Help a Rookie buy a Viper.

[gringoray]

Hello Gentlemen,

First off, I want to express my thanks to the Administrators for approving my registration.

Secondly, I`m impressed with the quality of this bulletin board in terms of professional, courteous and knowledgeable people. Six months ago I joined another Viper discussion board but after my initial post and the rude responses I got, needless to say I never returned to that board.

Thirdly, I`m coming over form CorvetteForum.com and I`m a proud C4 owner. A buddy of mine recently purchased a 2005 red Dodge Viper and needless to say it`s got my mind contorted. Now I`m seriously thinking about purchasing a Viper myself but I`m a little confused on which year/color/package to buy. I don`t want a new Viper only because of Price and I prefer to stay within the $40-$50K price range.

So far my research indicates 1999 was a good year. I like the bigger 18` wheels, the upgraded 450HP or maybe this is trivial stuff that shouldn`t even be considered? I like low key colors like green and sliver but would consider yellow.

Thank you in advance.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Welcome to the site! If you want green, you're gonna have to get a Gen 1 RT/10 (94' or 95' to be exact), but its not gonna have the 18" wheels or 450HP (it'll have 400HP), but it should be well below your budget. A member his selling his Green RT/10 now. If you want the silver, you can get in a Gen 2 RT/10 or GTS which also should be in your price range. Both will have your 450HP, but you cant get the 18" OEM wheels until the 99-02' model. 2000-02 Vipers have cast pistons which will need to be upgraded if you plan on any serious power mods. Other models have forged internals which wont need upgrading for really any type of power mods. Good luck finding what you want!

Just a quick tip:

Gen 1: 92-96 RT/10s

Gen 2: 97-02 RT/10s
96-02 GTS

 

[viprvenm]

gringoray - Welcome aboard! I would not mind seeing pics of your C4! It is awesome that the Snake has bitten you though. I was injected this past Sept when I bought my 2001 Sapphire Blue/Silver Striped GTS. It is loads of fun... it never stops thrilling you! I bought the book "Viper Buyers Guide." If you are interested I would not mind mailing it to you for your use. I would want it back someday, but no rush... shoot me an email at [email protected] if you want to read the book. It lists each year... pros and cons. It breaks down options and is VERY helpful when wanting to buy a Snake! Good luck in your search.

Also www.dodgevipersforsale.com is a GREAT site and Marv/Nathan Rose are very nice to deal with!

Jason

 

[IEATVETS]

Let me start off by saying that there are no low key color Vipers! Any green Viper will attract just as much attention as a red one. You will get varying opinions here on what car to get, everyone is biased, me included. It's want you want in a Viper. For me, I don't want windows or a/c or airbags or ABS or rear window defogger or automatic seats etc, etc. For me the choice is obvious........A Gen1. 40-50K will buy you a hell of a nice Viper but no matter what you know or don't know about Vipers is that any Viper you get will change your life. Go ahead, laugh. When you get a Viper and you see what I am talking about, we will talk.

 

[smfettig]

Welcome aboard!!!
I agree w/Viprvenm the "Viper Buyers Guide" is the way to go. If you want to spend less than $40K you can pick up a Gen 1 easily, but for $40-$50k you can pick up a GTS. I love the blue/white combo, but in all actuality they are all nice. I have a red 94 and love it just as much today as I did when I bought it over a year ago.

Good luck

 

[TAXIMAN1]

Welcome.. I think you'll find MANY current and previous vette owners on this board. Myself, I have had a few ZR-1's, an LT-4 collector edition and most recently, an 02' Z06...

I would say buy the newest one you can reasonably afford. 99' is the first year with the larger factory wheels... But Yellow was not around until 01'-02',which would most likely put you out of your budget of $50k.. Also, pre-01' would not have ABS brakes. What ever you decide. Make you have someone that (knows vipers) look at it... Some of these cars you see on the internet (Ebay, Autotrader,Etc.) have prices that sound "too good to be true"... They are usually problem cars.. Pay more for the "right" car.. My 2 cents.

 

[VENOMAHOLIC]

These days $40-$50K gives you lots of options for a nice clean Viper. You never mentioned if you wanted coupe or convertible or if you will track it. 2001 is first year for ABS brakes. 2000 and newer have cast pistons but a 2000 RT/10 bone stock did a 11.58 quarter mile.

1995 and older are GEN I and have side exhaust and 400hp 480lb ft tq. Gen II are 1996-2002 and have power windows and are more refined and lighter but have no side pipes with 450hp and 490lb ft tq. . Gen III are 2003 and newer with 500 hp. As mentioned eariler, color combos are limited to years offered. Around 2000 Vipers are hand assembled per year making them more exclusive.

Be careful driving them since the torque will spin the wheels even in 4th if you have a heavy foot.

I personally love all Vipers and your choice will mostly depends on personal preference. I hope you find a great deal.

 

[01sapphireGTS]

Spend a little more and get the bigger wheels & ABS. They say Sapphire is a low key color, but it gets LOTS of attention ! If you ask viprvenm, he will probably agree.

 

[viprvenm]

Spend a little more and get the bigger wheels & ABS. They say Sapphire is a low key color, but it gets LOTS of attention ! If you ask viprvenm, he will probably agree.

I do agree. There are a TON of different views. I chose Sapphire Blue for its rarity and its sheer beauty when the sunshine hits it! I also knew I was going to do some serious performance mods to the car. I decided I did not want the color to scream as much as the motor/exhaust. For me it is the best of both worlds. Viper does not come in a bad color!!! That is the best part about these dream cars.

viprvenm

 

[JUCD VPR]

I was in your situation about a few months ago when i was about to buy a Viper. I went with a 99 since it has the 18" wheels and the forged pistons, lumpy cam, and 450 HP. You can mod it alot easier with a SC or Nitrous and you dont have to worry about burning up a piston.
So i say go with a 99, I bought an Rt/10 because i like to take the top off when the sun is shining and of course i love attention and i wanted all the women to see me lol, BUT the GTS looks Bad A$$ but then again so does the RT/10
I say 99

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Low key color?

I’m terribly partial to the 2000 steel grey

 

[01sapphireGTS]

The above car is also a great color. It sounds like any of the "dark" colors are the way you want to go.

 

[slaughterj]

My low-key colored silver 98 RT/10 is available for sale in the $30s (has ~83k miles) - see info in the classifieds sections and PM any questions.

 

[trainville]

Buy my '95 GREEN w/silver stripes RT/10 for $36K. With 39K original miles, no wrecks, Roe cats & exhaust, slider windows, etc.

Like was said earlier, there's no such thing as a 'low key' color with the Viper. You can spot those lines a mile away! Good luck

 

[gringoray]

Gentlemen,

You guys really give it up here! Within 24 hours of my post and I got 13 replies. A BIG thumbs up to all who responded.

"I bought the book "Viper Buyers Guide." If you are interested I would not mind mailing it to you for your use." -Viprvenm

Viprvenm, a big thanks to your offer, but at the moment I´m traveling in Latin America. I´ll flow you a PM upon my return.
To answer some questions.

I prefer a coup like my C4, I like the rear panel on the car.

I will not track it and I prefer to buy stock. The only mod I plan on doing is a possible changing of the factory exhaust. Hearsay indicates factory sounds like a UPS truck. The Corsa Catback seems the clear winner among this group.

To those Gentlemen selling their Vipers in this thread - I´ll check your pics and get back to you.

A few more questions....

What years have side pipes? How do side pipes compare to rear outlets and what´s the general consensus on side pipes?

The blue w/white striped Vipers, is this the Carroll Shelby edition and are they more expensive?

Thanks

 

[gringoray]

Gentlemen,

Side pipes or no side pipes, what is the catback of choice among Viper owners?

Thank you

 

[viprvenm]

I have only heard Corsa personally and that is what I bought... so I am leaning toward Corsa!

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Side pipes were on 92-95 RT/10s and 03-current SRT's. Some say the sound of sound pipes is harder to improve b/c it seems like you're hearing 2 V5's instead of a V10. The 96' RT/10 gained 15HP by Dodge rerouting the pipes to exit out the rear. I cut my muffler off and LOVE the sound. Its a lot louder, meaner, and pops like crazy on deacceleration. May be too much for some, but I've always been a believer in LOUD muscle cars. I've never heard of the blue/white Vipers being referred to as a "Carroll Shelby edition", but its obvious the influence was the old 427 Shelby Cobras. They carry a premium for the paintjob, but the amount of premium just depends on the seller and how bad a prospective buyer wants a b/w (thats short for blue/white around here. NOT black/white). This color combo only came on the 96 and 97 GTS coupes and 97' RT/10s. Also came on the 06' FE Coupes, but they would be way out of your price range.

 

[gringoray]

Gentlemen, I meant to say I want a convertable, not a coup. Just like my C4 with the acrylic top.

 

[gringoray]

Thank you V10SpeedLuvr.

...so in essence and what I`m understanding is "side pipes" are not really all that great and you can`t change the exhaust note like you can with a rear outlet exahust? I`m looking for that deep, throaty, mean Lambo* V10 sound but without interior resonance or "drone". The sound of my stock 93`C4 LT1 is excellent but wouldn`t mind it a tad bit louder/deeper.

Do guys change out their side pipes to say Corsa side pipes or is this even possible?

Thanks!

*Lamborghini

 

[trainville]

The side-pipe cars are just as easy to alter as rear-exit cars. On my car, I installed the Roe racing cats/Roe muffler combo. Someone put a sound clip on here about a year ago. It sounds MUCH better without being painful. Most importantly (in my opinion) is that the exhaust is much cooler. The interior stays a little cooler and I don't burn my legs any longer on the side pipes when getting in/out of the car. I think the side sills will hold up longer with the cooler temps.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Sorry if what I said was misleading. I just meant I've heard from some of the side pipe guys that it sounds like a V5 to them b/c they only hear the exhaust on the driver side. But for one, I'd love side exhaust, I think it just looks what the Viper stands for..bad ass appearance and performance!

 

[santo]

*Lamborghini

Phew! It's a good thing you put that in there or I would have no idea what Lambo was Just kidding.

I just bought mine recently and the best resource was actually on this site. Check out the Features section of the Viper Registry and you'll know exactly what features changed between years. It really is invaluable and is great reading.

I can't compare to a Vette* because I've never had one nor have I ever wanted one (I like rarity along with performance and jaw-dropping looks) but I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised. Good luck on your search. That's half the fun. The other half is over 100MPH...

Santo

* Corvette LOL

 

[C-Note]

Ok guys, didnt the gen1 cars have problems with head gaskets and piston sleeves? The only thing I wish my 98 had was anti-lock brakes, 98 99 cars had the factory headers and still had the forged pistons and radical cam.
(if I'm wrong I'm sure somone will correct me)

 

[DodgeViper01]

Welcome to the site. Good luck with your search. Oh by the way, I was just in Daytona a few days ago with the Viper!!!!!

 

[carguy07]

Ok guys, didnt the gen1 cars have problems with head gaskets and piston sleeves? The only thing I wish my 98 had was anti-lock brakes, 98 99 cars had the factory headers and still had the forged pistons and radical cam.
(if I'm wrong I'm sure somone will correct me)

Most GenI have head gasket issues. Not that big of a deal to fix, many have already had them done.

Piston sleeves were only an issue on the early cars, some argue that it is just an attempt to explain the head gasket problem.

With the forged internals and the early production bugs worked out I think the GenI cars are as tough as GenII.



Sidepipes Rule.

 

[gringoray]

My main question is.

Pros and cons to Side Pipes?

Note to Admin: I´m receiving numerous messages from the following Dodge Dealership in my PM Box. I consider this Spam, is this against Forum Policy?

We have in a unbelievable 2000 Red GTS with a few minor modifications, that was sold new here. The owner has had three Vipers, and this car looks like it has 700 miles, not 7,000. We have checked over the car very thoroughly and though I realize it sounds like a sales pitch, this is easily the nicest 2000 we have had in years. Heck, I was born in Florida, so even though I live in Nebraska I can't be all bad, ha! All of our cars are from our customers or Viper acquaintances (no Auction cars), so we can tell you the care and feeding of them all.
Sincerely,
Bill Pemberton
Woodhouse Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Viper
1-800-889-1893
[email protected]
www.woodhouse.com
Follow the blue banner over to the Viper/SRT section and click on.

 

[InjectTheVenom]

Maybe a friendly offer of help in your search ?
I got an e-mail from a company that said they make the Viper desk chairs after I made a post here asking if they are still made, I (myself) consider that a spot on answer to my question

 

[kwiksilver]

I think Bill P was only guilty of"Helping a rookie buy a viper." I have never heard anything but praise for this mans work and his companies vipers!!

 

[gringoray]

I want to buy from a private seller. I never buy from dealerships, to many bad experiences.

Are all stock Vipers dual exhaust out the back?

Pics anyone?