My 1999 GTS Ownership Experience (Documented)

[lilviv]

Hey Everyone,

I've recently sold my 1999 Dodge Viper GTS, and during the 5 years I owned and loved the car . . . I documented everything. My service costs, every gas receipt (thus gas mileage), and dyno. charts from each service in hopes that information might be helpful to someone in the future. The link is as follows (no ads or anything; I simply put these things up for informational purposes):

http://personal.lilviv.com/motoring/toys/viper-gts.html

Major takeaways from my ownership experience?

1) I was pleasantly surprised how well the car held its value.
2) I was pleasantly surprised how low my maintenance costs were. I had heard horror stories of the dreaded "Viper Tax," but I was pleasantly surprised that essentially, a well taken care of specimen is a low maintenance vehicle.
3) Only disappointment in the quality of the interior, namely the plastic trim on the center console and the seats.
4) Next to Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and other cars . . . it seemed to be this Viper that every kid was snapping cell. phone pictures of.

This car was great to own, and I enjoyed every moment of owning and driving it. It was a maintenance dream compared to the journey I'm just now embarking on.

Would love to hear if all your experiences were the same or if anyone disagrees with anything I mentioned above here! I'm sure I'll regret selling this car one day, but wanted to jump to the next one on my dream car list.

-Vivek (lilviv)
http://www.lilviv.com

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

I cannot say anything bad about my old 99 GTS that I turned into a track car until it was stolen and totaled 3 years ago. It was awesome and totally reliable vs. the new generation stuff. I really miss that car. Glad you like yours too.

 

[killerviper]

Nice writeup and history, im sure the new owner appreciates it. I JUST purchased my 2001 GTS and loving it!

 

[viper k]

very nice viper

 

[mattdillon]

Very Nice car, & it seems like somebody's gotten a well cared for ride. Good Luck with your new one.

 

[klamathpro]

You will miss your GTS when your first Maranello scheduled maintenance comes up.
But look on the bright side, you'll learn to curse in Italian.

 

[lilviv]

You will miss your GTS when your first Maranello scheduled maintenance comes up.
But look on the bright side, you'll learn to curse in Italian.

My friend, this has already occurred. =P I sent the car to service before I took delivery. We did just over $16,000 in work (over 2 months) on it before I could drive it. Now that it's back . . . it's a lot of fun and something really special, for sure. Not "better," just "different." Just as my Viper was not better than the Supra I had before (with twice the HP), just different. Just wanted to move on to the next one on my childhood dream cars list before I get too old to enjoy them.

 

[Mr. Mom]

That was a pretty thorough write up of your former GTS! Thanks for that! You answered questions I had before they were even asked. There's a '99 in my sights, but not sure if it'll still be there when I'm ready to buy.

 

[lilviv]

That was a pretty thorough write up of your former GTS! Thanks for that! You answered questions I had before they were even asked. There's a '99 in my sights, but not sure if it'll still be there when I'm ready to buy.

Glad you found it helpful! That was the intent of the writeup.