Moving to SF bay area - bring the Viper??

[SmokinV10]

BRING YOUR VIPER! San Jose and the Northern California VCA have one of the largest number of VCA members in the country (Actually i believe it is the biggest?). The weather is almost always nice. Dont have to worry about rain a whole lot (compared to texas). It is never humid so you dont have to worry about corrosion a whole lot. It is just mild climate. You can go on cruises/rallys up the california coast (Cant beat the scenery anywhere). Registration is on the high side (california just asks you to bend over and reach for your knees). But I would be surprised if insurance is higher since Santa Clara county has a very low crime rate. As far as resale goes, it may be slightly higher if the economy turns around, but in San Jose, and the rest of the Silicon Valley, the slump in the economy is more noticeable than in the rest of the country. This is due to the dependence to the tech in industry in the area. Either way I would say you wouldnt lose any money in the Bay Area. Remember the South Bay Area was rated as the single most concentrated area of wealth in the entire world by Forbes. Dont worry, Bring it and enjoy!

 

[Buzzzz]

If you bring it to San Jose, make sure you have a nice secure place to keep it in. Car theft is a huge problem there. I had a car stolen from behind a gated private lot once!

 

[Dixter]

I'd take it .... you'll find a lot more car freaks there than
in Texas... lots of hotrodders and custom rides...

Just don't let the low riders talk you into jacking it..

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Absolutely take your car, and the club is definitely very active in the area. The resale will be better in the Bay Area, and what better way to meet some new friends than to get hooked up with some fellow Viper Owners. Whether you like to be on the track, or just socialize, you will be moving to an area with one of the most respected VCA Regions in the World. N Cal club and S Cal club have kinda of a rivalry, but many of us in the rest of the country are probably just a little jealous, because both always have so many fun plans happening. Have fun, and enjoy !

 

[Tomer]

No question, bring the snake...As mentioned, the weather here and scenery are awesome!!! Its the predictability of the weather that I can't get over (having moved here myself) And the VCA club...Also, you have Ted May and Apex Motorsports (perhaps others I am not aware of) close by
for advice/tuning...Also, several track events within a nice drive...

Oh yah, and you could cruise to So.Cal and get a pic of your snake on Rodeo Drive in Hollywood!!!

Tomer

 

[Brad04Mamba]

Just registered my '00 GTS for a little more than $400, registration has gone down 65% in the last couple of years. Northern Calif has a very active group, fun people to viper with. Don't forget us in Central California Region also.

Brad

 

[WCKDVPR]

Neurot,

Definately bring the car. It is a great place to have a Viper and the club is very active. We have great weather and lots of fun mountain roads. Additionally, Laguna Seca, Sears Point, and Thunderhill raceway are all within a 2 1/2 hour drive of San Jose.

License and insurance are well below what you are thinking and in line with what other people have posted here.

Check out the NorCal region web site at: http://www.viperclub.org/regions/norcal/

Send me an email or call me at 408-855-7962 if you would like to talk. If not, look me up when you arrive.

Best regards

 

[jrkermode]

Agonizing? You're kidding, right?

Cost-wise, Silicon Valley is a breed apart, so be prepared for a little slipping down the financial food-chain. If you get over that (many don't) you'll want to have your car with you.


P.S. How come none of the locals has mentioned Alice's, or Skyline, or Old San Jose Road, or Mount Hamilton, or the Silverado Trail, or Calaveras Road,... Oh, I get it, the list gets too long.

 

[RonC]

Don't take it! Send it to Arizona. I'll keep an eye on it for you.

Ron

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Hi Jason,

The N. CA. Region of the VCA (many Viperholics) offer a variety of events social only to open track events. We support Viper Days, SCCA autocross events, special track days, brunches, weekends social events. We have an e-mail system that allows spur of the moment "Surf''s Up" notice of a Fun Run, etc. My insurance is less than $600/year for my 99ACR and registration is $421/year. We have meeting the first Tue. of every month which covers future events, new event ideas, also allow us to socialize and talk Vipers. After the meeting people usually stick around the parking area to look and listen to the latest mods. We have great tuners, Dealership with great service, members that know how to drive and the best for last we have wonderful members that will make you feel at home. I think you would be very sorry if you did not bring your Viper!

 

[VPRVENM97]

Jason,

What Fred and all the others have said ^^^^.....Without a doubt, bring the Viper. Reg. and insurance is very reasonable (less than $600 for me too). Get ready for sticker shock when you look into real estate around here (if you haven't already). If you work in the valley and have to commute during regular hours, make sure you have a daily driver. The traffic is some of the worse around.

With roads like this within spittin distance, would you want to be driving anything else?

Check out this thread http://vca1.viperclub.org/ubb/Forum17/HTML/002994.html
Feel free to email me if you need any further info.

 

[LTHL VPR]

Just to add some more fuel to this discussion......

BRING IT. BRING IT. BRING IT.

OR you will never forgive yourself!!!
Here's a chance to prove us all wrong. Bring it, and you have 2 months to register it. So drive around for a couple of months and see for yourself. Little to no risk....

You can drive it almost all year long, the roads/highways around San Jose are not too bad, and join one of the largest VCA clubs in the world.

One drive from San Jose to Santa Cruz, up the coast on Hwy 1, and over the GG bridge, and within a couple hours you will never believe that you ever thought of leaving it behind.

Look forward to going on one of our club's 'weekly' cruises.

Keep us posted!!
-Wayne

 

[Mark Young]

BRING IT! If you don't, you will regret it after being here 5 minutes. The weather is perfect, the scenery is stunning, the club is great, there are super tracks all around, and we have great tech and warranty support.

As cost goes, I just registered my '99 and it cost me like $237 or something, so I don't know where you got your $1200 figure. Insurance for both my snake and my '00 Durango costs me $200 per month. I take the car all over the place, park in parking lots, the mall, the movies, the supermarket, etc. and I've never had a single incident.

Anyway, send me mail when you get into town and we'll do a weekend cruise to familiarize you with some of our great roads. I just moved down to Santa Clara from Sunnyvale so I'm even closer to San Jose now.

 

[Snakester]

Definitely bring the car. There are so many great places to drive within 100 miles of San Jose. The beach, mountains, S.F., down the coast. It's exactly the kind of place where you would want to drive a great car like the Viper.

Certainly, there are some areas where you wouldn't want to drive or park any $50K+ car, but you wouldn't go there on purpose anyway.

If you are in any decent neighborhood, you don't have to worry about the Viper. Practically every other car is a BMW, Porsche, or Mercedes in the valley, yet the Viper is still rare and special here.

-Dean.

 

[jrkermode]

California only gives you 10 days to register (and smog) your car.

 

[MtHam ACR]

What the other guys said.

I'll add (since the vast majority never 'chooses' to move to the Bay Area), make your company pick up the first year incremental costs, insurance, registration, transport cost etc. If they want you here, they will.

Mike: What about Buttonwillow? Well yeah, maybe it's 3 hrs from San Jose (good to hook up with you last weekend).

-Eric

 

[Jon 98GTS]

OK, time for a little bit of perspective here:

All the positives that have been mentioned in this thread are true. But there are some negatives...

Whether it's semiconductors, hardware, software or bio-tech, Silicon Valley has some of the smartest people in the world. Unfortunately, NONE of them designed our traffic system.

Roads change names for no apparent reason. Traffic signals are not "timed" (ie, don't expect to get two green lights in a row). You'll soon curse the blithering idiot who came up with the idea of "commuter lanes." Most parking places are a snug fit for a Yugo. You will learn a new definition of "CARB" -- and thinking of it will make your blood pressure rise. San Francisco is by far the most car-unfriendly city in the entire state.

But these are small inconveniences when compared to the privilege of living in the Golden State... where we have the Franchise Tax Board AND the State Board of Equalization, a personal income tax AND high property taxes, 8.25% sales tax... Oops -- sorry, bad examples...

But I'd definitely recommend bringing the Viper with you. (tho you'll probably shake your head in amazement when you realize that the garage is WAY more expensive then the car you put in it...)

 

[Scott J]

Its been said in so many words above, but please be prepared for the cost-of-living sticker shock. The same money that will buy you a mansion in most States will buy you a common home in the Bay Area! Its not unusual to see lots that are smaller than 1 acre list for 7-figures.

San Jose and San Francisco list at #1 and #2 respectively as the priciest places to live in the nation (followed by Manhattan and Honolulu). Thus, bring your Viper, but plan to pay more for Gas, Property Tax, and everything else you can imagine.

Ending on a positive note: There's no shortage of scenic drives in the Bay Area.

 

[WCKDVPR]

Eric,

Thanks for reminding me - Buttonwillow is 3-4 hours away and Willow Springs is around 5 hours away (it takes me longer because I tow a trailer).

It was great to meet you and absolutely a blast having the Viper's lay waste to the Cobras, Shelbys, and assorted Mustangs at the Shelby Club track event at Thunderhill this last weekend.

Neurot - Just bring the darn car!

 

[Buzzzz]

The post about 10 days to register is true. I lived in Cupertino for about 3 years- when I first moved there from out of state I got pulled over for doing a perfectly legal u-turn in the u-turn lane. The cop said it was for doing it as the light started to turn yellow but that's BS! I still had my out-of-state plate on. So the cop told me that you only have 10 days from the time you move to register- I had to scramble to the DMV, register, then go to the traffic court building to show them that I'd taken care of it. Be careful if you ride up and down stevens creek blvd! Those cops are always hanging out there! Then my car got stolen shortly after.

 

[King GTS]

Sorry for the "Pro-Viper Comment" but I say take it with you buddy! How could you leave that black GTS behind? You've got to have a Viper in your garage, no matter where you live.

 

[Gavin]

Neurotic......mmmmmmm Sorry mate ...... couldn't resist the opportunity....... seriously - blokes like Mike, Eric, Fred are in the majority, in our club - top shelf people!!!!!
Very active club lead by an extra-ordinarily committed group - if you are in the "I take mine to the track" catagory how about this:
Laguna Seca - Monterey - one of the great spots in this country - about an hours drive from San Jose - in a Viper of course.
Thunderhill - SCCA track - wow! is about all I can say having spent my first weekend there with Mike, Eric and Ted May, our local tuner guy that knows more about Vipers than..... well hell, the guy just knows a ton.
Button Willow - drive time already mentioned - Viper Days - you get to play with the big boys in the viper world - twice in one year at this track.

Now if you are not a track guy - no big deal - trips to Yosemite National park , South Lake Tahoe, Highway 1 down the coast - and bunches of events - this club knows how to do it!!!!!

My life is certainly better from joining this very fine group of people in the local Viper World
Bring the Viper
Join the Club
Come hang out with a great bunch of folks

 

[Mark Young]

"10 days to register".... riiiiiiigght. I drove around for 3 months with Indiana tags when I first got here, no big deal. But some advice on the DMV here: there are usually two lines at the DMV here for you to stand in, one is for those who did not make an appointment, the other is for those who did. Do what I do, make an appointment and stand in that line, then hop to the other line if its shorter

 

[viper spray]

San Jose?? What part of Texas is that in?? Is that south of San Antonio?? Sell it here in Austin or at least race me before you leave.