trading my car for a 96 cobra vert.

9838stang · Oct 9, 2014

I know i know alot of you will say, DUH!!!! no brainer do it and other will say meh. But i want your opinions. I have not seen the car in person.

A guy on a local forum, has a 1996 black on black on black cobra vert.

Looking to see if I can move this car before winter...

1996 Ford Mustang Cobra Convertible
- Black on black leather, black top
- 131,xxx miles
- drives and shifts great

FRPP King Cobra Clutch
Fiore clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster
Eibach Sportline springs

The car turned into my DD this year and it could use some TLC. Needs a motor mount (have part) and the right rear caliper is hanging up. A good buffing goes a long way as far as the paint goes. Has a few chips, scratches and marks but no rust. Never driven in the snow. The top does have a small tear on the side, about 2 inches long. Everything works as it should. Interior is clean, no tears in the seats but the drivers side is wearing.

Looking for $3800. Will entertain offers.

Now with that description, and that being said. I dont have the 3800 cash laying around to just buy the car. But I did shoot him an offer of trading my car for his, or a partial trade and cash.

He replied back, that my car looks great, but he is looking to move onto another project he has. But he sent another text saying, if i could return my car back to stock and i keep all of my aftermarket parts, he would entertain the idea my plus 2500 cash.

He doesnt know i have the 03 cobra seats either, but i told him all i have for stock parts are the 17in gt wheels, gt cloth seats, v6/gt brakes, and tb.

the then said he will run the ad until the end of the month, and i have until then to figure out if i can come up with the cash or figure out something, but he said his bottom dollar on the car is 3500...

9838stang · Oct 9, 2014

Forgot to ask, most of you have seen the my car on here and know of some of the stuff i have done to it, what would you guys value my car at. 170k, rebuilt 8.8 with frpp 3.73, , rebuilt trans 45k ago with a shift kit, original miles, replacing the intake gasket here soon. and add 03 cobra seats and 98 cobra brakes to the mod list below.

DropTopPony · Oct 9, 2014

Wow cars have no value where you live if he will take 3500 and your car equals about 1000 in trade value.

I could get 5000 all day for the Cobra as is where I live.

Kboss87 · Oct 9, 2014

Why would you trade your car? Do you want a convertible? I like your car better. Put the money towards an engine swap.

ElrodKTPQ_89 · Oct 9, 2014

I vote keep your car and save for an engine swap as well! Cobra is always cool but your car is immaculate!

96gt4.6 · Oct 9, 2014

from the sounds of it, i personally would take the extra cash he wants and go buy a wreaked cobra and do the 4v swap, in the end it sounds like you would be further ahead. i paid $2200 for the wreaked 1997 cobra i bought

ProKiller · Oct 9, 2014

that's a tough call. you're going to be hard pressed to get much value from your v6 no matter how nice it is. they just aren't worth that much. i do think though that your car is worth more than a grand even without the aftermarket stuff you did. i'd value yours at 2-3k. if you sell your seats, that's half the cost though so it does make it possible.

Musturd · Oct 9, 2014

I love the way your car looks dude I was just engine swap it with a 5.0 or 4.6 pick your poison , you're car is super clean and has a killer stance gears etc plus cobra interior for a stock 4v that prolly has the classic tick. I would just save up and do a swap or even find a wrecked car you can find one for really cheap .

the5.ohh · Oct 9, 2014

That thing is dirt cheap. I think your car is badass man, your car was my inspiration for a few mods I did. Honestly that cobra looks blah compared to yours. I vote keep yours and eventually do a V8 swap. But do what you think will be best for you. You'll be starting from scratch again. But if he wants it all stock, plus some cash its not a bad deal at all.

TanTop94 · Oct 9, 2014

Your car is clean and I don't know how excited you are about it being a vert. If you keep your car and swap a new motor in it and keep it up to your standard you will end up spending a lot of money. So trading for a v8 seems like a solid idea but if the car needs a new top you're looking at a pretty large investment right off the bat. It's a hard choice, depends on how deep your pockets are either way haha.

9838stang · Oct 9, 2014

DropTopPony said:
Wow cars have no value where you live if he will take 3500 and your car equals about 1000 in trade value.

I could get 5000 all day for the Cobra as is where I live.

Kboss87 said:
Why would you trade your car? Do you want a convertible? I like your car better. Put the money towards an engine swap.

ElrodKTPQ_89 said:
I vote keep your car and save for an engine swap as well! Cobra is always cool but your car is immaculate!

96gt4.6 said:
from the sounds of it, i personally would take the extra cash he wants and go buy a wreaked cobra and do the 4v swap, in the end it sounds like you would be further ahead. i paid $2200 for the wreaked 1997 cobra i bought

ProKiller said:
that's a tough call. you're going to be hard pressed to get much value from your v6 no matter how nice it is. they just aren't worth that much. i do think though that your car is worth more than a grand even without the aftermarket stuff you did. i'd value yours at 2-3k. if you sell your seats, that's half the cost though so it does make it possible.

Musturd said:
I love the way your car looks dude I was just engine swap it with a 5.0 or 4.6 pick your poison , you're car is super clean and has a killer stance gears etc plus cobra interior for a stock 4v that prolly has the classic tick. I would just save up and do a swap or even find a wrecked car you can find one for really cheap .

the5.ohh said:
That thing is dirt cheap. I think your car is badass man, your car was my inspiration for a few mods I did. Honestly that cobra looks blah compared to yours. I vote keep yours and eventually do a V8 swap. But do what you think will be best for you. You'll be starting from scratch again. But if he wants it all stock, plus some cash its not a bad deal at all.

Yea, cobras hold do have their value, but with winter coming most sellers are desperate to get one or more project gone to have money or space to work on another. There are similar ones on craigslist for another 1500 or more but have faded paint and may not need anything mechanical.

I would much rather prefer a coupe over a vert. Sorry if I offend any vert owners love ya guys lol l. I just got all wrapped up in getting a cobra on trade for my car lol. I'd hope that the deal would had been much closer like 500- 800 but yea. I would much rather have a coupe to auto cross and drag race like my car. There are a ton of v6 cars here with people modding them but to ricer max... I thought I could get at least 3k to 3500 just in the after market parts if I parted the car out.... But I don't want to part it. I would just transfer parts over to the next project car.

as for a motor swap, my dad and I have been looking around for parts cars and most of the cars that we find in craigslist are really beat up in the engines have over a hundred seventy thousand miles for them and the want 1500 to 2 k... So we are still looking right now.

Thanks for the kind words and the love for my car! Didn't know many of you would feel that way about it

Rallim · Oct 9, 2014

I agree, motor swap would be waaaaaaaaay smarter move on your part. I'd take your car over that cobra, but like you said I'm a coupe compared to vert type of person. Get a mark viii motor off ebay for $600, bam, your cars cobra. Sell your motor for $700, make profit off it haha.

Burninriverdiver · Oct 9, 2014

That's tough.... The cobra looks nice but I'm sure it's got problems for the low price. Your car is absolutely perfect minus the missing two cylinders. I vote 5.0/ t5 swap, those come up as a package deal pretty often, plus the car would be YOURS exactly how you wanted it and built by you

the5.ohh · Oct 9, 2014

Rallim said:
I agree, motor swap would be waaaaaaaaay smarter move on your part. I'd take your car over that cobra, but like you said I'm a coupe compared to vert type of person. Get a mark viii motor off ebay for $600, bam, your cars cobra. Sell your motor for $700, make profit off it haha.

Blasphemy! That mark viii motor is a Lincoln motor, Cobras have lincoln motors!