Hey guys, I am running into a little problem here.

I have always been a big F-body LS1 fan for some years now, and I Have always dreamed of the day of when I got my M6 LS1 Trans Am or even Z28.

However, recently I have been looking into the 03 and 04 Cobras and they seem to be going down in price somewhat fast. Now, alot of you will say that the Cobra is a Ford, and it is, but honestly its a Ford I have no choice but to respect and like.

I think the car looks sick from the outside (minus the spoiler, if I ever get one I am gonna take that thing off and run it without the spoiler) my only gripe with the car is its interior design.

The interior looks nice, however the shifter I think looks a little too close to the radio controls, and that could be a bit bothersome if you are ever shifting, or even powershifting and you could hit those radio controls. Also, everything inside the car looks a little....out of proportion, not trying to diss on the Cobra owners in here.

However, the numbers the car puts down stock for stock is sick and according to what I have read so far it doesn't take much to get these things to be 450rwhp.

Now being an LS1 fbody fan I will say this, I love modded Trans ams and I loved modded Z28s. I like the interior design much more and I understand the LS1s were underrated from the factory as well with around 280-310 rwhp depending on the type of drive train you have.

Either way I go, neither of the cars that I will buy will remain stock. With a few bolt ons I'd like to get into the 12s with an LS1 which I am sure is no problem. As for the Cobra, its probably gonna be an 11 for me.

Another thing is, I know alot more about the LS1 engines than I do with the Ford engines...I would definitely like to change this though. I dunno of any problems the SVT Cobra might've had...the LS1 seems to have had a perfect shot for the what seven years its been running?

 

Honestly, you'd probably be happy with either car. I love my Formula, but I wouldn't hesitate a bit to trade it for a 03/04 Cobra.

They are so easy to get power out of. They already have forged internals so they can handle the boost, and they are all around nice cars.

Yes, you can get the same power out of a LS1, but not as cheap, minus spray, but personally I'd love to have the Cobra.

Ideally, I'd like to have both, but I dont see that happening.

 

I once test drove a '03 Cobra and was blown away. My biggest gripe was that the location of the shifter makes shifting a job. That, and the design of the dash was uninspiring. But it is hard to argue against 390 hp. Personally, I love LS1. T/As are rarer, so if I were you I'd get the T/A. Any way you go, you'll have an amazing car, though.

 

Get an f-body and put the other money that would've been spent on the Cobra into buying a forced induction kit for the Trans Am.

I've got a twin turbo kit on my Firehawk with an aggressive cam and I doubt there's many Cobras around here that can pass me.

F-body for the win!!!

 

if i had the cash i would have gotten a cobra

 

i sold my kb/nitrous cobra several months back. it was definately a nice car. on blower it made 620whp and over 700 on spray... all on the stock motor. that's what i loved about it. the shifter really wasn't too bad. you have to sit a little further up to reach it, but your hand never gets close to the controls. the seats are really nice too. however, after owning it and driving a few ls1 cars i'm now buying an frc or ta. they just fit me better. but really, you can't go wrong with either

 

Honestly, you should get whatever you can see yourself in better and whatever you can find, but I chose my T/A for a reason. Its the only car for me, i dont care that the Cobras are faster (no disrespect to you Ford guys my bro has a 02 GT so I respect mustangs) just i prefer the look of the T/A and i like NA power as opposed to FI

 

agree'd 100%... ive heard about the odd proportions of the cobra's, as well as some cooling problems to cyl. #7, but i guess theres a mod that fixes that...

but as said in the quote, at almost every corner you go to, theres a mustang to be found, wether its a v6, GT, cobra etc... with a trans am on the other hand, these cars have styling like no other car on the road short of an exotic, i get looks all the time from other drivers etc. and whenever im asked what year it is, whoever asks me is blown away when i say a 98, they always think its like brand new ALSO, how can you resist the T-Tops?!?! i know i love them!

and as firehawk608 said, you could get a cheap ls1 (got mine for 8k with 80k miles), and spend the rest on mods and be faster than a cobra, look sleeker, AND have t tops! lol

but as everybody else on the board, i wouldnt mind having one of those 03/04's either, theres no doubt in anybodies mind about how fast they are, they are kick *** cars, but in your case, i'd go with the LS1, still HUGE potential, rare, badass looking etc

/story

 

The cobras a good car but it will start blowing seals if you add too much boost with a new pully. It also has terrible wheel hop. Ford never did have much sucess with IRS

 

If you're big, get the F-Body, that gen Mustang interior was a tight fit. And everything about ford from the late 90s/early 00s was mushy. The feel of the key in the lock, the ignition itself, gear selection, steering, everything. Very unappealing (have not driven that specific car, but rather a late 90s plain ol' basic Mustang, and many other Fords of the period).

Plus they ding at you constantly unless you pull the key, or the dinger. A hassle either way.

Don't know if they have VATS either.

And if you're into drag racing (as it seems you are), get the Z28. The Trans Am has more drag and a good deal more weight.

But if you fit in the mustang (it's not real Cobra. A REAL Cobra would eat any Mustang Ford ever produced for a snack. lol), and the lure of super easy power is a major draw - go for that. Sounds like you are really leaning that way and just want to see if you can be talked out of it. Go with your gut. Get it.

 

i have respect for the Cobras, but honestly I think my heart belongs to an LS1.

I figured 10k for a decently low mileage M6 Z28, slap on a Vortech Supercharger, and call it a day.


I like the styling more for the Trans Ams then I do for the Z28s, however the Z28s have that sleeper look to them. And I like sleeper cars.

I was just watching some vids on streetfire from some guys in some lightly modded Cobras, and just seeing those cars take off is like...awesome.

But then again, the roaring sound of an LS1 fully punched makes me giggle like a little school girl.

 

T/A's aren't rarer than 03/04 Cobra's. Sorry fella's, but if I had the cash T/A<03/04 Cobra

 

True, 6'4 235 and I feel real cramped in our Mach1. Although I'd take a Cobra in a heart beat.

 

That's the exact reason I looked specifically at Firebirds

Get a TA and never look back...except to steal a glance at someone you just burned

 

It all depends on your preference and how much money you have to spend. The 03-04 cobras are obviously newer and will be more expensive, but are easier to mod. However, you can get a used ls1 for under 10K and mod the hell out of it and have a faster car than the cobra. I just sold the z28 in my sig with 59K on the clock for 10K with all the mods only having less than 500 miles on them. I had to sell the car as I wasnt driving it and I I just purchased a house so it had to go but if I had tossed in a set of budget ls6 heads and a 12-bolt it would have been a potential 11 second car so the LS1 can make similar power levels as the cobra. I looked at the cobras and even though they are styled better than the base v6's and gt's, they still arent that distinguishable from the v6's and gt's to most people unless you know about the cobras. I think the camaros and trans ams stand out more and grab more attention, but you cant go wrong with either car.

 

Same here.

I love my z28 6spd but I just love those cobras.

 

It's sooo easy to get power out of the 03/04 Cobras but try to take a ride in a cammed f-body. If you're not dying for an LS1 after that, then go get the Cobra.

 

I respect that nasty blown V8 sitting under the Cobra's hood.

The rest of the car= for me personally. I've always hated the 99-04 Mustang styling. Looks like one of 10 million other Mustangs out there, shifter's in the wrong place, interior quality is just as bad as my Z28, and I don't like the way you sit in it.

The Camaro and Trans Ams just feel and look like some sort of exotic Ferrari or Lambo.