A few questions before purchasing...

Hey guys, I've spent the last few months going back and forth on deciding between a Viper and a Corvette Z06. At the end of the day the Viper is more of a stretch for me financially but I beleive I'll be happier with the purchase in the long run. I see so many Corvette's on the road that I dont even get excited when I see one anymore. The Viper has always been a dream, I had the posters as a kid and to this day when I see one around town I do everything I can to follow it. I am looking at an 08 GTS coupe that is bone stock. I do have a few questions about ownership - I am trying to predict what my costs are going to be with respect to insurance, maintenance, and hidden costs as I have never owned a car quite like this before.


1) Is the maintenance on these astronomical compared to a Corvette? One of the great things about the Corvette is that any GM dealer can service them. I know the Viper is a simple platform compared to other supercars, how has your experience been with routine service?

2) Future value - it seems there are 10 Corvettes in every mall parking lot, and I cant help but think that in 20 years these Corvettes wont hold their value as well as a something like a Viper. I've loved the Viper since elementary school and I would most likely own it until my wife takes the keys. Do you feel these will be truly collectible one day due to the limited production numbers?

3) I have heard so much about how difficult these cars are to drive and how uncomfortable they are. I am 5'7 and weigh 155 so the confined cockpit probably won't bother me much. As for comfort, the car will be driven only on weekends and occasionally to work. What are your impressions of the interior? Lastly, are these really that dificult to drive? I doubt I will ever take the car to the track, unfortunately my experience driving stick is limited to a turbo jetta and various civics/corollas - is the tranny in the viper tough to master?

Thanks for taking the time to read and provide some feedback - this seems like a great forum and I look forward to being a Viper owner very soon.

Call your insurance agent and get an exact quote or go online and do an automated quote. This will be far more accurate than anybody throwing out numbers. My last car was a 2004 Z06 and I recently got a quote on an 04 viper as I am in the market as well and they were not much different. If it's a 2nd or 3rd car that will be used for pleasure and your driving record is as you say, it shouldn't be anything to worry about... I think USAA quoted me 90 dollars a month with a $500 deductable (and I am younger than you).

Thanks - I actually called with the VIN of the viper I am looking at and got the quote - I have deleted the question from my list. Still looking for some feedback on the other items.

Well maintenance not really any different. I have a CTS-V with the LSA as well, and maintenance items are comparable if you do your own wrenching. I'd imagine the same goes for a Vette.

Comfort and Difficulty are very subjective. Test one out and judge for yourself. Test both a Viper and a Vette though before purchasing either.

huddleston said:

Hey guys, I've spent the last few months going back and forth on deciding between a Viper and a Corvette Z06. At the end of the day the Viper is more of a stretch for me financially but I beleive I'll be happier with the purchase in the long run. I see so many Corvette's on the road that I dont even get excited when I see one anymore. The Viper has always been a dream, I had the posters as a kid and to this day when I see one around town I do everything I can to follow it. I am looking at an 08 GTS coupe that is bone stock. I do have a few questions about ownership - I am trying to predict what my costs are going to be with respect to insurance, maintenance, and hidden costs as I have never owned a car quite like this before.


1) Is the maintenance on these astronomical compared to a Corvette? One of the great things about the Corvette is that any GM dealer can service them. I know the Viper is a simple platform compared to other supercars, how has your experience been with routine service?

2) Future value - it seems there are 10 Corvettes in every mall parking lot, and I cant help but think that in 20 years these Corvettes wont hold their value as well as a something like a Viper. I've loved the Viper since elementary school and I would most likely own it until my wife takes the keys. Do you feel these will be truly collectible one day due to the limited production numbers?

3) I have heard so much about how difficult these cars are to drive and how uncomfortable they are. I am 5'7 and weigh 155 so the confined cockpit probably won't bother me much. As for comfort, the car will be driven only on weekends and occasionally to work. What are your impressions of the interior? Lastly, are these really that dificult to drive? I doubt I will ever take the car to the track, unfortunately my experience driving stick is limited to a turbo jetta and various civics/corollas - is the tranny in the viper tough to master?

Thanks for taking the time to read and provide some feedback - this seems like a great forum and I look forward to being a Viper owner very soon.

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1. Maintenance - I think ACR VP gave some good advice about maintenance. If you sift through the forum, you will see what some of the more common issues with the Viper are and what the approximate cost to repair them are. It seems that the window regulators are among the most common repair on the Gen III & IV cars, and any repairs are going to cost more than on a "regular car" as the parts are high performance and the work must be performed by a certified Viper tech at a dealership IF that is the route you choose to go down. Viper techs cost a bit more to use as well it seems.

2. Future Value - look on Autotrader.com or Cars.com for your values. While they are all asking prices, the values of Vipers are fairly stable compared to say a Corvette. I can also guarantee you that Vipers of all generations will certainly appreciate in value in time, especially if they are low mileage and mint examples. Im also going to go out on a limb and say that if you start to heavily mod the car, you will likely adversely affect the future resale value of the car. Many GTS models from 96'-02' are now going back up in value or holding their own, and it's only a matter of time before the same is true for all other years and versions of the Viper.

3. Comfort and Drivability - if you are looking for a comfortable luxury car, you are looking at the wrong car. However, I don't find that the Viper to be any less comfortable or harsh than my 2008 Audi TT, although the seats could offer better lower back support. The interior is beautiful in my eyes, but it could have been made from far superior materials than it was. The plastic feels low grade and I wish there was a factory option for a nicer interior fit and finish like there is on the new Gen V Viper. For your purpose of driving the car short distances, you won't likely ever complain of lack of comfort as you will be too busy smiling ear to ear enjoying every second of the drive. In terms of Drivability, there is definitely a learning curve, but the car is not difficult to drive around town in a leisurely way. Spirited driving is a whole different story, and unless you are looking to kill yourself, you should get yourself some high performance driving classes first to be safe as this car looks for any way possible to kill you. The transmission on the 2008 was improved over the Gen III and I found it very easy to adapt to, but it is torture in traffic.

Some recommendations..... Make sure the tires are new. Get driving classes for high performance driving. Never drive the Viper in inclement weather or in temperatures under 45 degrees. Don't ever get lured into racing anyone on the street as you have a Viper and are king of the road and therefore have nothing to prove (that is a sure way to an early grave if you don't know how to properly drive the car). Never let anyone else drive the car. And there is no such thing as a 2008 Viper GTS....... They only made the GTS from 96' -02' and are starting it up again now in 2013.

thanks for the feedback. the car i am looking at is advertised as an 08 gts coupe so now i am a little concerned. its an 08 and it isnt a convertible.

huddleston said:

thanks for the feedback. the car i am looking at is advertised as an 08 gts coupe so now i am a little concerned. its an 08 and it isnt a convertible.

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Probably some uneducated slob car salesman is listing the car and thinks that any Viper Coupe is a GTS model. Unless the car is GTS blue and they fogot to include the word blue after GTS, ignorance and stupidity is the only explanation i have for it. Like i said above, the models made in Gen II were either RT-10 (convertible) or GTS (coupes). From 2003 through 2010 (skipping a year in 2007) they made the Viper SRT-10 Coupe and Convertible. They decided to revive the GTS name for the higher model car for the Gen V Viper in 2013 models. If you could, please attach the link to the ad here and we'll be happy to give our thoughts on it.

Everybody above has giving you some great advise. You will learn really fast that the viper community is a pretty tight nit bunch. If you could tell us where the car is located you might be able to get someone from the club to check it out with you. Or get a viper tech to do it. Carfax is good but just remember with any vehicle, if the previous owner had the bucks to get it fixed without an insurance claim it wont show up on carfax. As for comfort, im 6 Ft. 220 lbs and my but has been in the car for a few 5-6 hour trips with no prob. I think the only thing that got sore was my face from smiling soooo much LOL. Deff test drive both to see. I like vettes as well but remember vettes are a dime a dozen and the only time youll most likely see a viper is when your rollin with your regional club. Hope this helps a lil.

As a new owner myself, who hadn't driven a manual in about 15 years and even back then only for a limited time, I wouldn't say the Viper is "hard" to drive. What it does is require your full attention while driving. The big ol tires love to follow every bump or rut in the road. In low gears, the acceleration is (wonderfully) fierce so you have to be delicate on the gas at times, but again if you are keeping your attention on the car and your surroundings, that isn't so tough. Just took it in to work for the first time, about an hour and 20 mins there, and then same on the way back, no real comfort issues (other than my shift is kind of hard, I have a thread about that with some things to have checked that might be causing that.) I'm 5'6' so the "cramped" interior isn't cramped to me.

I love the sparse, cockpit feel to the interior, but yeah would be nice if the materials were better, but heck, just gives it character. I'm driving a Gen 2, so may be differences there.

All my driving (well, most) has been cautious, and I can feel how the car would love to get away from me if I was pushing her that bit more, but that's a nice feeling (since I'm not pushing her that bit more) and just makes me realize that I am driving this car, and not the machinery of the car itself. Keeps me awake when in an automatic I'd be tired, and letting myself be distracted with one thing or another. It's exhilarating to press the gas that bit harder now and then and be pushed back into the seat, and that's without breaking any speed limits

Looks, definitely a rarity compared to a Corvette. Much more unique, recognizable, and hardly seen. I've had tons of random comments about the car already and I've only had it for 5 days. I doubt I'd have had that with a Z06, which I was considering as a cheaper alternative.

Ultimately, the car feels alive, with its own personality. Not a rider, but in my mind it's more like riding a horse than driving a car - it has it's own nature, temperament, desires, and ideas about where to go, and you control it and guide it and work with it, rather than just point a machine in a direction and away it goes. I can't really say whether that feeling comes along with a Corvette or similar as this is the only true sports / super / exotic car I've driven, but I have a strong suspicion few other cars give that impression!

My father-in-law was horrified at the absence of cup holders, haha! But frankly I think the idea of trying to pick up and drink something while driving one of these would not be a good one, two hands on the wheel and eyes on the road are required. I guess to many these days that would indeed be "hard" since most cars are like mobile front rooms with all mod cons, but "hard" here doesn't mean you'll be careening into a ditch.... so long as you respect the car and remember what you're driving

Do it .....

Definitely buy a viper. Power in hands of a few

If resale value is a concern, you may want to consider a 02 instead of the 08.

IMO the biggest bang for the buck is a ZO6. Awesome performance for the price but then everyone has one on the block. The mods and repairs are a bit cheaper and I expect the insurance too over the Viper, year for year. There are tons of ZO6s too for sale on the market. The newer Vettes are very reliable too. I have had both but for me its all Viper now for many reasons. If you can afford a Viper, go for it but the ZO6 is a great car too.

Well you got all your answers to your questions.....so now its time to buy one....or two like me.

I'll provide some comments:

Viper vs. C6ZO6 - Stock for stock, the Viper is a bit faster. The Vette is lighter weight and revs to the moon, but the Viper has a bigger engine that, if driven properly, should have the upper hand. The Vette is significantly easier to mod, however, and is just a cam swap away from putting a serious beat down on a Viper. If you want to be faster for less overall money, the Vette is a good choice. If you don't want to see one every time you turn around, the Viper is a good choice, and will turn far more heads. People value different things, so there isn't a bad choice between those two.

1) Is the maintenance on these astronomical compared to a Corvette? One of the great things about the Corvette is that any GM dealer can service them. I know the Viper is a simple platform compared to other supercars, how has your experience been with routine service?

Depends...if you have your vehicle serviced by a dealership, there is always the possibility that you could be gouged. A Dodge dealership would need to have a Viper tech, so that can always present a problem if you don't live near a dealer that has one. The ones that do have them could charge accordingly for that "luxury", but not all do from what I can tell, so your mileage may vary.

If you service the car yourself, it is actually very easy to work on, and everything is very straightforward. The engine oil plug is easy to get to, and if you remove the belly pan, you have easy access to the transmission and rear end. Although I've never done a clutch swap on a Viper, it should be straightforward, and will not require nearly as much tear down as the Corvettes do. Aside from the massive quantity of engine oil required (11 quarts), the maintenance costs are not high for this type of car. I came from a 2002 Camaro, and everything I learned about working on that car has transferred directly over to this one, and in most cases, the Viper has been easier to work on.

3) I have heard so much about how difficult these cars are to drive and how uncomfortable they are. I am 5'7 and weigh 155 so the confined cockpit probably won't bother me much. As for comfort, the car will be driven only on weekends and occasionally to work. What are your impressions of the interior? Lastly, are these really that dificult to drive? I doubt I will ever take the car to the track, unfortunately my experience driving stick is limited to a turbo jetta and various civics/corollas - is the tranny in the viper tough to master?

I'm 6'4, 235, and it is a bit tight, but it is perfectly doable. My first drive in this car was taking it home 13 hours straight, and aside from the lack of cruise control, was really very nice to drive. A person your size should have no problems...the seats have tons of support, and the pedals are adjustable so you can get everything set to your liking.

A Viper is also pretty easy to drive...the clutch isn't heavy, and operates smoothly. The TR-6060 transmission is also much smoother than the T-56s I've been used to, so high RPM upshifts are very easy to execute. You might not like the stock telephone pole of a shifter handle, but it isn't bad, and there are OEM options out there to shorten that down a bit. Now, driving a Viper fast is another issue, but it doesn't sound like that's as much of a concern to you.

Many of the guys/gals here have owned or still own both and can give great first hand opinions. However, no surpirse coming to the Viper forum asking the question..............> we are a little biased

Well...I would shop around and look for a ZR1 if you want to go Chevy. They are dropping in price but not as much as the ZO6. In the American car arena, other than the Ford GT.... they all fall pretty quick. A clean low mile used ZR1 one can be had for < 80k. Ok...Yes.. to the novice they look like the Z06 and Grand Sport and some will call it a ZO6. The ZR1 runs hard and kicks a lot of a$$. You have probably at least 2 years left before GM comes out with another one that will send the car world in a panic. You will be able to keep up with a Gen V without any mods and be sort of......... "Different" in the vette world.

The C6 - ZO6 is a great car and one that I fully enjoyed for a few years. I moved "UP" to a GEN II GTS and never looked back. It's a different driving and ownership experience that you can only relate to by owning one.

Good luck with your purchase.

I was also thinking about buying a Z06 before the viper (although the viper was always choice #1), and i have driven both and have friends that still have Z's but like TP gts said the ownership and driving experience is way different( and in a positive way)!!

Get the VIN number from the car and Break down the code here http://www.theviperregistry.org/vin.php

That should tell you what year the car is.
There should also be a build sticker on the end of the Drivers Door (below the lock mechanism), that's explained here http://www.theviperregistry.org/vin.php

As others have said Carfax, Its not foolproof but it saved me making a very big mistake!

Biggest expense I can think of with these cars is Tires. Their cheaper in the USA, but here in the UK you need to change the dollar price to pounds!

Check tire dates, tires may look good with plenty of tread, but the rubber goes hard through heat cycles, Not good on a car with the torque these put out. Respect is needed. I would budget for new tires in your search

Like any car, the more oil changes you do, the longer the engine will last, change it often for longer life.

Good luck with your search.

The point of seeing 10 vettes in every parking lot is so true (probably more than 10 depending on the size of the parking lot). I see vettes everywhere I go. I rarely EVER see a Viper and I can count on one hand how many I have seen in my local area. When I do see one on the road, it is very exhilarating! IMHO, you will never get the same type of experience or attention in a vette. Also, the production numbers are not even comparable. For my model year, 1997 GTS blue/white, I believe a little over 2,000 were produced. I don't know the productions numbers for vettes (probably someone on this forum does) but I would imagine it is 20-30x that of the viper.