just got back from NAIAS and new to the forum!

[terminator02]

Long time lurker here, and new to post, so I am introducing myself to you all. Basically I am 25 years old and own a pizza place in taylor michigan. Currently am an owner of a nissan 350z and 2003 Mustang Cobra. I have a 2004 Honda Civic for everyday driving and deliveries. I am by no means rich but work very hard with little handouts. I am very passionate about the viper and would love to get to know some of you viper guys and gals here. My fiance and I would love to get to know some michigan owners as well so we can plan how we can afford this car that is a little out of our price range! Anyways that is a little about me and now to my opinion on the new coupe.

I think the new coupe looked great in pics. I think it looks WAY better in person. I saw MANY people surrounding the coupe at the show and they all thought it looked AMAZING. Not once did I hear "its slower than the z06 blah blah." I stood around that coupe for a good 15 minutes. It is gorgeous. Congratulations to the future srt coupe owners, its amazing.

Why are so many people hating on it? I think its just simple cognitive dissonance. Quite honestly I think a lot of people may regret previous purchases or just want to believe they have the "best" and by putting down the new coupe it re-affirms their strongheld belief that their car is superior. I mean I would not come into an SRT board to talk down about the car if I really enjoyed my "gen 1, cobra, nissan" etc. I would be in those boards!

Well sorry for the long post but am glad to be here and hopefully will join viper community soon to come. I have had good times in the cars I have. The 350z to my girlfriend has the best lines around. Its pretty slow but a great car for 35k. The cobra is very fast and easy to mod. Id rather just have ONE very nice car (viper) than those two cars though. Interested in knowing if any of you SRT owners or other Viper owners are in our income bracket which is around the lower 6 figure range. I know many of you are very well established and have worked for many years to get where you are. Just curious if any people get these things with the lower 6k income. OK..now im done posting!
Dave

 

[Finally got it !]

Welcome.. Trying to answer your question is somewhat difficult. Personally I think it would be ******* myself financially to own a car like a Viper with a low six figure income. This type of car for most on this board is a weekend warrior or Sunday driver. Most have four or five other cars.
Having said that it can be done. Leasing? Ballon payments? It is all about priorities. A friend of mine has a Sl55 Amg and a loaded,tricked out Hummer. But I would not want to eat at his APARTMENT.
My suggestion would be get yourself a nice Gen II. Awesome car!! And invest in your company. In a few years you will be looking at Saleen S7's instead!!!! God luck whatever you decide...

 

[Hirohawa]

I think the new Coupe is badass! It is really really nice in person.

 

[jdavis]

Welcome...glad to hear that the new coupe impressed you. I am anxious to see one in person because pictures seldom give a car it's just due.

As to your future purchase of a Viper, I don't see why you couldn't handle an early GTS or RT/10. They can be had for less than $50K and are great cars. You might consider getting rid of the Mustang and or 350Z to free up some cash if you have higher aspirations. You are still a young man with plenty of time in life for "toys" so, don't neglect the thing that will provide the funds for them in order to acquire them now.

 

[SRTJOE]

Welcome...Buy the Viper under you pizza places name. put some advertising on it and deliver a pizza once in a while in it, write it off on you business take the tax brake and then have your business sell it to you at a reduced price!

Your business will grow and you can charge more to have your product delivered in the viper also will draw crowds of people in your parking lot.


The pizza will be there on time!!Viper Guaranty

 

[terminator02]

Well the plan would be to get rid of BOTH the 350z and the cobra. I could not swing 86000k for a new coupe but I feel like I could spend around 70k and put about 30k down with the sale of my previous cars. I dont have kids yet, already am in a house and have the toys i need for now. The ONLY thing I feel i would be sacrificing would be that I could buy an investment property instead of the viper. But quite honsetly I dont mind being where I am at for now and I am a car guy. I work hard already and I love the viper. I would take the 500hp viper over the 500hp corvette and the corvette is probably a better engineered car.

 

[Dave T (BADVENM)]

I had an '03 Cobra for a few months before upgrading to a 2001 GTS. Car only had 143 miles on it!! Anyway, I dont make 100K but close I guess. Living in rural Kansas and having a good job does pay off and was part of my long term plan to get the job i wanted, where I wanted it, and have money left over for the car of my dreams. I too went over the numbers time and time again and somehow it works out. Now looking for something a little newer to tow it, get reasonable gas mileage, and commute to denver once a week to be with my son.

I wish I could have kept the Cobra, best bang for the buck and stealthy as well given the inexpensive upgrades.

Hope you get your "big" snake soon!!

 

[2tall]

Well, I bought a brand new 2001 Viper GTS (with all the options -- which essentially means I got stripes - lol) at 25 and at the time my W2 income for the year was only $86K... The pay was steady (probably more so than a pizza joint) which helps, but I lived in an apartment and I had no kids (and only a girlfriend). Later that same year I got an Escalade too. I also started MBA school in the fall to the tune of $25,000 a year and I added 2 investment properties the next year, and I still had enough (slight disclaimer, I don't spend money on *anything* except cars, computers, and fine dining -- I still wear the clothes I wore in college when not at work for example). D to I was starting to pass that magical 50% mark though... banks avoid you when that happens.

All was normal, but one day the CEO and the Pres came in right after I'd heard rumors of outsourcing -- thought I was done for but I got promoted to Vice Pres of IT instead -- I tend to not listen to rumors anymore! anyway, although I didn't lose my job I ended up selling the Viper and the Escalade that year to free up more cash for investing again; I wanted to not have to worry about finances if I did some day lose my job.

All that said, I've taken a year off with a Chrysler 300C and I'm ready to go pick up my Ferrari next spring at the ripe old age of 28... and I probably make less than you do right now (at least at my W2 job -- gotta love investment property!)

Oh, and, ABSOLUTELY write off your car. I wrote off the Viper, Escalade, and 300C against my rental property and "unreimbursed employee expenses". I still get refunds each year and I claim about 10 times the normal amount of exemptions... (for my business miles only, of course! Doing a full write off raises too many IRS eyebrows...)