Final Edition or '97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

[GTSFE304]

Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

Here's the deal- I have an '02 FE #304 with 2000 miles on it that is absolutely mint. I also have always wanted the 96-97 Blue with white stripes. The older models have forged internals including pistons which the "creampuffs" do not. I plan on adding a supercharger at some point and know the forged pistons are a plus. I have an opportunity to buy a Blue GTS with some minor mods, exhaust, gears,shifter, etc that has about 12,000 miles on it. I can make the swap and put a few grand in my pocket. Both cars are very nice.
* The question is how many of you would be willing to drop back 6 model years to make the swap?
* What would be fair pricing on the FE and Blue White GTS from a dealer?(I have my ideas but would like yours)
* Any comments on future collectibility/value retention FE vs Blue/White GTS?
*Would you be willing to do a DLM level 2 or similar set up on an '02? Or would you be more comfortable adding significant RWHP to the '97??
Let's bang this one around and get some meaningful feedback- Thanks <font color="blue"> </font>

 

[Jeff Lemke]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

I would go 97 b/w. Great color combo with almost zero downgrading compared to FE.


EDIT: I forgot about ABS. That's a pretty importand feature. Makes the decision a bit tough.

Jeff

 

[viperdrummer]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

I dont get it. I wouldn't do this in a million yrs. To each his own.

 

[Casey]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

Upgrading Creampuff without doing internals is a NO-NO. Doesn't take much to swap out pistons, etc.
How important is Color combo?

'97 you get your B/W. It's alreay modded a bit, so that will save you even more money. It's alreay got the internals for BOOST applications. Brakes are upgradable also.

I think it comes down to what Color you want. And how much you want to spend and/or save. B/W you will save alot of money overall.

 

[big-n-italian]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

&lt;&lt; Any comments on future collectibility/value retention FE vs Blue/White GTS? &gt;&gt;

my thought on the above - keep the FE and leave it stock.

everyone mods their viper in one way or another. i am beginning to think that the unmodded cars will be more valuable in the future. not to mention the fact that you are going to a car with more miles, AND you already have a car that is 1/360. my 0.02.

 

[SylvanSRT]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

personally i like the b/w better, but i dont like stripes on my cars so neither would be on my list, solid colors only. i also have an aversion to red, or should i say pull me over red.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

&lt;&lt; Any comments on future collectibility/value retention FE vs Blue/White GTS? &gt;&gt;

my thought on the above - keep the FE and leave it stock.

everyone mods their viper in one way or another. i am beginning to think that the unmodded cars will be more valuable in the future. not to mention the fact that you are going to a car with more miles, AND you already have a car that is 1/360. my 0.02.

Yeah what he said. Plus I like the 02' FE's a bit more than the b/w's anyway.

 

[SylvanSRT]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

if your looking at investmen/rarity go for the FE-ACR very low production numbers

 

[93Cobra]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

QwikFE304,

I understand where you are coming from. Its a tough decision because the only difference is the color. Well to some ABS is important but not to me so its just my opinion. I would sell the FE and pocket the extra money for mods.

How much money would you pocket? I also think that would be part of my decision because that will determine how much money you have to play with for the 97. Either way you will own a cool car.

 

[1TONY1]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

That's a tough call ..... coming from a B/W nut With a major upgrade like with DLM the pistons are no big deal. In fact a big upgrade and you probably need to change the pistons in a 96 too.
Collectability.....selling within 10 years ? Maybe the B/W, after that it may not really matter (much)
If I bought the FE new and liked the color it might be hard to let go of it.

 

[DrDJ]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

There's no way I would make that trade and pocket only a few grand. Keep looking for an already supercharged B&amp;W and then sell the FE and you'll come out much better.

DrDJ

 

[TomSlick]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

&lt;&lt; Any comments on future collectibility/value retention FE vs Blue/White GTS? &gt;&gt;

my thought on the above - keep the FE and leave it stock.

everyone mods their viper in one way or another. i am beginning to think that the unmodded cars will be more valuable in the future. not to mention the fact that you are going to a car with more miles, AND you already have a car that is 1/360. my 0.02.

Yeah what he said. Plus I like the 02' FE's a bit more than the b/w's anyway.

I think this is the best advice. Keep the FE stock (with the exception of an exhaust system that can easily be returned to stock) and it will be a more desirable collector car, being the last of the breed. The '96 B/W cars are more raw, and the '02 cars are more civilized. Depending on your age depends on what you might want.

 

[sshorty]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

There really isnt much difference between the cars besides ABS as far as civility goes if im not mistaken....

what is the production #'s on both cars?
Production on the FE
Production on the '96 B/W
Production on the '97 B/W

I think the '96 would be worth the most in the long run unless the production #'s are much more than the FE. It's the first GTS, the one everyone knows, the one that everyone wants, along with the stripes going all the way down through the lic. plate area of the car. Just my .02.

 

[93Cobra]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

There are allot more B/W's then there are FE. I personally would go with a low mileage 96 for collecting purposes and not a FE.

 

[FikseGTS]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

I think the 96/97 blue white would be more sought after in the long run.... just look at the asking prices right now, the FE's are not asking for much more than the good condition 96/97's.....

most know the blue/white were the first GTS's..... I think it's less known that the red/white was the final editions, plus they made red all of the years, making it more common looking, even though it has the white stripes...

I paid $54k for my 1996 GTS over 6 years ago, and I see 3 for sale in the same price range..... maybe they won't sell for their asking price, but it still looks promising....

 

[vipeuup]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

I also had an opportunity to purchase an FE edition. But there was always something mystic about the B&amp;W. So I opted for that instead..

 

[GTSFE304]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

Thanks guys for the different perspectives. You guys are great. I'll add some fuel to the fire- I have little ones who love to go for a blast with Dad- the FE has the passenger airbag switch which is nice. It also has ABS and adjustable pedals.I also know how it has been cared for and it has max care until '09.
The flip side is I can take the cash from the trade, combine it with my equity and in essence refinance to a much smaller note although the interest rate will be higher. End result could be a few hundred a month less and a modded '97 which should be able to sustain reasonably high RWHP loads. Either way I would only use bolt ons so that restoring to stock is easy enough.The switch to a '97 might be fun, after all that's what car guys do. Long term value is hard to call. Some say the FE's are overated because sooo many were made compared to other combos which might be 1 of 26, or 1 of 52, etc.
Oh well- time to jump on the Big Dog and clear my head. Additional thought are welcome Thanks

 

[FikseGTS]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

you can buy the switch for the airbag and retrofit it.... I just pull my airbag fuses when I take the smaller one for short ride.....

there so many Viper "Special Editions" these days, that I can't even keep track, seems like there are couple done each year... "if everyone is special, then no one is... " I personally think Dodge has overdone it with all the different special editions....

 

[96GTS232]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

i'm biased towards '96's(obviously,i own one) and wouldn't sell it for any other car. but in this case, i think keeping the 02' fe is wiser choice. it is stock with low miles and you know the history. the '96's are a little more collectible due to first year of coupe,rear license plate stripe,indy pace car etc... that's why i chose a '96 over a '97. but the one your looking at is not low mileage nor stock. also the the '02 fe will be very collectible in years to come(360 is not alot);it's just not old enough yet to level out in price and gradually work it's way back up. it's a great looking,low mileage,stock and rare car. be patient;you might regret it.

 

[Bob K]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

I am fortunate to have both and plan to keep them as long as I can. If, however, I was forced to make a choice I would keep my '96 which is lightly modded, sounds awesome and is the most fun car I have ever owned. I have actually considered trying to find a second '96 with minimal miles just to store as a show piece / investment.

On the other hand, my FE is the only one around for hundreds of miles which means I never see another one on the road (I think CODY is the closest one to me). There are several blue &amp; whites in our local club. The FE is a more exclusive car and a very striking color combo.

Now that I have rambled on, you are still left with the decision. Good luck.

Bob K

 

[SylvanSRT]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

actually if you count '96 and '97 with the main difference being the stripes in the liscence plate pocket as one model/color combo, they probably make up the single largest color combo production of all years made, possibly with the exception of solid red

conversly the FE red white stripes was a one year only combo with how many made 200-300?

 

[Bandit400]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

Go with the FE , there were only 360 made. Each one is individually numbered. Also the most important difference is the benefit of having ABS. Having ABS is invaluable! The one major downside is the cast pistons but you can obtain a good power gain with the 5psi roe charger without changing the pistons. Otherwise you go full tilt and have the engine rebuilt with forged. I yanked the motor apart after 1,000 miles to put in the forged. Some might think I am crazy for pulling a good motor apart but I knew I had to do it for the power level that I wanted. Good Luck!

Bandit400

 

[Ron]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

Value is a simple supply and demand equation. 360 FE's versus 1100 '96 GTS's versus demand for each. As long as for each 4 buyers, 3 prefer a 1996 GTS for every 1 that prefers an FE, values should be equivelant.

I'd argue that the B&amp;W demand far exceeds the FE demand even if only due to the relative awareness of each. Additionally as I remember, they ran B&amp;W in 1997 to fill the demand for that color combo as 1996 M/Y quickly sold out, usually at a premium. FE's on the other hand were available well over a year after the M/Y closed and usually at a discount.

My 2 cents is to buy what you like and forget the equation. They're both great cars.

 

[Inferno]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

You must be registered for see images attach

Enough said, I love them both. I could have had either one, in fact I could have got a low milage B&amp;W for about $20 000 cheaper, my choice tells you what I think.

As for future value, there is no question which one will be the collector, there are plenty of B&amp;W's out there. The FE is the last of it's kind, a tribute to the beast we call GTS.

FE's have their own website with registry to keep track of where they go, who owns them, and what mods have been done. That's for 360 FE's, do the 2 or 3000 B&amp;W's have that?

It's already been said a couple of times, you can't go wrong either way.

 

[SilverSnake]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

One thing i think that may of been over looked is the fact that in 1996 they did not make the comp coupe. Most 96-97 gts were turned into race cars. I would say the 96-97 gts numbers are alot lower than most people think. But like has been said before you can't go wrong with either one.

Robert

 

[Inferno]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

One thing i think that may of been over looked is the fact that in 1996 they did not make the comp coupe. Most 96-97 gts were turned into race cars. I would say the 96-97 gts numbers are alot lower than most people think. But like has been said before you can't go wrong with either one.

Robert

I appreciate the idea, and I'm sure some of them ended up turning into "race cars". But "most", come on....a bit of a stretch.

 

[SilverSnake]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

Ok, Maybe a little bit of a stretch.

 

[TCKTPLZ]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

Considering the fact that the Final Edition and only the Final Edition has the big block V10 makes this "choice" a no-brainer.

 

[C O D Y]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

Both are great cars.... crap, they almost are the same car!

You are changing colors.... and you'll not know if the new car has been taken care of as well as yours. When is the last time you saw a viper for sale that said.... "Driven as hard as I could drive it and bumped the rev limiter a few times?" Everyone thinks they have a MINT / BABIED viper when it comes time to sell. I love the vipers for sale with super charges on them and still label them as never raced!!!!! ha ha ha ... ya, you spent $25,000 or more and never got on it!

The FE has a stronger factory frame, power mirrors, better alarm (with shut off), ABS, trunk release and the cast pistons, 18" wheels.

The 97 has forged pistons and with the 998 &amp; 999 recals just has strong frame. 17" wheels

I'm not a big fan of super charging, but if you're going to do it... Doug is the man!

 

[FE+ACR]

Re: Final Edition or \'97 Blue/White GTS ?? State your case!

To a serious collector, modded cars will always bring less than clean originals. That's just how it works. One of these days, there will be a group of hard-core Viper collectors who know every in/out of these cars, and will usually be able to distinguish if one has been tampered with (even if you retrofit the original parts). If this is very important to you, then you probably don't want to mod either car. In that case, since the FE has fewer miles and is likely "cleaner," keep the FE and be happy.

If you want a modded Viper, then in this circumstance, I would say the B/W is the way to go.

JMHO,