aluminum flywheel
- 26-spline input shaft
- Hurst short-throw shifter
- Clutch quadrant / firewall adjuster
- Full length subframe connectors
- Drilled and slotted rotors
- Aftermarket heat exchanger (no brand name on it).
- MM Caster Camber Plates
- Eibach pro springs
- Yellow-top Duralast Gold Battery
- Tuned by Justin @ VMP. Dyno’d at 487rwhp/485rwtq on a 90 degree day. SCT XCAL2 included.
- Swapped k-member and IRS have roughly only 50,000 miles on them from Senkak’s car. The IRS is in great shape. See pictures below. The IRS also has a billetflow brace, low profile IRS bolts, and polyurethane bushings at the main joints. Fluid was changed in the IRS housing and all gears and teeth are perfect.
- The interior is exceptionally clean. The seats are in great shape and the interior has been kept to a very clean stock look. The only non-stock piece is a silver radio knob. All interior components work great except for the dome light when you open the door and the passenger side overhead light.
- The stance is awesome on this car. It looks awesome from the rear with the polished catback and wide 335s. Definitely my favorite aspect of the car. I always get PMs on here with people requesting my tire / suspension and exhaust setup.
- AFS 18x9 and 18x10.5 chrome replicas.
- Chrome bumper inserts.
- Lowest legal tint allowable in Florida: 28% sides / 15% rear.
- New front OEM headlights
- Newer front OEM windshield (previous owner install)
- Recently changed from TR6 plugs to Iridium tipped Autolite’s.
- Ice cold A/C.
- No fluid leaks.
- No dents.
- No rust.
All mods were performed by previous owner(s). I do not know how long the car has been ported and pullied. But, the blower SCREAMS on this car and it is incredibly strong. It has never failed me on any hard pull.
The not so good:
- The front bumper, hood, side mirrors and side scoops have several pinhead nicks from daily driving.
- The front bumper has a 3”-4” long narrow indenture in it on the driver’s side. The paint has been touched up. But, it’s starting to spider in that area. Can’t see it from 20-30 feet away or so.
- The side skirts have some scuffs on them.
- The rear quarter panels have some burnout rash on them.
- Front right rim has a stain from previous rim owner using a non-safe chrome compound.
- Shorty antenna broke (I hit it with my elbow while lowering a windshield wiper while washing the car).
- The plastic radiator cover / protector has a crack on it.
- The plastic cover between the windshield and hood has a crack on it.
- 3rd brake light is cracked.
- The car has some hesitation at VERY minimal throttle input through 1500-2000 RPMs or so. (Pretty much if you just rest your foot on the pedal and go through that RPM range). If you accelerate normally through the gears, it’s not present at all (see videos) and it never hesitates at WOT. I haven’t been able to get the little bit of hesitation completely out. Changing to iridium plugs helped, but it’s still present.
- The tires are pretty worn. The rear’s are Nitto 555R 335s with roughly 25% tread left. The front’s are Nitto 555 275s with roughly 40% tread left. I recently did a tire rotation when I had the 18” AFS rims put on. The car also needs an alignment. I did not replace the tires for this sale. Being a terminator buyer twice now, I would rather have the opportunity to put the tires I wanted on the car I was buying as opposed to having the seller just throw cheapo 275s on it to claim “new” tires in his ad and bump the price up $500.
- One of the idler pulleys squeaks in cold weather on a cold start.
- The rear brakes sometimes squeak a little while going slow on a turn (you can hear it in one of the videos).
- The ABS light recently came on. I don’t know what the cause is. I haven’t notice any decrease in braking ability.
Problems I’ve had since I purchased the car and status (as you’ll see… a lot of goofy small things that just popped up out of nowhere). Nothing serious like transmission, motor, radiator, smoke, etc:
- I sheared one of the bolts on the driver’s side coil cover while trying to check my plugs for the first time. You can still remove the coil cover no problem. I didn’t have any luck with a screw extractor. But, I’m sure someone with better patience and a good drill set can get it out. Thread: http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...-went-unscrew-my-first-bolt-my-new-cobra.html
- The gas tank filler hose leaked on me after filling up at a gas station. I took the car to a Ford dealership and had them replace the rubber grommet on the filler neck that had worked its way loose. No problems since. Thread: http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/terminator-talk-229/689335-worst-day-ever-my-luck-zero.html
- I had the “dying while driving” symptom. It completely went away after having Justin @ VMP do a tune. I guess it was a problem with the previous tune done by previous owner. Thread: http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/road-side-pub-17/690178-its-just-not-my-week.html
- What I thought was my TOB going out is actually the idler pulley squeaking on me (noted above). I’ve never heard either noise, and I jumped to the wrong conclusion. The “transmission knocking” turned out to be my U-joints going out. I had Big 10 Tires do a U-joint replacement (have receipt). The transmission and clutch on this car are completely fine and smooth. No weird noises. No difficult entry into any gear. The clutch and flywheel were put in just before I bought the car… at around 87,000 miles. My only complaint is the shudder going into 1st gear and reverse sometimes. But, I guess that’s pretty typical of a SPEC Stage 3 clutch. Thread: http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...st-orlando-space-coast-transmission-shop.html
- Some kids threw finger paint on my car one night in my brother’s neighborhood. Completely washed off with just warm water. No biggie other than frustration. Thread: http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/smack-down-cafe-18/702724-vandalism-attempt-my-car-pics.html
- The front right brake caliper pin worked its way loose on me one day. Somehow the c-clamps behind the pin weren’t in there. I added c-clips. No problems since. Thread: http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...ake-caliper-locating-pin-almost-came-out.html
- This is really the only issue I had with the car that kept it down for a few days… an electrical gremlin. I had some solder joints de-solder themselves on my main fuse box underneath the steering column. Ford diagnosed the problem and fixed it. They found some exposed wires that most likely heated the area. No problems since. Thread: http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...3-my-terminator-just-went-nuts-need-help.html
- My FRPS failed. No biggie other than letting the car sit for a few days to let the fuel get out of the system. Fired right up after cleaning the plugs and changing the oil. Drives just as good as before the FRPS blew.
On a positive note (for the new owner), the car does have a new FPDM, FRPS, and CCRM. I replaced the FPDM and CCRM while trouble-shooting the “dying while driving” problem and when the fuse box solder joints came lose. You will receive a good spare CCRM. I gave the extra FPDM to Senkak for his duel FPDM setup.
The sale process will be simple. I am no longer accepting deposits. The first person that comes to me with 100% cash to meet an offer I accept gets the car. A lien still exists on the car, so once I get the money, I have to go to my credit union to pay it off and get the title. I get the title and sign it over to you. As soon as you receive the title, the car comes off my insurance. You purchase insurance. You come get the car or have it shipped. This is the way I did it with my mystichrome. I honored my word and things went very smoothly. We can even do the payoff / title transfer together at the bank. I'm totally open to that.
Asking price is $15,000 O.B.O. As you can see, it’s not a perfect cobra, but it isn’t something you won’t be scared of getting a scratch on while driving around. I can’t go much below that because of how much I still owe on the car.
Thanks for looking and taking the time to read everything.
Pictures: (Sorry for some of the smaller pictures... they are from flickr. The bigger ones are from photobucket. Don't understand the re-sizing). Note: the car does not have the tinted headlights and tail light tint. New stock OEM front lights and no tail light tint.
Dyno sheet
Interior
Before Tint on Black FR500s
When I first got the car (after clay, polish, and wax):
UPR K-member we dropped out
Stock K-member we put back in
Solid rear we took out
IRS we put in
Rear diff
Rear diff
IRS In
ALL NEW PICTURES TAKEN 2/19/2011:
ALL NEW INTERIOR PICTURES TAKEN 2/23/2011:
Video:
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VAF2OCWZGI"]YouTube - 2003 Sonic Blue Cobra[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isr7BE_Ri1I"]YouTube - 2003 Sonic Blue Cobra In Parking Garage[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rxGwmdjp2s"]YouTube - 2003 Sonic Blue Cobra in Parking Garage 2[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYrHn5Tcq1g"]YouTube - 2003 Sonic Blue Cobra (0-60mph)[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXV1AFc-5CA"]YouTube - 2003 Cobra Startup and Idle[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMhJUz1suoM"]YouTube - 2003 Cobra : Cruising to Gas Station[/nomedia]
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