Faults:

Battery dies if you don't drive a few miles every 2 days. You cannot simply start the car every day to avoid power failure, you must drive it.

Broke anti roll bar when launching onto a freeway on ramp at 90 MPH. (the car was actually in mid air for a brief second, and the impact from the asphalt broke it)

Overheats on warm summer days. This is a common problem on 1996 Ford Mustang Cobras, but can be corrected by your dealer.

General Comments:

The Cobra we have is equipped with an aftermarket 3.73 rear end gear. This gearing makes a huge acceleration gain. The car takes off like a rocket.

Our Cobra is also lowered 1 inch in the rear and 1.5 inches in the front. With a custom rear wing and the factory Ford hood, this black Cobra definantly turns some heads.

Because it is driven the way it was built on a regular basis, the Cobra gets about 8 miles per gallon. This may come to a shock, but if you are in the market for a cheap, fuel efficient car, the Ford Escort, or Ford Taurus would be a better choice.

On the inside, the driver is treated to factory Black On White gauges and leather. Our Cobra has the black leather. The slick shifting 5 speed manual transmission is standard on all 1996 Mustang Cobras, but who would want it any other way?

1996 was the first year for the 4.6 liter V8. The '96 Cobra made more horsepower then the 5.0 liter '95 Cobra did. The Cobra V8 is different from the GT version because it is a Dual Over Head Cam (DOHC) engine while the GT has a Single Over Head Cam V8.

All in all, I love this car. Right now, one can find a 1996 Cobra in good condition for about 11 to 16 thousand dollars. Just remember, this is a true American muscle car, not a Honda Civic.

Faults:

In the first week the car started overheating. The dealership said it was the intake manifold and replaced it under recall.

The car still overheats.

When they called me to pick it up it blew coolant all over their drive. Obviously not fixed.

The car can only be run with the A/C on.

The third week the car would not start. Dealership said it needed a new fuel pump ($380) installed.

I made so much fuss that the manager went and looked at it. Twenty minutes later it was fixed and running. The manager said it only needed a fuel filter and they paid for it. The mechanic was going to get me for $380 and the advisor was O.K. with it. Their service is unacceptable.

General Comments:

In comparison to Honda service these guys are the absolute worst. Honda always goes above and beyond. When I did have to pay for something and it was deemed a recall later, they reimbursed me the full paid price of the repair ($491).

These cars are builders and should never be purchased new. They always require work and the dealership rarely picks up the bill even under warranty. If you have to pay anyway go ahead and plan your repairs into the purchase price.

This is my second Pony in five years, the first one had the same problems and that's why I bought a Honda.