New cobra, same old ford marketing crap.

Then again, it remains to be seen if 7,000 units of a two passenger vehicle returning only 15 miles per $5 gallon of gas is NOT in excess of demand.

Just my guess, but I imagine 7000 to be a pretty close estimate to what the market will be for a car like that.

When they produced around 8k in '99 there were quite a few sitting on lots at the end of summer, with good discounts. The production figures for both '03 and '04 were just ridiculous, over 10k produced, and the dealers were cutting each others throats to make a sale at seasons end.

When it's possible to snag a new Cobra at $10k _below_ sticker, that's a sign of overproduction on Fords part.

It's tough to gauge the market. There are a lot of people re-thinking major purchases right now, and if the current fuel trend continues, I imagine a gas guzzlin' blown 'Stang might not seem real smart to a lot of folks. Hell, maybe

-- John C. '03 Cobra Convt. (but I'll be tradin' up, I reckon)

I'll either have a Cobra convertible or a Corvette Z06 in the garage next year. Which one depends on how much Ford dealers jack the price up on the GT500. Either way I don't see myself a looser. :)

Are the majority of people in this market really buying these cars as every day drivers? Whatever I buy, I intend to keep my '97 as my daily driver.

I don't think I can fit in the vette, but I may check it out if ford dealers jack up the price. The new cobra is about price, I am willing to make the trade offs for the savings.

The reason I think some '04s sat is because everyone was waiting for what was next. I certainly was. When I was buying a part for my '97 and took a look at an '05 GT the sales droid tried to steer me towards an '04 or '03 (forget if it was used or not, think it was) cobra. But I wasn't interested because it was still an SN95 (plus the styling of the '99 up never really grew on me to the point where I liked it) Better than what I have of course, but not enough better for me to spend the money.

I guess we'll see... but I don't see a dealership in chicago area doing anything but treating them as if they were some kind of rare work of art.

There is still the odd 2004 Cobra sitting new in dealerships. There's

"Michael Johnson, PE" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

A fin says it'll be the Z06. And yes, you'll be a winner. Probably in more ways than one... ;)

I wouldn't take that bet because I plan to test drive both. The only pluses for the GT500 is it might be substantially cheaper and it can be had as a convertible. Whether the test drive in the Z06 makes me forget about those two things remains to be seen. Just reading the specs on the Z06 puts a BAG on my face. I think it will be just a tick slower than the Ford GT which is still pretty damn good, IMHO. Especially considering the price differential.

I had to chuckle at your remark in the parenthesis. Who would have thought that in just 2-3 years the Terminator would be "terminated" itself by the next Cobra. Times are good indeed for us gear heads. :)

"Michael Johnson, PE" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Possibly cheaper than the Z06, but why not look at a "non-Z06" 'Vette?

A "regular" 'Vette can be.. ;)

I guess we can all play the numbers game, but IMO the bottom line is how much you like the driving experience and how much you're willing to pay for that experience.

If I were shopping in that arena, the first thing I'd do is trot on down to the Chevy dealer and take a Corvette convertible out for a nice extended ride - you can do that right now. Who knows - considering the price tag, that may be the end of the shopping trip...

I may do that also. I really want a convertible.

The Z06 is seriously fast and the GT500 can be made seriously fast for little money. The regular Vette is fast and all but 400 hp at the crank just won't satisfy me. One thing I need to figure out is whether the better handling/braking of the Z06 is something I want or can use. I don't plan to road race either car so I may decide the Z06 is too much overkill. I do know I want hp/tq and either car will give that in spades.

I did want a GT but when the prices started running up on them it fell by the wayside. I can't justify spending that much money on a car that would mostly sit in garage. Plus there were problems popping up like cracking control arms, crank shaft problems etc. Plus the Z06 is damn near its equal and the price is rumored to be somewhere in the $65k-$80k range.

I think I will end up with a GT500 if it can be had for less than $50k. The hp/torque potential of a 5.4L DOHC V-8 with a twin screw blower is almost too much for me to resist. Plus the engine will be built like a brick $hit house so reliability will be there from day one. Can you say

If your budget is $50k and you're after a 351W, why not just shop around for a "gently used" Cobra R? Somebody is selling Bondurant's old SN95 Cobra R on ebay. Granted, the SN95 is pretty ugly, but I'm sure you can find something better if you hunt around.

Cheers,

"Michael Johnson, PE" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

I'd take one out and thrash it before I said that. Also, there are plenty of shops that be more than happy to bump that 400 up a few notches if you really need more. A nice little twin-turbo kit would be nifty for starters, and you'd still probably be under what a Z06 would cost.

I think you answered your own question.

Fer sure.

By the same token, look what you can get for that price with a 'Vette convertible and a few mods.

Don't get me wrong - the GT500 is awesome, but given Ford's tendency to creep the price and keep production down, I'll bet they end up going for more than $60k simply for the "collectibility" factor.

Hehe. I'll bet you've been practicing that phrase... ;)

My budget isn't necessarily $50k. That is the cutoff on the GT500 where I would start seriously looking at the Z06. The Cobra R is a nice car but I want a vert and the '06-'07 Cobra will probably be very close to it in handling and should crush it in straight line performance. If Ford builds the 5.4L the same way they built the 4.6L in the '03-'04 Cobra it will be a damn near bullet proof engine capable of supporting

Trouble that to make a stock Vette engine reliable with forced induction would require a complete engine tear down and installation of forged parts and changing the compression ratio. By the time all this is paid for I could have a Z06 with a warranty or one VERY mean GT500 vert.

After building the LX over the past several years I really want a car that I can get in and drive whenever I want. Having all out handling performance is nice but really how many times can it be utilized without going to a track. Plus, I have always cared more about straight line performance than handling.

One other plus with the GT500 is the ability to seat four people. I have nieces and nephews that come to visit often and being able to take everyone along on a Sunday drive is important too. The more I type the more I'm talking myself into the GT500. :)

If it is that expensive there are other cars I would consider too. There are some nice verts from Lexus, Mercedes, BMW etc. I think the pricing of the GT500 will initially be high but will fall in the $45k-$50k range after the first rush is over.

Well, you know about my attraction to twin screw blowers. ;)

"Michael Johnson, PE" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

You don't necessarily have to do the internals if your mods are "mild" enough. Certainly you could throw a chip in there in lieu of the turbos and stay well on the safe side but still have some extra punch. My only point is that there are bolt-on mods you can do without having to get inside. Might be worth checking this stuff out. The main reason I'm pursuing this is because my brother owns a C4, which he absolultely loves. He's constantly raving about what others are doing with their cars for a few grand.

Sounds like you really don't need Z06 handling.

Nothing wrong with that! Michael, I really hope you can find one at a decent price.

Guess we'll have to see. Personally, I don't think there will be any left after they all sell out at around $60k or more... ;)

Yeah, I like the current look of the Mustang too, but I feel rather alienated by Ford's inability (or unwillingness) to make enough to go around creating an artificially tight market so the dealers can feast on the fans...

Cheers,

I have nickled and dimed myself over the mods on LX. I don't want to do it again on a new Vette. The GT500 will have a built engine from the factory and the Z06 with 500 hp in a 3,200# car is more than enough. The GT500 with exhaust, smaller pulley, chip and a few intake mods should easily be good for a very reliable 600 rwhp.

I don't really. It would be overkill to the extreme. but then so is

Well, there is always a Mustang GT vert with a forged bottom and a KB Blowzilla for good measure. That should be under $40k.

I hope you're wrong. If they do another 7k run the following year I think the price will drop. Has Ford committed to a two year run?

Since it is "twin screw blowers" should it be "That's what they said". :)

Well, they are in the business of selling cars to make money. I can't fault them for that. How many of us have turned down a raise because we thought we were being paid too much? ;)

I always thought I would just mod my GT... One of the reasons I didn't buy cobra. I've had the car since dec '96 and I haven't done much of anything. Something else gets in the way and because I can't have it apart for more than a day or so. So this time, I want as much as I can on the car from the factory.