uofipilot

And one more question....Why do you have

Virtually
Torquless
Economy
Car

in your signature? You seem to have some deep love for Hondas.

NYstang

ok, back on topic...it looks like the 4.6 would be the better choice for me. what should i look for when i buy one? any major problems?

italia18

esh..

rofl that was great, I'm still dying hahahah


Things you should look for.. lets see.. defenitely noises, because theres so many moving parts things can break easily (not saying the engine is weak, just common sense), and when one thing breaks they all do, or so it seems. So listen for clunks, slaps, ticks, squeaks etc etc. Anything that doesnt sound normal. Make sure you rev the car to 5k, because some noises dont come out until you do, and make sure its warmed up some also.

Other things you should look for is whats coming out the back of the pipes:

White steamy smoke - headgasket (unless its cold of course)

blueish smoke - burned oil/sludge

grey smoke - dont even consider buying it

Check the dipstick, of course, before you do anything. Thats a rule of thumb but you'd be suprised at how many people get so caught up in buying the car that they forget. Also check your pullies and belts to make sure theres no abnormal squeaking.

Theres probably a handful of things you should check out transmission wise, seeing as a couple people have said the t-45 isnt the greatest thing out there, but I'm not all that familliar with transmission things myself so I hope someone can pick up where I'm leaving off.

uofipilot

Sorry for that thread-crapping earlier. Some poeple just **** me off.

Anyway, like Itallia said, just make sure there isn't anything obviously wrong. When I went to look at the 97 I bought, the best advice I got was beat the **** out of it on the "test drive." That way, you know everyhting is working.
-Check for oil in the coolant resevouir. Oil there typically means a blown head gasket.
-Check the tires for even wear.
-If you care if the care was beaten on (most cobras are...that's what they're made for) check to see what the clutch pedal looks like. If its all worn down around the edges, that probably means its taken some abuse.
- Also, the t45 trans is notoriously crappy, so make sure you shift through all the gears, look for smooth shifts, noises from the trans, etc.
-Check to see how much brake life is left, check the exhaust to make sure its not rusted out.
-Check the obvious things too. Cd player, tape plyer, blinkers, wipers, all that good stuff.

And most importantly.....TAKE A HANDHELD SCANNER TO PULL CODES!!! If you dont have one, borrow one. I didnt even think about that. There was no CEL when I was looking at the car (battery was simply disconnected for a min or two), but then half way home it came on.......I was so effing pissed. It was just a problem with the EVAP system that I still havent fixed, but it could have been something more serious. If I think of anythingelse, I'll let you know.

Also, get black. It's the fastest color for the 96-98 Cobras. [8D]

Matt

NYstang

really? is it because black is sleeker, allowing more areodynamics?.

Theres a local one thats the dark red, and what looks like black interior. what are the chances of a dealer putting it up on a lift so i can look underneath? or am i stuck crawlin under? oh, heres the link.....nevermind. it sold, there goes that one[&:]. but im trying to find one with under 75k, what should i expect to pay?

uofipilot

I bought mine (97) for 9200 with 67k. However, it needed 4 tires immediatly (600) and needed a new clutch really soon (350). So I paid a little over 10 grand. There are definatly some that are cheaper, but they might be in worse shape. I think somewhere between 8500 and 10500 depending on condition, miles, mods, etc.

As far as the lift thing, I don't know. If you buy from a dealer, I dont see why they wouldnt, but I would highly suggest looking for a private party. That way, you get a better price and can see who really owned it before you (not some "old lady that only drove it to church on Sunday crap that the dealer will feed you).

NYstang

I know how much BS dealers will feed anyone....lucky me, after helping people buy 4 cars, i know how to pretty much deal with them.

oh, what octane do the 4v's need? 87 or 90+?

uofipilot

91 or higher. In IL, premium is 93 and midgrade is 89 and regular is 87. So, I use premium. The car, gas and insurance are worth every penny though.

9COILEDSERPENT6

Keep an eye on the oil pressure, keep music off on test drive so you can pick up on every noise, mine had 99k with y2k chrome 18's, msd coil packs and i gave 8k for it, it was also black and i could really feel that in 3rd gear! Oh and one more thing the 4.6 is far superior and not that expensive to mod just shop around

Crazyfast50stang

Lol I SOOO disagree with the statement about more reliable. Easier to diagnose only because of OBDII but its still not hard to diagnose a 5.0 Anyways about the reliability thats the most BS ever. The 5.0 engine is one of the sturdiest engines I have yet to see. Go to the 5.0 section and you will see people with 150k+ miles and full head cam intake. My 5.0 had the stuff listed at the bottom in the sig with 174k miles and still chirped second with no problem. There was barely any and I mean BARELY any oil consumption whatso ever. It was a complete beast. Still ran like it was brand new. As for the 4.6 I doubt the car would make it with a fully ported head and intake along with a blower without blowing up the engine at 150k+ miles. Dont get me wrong it is a strong engine and I love taking my cobra to the track but the 5.0 is def. worth every penny.