Any younger owners get this?

[Jeebs]

So a buddy and i take my gts out for lunch the other day and deside to stop into a custom exhaust shop to see about a muffler delete. The guy working try's selling me on the magnaflow muffler, says it would sound better. So he goes off to get me a price for both so i can think about. Thats when the owner comes out and see's the viper. He backs up and takes a look at it, and then says " which one of you spoiled rich kids does this belong to" So my responce was, who the f are you talkin to. Cause im not spoiled or rich but i do bust my ass to get what i've got. Normally i let stuff like that slide, but it was his tone and how he said it that pissed me off. So anyways he goes out to look at the car, i get my prices from the other guy and i get ready to leave. The owner says to me, " are we gonna see that car back here for some exhaust work", and i said not if you keep running your mouth like you did earlier.
We got im my car and drove off. Haven't been back sense. Now i wasn't trying or meaning to act like a dick and normaly don't, but sometimes people just say stupid stuff.
Oh, and my age is 33 and my buddy is a couple years younger. Now i know i don't look that old but i don't look like im 18 either.

 

[Zentenk]

What a ******, tons of them out there. Should have told him, "It's my fathers..." then when he says, "oh I knew it" or something tell him how old you are and how he should bite his tongue before sounding like a total ********.

At least he didn't say something like, "Vipers can't handle" or "That thing has a truck engine in it."

 

[DeceptioN]

I'm 26 and get where you are coming from. When people see me driving it they always try to pry into my personal life assuming that I come from a rich background or that someone bought me the car. I usually just tell them I'm in the military and leave it as that. I they aren't completely brain damaged they'll be able to figure out what I've had to go through to get the extra income for my 06 Viper. A few keep harping on it asking if the military is getting over paid or some thing. I let him know that a good 80% of the military are underpaid and over worked but when you deploy it isn't hard to put away money when you get paid a little extra, and have nothing to spend it on for months at a time.

 

[72hemi]

I'm 27 and I get it from time to time, normally I hear the remark "Daddy must have bought it for him" I just respond no I'm just a successful engineer.

 

[Black Moon]

Just tell them that you sell drugs and it pays very well

 

[TowDawg]

I've only had a comment like that once in this car, but I've always liked nice cars, so I have gotten plenty comments throughout different cars. I'm 33, but I do look younger than that.
Honestly, my favorite comment (and it's happend more than once) is when someone comes to the door of the house and when I answer, they ask if my parents are home. I just tell them that I have no idea if my mom is at home; she lives 3 hours away. That usually gets a pretty good reaction.

If I was you, there is no way in hell that I'd go back to that shop!

 

[chiefchad]

He might have been joking with you. I own a Viper and if some young kid pulled in my business with one I could see me making that comment just for some friendly ribbing. I am saying this because I happen to know a custom exhaust business owner here in Ontario who's main product is Magnaflow, and it just so happens that he owns a Viper.......maybe it was him ?

 

[snakem04]

I get it almost every where i go. Must be daddies car, spoiled rich kid, Ive been called a *** or a *****, the list goes on and on. Just jealous haters who hate seeing someone work hard and succeed. When my dads in the passenger seat people look at him and say wow you must be really nice to let your son drive your car. When he tells him its mine and i bought it with my own hard earned money they just say yea right. Im going to hear it for a long time. Im 24 now and bought my 04 viper when i was 22. I think people get the wrong perception of younger people with nice cars.

 

[KNG SNKE]

Honestly I have been asked how I afford it but no comment about my age. I was 27 when I first bought it and I am pushing 30 now but I don't look like my age. I am a pretty abrasive person though so I don't think a comment like that would be taken lightly by me. Personally I would have told him where to shove it and left. Any business that jokes around like that with potential customers doesn't deserve my business. And ANYONE who states the military is over paid they can go F themselves. You leave your family for 7 months in a floating coffen and then we will see how you are and how little we actually make. **** gets real when foreign countries are dropping ordnance over your head. Proper budgetting allows for us to have nice toys.

 

[CEJ]

Had a similar experience years ago. I was 26 at the time, saved a lot, lived within a budget, rented out two rooms in a house that I saved up to buy, etc. I was car shopping with my girlfriend and was trying to figure out what to buy. A sales guy at a Mitsubishi dealer asked how I would pay for the car. When I said "by check" his response was "where are you going to come up with that kind of money?"

I guess his momma didn't drown the dumb ones...

 

[Mutts02GTS]

Had a similar experience years ago. I was 26 at the time, saved a lot, lived within a budget, rented out two rooms in a house that I saved up to buy, etc. I was car shopping with my girlfriend and was trying to figure out what to buy. A sales guy at a Mitsubishi dealer asked how I would pay for the car. When I said "by check" his response was "where are you going to come up with that kind of money?"

I guess his momma didn't drown the dumb ones...

Early in my military career I was car shopping and a salesman asked what I did for a living, I told him I was an F-16 Crewchief, he stated to me that since I was military he knew what my monthly pay was and I couldn't afford the car I was looking at! I bought a car from him competitor and drove back by his lot to tell him " I guess you were wrong!". I'm not very big on stereotypes...

 

[Mopar Boy]

I have had it too. Bugged me at first but now I tell pople I sell girl guide cookies for a living.

Make a stupid comment, get a stupid comment back.

 

[KNG SNKE]

Almost everyone except actual military members don't understand how our money works. We don't have all the bills that a normal family would have. I don't pay dental, medical, life insurance, etc. Those are huge bills for a lot of folks. Now we don't make a ton of money but the benefits have a lot of weight on what we can afford.

 

[Voodoo Rob]

I don't get people sometimes. The price of a used Viper is no where near the what a large suv sells for or a loaded minivan! I guess its just perception and ignorance on their part. A comment like " I work 2 jobs and paid cash" should give them something to think about.

 

[72hemi]

A lot of people don't know what Viper's cost used. I got mine for roughly the price of a new Prius.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

I bought my Viper when I was 23 (turned 24 a month later). I'm 30 now. I don't remember any comments specifically about my age, but do remember a few about "take daddy's car home", "you must have more money than sense", etc. I've had people ask "how does someone so young afford a Viper?", but it was said in a nice tone like they really wanted to know..not a rude tone. My answer is always "I'm single with no kids". Everyone always laughs and says "yep, thats what I figured"

 

[xlrashn]

Trust me, you don't need to be younger to get those type of comments. I am in my early 40's and own my own business and will never drive the Viper to work again. The one time I did, about every other customer made some off handed comment like "well I guess I paid too much" or" apparently someone has a rich background" etc. etc. The problem is that politics is perception. It has nothing to do usually with the facts of a situation. The fact that I chose to buy a Viper and drive an older high mileage daily driver truck instead of no Viper and a brand new 40K truck just doesn't compute in there reaction and perception.

Either way, you will never change it. It is part of dealing with the public and lack of common sense.

Welcome to the Viper world.

 

[JohnnyViper]

you just cant fix stupid

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

The one time I did, about every other customer made some off handed comment like "well I guess I paid too much" or" apparently someone has a rich background" etc. etc.

The woman who cuts my hair opened a new shop a couple years ago. I went that 1st week in the Viper. Some guy walks in and says "well, I was gonna check on haircut prices, but if people drive Vipers get haircuts here, I know I can't afford it". When I called a month later or whenever to make another appt, she was like "drive the Eclipse, your Viper scares customers off" She's cut my hair for prob 10 yrs, so a comment like that didn't anger me or anything and I did drive the Eclipse, but the Viper has been out there many times since then and I don't think it's cost her any customers

 

[TowDawg]

I honestly can see how a lot of people look at it that way. Since most of us don't DD our Vipers, it does show that we have more expendable income that the typical person. Even if it only cost $30k, that's $30k that most people do not have to spend on a "toy" to drive when the weather is nice. You can say the same thing about guys with nice Harley's that are not "true" bikers (in the sense that the bike is not their only mode of transportation). A nice Harley will set you back an easy $20k and it's still a toy.
I'm not defending people's jealousy because most everyone here works hard to have what we have. Plus, exactly like Chad said, I'm single with no kids. I don't make the money that some on this board do, but I live in very nice house and have a lot of toys because I don't have to spend anything on a wife or kids, or worry if I die tomorrow that they will be taken care of for the rest of their lives.

 

[ghengishahn]

Great thread. I wished I was young enough to be accused of drving Daddy's car.

I have to admit though that even a used Viper is perceived very expensive and has a lot of image status for the money. I have had mine a year, and my favorite stop is the gas station. Seriously. I almost never fails that while putting in gas, someone will want a picture or compliment the car

I fill up more often than necessary.

 

[v10enomous]

I'm 52 but look 27 and get that all the time... Lol

 

[JLorello]

In my late 20's, people do not really believe me when I tell them I drive my viper for the price of their brand new Tahoe. I too, will never, ever, drive my car to work. 75% of the company is blue collar and the second someone sees me get in or out of it I would then be labeled as the "over-paid, rich, ****".

Never had any age comments, but when people ask what I do, I usually give the standard reply of "I sell blow"

 

[Jeebs]

Hey Chiefchad, where abouts in Ontario do you live? Im in southern myself. And it so happens im still looking to get some exhaust work done. Where abouts is your buddies shop?
And as for this topic, i see im not the only one. Thats good. But i didn't think i would be. Jealousy is every where.
I have got the , dads car and dont you think its time to bring dads car home, a couple times too. But it is what it is.
The first time i took it to work, people were like ***. I didn't tell anyone i was buying it. Just incase deals fell through. I got alot of rassing, and the main boss even came out to question me. He was like nice car, but how do you aford that, i know what i pay you. I can't aford that or the up keep on that. So what else are you doing??? I just smiled and said what are you talking about i just work here (big grin on my face)
Like everyone else is saying, people dont realize that these car can be affordable. They look at them as the price they were new. Now that would make it out of reach for me. But i do make good money, i just got married and have have no kids (none in the future either, wife is a ok with that) and we live in a moddest house with a nice garage for my toys. Not some big fancy thing like most of the people that i work with. Nice big house driving a rust bucket everyday. NOT for me.
Oh ya, and it helps that the wife has a really good job as well.

 

[Dom426h]

My first year of ownership i got a few rude comments directed towards me that left me with minimal response.
Im not a quick responding/witty person so being a younger owner that also looks young for his age(29, looks like 24) i have learned to think about all the past & possible rude comments and keep a list of all possible responses. A quick scripted response usually leaves the hater slightly shocked without a comeback. The reason for this is that the hater typically spits the first hating words he can think of then dosnt have any further brainpower to formulate a response to your response.

Last cruise a pickuptruck with a bunch of people sitting in the back rolled by me and someone said "did your dad buy that for you". I was quick to yell back: "No, your mom bought it for me!!!" everyoneslse in the truck was like "OHHhhhh!!!!" laughing at him.

I try not to not come off as a rich guy, *********, a-hole.(that is what they(the haters) want) If i can tell that my response offended the person then i follow it up with: "Sorry, but a rude comment gets a rude response"

Another good response to “spoiled” comment is: No, im not spoiled but my parents did raise me with manners and apparently yours didn’t.

A good general response to any rude comment is simply: That is a rude thing to say.
Then sometimes they check themselves and reword the statement in a more civilized manner.


NEVER play the viper down. Saying something about a used viper costing less than a fully loaded honda accord, minivan, SUV does nothing but take away from the car. How much is it worth to you? To me it is priceless. Every time i pull out of my driveway i think to myself how privileged/fortunate i am.
NEVER say anything that takes away from the superior vehicle you are driving. The Viper is and always will be the King of the Road and deserves the upmost respect.

 

[Timnineside]

I am 27 and look somewhat young for my age and get **** like this all the time. I get the same thing about my house. I actually enjoy doing my own yard work. My neighbors had a guy working in their yard and he said to me "Got you working hard huh?" I said what?? This is my house, then he well what do you do to afford all that (as he looked at the Viper in the driveway). I said well.... I don't smoke cigarette's. That always gets them going.

 

[mattdillon]

So a buddy and i take my gts out for lunch the other day and deside to stop into a custom exhaust shop to see about a muffler delete. The guy working try's selling me on the magnaflow muffler, says it would sound better. So he goes off to get me a price for both so i can think about. Thats when the owner comes out and see's the viper. He backs up and takes a look at it, and then says " which one of you spoiled rich kids does this belong to" So my responce was, who the f are you talkin to. Cause im not spoiled or rich but i do bust my ass to get what i've got. Normally i let stuff like that slide, but it was his tone and how he said it that pissed me off. So anyways he goes out to look at the car, i get my prices from the other guy and i get ready to leave. The owner says to me, " are we gonna see that car back here for some exhaust work", and i said not if you keep running your mouth like you did earlier.
We got im my car and drove off. Haven't been back sense. Now i wasn't trying or meaning to act like a dick and normaly don't, but sometimes people just say stupid stuff.
Oh, and my age is 33 and my buddy is a couple years younger. Now i know i don't look that old but i don't look like im 18 either.

Jeebs, good for you. I think you got your point across without the cops having to come. (which I couldn't have promised you had it been me, but since I'm older now a lil' more level headed). Definitely would not be back unless to show them how good a job somebody else had done. Usually you can judge a person as to whether their a Daily Smartass! if so all bets are off when he/she directs it towards me or my family. JMO

 

[mattdillon]

In my late 20's, people do not really believe me when I tell them I drive my viper for the price of their brand new Tahoe. I too, will never, ever, drive my car to work. 75% of the company is blue collar and the second someone sees me get in or out of it I would then be labeled as the "over-paid, rich, ****".

Never had any age comments, but when people ask what I do, I usually give the standard reply of "I sell blow"

I can promise you I'll never let what someone else thinks dictate as to whether I drive my car anywhere. I own a trophy & awards business & I have had someone say before, Boy the trophy business must be doing really good these days & I just say it pays the bills. When I grew up my family never had the money for the extra material things in life & I'm dam* sure not gonna feel bad or apoligize for it now that I do. JMO

 

[1buddyc]

I'm 64 and dont ever get those type of comments?

 

[mattdillon]

I'm 64 and dont ever get those type of comments?

But I bet you Don't look 64 buddy!