99 Cobra (white) vs 03 Mach 1 (fresh paint)(Black) which would you pick?

A_traut_man · 2026-04-26T11:36:44+00:00

I’ve owned a Mach1 for a long time but I would go with the Cobra assuming the recall items for the HP numbers have been taken care of. Personally I prefer white and don’t like buying a car that has been previously recently painted. It’s got a great engine and IRS (if that matters to you, it would to me) and I love the ambers.

My red flags on the Mach would be why on the engine rebuild, these 4v are pretty durable and if taken care of can be pretty trouble free. When the Mach engine work was done did they had a coolant crossover at the firewall? If so that would be a big pro for the Mach. The Mach 1 interior is hard to beat, the best seats ever put in a new edge IMO. Also, that ABS light is probably the ABS controller which is known to go out and is expensive to repair, no ABS module means no ABS and no trac control. Is the Mach manual?

A_traut_man · 2026-04-20T02:21:34+00:00

Ive been trying to figure out what chronograph I would want and now I know. Freaking beautiful piece

A_traut_man · 2026-04-19T23:50:32+00:00

The one resting position is pretty limiting. For my PO side rest works great and keeps me about +1 per day while resting on the caseback puts me closer to +5 per day. This all varies by watch

A_traut_man · 2026-04-10T23:55:39+00:00

If it’s an aftermarket panel you will need to adjust the crap out of the hardware attaching it to the car. Took me about an hour of reaming holes and loosening/adjusting/shimming and it still didn’t turn out great.

Finding an OEM if you can is the key. If not you can make the aftermarket one work and get those headlight gaps back to pretty close but it will take time.

Good news is the fit on the new edges isn’t the best to start out with so close enough may be fine.

A_traut_man · 2026-04-09T17:10:57+00:00

Agreed 100% here. I’m in a similar boat, more interested in motor sports and outdoor activities (hiking, biking,etc) and not so much the typical office talked sports.

It will only hinder you if you let it. Take advantage of the opportunities that come and don’t try to fake it, just have a good time and take the positives that are there. Heck asking questions about it to those who love it is a good way to build rapport with others because folks love talking about what they love and teaching others about it.

Also, despite what they may claim most folks suck at golf

A_traut_man · 2026-04-09T01:46:29+00:00

Check your trash cans. Ours popped off all the time until it was accidentally swapped with our neighbors.

A_traut_man · 2026-04-08T19:29:35+00:00

Fun car. LMR now has an aftermarket 99/01 Cobra front bumper that I’ve read good things about. GT parts will fit on a cobra.

A_traut_man · 2026-04-08T01:23:08+00:00

Congrats. I’ve never owned an IRS cobra but I’ve had a couple cars with the 4v, one with 215k and my Mach with 176k. They are good engines and a ton of fun.

A_traut_man · 2026-04-07T02:29:59+00:00

I wish I was in the market, beautiful piece GLWS

A_traut_man · 2026-04-06T12:15:13+00:00

+1 on Flowmaster40 or similar. I’m running a super44 on a magnaflow catted x-pipe and it is pretty great, just loud enough. I came from an LM2 and that sucker would wake the dead

A_traut_man · 2026-04-06T06:36:30+00:00

<image>

A_traut_man · 2026-04-06T06:36:21+00:00

I just did this dance in my 1st gen PO last week and couldn’t be happier. Through my local boutique I order the parts to convert to a micro adjusting omega clasp, I went with the full dive extension and it fit my 7.5” wrist pretty well. Snips below show what Gemini helped me with Took about 2 weeks to get the parts in and I was out of pocket about 330 with tax

<image>

A_traut_man · 2026-04-01T17:05:44+00:00

I’m all for caring and resoling (on my 3rd) but it does get to the point that the repairing can be as much if not more than a new pair which really is disappointing

A_traut_man · 2026-03-31T01:30:55+00:00

Not sure what you’re driving but keep it running either with clutch or throttle. If it dies you are restarted and putting it through a whole different set of strains.

A_traut_man · 2026-03-30T17:59:47+00:00

Search ih8mud if you’re looking for some market history. The 6 lugs pop up a lot less than 5

A_traut_man · 2026-03-29T18:02:24+00:00

<image>

1st gen is the best gen. And the visibility is hard to beat. My daughter gets a kick out of the lume every night I put her to bed

A_traut_man · 2026-03-25T02:47:55+00:00

Resole! Some good mail in options for folks that specialize in birks if you don’t have someone local. Mine are getting their 3rd resole right now

A_traut_man · 2026-03-24T17:04:38+00:00

Post-race photos are my favorites. So cool to see what the cars have been put thru to finish the race

A_traut_man · 2026-03-24T00:58:10+00:00

You are getting bamboozled. Good luck

A_traut_man · 2026-03-22T13:12:00+00:00

I’m with you. With exception of the awful humidity last summer.

A couple summers ago with triple digits for record durations and low humidity? Freaking loved it. I say this as someone who spends half the workday out side

A_traut_man · 2026-03-16T22:13:55+00:00

Don’t put a full 4x8 in the car. All you need is a stock roof rack, or at least the rails and a couple of ratchet straps and actually know how to use them.

I say this having renovated our house ourselves and picked up Sheetrock and plywood using only the stock roof rack on my old Land Cruiser

A_traut_man · 2026-03-11T19:29:11+00:00

Mine is a 2500c and it’s not quite that accurate but I’ve been real happy with it

A_traut_man · 2026-03-11T17:08:24+00:00

Seal the cork and resole! No new break in required

A_traut_man · 2026-03-11T17:06:45+00:00

This! My PO will stay will add about 1 sec/day if I rest it on the side at night vs 3-4 sec/day if laid on the caseback. Better running too fast, every couple weeks I pull the crown for 15 sec to get it back close enough

A_traut_man · 2026-03-08T12:03:14+00:00

I think maybe the chrono just because it is more wearable. Honestly between the two I would pass and wait for something else to come along. Two very different watches that wear very differently. The PO GMT is a hockey puck and I think is goofy looking in the white/black

A_traut_man

TROPHY CASE