1996 Ford Mustang Cobra review from North America

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.

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.