My friend convinced me to go on a test drive with him in this car. As a true fan of European sports cars and F1 racing, my opinions regarding cars are not easily changed. However I am open minded, and was willing to give it a try. As I had guessed, the first thing my friend wanted to do was mash the pedal to the floor and fly. And fly it does....in a straight line. Although this car is fast in a straight line, this car has NO handling. Poor cornering, braking, steering, and poor overall handling. If this car were to be put on a racetrack against say, a Porsche, Mini Cooper S, Honda S2000, BMW M3 or M5, or even just an AMG Mercedes C-class, it wouldn't stand a chance. A true sports car is not simply about straight line speed, but is a mixture of all forms of high-performance.
Not to mention that the quality and craftsmanship of this car (as well as anything in Ford's lineup) simply can't stand up to anything the Europeans are making these days, and even about half of what comes out of Japan. I'm talking about not only the general fit-and-finish of the car, but the engineering as well. The days of Ford being a world-class automaker are over, I'm afraid. True, millions and millions of people buy them every year, but that is because they are inexpensive, and therefore easy to purchase. Plus, a good 70-80% of the population of the US really doesn't have any clue about cars, much less what is good and what is bad.
If you want to go drag-racing on Friday nights with the other street racers, then this is the car for you. If not.....please, avoid this car, because if you want a true sports car, keep looking. It's not here.
Amount Paid (US$): 35000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: Cobra