steven46746

Just use x-plan, no haggling required.

Ian_289

That is a super valid point. People, mind you I use that term very loosely, tend to beat the snot out of any car that has a standard shift trans or a performance badge such as SVT on it. I will actually laugh when I see people have adds for their Cobras/Shelby's/etc that state "Has NEVER been abused". I mean they're out there, but they're unicorns for lack of a better term.

I do agree they look better too. And warranty is a major plus.

Ian_289

I was under the impression that the X-plan was kinda like the "A-plan" GM has to where you can only take advantage of that if you yourself work there, or a family member works there. Like an employee discount. If not I have no idea how to even go about getting that. That and I'll be paying "cash"(by check) so I don't know if you can even use it without financing. Some you can. Some you can't.

EuroGirl

Best to buy a unmolested car. The 03-04 cobras are 9-10 years old and add in the abuse factor to it and if they weren't garage kept.

AlsCobra

Anything built by SVT is meant to be beat on and is built to handle it. The looks is purely opinion. Haven't liked a stock mustang exterior since the 05 came out. There's only a few on this site that I like the way they look after exterior mods.

@Ian_289
The Terminator is not for everyone. Sounds like the new would better suit your needs. I would search for barely used though. I couldn't take the hit on brand new when its worth so much less the next year. I would try and pick up a used 13 or even a 12.

Ian_289

Very true. I was only really going to buy an unmodified 03-04 Cobra but they're next to impossible to find. And I think I said it somewhere in the thread, I'll be ordering, and that way I'm the only one who's sat in it, minus start-up at the plant and rolling it on and off the trailer to the dealer.

Ian_289

I'll check into it. Only downside if if I go through a dealer the prices are still high. Or at least they are in my opinion. I'm not sure on the newer cars. My local dealer has a Black '12 GT/CS with like 13k miles on it and they want like $31k for it. Seems high. But bright side is I like the wheels better haha. But the hood, etc not so much but that can be changes. Depending on when the new ordered '14's roll in, I'll check the surplus of trade-ins they have to offer. I just really want a GT/CS. They look the best IMO.

EuroGirl

Anything weather built right or not will start to wear with use. It depends on how much wear of a certain amount of time. 9-10 years of abuse will take it's toll on any car. Don't mistake good shifting and power shifting for abuse. Most people do not shift that good. I'd say add in gear grinding from trying to shift fast. Plus the possibility a teenager abused it which is by far worse cause they don't know how to drive something like that. There's a lot of factors but bottom line is even cobras wear and tear as years go by and now there pretty old cars. Add abuse and that increases the amount of wear and tear. Also it wasnt until 03-04 that the cobra could really handle 700-800hp with stock engine. The older ones were about as good as a 99-04 mach1.

steven46746

No, I think if you work there you get a different plan, for x-plan all you need to do is get a mustang club of America membership. 50 bucks for one year, then you can instantly use it. It's as easy as apply for it and printing out the sheet. It knocks around 2k off base prices and some change off each option you add. Also doesn't matter if your buying it out right. Just takes the headache out of haggling with what the dealer can and can't do.

Ian_289

I'll agree with that about 90%. On a car that can handle up to 800hp, people sure do like to modify. Which is specifically meant for racing/beating on the car depending on who's driving. Teenagers are a big downside to 400+hp cars and the cars' history. As far as wear and tear, yes it does take it's toll on any car. But I'll also say from personal experience, they don't make them like they used to. I don't mean the 10 year old cars, I mean the 40+ year old cars. My first car was a Mustang. It was a 68 289 coupe. And it RAN. But I babied it for the most part and I bought it from the guy who drove it off the showroom floor. It had 64k miles on it and I rebuild the motor, trans just to be safe. But then again on the older cars there is A LOT less to go wrong with them. I've done enough entry to mid level work at shops(mind you I'm no master tech) to know the havoc people can do to cars by simply not doing regular oil changes. It's absolutely terrifying that some people can let their second most, and in some cases if they don't own their own homes, their most valuable assets go to hell by neglect. But that's also the worst case scenario.

Ian_289

That's awesome. I'll ask the owner of the dealership about it. The salesman I talked to about a lot of the questions seemed a little... "aloof". I'll do that seeing how I want the glass roof and the CS package which are both just shy of 2k packages let alone anything else. Any bit will help.

Can you apply for the Mustang Club of America there on the spot when I go to order? Or should I do that in advance?

03sonic

Sold my 03 Cobra 2 years ago and bought a 2010 Taurus Sho. I bought the Cobra new in 2002 and it had 22,000 miles on it when sold. Litely modded and multishow winner. Missed driving the car so bought a 2012 GT prem. 6 spd.with the Brembo pkg. in June of last year.The new GT is a better car in a lot of ways almost as fast ,better handling,better int..Look at Hi end auto in Va. he deals in 03/04 Cobras .

TheDivaDanielle

Such a weird comparison. a 10 year old Mustang that already had a 25 year old chassis vs something completely different and better in all tangible ways.

I mean if it were 2005 and you said do I get the Cobra or the left over 2005 Mustangs that are available to pick through or do I get a new 2006, then it makes a little more sense to highly consider the Cobra alone for the huge horsepower advantage, vs. the "new" more refined retro Mustang. But in this case? The newer Mustang outhandles both older variants. It has a slick 6-speed manual. It also has more horsepower stock than the cobra, without a blower. The older S197's barely got to Cobra power levels WITH a blower. Seems to me that the logical move would be for the new 5.0.

Ian_289

Thanks for the heads up on them. I'll check them out. But that's quite a drive to pick one up. I'm about 950 miles from there haha. I'll call and check em out though.

Ian_289

Weird comparison yes. But I have a soft spot for the 03-04 Cobras. I absolutely do not like the 05-09's appearance. I don't know. The whole car looks "cheap". I guess that's just me. To each their own. However when I saw the new 11-14's I about died a little. They look amazing.

But regardless of the comparison, I suppose I like the 03-04's probably because they were the first "New" high horsepower car I drove. I don't know. Ask the Fox-body guys why the like them so much when they're even 10 years older than that. I think it's the whole "easy-to-mod" aspect. Not exactly what I'm going for but it explains where I'm coming from I guess.

steven46746

You will apply for the mca membership online, you can do it at anytime. Preferably sooner than later. Then you have access to their x-plan forum posts that will guide you through the process, the print out from this process is the only thing the dealer will need to see.

If possible I would request a few 2014 mustang brochures when they become available. I requested like 30 for 2013 and every one had a $750 off coupon.

Ian_289

I'll do that. I'll have to use a buddy's printer but no biggie.

And I'll run to the dealer when the rain dries up. Going to test drive one anyways('13) so it'll be a good excuse to request a bunch of the brochures.

steven46746

I think you have to do the brochures online as well, not sure though.

Ian_289

Ahh well. No worries. I'll figure it all out in time. I have to wait a bit to order regardless.

Again thanks for all the tips guys.

AlsCobra

03-04 cobra was the baddest *** mustang to date at the time. Still pretty bad *** compared to the new GT. If it didn't look as good I would still buy one. Kinda like the Fox fans. Not the most attractive of body styles but such a great little car. Some people buy cars because of appearance first. Some people want a great car and fix them up to look nice. Just preferences I guess.