Chrysler will limit stores selling SRT Viper

Kill-Zone · Aug 7, 2012

Here's an idea that will go over like a ton of bricks to a few dealers...

NO MORE MAIL ORDER VIPER SALES

ONLY SELL TO CUSTOMERS IN YOUR GEOGRAPHIC REGION

If Chrysler enforced this idea in their agreements with the dealers it would give all the local dealers a lot more incentive to invest....

It would be simple, "Sorry, were not allowed to sell to you, you are not in our zone, please contact one of your local dealers"

Bottom line is there are a few monster dealers out there and they buy up the inventory and are in part causing the problem.

One of the "known" things when you buy an exotic is that if you don't buy from the local dealer they will not give you the same treatment as someone who has supported them with a purchase.

Time for the penny pinching purchasers to understand why they have the problems they have

Oh and final thought for SRT

NO DEALER MARKUP, the price is the price

The small dealers always shoot themselves in the foot by trying to get the locals to pay extra to buy local, you don't find Mercedes , Porsche , Ferrari etc dealers doing this, they actually have respect for the product and the customers

TIME FOR THE DODGE< SRT > DEALERS ETC TO GROW THE HELL UP AND BE PROFESSIONAL ABOUT IT, your dealing with EDUCATED BUYERS NOW

GIVE THEM THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE

Smog Dog · Aug 7, 2012

Kill-Zone said:
Here's an idea that will go over like a ton of bricks to a few dealers...

NO MORE MAIL ORDER VIPER SALES

ONLY SELL TO CUSTOMERS IN YOUR GEOGRAPHIC REGION

If Chrysler enforced this idea in their agreements with the dealers it would give all the local dealers a lot more incentive to invest....

It would be simple, "Sorry, were not allowed to sell to you, you are not in our zone, please contact one of your local dealers"

Bottom line is there are a few monster dealers out there and they buy up the inventory and are in part causing the problem.

One of the "known" things when you buy an exotic is that if you don't buy from the local dealer they will not give you the same treatment as someone who has supported them with a purchase.

Time for the penny pinching purchasers to understand why they have the problems they have

Oh and final thought for SRT

NO DEALER MARKUP, the price is the price

The small dealers always shoot themselves in the foot by trying to get the locals to pay extra to buy local, you don't find Mercedes , Porsche , Ferrari etc dealers doing this, they actually have respect for the product and the customers

TIME FOR THE DODGE< SRT > DEALERS ETC TO GROW THE HELL UP AND BE PROFESSIONAL ABOUT IT, your dealing with EDUCATED BUYERS NOW

GIVE THEM THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE

That's quite a second post!!! LOL. Welcome to the forum!

Bill

redtanrt10 · Aug 7, 2012

Kill-Zone, it's not about price, it's about commitment to viper, which brings knowlege, support, selection and trust. When Chrysler was first broke and then later in bankrputcy 3-4 dealers probably bought up 2/3rds of production for '09 and '10. If not for them viper would have been sold off or eliminated.

If it was all about price you would see Dave Smith Motors from Kellogg, ID, (the #1 dodge dealer in the world for the past 9 years) selling vipers. He's not as he made a business decison, like many Dodge dealers, to invest his resources in other vehicles that produce higher financial results.

Kill-Zone · Aug 7, 2012

redtan,

Maybe Dave Smith Motors looks at the Viper as a Halo car like it is supposed to be and chooses to only carry one or two like they are supposed to.

You have to remember that Viper is not a viable brand/product line unto itself, it is a halo and that is it. That is why they looked at selling it off in the first place.

And, it wasn't the 2 biggies that saved it by buying the viper stock, one of the biggies was trying to buy Viper off Dodge in the dark days and the bid wasn't high enough.

There was a lot of bad decsisions made back then, remember the employee purchase plan that resulted in the huge $20K price drop all of a sudden when Dodge tried its hardest to dump the inventory. Sure it wasn't all Viper specific, it was everything. I remember the day guys were buying Dodge Ram 3500 dually deisels for $22K new, a year after I paid 48K.

It is now time to get the plan together and make it a plan that benefits the consumer as that is what will ensure the long term viability, if they do not, the next 2 years production will be the last.

PDCjonny · Aug 7, 2012

Why is a large scale Viper dealer who has excellent pricing, big varied inventory and many years of Viper sales and service a bad thing? Without Tomball, Woodhouse and a few orders we would be paying MSRP+ at your local inept dealer. Thanks but I'll give my business to someone who knows the car and doesn't just dabble in them selling two a year. And I should be able to get it serviced locally regardless of where I bought it from.

shooter_t1 · Aug 7, 2012

ViperJon said:
Thanks but I'll give my business to someone who knows the car and doesn't just dabble in them selling two a year. And I should be able to get it serviced locally regardless of where I bought it from.

Pretty well sums it up.

emericr · Aug 8, 2012

Kill-Zone: I couldn't agree more. SRT needs to push strict guidelines about selling the car at MSRP and not tag on a premium. This will allow the local dealers to compete with the large ones so that customers can feel right purchasing it locally. I did visit my local dealer and even though I feel like I know more about the new Viper than the manager, I am giving them the chance to buy it from them. This relationship between customer and dealer goes both ways.

mjorgensen Woodhouse · Aug 8, 2012

When was the last time ANY of us larger dealers sold a Viper for over sticker??? Not sure who you are talking about, but you have not been here long enough to make a statement as general as that. Us "larger mail order dealers" have always treated customers like they lived just around the corner from us and we do service Vipers and other SRT vehicles that were not bought here with the same care and commitment as if they did. Sorry if the local dealers you are used to will not, but that is not how we treat anyone, maybe that is the reason so many customers are comfortable buying sight unseen from us all these years. If you would also give it a try I'm sure you would be happy with the service we could provide you too.

PDCjonny · Aug 8, 2012

emericr said:
Kill-Zone: I couldn't agree more. SRT needs to push strict guidelines about selling the car at MSRP and not tag on a premium. This will allow the local dealers to compete with the large ones so that customers can feel right purchasing it locally. I did visit my local dealer and even though I feel like I know more about the new Viper than the manager, I am giving them the chance to buy it from them. This relationship between customer and dealer goes both ways.

Only problem is your local dealer isn't going to be able to sell one unless he invests whatever is needed to become a SRT authorized dealer. Which if he sells one a year, he won't.

Camfab · Aug 8, 2012

Screw the local dealers, they are a bunch of idiots. Don't even get me started. Buy from well known people that will treat you right. I went to my "NEW" ownership dealer yesterday, and because I don't want to offend anyone, I'll just say that they are no different than the last MORONS!

01sapphirebob · Aug 8, 2012

Kill-Zone said:
redtan,

You have to remember that Viper is not a viable brand/product line unto itself, it is a halo and that is it. That is why they looked at selling it off in the first place.

It is now. Sergio said Viper HAD to be profitable to go back into production and SRT did just that....make it profitable

shooter_t1 · Aug 8, 2012

Camfab said:
Screw the local dealers, they are a bunch of idiots. Don't even get me started. Buy from well known people that will treat you right. I went to my "NEW" ownership dealer yesterday, and because I don't want to offend anyone, I'll just say that they are no different than the last MORONS!

I bet. When I lived in Katy, Tx, the dealer that was close to me had sold 1 Viper in 4 years. Tomball was 50 miles away, but thats who services my car. I think, if we didn't have the big dealers like Tomball, or Woodhouse, and some others, dealers that actually know the car, Viper would have been dead.

PDCjonny · Aug 8, 2012

shooter_t1 said:
I bet. When I lived in Katy, Tx, the dealer that was close to me had sold 1 Viper in 4 years. Tomball was 50 miles away, but thats who services my car. I think, if we didn't have the big dealers like Tomball, or Woodhouse, and some others, dealers that actually know the car, Viper would have been dead.

Exactly right. It's the big dealers who lay out the money to stock and order cars that need our support the most.

Would we have the Nurburgring record without Tomball? What about all the help and insight Bill P. and Mark offer here?
They have to be two of the most honest straightshooting guys on the boards.

All this nonsense about dealer markups is your local dealers trying to gouge on their one Viper sale a year not the big guys.
They have the great reputations in this community, certainly not local guys.

Kill-Zone · Aug 9, 2012

01sapphirebob said:
It is now. Sergio said Viper HAD to be profitable to go back into production and SRT did just that....make it profitable

I would like to see those financials (books) that show that, they maybe have projections at this point that show potential for profitability at a certain price, which no one knows what it is yet, but they are far from profitable, in order for Viper to be a profit center they have to sell the Viper and it hasn't been for sale for 2 years and the last couple of years of being on sale were super low production numbers.

1) See the problem? if not look at 2

2) Only Viable if profitable. to be viable look at 3

3) Only profitable at a certain price, to know that price look at 4

4) No one knows that price, how can it be considered profitable if the projections haven't been tested by telling the potential buyers the price, if this is a problem look at 1

Kill-Zone · Aug 9, 2012

mjorgensen Woodhouse said:
When was the last time ANY of us larger dealers sold a Viper for over sticker??? Not sure who you are talking about, but you have not been here long enough to make a statement as general as that. Us "larger mail order dealers" have always treated customers like they lived just around the corner from us and we do service Vipers and other SRT vehicles that were not bought here with the same care and commitment as if they did. Sorry if the local dealers you are used to will not, but that is not how we treat anyone, maybe that is the reason so many customers are comfortable buying sight unseen from us all these years. If you would also give it a try I'm sure you would be happy with the service we could provide you too.

I said the small guys charge a dealer mark up not the big guys. but then the little guys may be in areas that cost a hell of a lot more to operate in than somewhere in Nebraska.

there has to be a point where you have to realize that if you want the Viper to be a mail order car, where you order it over the phone and it gets delivered to you door for cheap and that in doing so you cannot ***** that you do not have local service. Get it? it really can't get much clearer, why would the local dealership invest in servicing the Viper if they do not share in the sale or get worked against the mail order dealer in order to make a sale, get worked against the deaerchips that pay less overhead in staffing, building etc. and then they are expected to fork over $100 K worth of training, equipment, ad comps etc for the priveledge of servicing a car they did not sell?

I understand that a lot of dealers are not that good at servicing the Viper but what came first, the chicken or the egg?

If you can't understand these comments it is time to find a brick wall and bang your head on it for a while and then come back and read these again. If you do not you might as well wait ofr your sears roebuck catalog to come in the mail and order your viper. Then when you need service, call ghost busters and figure out how to get the damn thing back to Nebraska for an oil change and lube and darn window regulator.

What ever you save up front, you pay later on. it is up to you how convenient it is to do so. It is your foot, you are free to shoot it at will!

GreenVenom · Aug 9, 2012

Kill-Zone said:
but what came first, the chicken or the egg?

The Chicken!!

Camfab · Aug 9, 2012

Somehow your not getting the point, I HAVE NEVER EVER BEEN TO A LOCAL DEALER THAT'S WORTH A CRAP! It's not about the deal, it's about competence and service. Every and I say every dealer I have been to in SoCal seems to have picked their crop of people from the last chance pile. My local Chevy parts guy knows me by my first name, I don't even remember his. He knows I buy parts from him to support my local dealership and his job. He offered to give me a permanent discount and values me as a customer. This is why I will ALWAYS buy Chevrolet products for my daily use and NEVER EVER another Chrysler product. We have owned two Jeeps in the past, love the product hate the dealers, so it's not worth my time.

Camfab · Aug 9, 2012

Something I have to add here, is that in SoCal we have been so lucky to have a company like the former DC Performance and Woodhouse as a backbone. We don't ever need to go to the dealer, the cream has risen to the top and we had it. Hopefully the future will continue with a similar arrangement. Guys in the midwest have Woodhouse and others on the east coast have Chuck Tator. Chrysler needs to study this model.

Paul Hawker · Aug 9, 2012

I predict that some day the Viper will be a bespoke vehicle. Instead of dealerships stocking lots of $$ worth of cars, they may instead factory order the cars to the buyers unique specifications. The factory will build a stockpile of ready to finish cars, with acessories, body panels, wheels, wings and stripes to be added in just a couple days, and shipped directly to the end user.

Buyer can decide to pick up at factory, at dealership, or direct to their home. Others may choose to have their cars sent to custom paint or accessory installers, maybe to their prefered engine builder, or to be prepared for track use.

Think this is a way for lower volume producers to connect more directly to the end customer while still supporting their dealership network.

When I was at the Mercedes factory in Singelfingen this is how they produced their cars. Every car coming down the assembly line was unique, and already presold to the dealership. Each car was a different color, had different wheels, different stereo, etc. At every station the proper items were arrived precisely when the car came by, and controlled by a bar code system.

Many of the cars were shipped out to dealers, but many, included export models, were picked up by the end user at the very impressive factory pick up area.

Have to imagine that this would be a much more efficient way to service the prospective owners. Take a ton of expense out of the supply chain, and allow everybody to save a ton of time and anxiety scouring the internet to get the car they want, from a dealer near them, and at the best possible price.

Imagine that the current mega dealers, with their well trained and enthusiastic product specialists, would not continue to get the lions share of the business, where the local dealers could scoop up all the very profitable service over the lifetime of the vehicle.

commandomatt · Aug 9, 2012

I think that this is a huge issue for Chrysler/Dodge/SRT to figure out.

I am dealing with it as we speak. Have an issue with my low mileage 06. Contacted the Super store where I bought the car and the best they can offer me is...' it could be anything....take it to a Viper tech'. I realize that figuring something out without having the car in front of you is very hard in most cases...so I do necessarily have a problem with that response.

What is a problem is that now I am looking at where the closest Viper tech is located. 6 hours away it turns out. I obviously don't want to drive the car there so it needs to be trailered. Then I am sure that its not just something as easy as rolling the car in...taking care of the problem ...and an hour later be back on the trailer heading home. No...it probably has to be dropped of and then picked up at a later time. So you guys to the math. It will literally take days and tons of miles traveled to get, what may be a detail, taken care of. Run the numbers on that and this will cost thousands...regardless of what it is and even if the issue is covered under warranty.

It really doesn't matter if SRT offers a 100.000 mile unlimited service.....if I cant get the car taken care of closer to home, they may as well not offer any warranty at all, or a life time warranty.....its then only a number that doesn't mean much in the real world.

I bought the Viper much due to the fact that it is an American car...the best we have to offer. Fact is though...as hard as this machine is to get worked on, I may as well have bought any other exotic car.

If SRT doesn't come up with a solution to this service question, they will most certainly loose business as the segment they are entering into will DEMAND top notch service.

I for one am interested in a Gen V but with a dealer network set up like it is now, I will really have to think twice about it and certainly wait for enough time to pass for SRT to work through any bugs the new car has. Unless they will offer a pick up / drop off service (and maybe they need to look into that).....many off us are really left to figure it out for ourselves.

Matt

emericr · Aug 9, 2012

Paul: you hit the nail right on the head. As long as small dealers will sell at MSRP, I want to be able to option the car my way. This is the way many higher end vehicles are sold these days and the ability to either go to the factory to build your engine (ala Corvette) or go pick up the car at the factory (Mercedes is one of the best at it) or go to a factory training school is priceless and makes it worth it to buy a new vehicle.
I have always bought slightly used cars that were CPO from the dealers as I was avoiding the first year depreciation. The experience now offered with buying a new car with those perks have persuaded me to potentially buy new. Very smart thinking and marketing from the manufacturers.
Obviously I am going to want to touch, feel the car, etc and test drive it so it would make a lot of sense for my local dealer to stock one of them. However I would understand if they don't as this is such a small production vehicle. The larger dealers will obviously sell more because of the ability to sell the car when the clients comes in the door or over the phone and this is perfectly fine.
What we are debating here is the commitment and service from the local small dealers that will only sell a few Vipers. Everyone has had bad experiences with their dealers, I get it. Ralph is putting his word out there that he wants things to change so we should go talk to our local dealer and see if he is committed to the new management and the Viper. I did and spent over half hour visiting the service department and talking to their techs and the manager. I am lucky enough that I live in a very affluent town and the dealer has sold quite a few Vipers and is committed to give the right experience to the existing or new breed of customers.
So get off your seat in front of your computer and go talk to your local dealer. It will be quickly obvious after a little bit of hard questioning if your dealer is on board or not. If he is not, go find the closest one so that you have all the cards in your hand to make the purchasing decision.

Bill Pemberton Woodhouse · Aug 9, 2012

Base your thoughts on whether you believe entitlement should extend to a Franchise the same that so many think it extends to them today in our country. Frankly , I see it as a disease that reflects what is wrong with service and sales in America. Well over 6-7 years ago , Woodhouse and another Dealer not listed here, began discussing with Chrysler, that quality service and sales with a niche market vehicle demanded mandatory training and updates in service tooling , etc. It was listened to intently by the serious car guys at Dodge and SRT, but the problem was first we had a partner interested in it's own agenda and then a Financial Holding Company only looking at the bottom line and what it could siphon off the company. We now have dedicated, serious car guys running the company, and to say it is a 180 degree change would be to lessen the true impact.

As Dealerships we were increasingly tired of those who thought that since they had a Chrysler sign out front they should be able to sell Vipers. Many jumped on board as the criteria to do this meant no committment to tools , training, etc., so folks popped in and out as they saw fit. The consumer suffered ,but so did the brand, as these Dealers had nothing invested, so if there was no immediate gain, they dumped the Viper and moved on. We wanted Dealers accountable and invested in the brand and the customer, as just like so many things in life, those that get the free ride can jump to the next pony whenever it suits them.

Service became abysmal , but then why would a Dealer retain a Viper tech, if he wasn't contracted to keep one trained and up to date on the vehicle. The excuses that Dealers did not want to do anything because they only got 2 cars a year is not valid ,when all they had to do to get more was to sell the ones they had --- allocations come based on sales. Before we get into the big argument that Dealers just couldn't get anymore cars, I propose to you that it was completely due to their lack of committment , passion and desire to be a Dealer of the marquee.

Case in point , Woodhouse sold 8 Vipers in 1998 , and we were still in the top 10 of the US according to some reports. In 1999 we sold over 60 and at the time became the second largest Dealer in the US. We did it by committment, sending Techs to the proper schools, and getting our allocation increased by the simple process of selling the cars.

Today SRT is working to make sure there is a dedicated group of Dealers , Nationwide, and they want to make sure they will be there for you now and in the future. As long as businesses do not have to invest in anything, they can jump ship just like in the past. SRT wants you to be able to find someone willing to assist you , and those Dealers will get Vipers ( though initially it may be a smaller number ), as the system in place will not change --- if you want more cars to sell , sell the ones you have an earn more allocation. What is ironic about the complaints by some, is this has been a rallying cry for the Club for years, and now that something is being done, many expect it to happen overnight. The Viper is the prestige model, the " King of the Hill," and there is absolutely no reason it should not have Dealers in the US willing to devote time, funds,energy if they want to be in an elite group of Franchises. None of the larger Dealers got there without dedication and committment ,and there are many Dealers out there that will become strong competitors in the future, but in the long run we will retain more customers as they will be able to find service around the Country.

Lastly , because rumor and innuendo seems rather prevalent on the board of late, often from folks who are newcomers, there have been meetings with Dealers and SRT and this $100,000 demand on Franchises was not even brought up by Chrysler.

Will there be costs for Sales and Service training, tools, etc., sure, but the figure is well below that, and no different than what was expected over 10 years ago.

commandomatt · Aug 9, 2012

With the approach to order directly form the factory....that seems to make it even worse for implementing a good service network.

So maybe Chrysler/Dodge/SRT needs to take a different approach and rather than sweet talking a few select dealers into offering the products....tell them !!

Tell them that in order for you to be a Chrysler dealer, you need to make sure you can service ALL the vehicles we sell. Thats it. Comply or go away.

I doubt that Audi will ask if their dealesr want to be able to work on and sell the R8. You think MB will ask their dealers what cars they want to sell ? Same with Lambo, Ferrari, Porsche....maybe I am wrong here and that they do have certain dealers selling certain models....but I doubt it.

So would this eliminate a few dealers ? Sure it would.......but maybe we need to clean up the network as it is and raise the bar period.

If SRT wants to play with the big boys....they will have to step it up in all areas...not just building a different car.

Matt

ViperSmith · Aug 9, 2012

I never got the "Premium" service departments.

When I had my Lexus, for an oil change they wanted $280. Why? Well they had nice fancy leather couches, flat screen TVs, free sodas, etc. I just took it to Toyota instead and saved $200 (Plus, the Toyota dealer was 20min closer).

Do some people want that type of service? Of course. Me, I couldn't care less. I am happy BMW just picks up my current car, does the service, and returns it to my house. That, is premium service, IMO. (And yes, I realize that "free service" is built into the price of the car!)

Camfab · Aug 9, 2012

ViperSmith said:
I never got the "Premium" service departments.

When I had my Lexus, for an oil change they wanted $280. Why? Well they had nice fancy leather couches, flat screen TVs, free sodas, etc. I just took it to Toyota instead and saved $200 (Plus, the Toyota dealer was 20min closer).

Do some people want that type of service? Of course. Me, I couldn't care less. I am happy BMW just picks up my current car, does the service, and returns it to my house. That, is premium service, IMO. (And yes, I realize that "free service" is built into the price of the car!)

So it sounds like you do like the premium service, as long as it's built into the price. I do agree with this philosophy as well, however it really only applies to those individuals who trade out their cars within that warranty period. Personally for me, it's not about having my butt kissed at the dealership, it's about trust, honesty and fairness. Yes if you produce an inferior product, you'd better be kissing my butt to make up for it. We all know for the most part it does not work that way.

ViperGeorge · Aug 9, 2012

commandomatt said:
I think that this is a huge issue for Chrysler/Dodge/SRT to figure out.

I am dealing with it as we speak. Have an issue with my low mileage 06. Contacted the Super store where I bought the car and the best they can offer me is...' it could be anything....take it to a Viper tech'. I realize that figuring something out without having the car in front of you is very hard in most cases...so I do necessarily have a problem with that response.

What is a problem is that now I am looking at where the closest Viper tech is located. 6 hours away it turns out. I obviously don't want to drive the car there so it needs to be trailered. Then I am sure that its not just something as easy as rolling the car in...taking care of the problem ...and an hour later be back on the trailer heading home. No...it probably has the be dropped of and then picked up at a later time. So you guys to the math. It will literally take days an tons of miles traveled to get, what may be a detail, taken care of. Run the numbers on that and this will cost thousands...regardless of what it is and even if the issue is covered under warranty.

It really doesn't matter if SRT offers a 100.000 mile unlimited service.....if I cant get the car taken care of closer to home, they may as well not offer any warranty at all, or a life time warranty.....its then only a number that doesn't mean much in the real world.

I bought the Viper much due to the fact that it is an American car...the best we have to offer. Fact is though...as hard as this machine is to get worked on, I may as well have bought any other exotic car.

If SRT doesn't come up with a solution to this service question, they will most certainly loose business as the segment they are entering into will DEMAND top notch service.

I for one am interested in a Gen V but with a dealer network set up like it is now, I will really have to think twice about it and certainly wait for enough time to pass for SRT to work through any bugs the new car has. Unless they will offer a pick up / drop off service (and maybe they need to look into that).....many off us are really left to figure it out for ourselves.

Matt

There is a Viper Tech at Centennial Chrysler Jeep on Arapahoe Road in Centennial. Glynn is his name and he is good. Can't imagine that that is 6 hours from you, ok its not around the corner but its not that far.

GTS-R 001 · Aug 9, 2012

gbatejan said:
There is a Viper Tech at Centennial Chrysler Jeep on Arapahoe Road in Centennial. Glynn is his name and he is good. Can't imagine that that is 6 hours from you, ok its not around the corner but its not that far.

I think all viper techs need an ankle bracelet homing device so we can log in and see where they are located at all times, LOL

No, really. It would help to have a listing from Dodge as to which dealerships are in the employ of an existing Viper Tech and which dealerships are enrolled in training for vipertechs. I have personally done a lot of work to my vipers over the years and they are pretty simple cars to work on, so I can't see it being too involved of a training, a couple of weeks maybe...

ViperGeorge · Aug 9, 2012

Interesting thread for sure. I am now on Vipers number 4 and 5. The first two were bought from Roanoke, in IL; I lived in NJ. Third was bought used from Chicago, IL; I lived in MA. Fourth was bought from Buehler in NJ; I lived in MA. Fifth was bought from Tomball in TX; I lived in CO. Bottom line is I bought the cars from who had the ones I wanted. I wanted specific colors with each car. The guy in NJ happened to have exactly the car I wanted so I bought it. As far as I know they don't sell them anymore. I would bet that with the exception of the launch of a completely new car most folks do the same, ie. buy from the dealer that has the car they want. Only one of my Vipers was factory ordered (the 2003) because it was not available yet when I ordered it. How many folks actually factory ordered a Gen 4? I wouldn't think that's a big list.

Working on the car is not rocket science, heck I can do most things on it myself. The only real challenges (from what a Viper Tech told me) are the fact that setting up the suspension (alignment) is time consuming because of the need to align with bump steer at various height. The second thing is that because the car is hand made some things don't always fit quite right without tweaking. The real issue I think is whether the dealer will take good care of the car when it is with them. Dealers with good "Viper" techs know what to do. Only the "Viper" tech drives it, it is parked inside, and no one is allowed to screw around in it. I think it is that simple. Any qualified tech can pretty much fix the car but most would treat it like a Sebring or a mini-van. That's too often where the problems start.

Newport Viper · Aug 9, 2012

One of the top reasons I bought a Viper (owned 2) was that it could be serviced by "any" Dodge dealer.

I had no clue when I bought my first Viper that a "Viper Tech" even exisited..... did you? Did eveyone but me?

I have moved a bunch due to work so, the thing that always appealed to me most was a extensive network of dealers for repair. Even if they had no "Tech" (my 2 years in Hawaii), I was confiedent the "non-tech" dealer could call the mothership for advice if needed.

Currently, I am trying to stay put in one area (as I get older each move is more and more brutal) however, what happens if I move to state "X" with the new "system of limited dealers with Viper service" and the closest dealer becomes 6 hours away? That would be pretty inconvenient to get a car serviced...don't you think?! What happens if, I where to move back to Hawaii with no SRT Viper service???????

With these service limitations.... I have to give pause to a future Gen V purchase.

I'm not a wrench and don't want to bcome one on a 100K++++ car. I rather be playing golf! ( I am sure the "new" high end customer will be on the course with me!.... and not changing oil.)

Does anyone have the same concerns??? Just think of the "new" client SRT is after..... Is that the type of crowd you really want to inconvience with having to box it up and ship it off to a dealer hours away everytime it breaks.... Do you think the "new" customer will stand for that?

Groan....... someone make me feel better about the new car and service because I LOVE Viper!

PDCjonny · Aug 9, 2012

Newport Viper said:
Does anyone have the same concerns??? Just think of the "new" client SRT is after..... Is that the type of crowd you really want to inconvience with having to box it up and ship it off to a dealer hours away everytime it breaks.... Do you think the "new" customer will stand

Did you read any of the posts in this thread?

Chrysler will limit stores selling SRT Viper

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