Roadster as a daily driver in NC?

[stuchman1]

Hi everyone,

I'm close to purchasing the MK4 and spoke with my wife, who's fine with it as long as that's my daily driver to work. We have kids who drive and so three cars already. She understandably doesn't want extra cars around that are totally impractical. Ummm...

I'm writing to see how feasible the group thinks the roadster is as a daily driver to work. I live in central NC and of course when there's snow or ice on the road, then the roadster would stay in, but that's a mininum number of days.

But the rest of the time, depending on the season we're talking anywhere from 25-100 degree weather with rain that occurs maybe on average once a week. And I drive to a job where I have to wear a tie, which is to say that it's good if I don't show up looking like I ran to work and didn't have time to shower before starting :)

I'd do some kind of a top for it, and of course I'd be willing to add whatever options to make it more feasible.

Doable?

Thanks in advance for the input!
ST

[egchewy79]

depending on whether you're follicularly challenged, take the wind-blown hair look into consideration.
two other things to consider as well. I usually smell like I just got off my riding mower after driving this thing (exhaust smell) and also the back/butt sweat in the hot and humid summer months.

[BradCraig]

My opinion...an mine alone...I wouldn't daily it simply from a safety standpoint. A daily driver is exponentially more likely to be involved in an accident, and I don't want to be hit (or hit anyone) in one of these. Secondary is the creature comforts of an enclosed modern car. Have you considered renting storage for it?

[chmhasy]

Think of it as a motorcycle.

You can always ask for forgiveness from the wife after you build the car and realize it is not a daily driver.

The other issue is insurance. will they insure it as a daily driver that you can drive to work.

[OSU Cowboy]

You can always ask for forgiveness from the wife after you build the car and realize it is not a daily driver.

Completely agreed! It's easier to get forgiveness than permission.

[wareaglescott]

Seems doable but a bad idea to me honestly.
That may sound like a great idea before you start doing it but I think it would get old pretty fast and then where are you? Committed to continuing which will make it even less fun or selling it to exchange for a more practical daily driver. Of course the used market on these is pretty hot right now. You should be able to sell it for little to no loss if need be.
Also look into insurance and see if they have any problems with you daily driving it.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

I drive mine pretty much any day is above 40*F & not raining or snowing. Can you use it the way you described, no way IMHO. One of the guys wrote this a long time ago & with 7 years driving the COBRA can't find anything wrong with the words. I think in your case the words "Buy a Corvette" fit pretty well.

FWIW Drove a '67 Corvette from the Jersey Shore to Wall St for 28 years. No A/C, PS, PB or AT. Had side pipes but was a Coupe.

Freddiehebert posted this in 2011, more true now with 750BHP versions getting more common.


Disrespect me and I will kill you".

Add up the following:
Roads are cold but dry
Tires are cold
488WHP on tap
Short wheelbase
Occasional puddle/run-off/wet on the road

I'll save you the trouble... it equals "spirited straight acceleration turning into a 1/2-lock powerskid don't snap the throttle shut or overcorrect keep your goddam foot off the brakes holy **** that retaining wall is close damn I saved it and need to shake the turds out of my pants" in less time than you took to read that.
(and I wasn't even on it "hard")

PART 1 A reminder to all owners & a good read for soon to be's

Driving a Cobra Replica

"If you want to just gas and go, and never have to worry about replacing an alternator, or snuggling down the header bolts, or getting a wet leg driving in a rainstorm, or learning how to set your carb float level, or driving in traffic on a warm winter day with "winter gas" in the tank, get a Corvette. "

With a Cobra Replica you have to remind yourself that you
are driving a hand made race car on the street. There is no compromise for anything other than pure speed. These cars are brutal and unforgiving, with all the refinement of a medieval battle ax. Like being in a relationship with an exotic dancer, you can never take anything for granted. These cars don't have millions of miles of testing refinement before you get yours. For any trip longer than an hour, you need earplugs, and goggles, and carry Advil and eye drops. You will need to learn to "read" the clouds for rain in your path, and have experience in un-wrapping your frozen fingers from the MotoLita. You will experience lady passengers "wetting" the passenger seat when you merge into traffic from an on ramp, and then nearly burn their calf getting out of the car.

You will have all the invisibility of a burning Hindenburg, and flee from underground parking lots when uncountable car alarms are screaming your departure. When you shop, you will remind yourself that these cars get more attention than a dead body in a parking lot.

With a power to weight ratio better than almost every supercar, you will find your 1/4 mile times traction rather than power limited. On the other hand, when you stage, out of the corner of your helmet's visor you will see almost the entire audience lining up at the fence, most with cameras up. If you track on a road course with a Porsche club, owners of expensive German machines will come to the fence to watch you power out in smoking oversteer. You won't even try to start your engine in the garage, but push it out onto the driveway, else your loyal watch dog will croak from the exhaust fumes. If you idle next to other "sports" cars at a traffic light, by the green, their girlfriend will be coughing green phlegm into her hanky, yelling at her date to just go! When you refuel, you might as well prop the "bonnet" open, because you are going to have to show your motor to just about every other guy there. When you order your wings at Hooters, your waitress will whisper in your ear "take me for a ride." When you stop at the red light, the girl in the convertible next to you will invite you to "take my top off too."

When you slowly pass a troop of Harley riders, they will look over and give you thumbs up. When you want to ease out into traffic, other cars will immediately pause to let you go ahead of them. When your engine has its hot, crackling, intimidating exhaust side-pipe aimed right at the flank of the GTO, or the Z28, your exhaust pulsation's slowly unscrewing his lug nuts, the other car will remain motionless, as if the slightest quiver of his car will cause your car to stomp it dead. When you leave it open in a parking lot, and come back to find your sunglasses and cell phone still sitting on the tunnel, it is because your car has sullenly warned those who came over to admire it "touch me and I will rise up here and kill you dead."

When you put that tiny silver key into the ignition, and begin your start countdown, your car will whisper "take me for granted, and I will kill you."


When other drivers just hop in and snap up their belts while backing out of their parking space, you will still have two more minutes before you even get all the Simpson's properly on and snugged down. Pulling up in a Cobra Replica is like landing an F4U at an ultra-lite convention.

In summary, very, very few drivers want this kind of attention, or can tolerate all that a formidable Cobra Replica demands. These cars are intolerant mistresses.

But remember, there will come a day when you have to hang up your car keys for the last time. And perhaps you want to say then "I did it."

[BEAR-AvHistory]

PART 2 A reminder to all owners & a good read for soon to be's
Ten Cobra Driving Safety Tips
1. The two most dangerous words in aviation are, “Watch this.” The same goes for driving a Cobra. Humility is a wonderful personal trait to have for driving a Cobra safely. If you’re not humble now try thinking you’re a hotshot driver in a Cobra for awhile – you will get humbled, as they say down south, “…right quick.”

2. “You don’t even know what you don’t know”. Huh? Well think about it – if you’re not a professional race car driver, you’re kind of out of your element in a Cobra. I saw a video of a Cobra going out of control and rolling because the driver missed a downshift at speed in a sweeping turn. This caused the rear wheels to momentarily lock up and the rear end to slide out and thus the rollover. I didn’t even consider that as a possibility when I’ve been downshifting all this time, did you? That’s my point; I didn’t even know what I didn’t know. That short wheel base Cobra you’re driving can introduce you to all kinds of nasty things you never thought possible. Be careful out there and learn from others. The problem with learning from the school of hard knocks is that the tuition is too high.

3. “Know Thyself”, was said by the Greek philosopher Socrates. How true it is when it comes to driving a Cobra safely. I know that for myself I’m unqualified to be driving my Cobra anywhere near its performance limits. I have virtually no racing experience, very little training and I’m in my 50’s so my reactions are not what they used to be. Instead I have the advantage (I hope) of wisdom. It is said, “The superior driver uses his superior judgment so as to not have to use his superior skill.” The most important thing here is recognizing limitations, do you?

4. I saw a video of a Cobra going out of control when the passenger door was not closed properly and the driver tried to close it while underway. The lean of the body when reaching for the door caused the throttle foot to press on the pedal. Probably not a problem in a regular car but in a Cobra that does 0 to 60 in less than four seconds it’s a recipe for disaster – especially when you only have one hand on the steering wheel! What’s the lesson here? If something falls on the floor or to the side of the passenger seat from g-forces or whatever, wait until you’re stopped (in neutral) before reaching to pick it up.

5. Beware of the club ride. It could be that you will be surrounded by some guys driving bullets (it’s been said you don’t shift a Cobra – you just chamber another round) who are in denial or unaware of their limitations and driving experience. These guys and I’m including myself, have good intentions but are young at heart so the “two teenagers in a car” phenomena is in effect. You know how it goes; they say “This is so cool, let’s do something crazy!” Two teenagers in a car will do things one teenager in a car would never do. This effect can take hold in a club ride. Use caution and don’t get caught up in it. Be a defensive driver knowing someone, because of the above, may do something totally unexpected right in front of you.

6. Street racing kills. Its stupid and only the completely self-centered do it. It can kill you, or worse yet it can kill innocent bystanders. So just say “no” and go to a track. When that Viper pulls up next to you at the stoplight and revs his engine, then if you must, yell “Ace Raceway [or whatever your local track is called], this Friday, 6 PM.” You’ve just saved face and saved lives -- and I bet he never shows.

7. Take command of your Cobra. You can’t be afraid of it or else timidity will prevent you from taking the decisive action necessary to stay out of trouble. Now you must respect your Cobra, but not be afraid of it. Analyze yourself privately deep down and determine if you’re kind of afraid of the car. If you are, then its time for some professional training or time to sell the car. This is supposed to be fun and if you’re afraid of the car why deal with it, it will only cause trouble. A Cobra isn’t for everyone and there’s no shame in that.

8. Don’t let anyone tailgate you – ever. Folks behind you might want to get an “up close and personal” look at a Cobra and end up tailgating you. If you have to brake hard for some reason your car will stop much faster than theirs. You have no head restraints, virtually no crush zone and you’re basically sitting on top of a gas tank. Get the picture? Pull over to the slow lane and slow down if you have to in order to get them off your tail. Attention comes with the territory when driving a Cobra and the distractions can be dangerous.

9. Do “what if” scenarios in your head. Quickly now, what would you do if you were going down the freeway and your throttle return spring bracket let loose and you went to full throttle with no throttle control. Too late, you’ve already crashed. My answer is instantaneous and simultaneous controlled braking, clutch in, neutral gear then ignition off and coast to side of the road watching out for traffic and then and only then think about what happened. The key word here is “instantaneous”. You can’t do this quickly if you haven’t considered it beforehand. Be graphic and realistic in your scenarios. What would it sound like and feel like if you went to full throttle unexpectedly going down the freeway? How much time would you have? My engine has an electronic RPM limiter so I’m not going to worry about blowing my engine by depressing the clutch at full throttle. And so what if I did blow my engine – my life is at stake here. “What if” scenarios are wonderful because they’re free, they can save your life, and as my dad used to say, they “tickle your brain.”

10. Don’t go for a drive in your Cobra to clear your head. Clear your head then drive your Cobra. This ain’t the car to be driving when you’re distracted.

11. A bonus tip: Have fun – safely.

12. Leave the alcohol for the end of the day. Maybe, a single beer with a meal, but no more. These cars can go from fun to "OH S*^T!!" faster then just about anything I've driven.

“There's nothing nice about a Cobra, it's stripped down to the essentials – a big engine, a small car, and four wide tires trying to keep the whole business on the pavement. It's loud, smells like gasoline, and shakes, shudders, and bucks. It makes your arms tired and your feet hot. You nearly crash about once every ten minutes. It's so damn wonderful you can’t believe it

[RJD]

If you have a long commute to work, you may also want to check NC DMV for any limitations on mileage. Virginia for instance has a 5,000 mile limit per year on replica vehicles - the tradeoff for not having to meet current safety and emission standards.

[stuchman1]

This is all so, so helpful. And I love the "buy a Corvette" comment.

Thank you!

[MisterAdam]

depending on whether you're follicularly challenged, take the wind-blown hair look into consideration.
two other things to consider as well. I usually smell like I just got off my riding mower after driving this thing (exhaust smell) and also the back/butt sweat in the hot and humid summer months.

lol......but sooo true.

[john42]

I've driven mine a handful of times to work. First thing I came to realize was; Driving these cars is fun, and should be fun. Driving these cars in rush hour traffic, not fun... not fun at all. Driving it to work on a consistent basis would ruin the fun. So, I drive my EV to work daily and when I get home take the Cobra out for fun. It's much better that way. Fun stays fun.

[herb427sc]

What will insurance cost since you said you have kids in the house that drive???
This could be the deal breaker.

[Avalanche325]

Since you have to look, and presumably smell, decent when you get to work, I would say "No way". Even with a top, you will most likely have wet spots on your left leg in the rain. When it is warm, your back will be a sweaty mess. I have taken to wearing wicking athletic shirts when I drive mine. And then there is the aforementioned exhaust smell on your clothes.

Tires. These cars with anything but the tamest engine should be running 200TW extreme performance tires. They don't like temps below 40*, and don't really like rain. They also last about 8000 miles before they start getting scary.

These also require race car levels of maintenance. They are better to be kept in the fun toy role.

[JohnK]

My opinion...an mine alone...I wouldn't daily it simply from a safety standpoint. A daily driver is exponentially more likely to be involved in an accident, and I don't want to be hit (or hit anyone) in one of these.

For this reason, I wouldn't want to daily drive one of these cars. I've been in two accidents in the last 10 years. Both times I got rear-ended by inattentive drivers. The second one was a pretty hard hit. In a big Mercedes with all the modern safety features and impact absorption and crumple zones it was still pretty jarring but I came away sore but uninjured. I'm pretty sure it would have been a pretty different outcome in the roadster.

[Jim1855]

Sure why not? Just need to make the accommodations to your environment.

A Superformance owner drove his as a daily for a few years in upstate NY. Ran snow tires during the winter.

Hal Copple ran his year around in northern SC.

Not saying you'll be always comfortable, warm or dry but even in a torrential rain storms (no top) I was still driving a Cobra, sporting a big smile. This is not meant to indicate that it's wise.

Jim

[jts359]

We drove our MKII yesterday in 35 deg weather for about 130 miles. We have a heater, top and side windows. While my wife was warm and toasty on her side and I have a pretty good cold breeze on my legs which has to be addressed, This was the longest ride we took in the Cobra since we purchased it in June and I think the most annoying part of the ride is the engine , Ours has a pretty radical cam in it which will probably be changed as I am looking to cruise with it not race it. So what I'm getting at is I would build an engine in a mild state of tune , We were at a show yesterday and there were 3 other roadsters and the owners of the other cars let me compare the front suspension rebound of theirs to mine , Our car almost had none so i would pick your springs for the most comfortable ride , I also plan on changing them. I drove a 1971 MGB roadster for years as a daily driver in all kinds of N.J. weather and I think you could do it , Ed

[GTBradley]

This has been done before by a lot of people, but it was a long time ago and those of us who did it made a conscious decision to do it for the love the car and of driving, not because it was practical. When I was young, I commuted in a 1963 MGB through Midwestern winters, in a 1971 Datsun 240Z with no a/c through Dallas summers and in a 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce in KC traffic jams because girls liked it. I wouldn’t suggest that anyone commute in a Cobra replica, but you will anyway if you’re that person.

Ask Ralph Button how he has enjoyed his 600,000+ miles in his Mk1…

[CraigS]

I say it is definitely doable. You will need to concentrate on a few areas of the build. Water proofing will be the hardest to do. I would go w/ a small block 302/351 because they are much smaller than a Coyote which will help provide room for installing AC and heat. Although the FFR wipers can be made to work fairly well, I'd look into alternate wipers for reliability. I think there are some boat units that a few guys have used. I would go w/ the standard seats but reupholster them in cloth. Of course you need a top so research that carefully. I had an APE fiberglass top and spent 15 years getting it to seal out water and I'd probably switch to fabric if doing it again. You may need to quiet the exhaust too. Depending when you leave for work, who else in your house (and the neighbors) is up then, and layout of your driveway make a difference. Fortunately it is not that hard to do.

[rich grsc]

I agree, it's doable most days, some definitely not on some days.
Reads like a lot of people need to sell their cars, they are too afraid to drive them. Too much risk, too scary of tires, too cold, too hot, too smelly, too wet, why own one if thats how you feel?