LOL, Thats a good friends car, Its really nice, even converted interior..

 

I am in no way dissing your Mach1 (better looking than my Cobra in my opinion) but as you agreed the 05 GT is just a natural evolution of the 4th gen Mustang. (p.s. Screaming yellow is way cooler than Zinc Yellow good for you) . If I was in the same position I'd probably lean towards getting the 05 GT but that is just me

 

Dredging this back up, think I may have a good lead on a 60k mile '97 Cobra, and I know the history of the car so I know it hasnt been abused & has all the mods on it I could want (at the moment)..so the quetion comes back to how much do I want to spend, Cobra vs Mach....still looking for opinions, 'cause I know people here got em' =) .

 

Which ever one "tugs" at you more is my opinion. I love my Mach, but 96-97 Cobras are also darn cool! As long as expectations are reasonable you can't go wrong with either one, in my opinion.

 

One thing to consider is the condition of a 14 year old Mustang (the '97 Cobra) vs a 7-8 year old Mustang (a Mach). Even if the '97 Cobra was taken care of well and has low miles, the New Edge Mustangs were tighter and stiffer than the earlier SN95's, and a test drive of both should bring this out.

 

Not so fast I disagree with that statement. I own both a 1997 GT and a 2003 Cobra and the build quality on the 97 is much better. I think the newer cars are stiffer because of updates they made to the platform as a whole but overall quality in my older 97 is better than my 03...go figure huh. Things like panel gaps and fitting in my 97 seems better than the average 99-04 that I have seen. With that being said I'd still go newer. a 99 GT is the equal of a 98 Cobra at the track.

 

Ive owned a 2000 GT and a 1996 cobra, ive driven extensivly both a 2003 mach 1 (evil carpis acctually) and also a 2001 bullit.

Personally the top choices are where you are at, the 96-98 cobra and teh mach. Power wise the mach is the best choice. its got a great mid range, decent low and good top end. The 96-98 cobra has probably my favorite motor ever, mild low end, decent mid range and killer top end that doesnt want to stop with minimal mods.

I still personally woudl be torn over it, but if you have the money, go mach. better platform to start off with as well.

 

2004

Drove it darn well I might add in the dark on a very twisty road!!

 

Yeah in hindsight, i bet you wish you had stayed at the house huh

 

My vote is also for the Mach. Cobras are cool, but nothing says "I'm a BA" like a shaker on your hood.

 

if you decide to got the cobra route..stick with the 1998. they have been proven to make more power stock than the 1996-1997's just FYI thats why I went with the 1998

 

Eh, only problem is if I go Cobra, I already know the one I am going to get, it's a '97 with LT's, full suspension, & 3:73's. I know the owner and I know how well the car has been cared for, it's got under 70k miles and hasn't been abused. It is pretty much THIS car....or a Mach/05 GT/Whatever is in my price range.. I am really leaning towards the Cobra though.

 

I have heard the same about 03-04 Mach1s and Cobras (many claim that the 04s have more power) but I'm sure the gain is if any is not that big. Why would Ford add a lot more power to a car and not advertise it? I bet the power increase is less than 10HP. What I mean is a good deal on a 96 or 97 should not be a dealbreaker because it's not a 98.

 

So did you get the 97?

 

Not yet, plans kinda got pushed back, owner of the 97 isn't ready to sell yet & I still have the SVO taking up precious space in the garage, though I did drive an 05 GT I just about fell in love with, but the same problem..no space & still have the other car..I'll update as soon as I move forward with whatever direction I go...but an 05-09 with a shaker set up could be fun too.

 

Bud I would consider an 05 or newer if you can afford it. The car is far more advanced. 04's and older are all based in the 79 fox platform. Nothing bad, I have owned many and love my 04, but the new ones are much better technology. I would consider a mach1 or 03-04 cobra if you could afford it, if you want an older platform.

 

Well, the bad news is no Bullitt/4v/05+ for me for awhile..the good news is I am keeping my SVO, realized I have everything now to do the SN LCA swap, and I just got a full cobra exhaust that I can use to properly route through the IRS on it, so the "Angry Little Tractor" should be back up to speed this spring..

 

Keep us posted on your progress!

 

Ok it's been awhile but it's been cold, got the new rack in, going to get it aligned tomorrow and then possibly done new wheels. Will post a more appropriate thread in the fix section then but hate to not update.