Decisions, decisions

[nonstopbitchin]

I have been cruising this forum since Mid July, right after I test drove a 350z and almost puked. Major Disappointment. :angry:

I have almost made the Mach 1 purchase on 3 different occasions. But I can not justify it when there are so many far superiorly built cars out there and of course the 2003-4 Cobra.

I am torn between the Cobra and Mach and a car that is built much better (BMW, Acura, Lexus). I have owned 2 5.0's, so my loyalty is with the stang, but my brain is with the quality.

Point----The Mach 1 is an awesome car and I just wanted to come out of hiding and say :THUMBSUP: to those of you that have one of these unique machines!

One day I may make my move, until then.....:SMASH: :concerned

[cutter]

Originally posted by nonstopbitchin
I have been cruising this forum since Mid July, right after I test drove a 350z and almost puked. Major Disappointment. :angry:

I have almost made the Mach 1 purchase on 3 different occasions. But I can not justify it when there are so many far superiorly built cars out there and of course the 2003-4 Cobra.

I am torn between the Cobra and Mach and a car that is built much better (BMW, Acura, Lexus). I have owned 2 5.0's, so my loyalty is with the stang, but my brain is with the quality.

Point----The Mach 1 is an awesome car and I just wanted to come out of hiding and say :THUMBSUP: to those of you that have one of these unique machines!

One day I may make my move, until then.....:SMASH: :concerned

Drove a 03 Cobra yesterday....like my Mach better....wife has 04 Lexus rx330...love the quality and you cannot beat the dealer service.....

[codymach]

This is a great time to be a car nut...there are a lot of great cars out there. None IMHO have the heritage, class, and power of the 03/04 Mach 1's. The Cobras are faster but they are very common....and do not have the looks in my opinion that the Machs do. When I bought my mach lst June there was a Torch Red Mach 1 and a 03 Cobra on the lot next to each other.....hands down the Mach was a better looking car to me. I could have gone with the Cobra but it was a simple choice I went with the Mach. I gotta admitt some of those foreign cars are sharp....but dollar for dollar the Mach is a better deal. Good luck on your choice!

[cutter]

Originally posted by codymach
This is a great time to be a car nut...there are a lot of great cars out there. None IMHO have the heritage, class, and power of the 03/04 Mach 1's. The Cobras are faster but they are very common....and do not have the looks in my opinion that the Machs do. When I bought my mach lst June there was a Torch Red Mach 1 and a 03 Cobra on the lot next to each other.....hands down the Mach was a better looking car to me. I could have gone with the Cobra but it was a simple choice I went with the Mach. I gotta admitt some of those foreign cars are sharp....but dollar for dollar the Mach is a better deal. Good luck on your choice!

Hey, how the ankle doing???:MADNOEL:

[codymach]

Thanks for asking! I tried to drive the Mach last night .....no go. The stupid walking boot is the size of a garbage can and I can't push in the clutch without hitting the floor. @#!$?!! I WANT TO DRIVE MY MACH!!! Sorry about the whine.....I just miss my baby! At least I can install the Hurst today!

[JeffreyDJ]

I agree. The Mach is just a plain better looking car then the Cobra -- except for two minor things. I wish the mach had a slightly different fog lamp setup and rear-end then a GT. Better to set it apart. But, I won't be changing that -- except maybe for the Honeycomb grill.

I don't want to change the look of my Mach 1 too much. One, because I love it the way it is, and two trying to reserve some of its heritage (I fully plan to keep it for a long while).

[nonstopbitchin]

Thanks for the replies.

I agree, there is something about a Mach that just screams authority, power, and of course f-you!!!

Can't beat the '03 Cobra power wise, though they are very plain looking and a dime a dozen. But for $1200 and 11 sec. ET's..hmmmm.

Sweet ride guys!!!!:CHEERS:

[bryano]

Yep. Lot's of rides out there with much better build quality - switch gear, interior materials, on and on (if my pockets were deeper, there'd be a BMW Z-8 next to the Mach). However - tell me what's out there for around $23-5 k that even comes close to the Mach in looks, power, respect, and just plain smiles per mile.
(rear drivers, now)

Also - don't forget - if your car costs $50k - you lose probably $20-25k in depreciation in 5 years alone.

Bang for the buck, baby. Ain't nuthin even close.:THUMBSUP:

[codymach]

Originally posted by nonstopbitchin
Thanks for the replies.

I agree, there is something about a Mach that just screams authority, power, and of course f-you!!!

Can't beat the '03 Cobra power wise, though they are very plain looking and a dime a dozen. But for $1200 and 11 sec. ET's..hmmmm.

Sweet ride guys!!!!:CHEERS:
Yea I am with you on the power of the Cobra...how much more money is a Cobra then the Mach? I can't recall. I have put in $2,200 in Mods which netted me about 40 more Horse power or now about 345 total. I plan to spend another $1,200 and pick up another honest 25....say to about 370. Then maybe a tuner which supposedly gets another 15 horse power which if all is right with the world will bring me close....to about 385....maybe more. This will be somewhat close to the Cobra yet still have the Mach looks and it will still be naturally aspirated. Eventually I could save up enough ($4,500?) and put in a Super charger and have may 515+ HP....more then the Cobra for roughly $7,900 over the cost of my Mach....which means I will have spent $35,900 on my mach.....fun to dream! I will hit 400 though!!!

[nonstopbitchin]

Loud and clear Codymach.

Thats why I'm struggling. :wall:

[Tony Alonso]

right after I test drove a 350z and almost puked. Major Disappointment.

Hello, nonstopbitchin! Why did you almost puke? Believe it or not, I am contemplating a second car and this one is it! As far as the engine department goes, it is definitely less strong feeling in the seat of the pants (60ft-lb of torque does a lot for you). However, steering feel and braking performance as a street driver is quite enjoyable to me.

I originally bought the Mach 1 for the engine output and the heritage of the shaker scoop set-up. However, the stock suspension is dated and dives hard under heavy braking. I know its not a corner carver, but I do enjoy the feel of a balanced car. Of course, I have not raced a 350Z and have read they are prone to a fair amount of understeer.

Build quality-wise, the fit and finish is quite good, although there are problems being reported by owners since it is a new model.

Just curious to hear your insights...thanks!

PS - I love the power of the Cobra but not its overall curb weight. However, you would be hard pressed to find many vehicles with an engine that performs like that in the price range.

PPS - You will pay much less than I did (MSRP) for a Mach 1 nowadays...got to love incentives!

[richtor]

Originally posted by nonstopbitchin
I have been cruising this forum since Mid July, right after I test drove a 350z and almost puked. Major Disappointment. :angry:

I have almost made the Mach 1 purchase on 3 different occasions. But I can not justify it when there are so many far superiorly built cars out there and of course the 2003-4 Cobra.

I am torn between the Cobra and Mach and a car that is built much better (BMW, Acura, Lexus). I have owned 2 5.0's, so my loyalty is with the stang, but my brain is with the quality.

Point----The Mach 1 is an awesome car and I just wanted to come out of hiding and say :THUMBSUP: to those of you that have one of these unique machines!

One day I may make my move, until then.....:SMASH: :concerned

theres a guy on svtperformance who has both. when asked which one he would take if he could only afford one, he chose the mach 1.
why? his mach 1 has no tick, no rattles, and is just built better. i suspect that the weight of the cobra takes a toll on it.
if your looking for a well built car get merc, beemer, or porsche. if you want a smile that never goes away get a mustang.:D

[nonstopbitchin]

I have driven the 350z multiple times. Though it is slow, handles great . Also, when you are ripping through the gears, if the tires break lose in a 1-2 shift, the traction control takes over and bogs the whole car down. Sucks. I'm pretty sure you CAN NOT turn it off. I hear they are coming out with a turbo version in '05! We'll see.

As for the Cobra, I test drove this car once, and was amazed by its power. Unable to test it cornering ability though. I know it is heavy, but wow, when that boost kicks in, there's nothing like it.

I was a little let down by the Mach, but people say they need to be broken in and that I was used to that
"5.0 torque".

So.....


.I'm still:wall:

[JeffreyDJ]

I was really considering a few cars when I got mine: 05 Mustang, 04 Mach and Boxster (any year -- USED). In the end, the Mach 1 won for a few reasons:

PRICE, HERITAGE, LOOKS and Exclusevity (sp).

The Boxster is a beautiful car, but in the end I wanted American Muscle. I've been stuck on Mustangs since I was a kid. And, I didn't want 1 of 40000 GT's in 05.

[cutter]

Originally posted by nonstopbitchin
I have driven the 350z multiple times. Though it is slow, handles great . Also, when you are ripping through the gears, if the tires break lose in a 1-2 shift, the traction control takes over and bogs the whole car down. Sucks. I'm pretty sure you CAN NOT turn it off. I hear they are coming out with a turbo version in '05! We'll see.

As for the Cobra, I test drove this car once, and was amazed by its power. Unable to test it cornering ability though. I know it is heavy, but wow, when that boost kicks in, there's nothing like it.

I was a little let down by the Mach, but people say they need to be broken in and that I was used to that
"5.0 torque".

So.....


.I'm still:wall:

Isn't boost a wonderful thing...I love the acceleration of the cobra, but mach and cobra=divorce...guess I'll keep the mach and the wife:D

[GaPonyFarm]

Originally posted by cutter
Isn't boost a wonderful thing...I love the acceleration of the cobra, but mach and cobra=divorce...guess I'll keep the mach and the wife:D

Its funny (not necessarily haha funny) that I decided to go the other way due to my car projects... What I found was, you can't put a price on peace of mind.... and I still had enough left over to play with my cars!

Just an alternative view....:CHEERS: :OFFTOPIC: