1999 SVT Cobra

[Q]

Even with the problems, don't SVT's go for around $15+k??
http://tinyurl.com/lrfq8u

Somehow this is a scam, maybe it was stolen?

 

[Vette73]

I can see body damage, gaps in panels, engine is so bad the rotors are very rusty (not driven in long time), etc...

So no its probable not a scam. Yes its probably a money pit.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Motor has slight knock. Probably needs a new engine.

 

[PClark99]

a 03-04 Cobra that hasn't been molested will be around 20-25k depending on things.

a 99 Cobra with 99k a bad engine and a lot of body damage that you can see (and probably more that you can't see) isn't worth $3,800.

Personally I would pass.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Quintox
Even with the problems, don't SVT's go for around $15+k??
http://tinyurl.com/lrfq8u

Somehow this is a scam, maybe it was stolen?

None jacked up SVT's go for more but they are not that crappy year and not that f'd up.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Depending how flexible he is on the price, it might be worth taking a look at. Don't expect a sports car to drive around and have fun with "out of the box" though - it's certainly going to need work.

The main things I'd look for: major rust, bent / twisted frame or other structural areas, pulls hard to one side (could just need alignment, but could also be something much more involved), problems shifting, blood or bullet holes (no joke). Also, check the VIN to make sure it's an actual Cobra and not a GT (or worse, converted V6) that someone slapped a body kit and a few badges on. The body kit would cost a decent amount, but the stick-on badges are literally a few bucks each at places like Mustangs Unlimited. I'm not a Cobra expert, so you may want to find a Cobra forum, register there, and ask people what they think - they'll be able to give you the best idea of what you're getting yourself into.

See if the guy will take you out for a test drive. If he says it knocks too much or if he agrees to start it but refuses to move it, figure something in the drive train is completely dead or has major problems (engine, transmission, differential).

Finally, I'm not sure what a 5.4L is out of, but I'm guessing it's either a truck motor or a 331 stroker (5.0L / 302). The 4.8L's in the Cobras are 32 valve, IIRC, and unless his spare engine is exceptionally built, you'd be a fool to swap the 4.8L out for something more "common."

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: CurseTheSky
Depending how flexible he is on the price, it might be worth taking a look at. Don't expect a sports car to drive around and have fun with "out of the box" though - it's certainly going to need work.

The main things I'd look for: major rust, bent / twisted frame or other structural areas, pulls hard to one side (could just need alignment, but could also be something much more involved), problems shifting, blood or bullet holes (no joke). Also, check the VIN to make sure it's an actual Cobra and not a GT (or worse, converted V6) that someone slapped a body kit and a few badges on. The body kit would cost a decent amount, but the stick-on badges are literally a few bucks each at places like Mustangs Unlimited. I'm not a Cobra expert, so you may want to find a Cobra forum, register there, and ask people what they think - they'll be able to give you the best idea of what you're getting yourself into.

See if the guy will take you out for a test drive. If he says it knocks too much or if he agrees to start it but refuses to move it, figure something in the drive train is completely dead or has major problems (engine, transmission, differential).

Finally, I'm not sure what a 5.4L is out of, but I'm guessing it's either a truck motor or a 331 stroker (5.0L / 302). The 4.8L's in the Cobras are 32 valve, IIRC, and unless his spare engine is exceptionally built, you'd be a fool to swap the 4.8L out for something more "common."

And rebuilding that 4.6l 32 valve Cobra engine is NOT cheap.

 

[helpme]

The SVT you really want is a 2003 or 2004

 

[Raduque]

The 5.4 comes mainly from trucks. The Cobra R in 2000 had a 5.4, but it was a production run of around 300 or so, so I doubt it's from a Cobra R.

Ford Modular motors are expensive. I wouldn't buy it unless you have lots of time and money to invest in it.

Edit: Wikipedia says the Cobra used a 4.6l in '99.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: Raduque
The 5.4 comes mainly from trucks. The Cobra R in 2000 had a 5.4, but it was a production run of around 300 or so, so I doubt it's from a Cobra R.

Ford Modular motors are expensive. I wouldn't buy it unless you have lots of time and money to invest in it.

Edit: Wikipedia says the Cobra used a 4.6l in '99.

a guy i met raced mustangs. apparently the 4.6L can be found in some lincolns, IIRC.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: Raduque
The 5.4 comes mainly from trucks. The Cobra R in 2000 had a 5.4, but it was a production run of around 300 or so, so I doubt it's from a Cobra R.

Ford Modular motors are expensive. I wouldn't buy it unless you have lots of time and money to invest in it.

Edit: Wikipedia says the Cobra used a 4.6l in '99.

a guy i met raced mustangs. apparently the 4.6L can be found in some lincolns, IIRC.

Not the DOHC Cobra motor.

 

[Vetterin]

That car in rough condition (meaning still drivable) is only worth $3800. If it's NOT drivable it's not worth much at all. I think the seller should have traded it in during the cash for clunkers give away (if he could have).

 

[Demon-Xanth]

It's a car that can be good if you're willing to do a lot of work to save some money.

 

[LTC8K6]

All had the 4.6L DOHC V8 according to Wiki. Early on it was called Four Cam and then InTech



1993?1998 Lincoln Mark VIII, 280 hp (209 kW) and 285 lb·ft (386 N·m)
1995?1997 Lincoln Continental, 260 hp (194 kW) and 265 lb·ft (359 N·m)
1996?1998 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, 305 hp (227 kW) and 300 lb·ft (407 N·m)
1995?1998 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC, 290 hp (216 kW) and 295 lb·ft (400 N·m)
1998?2002 Lincoln Continental, 275 hp (205 kW) and 275 lb·ft (373 N·m)
1999/2001 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, 320 hp (239 kW) and 317 lb·ft (430 N·m)
2000-2001 Qvale Mangusta, 320 hp (239 kW) and 317 lb·ft (430 N·m)
2003-2005 MG X-Power SV, 320 hp (239 kW) and 317 lb·ft (430 N·m)
2000?2008 Panoz Esperante, 420 hp (313 kW) and 320 lb·ft (434 N·m) [7]
2003 Ford Mustang Mach 1, 305 hp (227 kW) and 320 lb·ft (434 N·m)
2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1, 310 hp (231 kW) and 335 lb·ft (454 N·m) [8]
2003?2004 Mercury Marauder, 302 hp (225 kW) and 318 lb·ft (431 N·m)
2003?2005 Lincoln Aviator, 302 hp (225 kW) and 318 lb·ft (431 N·m)
2003?2004 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, Iron block, Supercharged, 390 hp (291 kW) and 390 lb·ft (529 N·m)

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
All had the 4.6L DOHC V8 according to Wiki. Early on it was called Four Cam and then InTech



1993?1998 Lincoln Mark VIII, 280 hp (209 kW) and 285 lb·ft (386 N·m)
1995?1997 Lincoln Continental, 260 hp (194 kW) and 265 lb·ft (359 N·m)
1996?1998 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, 305 hp (227 kW) and 300 lb·ft (407 N·m)
1995?1998 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC, 290 hp (216 kW) and 295 lb·ft (400 N·m)
1998?2002 Lincoln Continental, 275 hp (205 kW) and 275 lb·ft (373 N·m)
1999/2001 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, 320 hp (239 kW) and 317 lb·ft (430 N·m)
2000-2001 Qvale Mangusta, 320 hp (239 kW) and 317 lb·ft (430 N·m)
2003-2005 MG X-Power SV, 320 hp (239 kW) and 317 lb·ft (430 N·m)
2000?2008 Panoz Esperante, 420 hp (313 kW) and 320 lb·ft (434 N·m) [7]
2003 Ford Mustang Mach 1, 305 hp (227 kW) and 320 lb·ft (434 N·m)
2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1, 310 hp (231 kW) and 335 lb·ft (454 N·m) [8]
2003?2004 Mercury Marauder, 302 hp (225 kW) and 318 lb·ft (431 N·m)
2003?2005 Lincoln Aviator, 302 hp (225 kW) and 318 lb·ft (431 N·m)
2003?2004 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, Iron block, Supercharged, 390 hp (291 kW) and 390 lb·ft (529 N·m)

All 4.6 L 4-valve engines featured aluminum engine blocks with 6-bolt main bearing caps, with the only exception being the 2003?2004 SVT Cobra which had a 4-bolt main cast iron block. The 1999 and earlier engines featured an aluminum block cast in Italy by Fiat subsidiary Teksid S.p.A. Since 1996, all of the 4.6 L 4-valve engines manufactured for use in the SVT Cobra have been hand-built by SVT technicians at Ford's Romeo, Michigan plant.

I think the Cobra engines are different enough that you couldn't put any of the other engines in a Cobra and still call it a Cobra.

 

[LTC8K6]

It's the same engine, hand built or not, imo. They didn't hand build the blocks.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
It's the same engine, hand built or not, imo. They didn't hand build the blocks.

They do state that engine parts from the Romeo plant might not fit on engines built in the Windsor plant and vice versa. Not to mention the fact that the Cobra engines are built to different tolerances, have different heads, probably different cams etc. Personally, I don't think I'd buy a Cobra that had an engine changed out unless I knew it was replaced with the correct engine for that model.

 

[Pulsar]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
It's the same engine, hand built or not, imo. They didn't hand build the blocks.

They do state that engine parts from the Romeo plant might not fit on engines built in the Windsor plant and vice versa. Not to mention the fact that the Cobra engines are built to different tolerances, have different heads, probably different cams etc. Personally, I don't think I'd buy a Cobra that had an engine changed out unless I knew it was replaced with the correct engine for that model.

Different heads and different cams, however the bottom end of the '99 is the same as the other engines from that era. In fact, in '99, the block was built up with crank, pistons, etc and taken over the niche line for the top end and timing components. Cams were definitely different, I'm not 100% sure on heads since I came on at the end of the 99's.

 

[AMCRambler]

I agree with everyone else here. Unless you're looking for a parts car to pull suspension or drive train components, this is probably not in good enough shape to make it worth repairing to it's former glory.

If the motor is not toast, it might make a good donor car for a Factory Five Cobra kit car.

Frank

 

[exdeath]

It's a project car that you buy to spend time and money on to save and restore the car from it's previous owner's abuse. That thing has a 03 front end that isn't even fit right and some kind of after market ricer rocker panels. Paint is in horrible shape. 5.4L is not the original engine, it's a DOHC 4.6, as has been mentioned. If it's the original engine but he has a spare 5.4 block... /gun2face

If you want a nice project and want to save a poor car from destruction, go for it, but don't underestimate the time involved. A good condition 99-01 Cobra is around $12k. Hard to say what the engine repairs would consist of. He says it's a "slight" knock but the price says he knows it's more serious. At the minimum it sounds like it needs new bearings and a resurfaced crank. At worst a cracked #7/#8 piston meaning it needs news pistons, rings, and the block bored. 4.6/5.4 aftermarket parts aren't terribly expensive if you do the work yourself; the aftermarket providing cheap abundant quality parts is one of the biggest appeals of these cars. Used OEM parts like stock pistons are a dime a dozen since the market gets flooded from everyone upgrading things all the time.

So to summarize, no, you're not going to get off free stealing a Cobra for $4k. It's definately cheap enough for a project car and you could easily make a few bucks flipping it after fixing all the problems. You could definately low ball this guy @ <= $3k, as he clearly doesn't have a clue.

 

[Q]

I don't have the money for it, I was just surprised and curious. Thanks for the replies.

 

[Black88GTA]

Those pics are small and grainy - impossible to make a good assessment on paint / body condition from those alone, IMO. It doesn't look bad to me from the pics provided. Yes, the front bumper is hanging - the ad states that it is a broken bracket. Not a deal breaker by itself. Maybe just a bottom end rebuild and an odd part here and there is all it needs (although I doubt it).

If I was in the market for a project, I'd definitely go look at it. I'm not really a Mustang guy myself though.

 

[StageLeft]

When a car ad says "Car does Run!" as if this is actually in question, the car is a POS.

Plus what kind of fvcking buffoon takes pics of a car he's trying to sell AT NIGHT.