drmjadams

I'm in the market for a new car priced around $35K. I've narrowed it down to the Nissan 350Z or the 2003 Cobra. I know they are two pretty different cars but both offer different benefits to the driver.

I'd like to hear (read) some thoughts to help me make my choice.

Chris S

The Rustang will accelerate faster and carry twice as many people, but the Z will do everything else better.

Remember, the Rustang's chassis originates from the 20+ year old Fox platform....anyone remember the Fairmont?

Easy choice IMO - and I neither own nor am waiting for a 350Z, so I'm not biased.

ganz

If I were a pure numbers person, I would go for the Cobra. The only problem with the Cobra is that is looks like every other Mustang on the road. I only notice a Cobra when I see 'COBRA' on the bumper. Also, I think insurance might be higher for a V8. But 390 hp. Good god.

The Z is not a Cobra, but definitely has the GT beat. If only you could find some kind of FI... You'd be right there with a cobra - Along with a much better looking car and better fit and finish than Ford.

Cost wise, hp/$ goes to the Cobra.
Style wise, Z is waaaaay better than the Cobra.

Good luck on your decision. Both cars are awesome!

GlacierJ

personal opinion: screw the cobra! the svt has done nothing but to take a normal mustang and SC it! considering the price difference between a mustang and cobra, u can sure done a better job! for example u can spend like $10,000 and get a normal mustang to 800hp!!! and of course that's if u really enjoy drag. but if u r talking about performance........ i dont need to say anything else but "go for the Z!!!!!!!!"

mcduck

As much as I love the new Z, the SVT Cobra should easily outperform it... even on a road course. It may not do it with as much finesse, but you can't argue the massive difference in power for a car that doesn't really weigh that much more...

That said, the Mustang... any Mustang... is probably not as well constructed as a Nissan product and will not have as good fit & finish, IMO. Also, as someone else mentioned, it looks pretty much like every other Mustang, which may or may not bother you.

The bigger issue is that these are not really comparable price-wise. I think you can easily find a Z at sticker if you look around long enough... I have not heard yet of a SVT Cobra that does not have a stoopid premium on it. Expect to pay $40K or more for the Mustang. This won't change, either, since it is a limited run car. Again, just my .02... ultimately, you should buy the car you like best!

skimark

Glacier,

Get a clue - SVT added a 6 speed transmission plus an independent rear suspension and lots of other mods. They even changed the block back to iron to deal with the added horsepower. Man - post about something you know.

BigBadBuford

If you just want acceleration, go for the Cobra. Even in terms of handling and braking they are also really good. Plus, they are so easy to mod, 400 wheel HP is just an intake an exhaust away.
The Z is a totally different animal. It is more about finesse than pure power. The Cobra is a pretty loud car, even in stock form, and overall is more raw than a Z. If you want to have the musclecar feeling, I'd say go with the Cobra. I'd put the Z more on the level with Porsche or BMW M cars, they might not be as quick, but they are a bit more refined.

Boomer

The Z is a new car with new chassis and body with a V6 tuned for high performance. The SVT Cobra is an updated 79 Fairmont chassis and updated body, with a V8 supercharged for high performance.

The Z will stand out in a crowd, while the Mustang will blend with all the V6 and V8s that came before it. Just putting an independent rear suspension and a supercharger will not make the Mustang a better buy. If you are in love with old muscle cars, no harm, a lot of people are, buy the Stang; if you want a throughly modern 2 seat sports car, buy the Z.

I owned a 82 GT and it was OK for 1982, not 2003, even with a supercharger. I want a thoroughly modern car and I have it right now in my garage, a Brickyard Touring 350Z.

PistolPete

If you like handling, the Z might be the way to go. The cobra has wider tires to help with the additional wieght, and might give the Z a run for the money. The cobra has more wieght over the front axle.

If you like raw power, the cobra can't be beat. I have a buddy who is a mustang nut, and two dudes in his mustang club put new pulleys on their cobras (to increas boost) and hit 450hp. No other mods than a $70 pulley.

Looks are subjective. I like the Z better. Something like 400,000 people a year think the mustang is a good looking car. There is not a lot setting the cobra apart from other mustangs in the looks department.

But man, the power of that car is killer.

Also, Ford has a new direction to sell special edition stuff at MSRP. If you find a dealer charging way over, call Ford's corporate office. I understand Ford is dealing with those dealers harshly.

If I was going to spend around 35, I would look for a chevy dealer who would cut a vette near invoice. I kept my purchase below 30k, though, and the Z seemed to be the best choice in that range.

Good luck with your decision! Whatever you get you will love.

frayed

IMHO, once you throw a used Z06 into the equation, everything changes. They are truly a badass vehicle from every measurable performance category, including what matters the most to me, laptimes. They even have better-than-you'd-expect feedback to the driver.

A buddy of mine picked up an 03 Cobra. It's a big pig. But a throw your *** into the seat big *** pig. It does reasonably well given its weight and horrid weight distribution from a handling perspective, but cannot even begin to run with my M3 in the twisties. The independent rear suspension (IRS) is still a cobbled-together solution from the Ford parts bin, from an already outdated and underengineered IRS from the Thunderbird. Between it, it's weight, and weight distribution, it will never be a balanced road course vehicle that can be danced at the limit. You have to drive it more like a viper. Dive in fast, brake hard, trailbrake the pig to get it rotated, and mash the gas. Not a lot of finesse, but with its power, it'll run pretty hard on the track.

E36 M3's and S2000's at the track overrun two new cobras that showed up.

350_Z

iTrader: (3)

If all you want is a fast car that will run with or beat most cars on the street the Cobra is just that. I personally think the Z is great but without $6k+ in mods it won't even be close to a Cobra stock. The fact is you can upgrade to a lighnting pulley on the Cobra for $75 and pump out even more hp. But the Z is a great all around car. I personally would never pay $35k for a ford Mustang but that is my choice.

Zcarfan_2K1S4Guy

easy decision...boils down to this...

do you want a musclecar or an all around sports car? (and yes i know a cobra will most likely turn better laptimes on some tracks then a Z..you cannot argue with its overall competence, but you can argue that its got to be driven differently to make up for its roots)

jwfisher

To debunk a couple of claims here...

1) You think a high milage GT depreciating 9k is something bad? You should see what year or two year old Z06s are worth. S***! Given all the tech problems with the Z06s, and the huge depreciation, and the fact that an all-new and far better car is coming in late 2004, buying a Z06 right now woudl be really a very bad move financially. Besides, if you want to see some cheap-*** seats, look in a 'vette (only good thing about them is that they don't move 1/4-1/2" in the high-g turns).

2) The IRS is not taken from the T-Bird parts bin... it has very little in common (diff carrier is interchangeable, but not from the TBird, upright is interchangeable but not from the TBird, nothing else is in common or interchangable).

3) Being a former IRS Cobra owner, I can say that the IRS definitively changed the entire car... you can rotate the car in turns, you can brake in turns, it has very low lift and lots of anti-dive, it's marvelous... as marvelous as a heavy upright coupe can get. And, with zero HP mods, it went under 2:00 at TWS. What happended in or last event there can be put down to a car that wasn't broken in... or wasn't driven well. Note that the Cobra and 350Z have the same skidpad and slolum numbers.

4) Being a prior owner of several Cobras, I can say without any doubt whatsoever that several of the last few have been (for me) significantly faster around TWS stock-for-stock than E36 M3s. The E36 is a fine car... but it's a different anaimal. Apples-to-oranges.

5) I agree, it's an old platform, and it's been heavily patched over the years. I've owned 10 of them brand new since the original '79s - all the significant models since they came out - except the Rs. Note that while some parts are interchangable still, not a single part of the car is the same as the original. Especially the structure... which is significantly different.

The next Mustang (and Cobra) is all-new and is shaping up to be something extraordinary. With a suspension JUST LIKE the 350Zs, good weight balance, and far more HP, it will be a very different situation 2 years from now. But even then the Cobra of that age will still be a different animal than the 350Z. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison now or then.

I'm being careful here not to knock brands. But, just because you own a particular car doesn't make it the best thing on the planet or the definitive track car (which the 350Z is not).

One major rule in this hobby is that there is always something better out there... and there are always alternative choices. No one car is perfect. And, the overriding rule of these forums is that there is often a lot of bunk flying around.

I'm personally favorable to the Enzo Ferrari... but it's butt-ugly!

Mike350Z

Chris, you HAVE to a get an exhaust and power commander on that RC of yours soon. Trust me, you wont regret it. I've owned 3 RC's over the past couple years w/ different exhausts and tons of performance goodies so if you have any Q's regarding the bike let me know. Also I have a friend who works for Ford on team Mustang and although I cannot give out too many specifics there is an all new Mustang on the horizon. Lets just say if I were in the Mustang market I would wait till 2004 to buy a new car.
Edit: I see now that you've gone with the Akra exhaust. Wouldnt have been my first choice but from a quality standpoint they cant be beat. Did you opt for the full system or just slip-ons? I hope you spent the money on a power commander to with it.

Zrated

I think a clean black 03 Cobra is awesome, sick power, easily power mods, doesn't handle that bad, but doesn't stop that well. What would (and did) steer me away from the Cobra is the Ford quality issues. I ended up with a 350Z Track instead, and It is fantastic and solid, I love the car. Add forced induction to the Z and the power gap will not be something you would bother thinking about. To me, my Track with a FI setup will be perfect. The extra money for the FI power increase on the Z, over the cost of the cobra is well worth it for the quality and the way the Z feels to drive.

Cintel7

If you are looking at the SVT Cobra also then deep in your mind somewhere you have a disire to rule the streets. So might as well get the Cobra so you won't regret getting the Z, especially with the power potential of the Cobra.


I had to the same option but went with 350Z for the looks and ride comfort. Go Angels!

jwfisher

It's well known to be 2005.

I also have a friend who works on the Team, and I'll caution you that they are severely clamping down on team people who open their big mouths. As they should.