Need Help - 2003 vs 2009

I currently have a 2003 SRT10. I am looking at a 2009 Coupe. For owners that have had the 2003 model (or like it) and traded up to the new version, what do you think? Are you happier with the new version? Is there anything better about a 2003 than a 2009 and vice versa? Need some opinions on this!

Do you plan to keep both cars stock? If so the 2009 is a much better car all around.

If you plan to go above the 600rwhp mark, the 2003 wins out at the moment since the computer can be tuned in a GenIII. Currently there is no tuning solution for the GenIV computer.

The GenIV has an improved engine, newest generation Tremec transmission, upgraded rear diff and a slew of other improvements.

You get a better view at the rear of the group???
When with your GenIV buddies the girls don't bother your car?
When your driving alone it's more relaxing than driving the GenIV because there's no pressure of having the fastest American Supercar?
You enjoy talking with the police and the GenIII allows you to do this as your the only one the cops can catch?
Your afraid someone may think your compensating with the GenIV and so the GenIII seems like the manly choice?
Winning isn't everything?
You like drafting............permanently?
You get fewer bug strikes at the rear of the group?
Your Eco-sensitive and the GenIII is an earth friendly choice?


If you can buy the GenIV do it the car is amazing!
Were meeting Friday hope you can make it

goldcup said:

You get a better view at the rear of the group???
When with your GenIV buddies the girls don't bother your car?
When your driving alone it's more relaxing than driving the GenIV because there's no pressure of having the fastest American Supercar?
You enjoy talking with the police and the GenIII allows you to do this as your the only one the cops can catch?
Your afraid someone may think your compensating with the GenIV and so the GenIII seems like the manly choice?
Winning isn't everything?
You like drafting............permanently?
You get fewer bug strikes at the rear of the group?
Your Eco-sensitive and the GenIII is an earth friendly choice?


If you can buy the GenIV do it the car is amazing!
Were meeting Friday hope you can make it

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Not so fast on Gen4 and coupe I'd say...

If you prefer WOR (Wait On Response) go for Gen4

If you prefer closed sky vs. open go for coupe

... for everything else there is a Masterplastic

Seriously - add Motons, 3.55 rear end and Belanger headers (feel free to keep stock exhaust WITH crossover), add some cowl heat protection and you will (might) have ultimate fun car.

That is if you want raw immediate power. DBW of gen4 is a real downer IMHO and only IMHO (don't want to start wars here).

And for money left buy few tankers of fuel to have some fun

All kidding aside, if you are going to happy with stock there's a reason it is called Gen 4. I went from an 06 to an 08, amazing difference. If you are going to mod the guys who made the comments about modding are right.

More horsepower is great but how much can you use? You can always upgrade. But putting the top down - priceless.

Aside from the coupe vs. vert debate, all you're really getting in a 2009 is a more horses (which you can get in an '03 with a few bolt-on mods), a more robust transmission, and a more aggressive-looking hood (which you can also upgrade to for about $3k).

JoelW said:

More horsepower is great but how much can you use? You can always upgrade.

Click to expand...

from a guy who has never had much HP i assume. you can easily use a LOT more than a gen4 has..... easily

I have heard that the 2009's ride and drive quality is far superior to the 2003's....true or false?

This is really a hard one...gen3 and gen4 look almost exactly the same iside and out. so its not like folks are gonna come out running to you saying holy crap you got the new srt10...kinda like the 500 hp 04 gallardo vs the 570 hp 2011 superleggerra gallardo....big differance in raw aceleration but to everone else in the world who sees you drive by its a gallardo...in your case its a srt10 viper.

as far as raw speed yes the gen4 is faster overall by a heft margin but ive herd many say the gen3 feels faster from 1000 till 4000 rpms than the gen4. dont know about you but i rarely do more than on ramp blast ect. in fear of getting a ticket.

ive still not made up my mind as 700 rwhp from a roe tt on my gen3 with regular pump gas keeps crossing my mind vs the 600 rwhp the gen4 is limited to....good luck with your decision

351MonteCarlo,

Somewhat misleading with your statement , as just saying a 03 is more tuneable and a Gen IV is not , totally disregards the fact that taking the stock computer out and replacing with a MoPar race computer ( letting Dodge/SRT do the remapping ), adding headers, polished intake , etc. and bingo you are at the 700 hp range.

We have done a boatload of Superchargers, and frankly that is the least expensive way to get more hp on a Gen III , but some factory type tuning and a few mods and the Gen IV approaches the power of the SC with less cost and a more usable power band - and for track guys, no heat soak.

Ride characteristics are stellar in comparision , and it is a culmination of suspension tweaks ( our old buddy Herb Helbig gave the green light for the engineers to make some last minute changes prior to the launch of the 08 ) , along with the PS2 tires. Driving on a rutted road seldom causes the severe wandering and the ride is much more supple.

From improvements in the transmission, the engine ( VVT, new oil pump, vastly superior oil pan , higher redline , virtually no bucking when driving in traffic ,etc. ), new rear end, suspension, etc. one could go on and on about the advantages of the last generation of muscle cars.

Loved my three Gen IIIs, but I am in lust and severe infatuation with my Gen IV -- by far the best Snake I have ever owned.

plumcrazy said:

from a guy who has never had much HP i assume. you can easily use a LOT more than a gen4 has..... easily

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Surprised you didn't tell me to do a search for more horsepower and how to use it. No, I haven't had "street" cars with more horsepower. So you drive at warp speed using all your power all the time? Doubt it. No one does. But many folks I have met, who like I am, can't use the horsepower they have all the time, relish saying "I have 600 horsepower, I have been on the dyno 25 times with my turbo supercharged nitrous inducted faster than a speeding bullet Viper, etc.". I bet the majority of Viper owners like the cars to drive and enjoy not to constantly think "if only I had another 100 horsepower". Just my opinion.

I had an 05 and 06. I had an 09 and now have a 10. I guess I am getting old but I don't see a hell of a lot of difference in Gens 3 and 4. (not nearly as much as I saw in the earlier Gens).


Both Gens are really nice (except for paint) and if you can get a great deal on an 03 I would not hesitate. I would imagine there are also deals to be had on 09s but the longer there is until Gen 5 I would imagine 09s and 10s will become more scarce.

I'm having the same thoughts. Keep flip flopping like crazy. I feel like if I could go from my 03 to an 08 for $20K, I'd do it. Then wait out the Gen V for the next 3 yrs (1st yr will be out of the question for me, and I'd wait for the vert, so I'll have little wait for sure). But I don't think I can do it for $20K.

The only thing I'd change in my viper is the gearing, 3.55s would make it so much more fin on the street, but then I feel like I shouldn't put anymore more $ in it, cause everytime I decide I should just keep it .. I wonder into ebay and cars.com looking at GenIV's. I feel dizzy.

Bill Pemberton Woodhouse said:

351MonteCarlo,

Somewhat misleading with your statement , as just saying a 03 is more tuneable and a Gen IV is not , totally disregards the fact that taking the stock computer out and replacing with a MoPar race computer ( letting Dodge/SRT do the remapping ), adding headers, polished intake , etc. and bingo you are at the 700 hp range.

We have done a boatload of Superchargers, and frankly that is the least expensive way to get more hp on a Gen III , but some factory type tuning and a few mods and the Gen IV approaches the power of the SC with less cost and a more usable power band - and for track guys, no heat soak.

Ride characteristics are stellar in comparision , and it is a culmination of suspension tweaks ( our old buddy Herb Helbig gave the green light for the engineers to make some last minute changes prior to the launch of the 08 ) , along with the PS2 tires. Driving on a rutted road seldom causes the severe wandering and the ride is much more supple.

From improvements in the transmission, the engine ( VVT, new oil pump, vastly superior oil pan , higher redline , virtually no bucking when driving in traffic ,etc. ), new rear end, suspension, etc. one could go on and on about the advantages of the last generation of muscle cars.

Loved my three Gen IIIs, but I am in lust and severe infatuation with my Gen IV -- by far the best Snake I have ever owned.

Click to expand...

Hey Bill

I think you misunderstood my post. Plainly put if you want more than 600rwhp and that is your primary concern, the GenIII is the way to go.

I stand by the statement that a GenIV is not tuneable. Swapping in an aftermarket computer that ignores certain codes and has a slightly more aggressive map is not an actual dyno tune. Just like a "canned" SCT tune vs. a dyno tune. However this is just semantics, the point is the GenIV cannot be tuned for anything more than bolt ons at the moment, and precisely why I mentioned 600RWHP and not the stock HP levels. I state horsepower in RW numbers, not flywheel numbers, and I'm not sure anyone's made much more than 600 at the moment with a GenIV, but I'm sure there may be some out there who have. Anywho I'd be better to say if you want more than 700rwhp the GenIII is the way to go. I would disagree with your statement that a GenIV with bolt ons can be cheaper than a GenIII with a blower for the same price point; this doesn't include the $20k difference in the price to sit in a GenIV from the beginning.

I thought my post was pretty evident that I find the GenIV to be a much better all around car, aside from limited modifying capabilities. If you want to trap 140-150+, as I do, the GenIII is the option. If you want the better car and plan to drive it in a spirited manner, drive it on the track (the real tracks with turns!), or just have a nicer car, the GenIV is the way to go.

There's no denying the GenIV is a technological lightyear ahead of the GenIII with drivetrain specs. If a viable tuning option existed so I could put a blower or turbos on one, I'd have bought one.

So in all, I think we agree. For a bolt on car, if you can swing the price difference, the GenIV is the way to go. If you want a high horsepower brawler, or you want to save a few pennies, go with a GenIII as it is no slouch either. Both ways you'll be driving a very fun car!




Oh and where'd the Monte come from?! I've never owned a Chevy in my life. I'm a Ford guy and my first "race" car was a first gen Mustang with a 351C engine. It just so happens my first name is Carlo and I combined the two for my screen name.

Im an old school street tuner/racer. I will always go for the best hp bang for buck. My paxton gen III surprises many a gen IVs at a fraction of the price. If I wanted to make my gen III look like a gen IV, I can do so relatively cheaply when compared to buying a gen IV.

I feel your arguments my gen3 loving brothers. But lets be real. My skin crawls everytime I see how easily a guy put down 600 rwhp on a gen4 with intake/manifold/headers and pcm change.

That 600 rwhp gen4 will trapp 132 mph in the 1/4 mile just like a 650 rwhp paxtoned gen3 will trapp 132 mph in the 1/4 mile due to the better powerband of the naturally asperated gen4.

get the gen3 to the 700 rwhp mark with a paxton and yes just about any gen4 modified or not is beatable

I had a 03 Paxton vert. Felt really fast, and great fun, however the engine totally overpowered the chassis, and putting down fast 1/4 mile runs on OEM tires eluded me.

Now drive an 09, and while the rush is not the same, the car is so much better to drive, and I can go much faster, with better control and confidence. Driving naturally aspirated on the track or street is a much different experience.

The stronger tranny and dual disk clutch helps, but the better rear end helps even more.

You can mod any viper to go faster, but the package deal in the Gen IV is a better balanced vehicle.

Two different snakes. While I perfer the Gen IV, nobody is going to complain that a well modded Viper of any generation can be a blast.

well said...Dual clutch really feel differant? Ive got a light weight findanza flywheel and light weight crank pully in my 03 and the clutch feel is amazeing. But how is the stock gen3 clutch feel compared to the stock gen4?

The GenIV is superior in every way. I have owned a 2005 and now own a 2009. If you want to talk horsepower not one but two tuners are very close to having the Paxton set up for a GenIV completed. The computer issues are close to being resolved. By this I mean there are affordable options instead of the two more costly computer issuess facing us now. If not for this Lambo bull**** DLM would have a bunch of GenIV's running around right now. Doug's problem is they just keep lining Lambo's up in front of his shop & throwing silly money at him to make their bulls run even stronger. The other problem for Doug is a perfectionist and there are not 36 hours in a day. On top of that Doug has cut back his work hours to only 14 a day. The nerve on some of these successful tuners. Doug doesn't realize he has made horse power junkies out of some of us and we now we are suffering from boost withdrawals. My hands are shaking as I type.

Philly Plum you need to ride ole Doug since you have now joined us slow GenIV owners and tell DLM to shift his R&D into high gear.

Stock Gen III clutch was pretty good. The engine made lots of torque at idle, so you could even engage the clutch on uphill driveways, and it would just chug right on up.

The Stock Gen IV clutch has much lighter pedal pressure, and engages very smoothly and strongly. The Gen IV engine needs a little throttle to go up hills with engagement, but absolutely has no bucking.

Aftermarket lightweight flywheels are as good or better than either stock clutch setup. They do often suffer in low speed around town driving, but rev freely, and are great for road courses.