Real viper prices

Slamstadam

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Just saw the 45 Mile car on Ebay, and my post doesn't apply to a real museum piece.

I'm Buying a Gen 2 by the end of summer so I've started scanning the web to gauge price.

$35,636 is dealer KBB for a 15,000 mile GTS it seems Ebay and Autotrader are full of overly wishful sellers.

Now ad some light mods. Seems like guys expect 100% back on there mods sometimes more on a goofy supercharger set up.
(not dissing superchargers by the way, you just didn't invent the wheel)

Am I missing something? because right now I'm just not buying that the Gen 2s are all the way at the bottom and that all
the autotrader cars are going for 10K over KBB. After all its not hard to find a 10- 20K mile car.

Has anyone bought or sold recently and how did it go?
 

MoparMap

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I think a lot of people that own cars like the Viper have them as toys, so they don't necessarily have to get rid of them. That being said, they can ask a high price and wait it out as they aren't financially strapped for cash. There are always good deals to be found, but some just require a lot more looking. Talking to local club members is a good way to see what's going on around you as well. Good friendships can go a long way in getting a good deal.
 

Paul Hawker

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KBB is not very accurate for the Viper Marketplace.

Cigar...welcome to the club.

Let people know what area you are from, so you can be contacted by those near you.
 

JohnnyBravo

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The forums, classifieds (like cars.com and autotrader.com) and ebay are MUCH better gauges of the market for Vipers than KBB.

KBB, Black Book and Edmunds are NOT indicative of the market. If you were looking for a 2008 Honda Accord, sure use a standard book value. But when you're looking for a car that they only made about 11,000 of in the entire period from 1996-2002 (minus all of the ones that have been exported or wrecked), you can't use "book value".
 

CajunMojo

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35k is seems little low for a 15k mile GTS. The Blue/White have been going for quite a bit more lately.

Cigar, that's a clean looking R/T you picked up. Enjoy!
 

ViperPete

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There is a Red 2001 RT/10 with hardtop and 29k miles here in town for sale for $31900.
 

denniskgb

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First of all the time to buy is now not to sell…But If you go just by KBB values you will be very disappointed over and over again. Have seen salvage vipers doing stupid numbers? It will probably depress you even more. Study the market first. It is an exotic car not a toyota or nissan. Use your common sense and do not be afraid to pay more for a nice one, because Gen2 vipers do hold the value pretty good. Just figure in your head what you are doing with the car, displaying it or driving it. As far as "goofy" supercharger set up you are referring to, it is a very expensive mod. If this is not for you then keep on walking. By the way it s not cheap to mod a viper, plus you have to find the right company to do it. Good luck and be prepared to spend the money. You get what you pay for and leave KBB in a public bathroom, thats where it belongs.
 

cigar

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Thanks for the welcome guys, I am turning 80 this year and retiring from 50 years as a builder, as you can well imagine I've owned a lot of cars in my life so I'll only list the sports cars:
  1. 1956 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing
    2. 1968 Chevrolet Corvette 427
    3. 1978 Jaguar XJS
    4. 1981 Delorean
    There have been other fun cars that I've owned that were not sports cars, Like a 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix, and a 1965 Buick Riviera, I've also owned a 1976 Rockwell Commander 112 and a 1964 Cessna turbocharged 310 twin engined airplane. .

When the first Viper came out I used to eat lunch at a restaurant next to Dodge dealership in Lafayette CA, I kept going over and looking at the car that they had sitting out front, I saw things I liked and things I didn't like so paid little attention to them as the car evolved, one thing that I did know was that I disliked black interiors, my Gullwing, my XJS, and a Mercedes family car all had black interiors and as much as I tried to like them I felt somewhat depressed with no color around me.

For the last 11 years I've been driving a supercharged Hummer H2 and decided to buy a sports car for a little fun (I'm keeping the Hummer with over 200,000 miles on it), when I saw the GEN II black car with the cognac interior I fell in love with the color combination and decided that I liked the heavily sculptured sides better than the later cars, I did drive a beautiful 2008 Gen IV one owner very low mileage maroon car sitting next to it but it had a black interior, if it had had the cognac interior I would have bought that car with the advanced technology.

Since I joined the club when am I going to get the privilege of posting an avatar?.
 

denniskgb

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Thanks for the welcome guys, I am turning 80 this year and retiring from 50 years as a builder, as you can well imagine I've owned a lot of cars in my life so I'll only list the sports cars:
  1. 1956 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing
    2. 1968 Chevrolet Corvette 427
    3. 1978 Jaguar XJS
    4. 1981 Delorean
    There have been other fun cars that I've owned that were not sports cars, Like a 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix, and a 1965 Buick Riviera, I've also owned a 1976 Rockwell Commander 112 and a 1964 Cessna turbocharged 310 twin engined airplane. .

When the first Viper came out I used to eat lunch at a restaurant next to Dodge dealership in Lafayette CA, I kept going over and looking at the car that they had sitting out front, I saw things I liked and things I didn't like so paid little attention to them as the car evolved, one thing that I did know was that I disliked black interiors, my Gullwing, my XJS, and a Mercedes family car all had black interiors and as much as I tried to like them I felt somewhat depressed with no color around me.

For the last 11 years I've been driving a supercharged Hummer H2 and decided to buy a sports car for a little fun (I'm keeping the Hummer with over 200,000 miles on it), when I saw the GEN II black car with the cognac interior I fell in love with the color combination and decided that I liked the heavily sculptured sides better than the later cars, I did drive a beautiful 2008 Gen IV one owner very low mileage maroon car sitting next to it but it had a black interior, if it had had the cognac interior I would have bought that car with the advanced technology.

Since I joined the club when am I going to get the privilege of posting an avatar?.


Welcome to the club. Great looking car. Enjoy it and i want to be like you when i grow up.:D
 

Roy

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Thanks for the welcome guys, I am turning 80 this year and retiring from 50 years as a builder, as you can well imagine I've owned a lot of cars in my life so I'll only list the sports cars:
  1. 1956 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing
    2. 1968 Chevrolet Corvette 427
    3. 1978 Jaguar XJS
    4. 1981 Delorean
    There have been other fun cars that I've owned that were not sports cars, Like a 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix, and a 1965 Buick Riviera, I've also owned a 1976 Rockwell Commander 112 and a 1964 Cessna turbocharged 310 twin engined airplane. .

When the first Viper came out I used to eat lunch at a restaurant next to Dodge dealership in Lafayette CA, I kept going over and looking at the car that they had sitting out front, I saw things I liked and things I didn't like so paid little attention to them as the car evolved, one thing that I did know was that I disliked black interiors, my Gullwing, my XJS, and a Mercedes family car all had black interiors and as much as I tried to like them I felt somewhat depressed with no color around me.

For the last 11 years I've been driving a supercharged Hummer H2 and decided to buy a sports car for a little fun (I'm keeping the Hummer with over 200,000 miles on it), when I saw the GEN II black car with the cognac interior I fell in love with the color combination and decided that I liked the heavily sculptured sides better than the later cars, I did drive a beautiful 2008 Gen IV one owner very low mileage maroon car sitting next to it but it had a black interior, if it had had the cognac interior I would have bought that car with the advanced technology.

Since I joined the club when am I going to get the privilege of posting an avatar?.

NICE, 80 years of age and driving one of those beauty's, really like the interior/exterior colorcombo, about the perfect Viper you have there.

Regarding your previously owned sportscars the first two are not very reachable anymore, but I love the XJS and the Delorean! Nice choices you have made, I would have loved to own all 4 of them in the time, if just my garage was some bits bigger...
 

pathoguy

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I have bought and enjoyed 3 vipers (2002, 2006, 2013). The 2002 was modded which I regreted. I knew very little about vipers at that time. I would not buy someone else's mods. Buy stock. The gen 3 and 5 were stock and remained so. Only buy used, if you can verify the history, how the car was driven etc etc. I did with the last two. No surprises, no regrets.

Two recent hernia surgeries have ended my sports car ownership. Traded (key for key) the 13 for a merc S550. It's a boat but I am healing and actually wondering whether crunching into the viper contributed to my worries.
 
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otterbeinjumper

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Purchased a '98 silver GTS in November 2014 for over $40k. Had 5k miles and was in perfect condition, but has oem tires and most likely needs fluids. My total cost to buy, transport car, and maintenance was approaching $45k. I feel, I paid a premium, but it was the exact car I had been searching for, for 3 years.
 
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Slamstadam

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Purchased a '98 silver GTS in November 2014 for over $40k. Had 5k miles and was in perfect condition, but has oem tires and most likely needs fluids. My total cost to buy, transport car, and maintenance was approaching $45k. I feel, I paid a premium, but it was the exact car I had been searching for, for 3 years.

I think you are dead on the money with that purchase. A real nice GTS should sell in the low 40's maybe a grand or two more for the ACR option. There also seems to be a sharp drop off when the mileage goes above or 30K. I have a friend with a GTS-R 145,000 miles with no major problems. Interior looks used, but not horrible. Are there any big maintenance items between 30,000 to 50,000 that would make the prices fall off a bit?

At about $30,000 there doesn't seem to be much more to go even with the salvage cars and high milers.
 

Sybil TF

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Purchased a '98 silver GTS in November 2014 for over $40k. Had 5k miles and was in perfect condition, but has oem tires and most likely needs fluids. My total cost to buy, transport car, and maintenance was approaching $45k. I feel, I paid a premium, but it was the exact car I had been searching for, for 3 years.

With only 5k miles I say you did pretty good.
 

ViperJohn

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Pricing on Vipers has too many variables for KBB or NADA to have a handle on pricing. Year/color/mileage are obviously the biggest factors.

I have seen cars with 10K miles that looked like hell and I have seen cars with 30K miles that look pristine. Another factor to consider is age of tires. That would change value by $1500.00. Another item to look at is maintenance. I bet there are several cars out there that are nearly 20 years old that have never had any fluids changed. I'll take a well maintained driver over a museum piece any day.
 
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Slamstadam

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Pricing on Vipers has too many variables for KBB or NADA to have a handle on pricing. Year/color/mileage are obviously the biggest factors.

I have seen cars with 10K miles that looked like hell and I have seen cars with 30K miles that look pristine. Another factor to consider is age of tires. That would change value by $1500.00. Another item to look at is maintenance. I bet there are several cars out there that are nearly 20 years old that have never had any fluids changed. I'll take a well maintained driver over a museum piece any day.

Good point since I'm only looking at photos at this point. Condition is the only price driver. Im trying to skip past overly modded or cars that have a picture at the track, or rollbar, etc. There is also a massive gray area with the word "pristine". I have seen some real crap that is called pristine, and I have been leery of low priced cars. Whats wrong with it? Tires is a biggie that can be easy to forget when in buying mode.
 

ViperJohn

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Good point since I'm only looking at photos at this point. Condition is the only price driver. Im trying to skip past overly modded or cars that have a picture at the track, or rollbar, etc. There is also a massive gray area with the word "pristine". I have seen some real crap that is called pristine, and I have been leery of low priced cars. Whats wrong with it? Tires is a biggie that can be easy to forget when in buying mode.

Sounds like you are well on your way. Just to be sure to have a reputable Viper Tech look at the car on a lift.
 

CarGuyNV35

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Sounds like you are well on your way. Just to be sure to have a reputable Viper Tech look at the car on a lift.

That is something I am thinking about at the moment. I'm in the market for a Viper and from what I am seeing, most Vipers that I like are way out of the area for me, some are thousands of miles away. That's not a problem. The problem is I would like to make sure it's in great condition before driving or flying out to see it and purchase it. How would I go about finding a reputable Viper technician in any state? I've heard of a PPI which I believe means the seller takes the car to a mechanic to have it checked out. But how would I know which mechanic to have look at the car? And especially if I am not there while the inspection is happening how can I be sure that the seller isn't friends with the guy or maybe slips the guy some extra money just to say everything looks great even if it does not? Not trying to sound paranoid here but these are some things I am thinking about when considering buying a Viper that is a long distance away. And I am not the most mechanically inclined either.
 

ViperJohn

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That is something I am thinking about at the moment. I'm in the market for a Viper and from what I am seeing, most Vipers that I like are way out of the area for me, some are thousands of miles away. That's not a problem. The problem is I would like to make sure it's in great condition before driving or flying out to see it and purchase it. How would I go about finding a reputable Viper technician in any state? I've heard of a PPI which I believe means the seller takes the car to a mechanic to have it checked out. But how would I know which mechanic to have look at the car? And especially if I am not there while the inspection is happening how can I be sure that the seller isn't friends with the guy or maybe slips the guy some extra money just to say everything looks great even if it does not? Not trying to sound paranoid here but these are some things I am thinking about when considering buying a Viper that is a long distance away. And I am not the most mechanically inclined either.

PPI companies vary greatly in their inspection quality and interpretation of a clean vehicle. If you find a car you are highly interested in, post on this board and either someone can help you or at least point you to a reputable shop. There have been many instances where other Club members and enthusiasts have helped out people in your situation. Your challenge is not uncommon as depending on year/color etc, cars can be scarce.
 

CarGuyNV35

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^^ Copy that. Good to know there might be some members on here that could help me out when I do find the perfect car for me and it just happens to be far away.
 

Silver GTS

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I purchased a 1998 GTS Silver with Blue stripes with 1865 miles on it. I paid 45k for it, the dealership changed all the fluids hoses and tires. I feel like I got a good deal because I basically got a new car that I always wanted. The dealer originally had the car for sale for $51.000 I traded in a 2008 GT500 with 6700 miles on it for $30.000 I have never looked back. Good luck with your search don't dismiss your dream car to save a few bucks you will end up spending more in the long run with a "bargin buy"
 

ViperJeff

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I purchased a 1998 GTS Silver with Blue stripes with 1865 miles on it. I paid 45k for it, the dealership changed all the fluids hoses and tires. I feel like I got a good deal because I basically got a new car that I always wanted. The dealer originally had the car for sale for $51.000 I traded in a 2008 GT500 with 6700 miles on it for $30.000 I have never looked back. Good luck with your search don't dismiss your dream car to save a few bucks you will end up spending more in the long run with a "bargin buy"

WOW.... Congrats!!!!!
 

AZTVR

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This looks a bit weird. Anyone else?

If it is I certainly want to know so I can have it fixed.
The only thing that I see out of the ordinary are 2 parallel scrathes/grooves and what appears to be excess epoxy or bondo filling in the bottom of the water catch basin on the wheel well liner. Maybe a sign of a poor patch of some kind of incident in the car's 15 year history. I wouldn't worry about it unless one wants it "perfect."

Example of a pristine wheel well liner: http://www.wallpaperup.com/uploads/wallpapers/2013/06/18/104333/4355f8fed0756e05d19b6b717f59fd67.jpg

You must be registered for see images attach
 
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Dude80

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Yeah Edmunds is Bull#$%*. It says my 1995 RT10 with 19,000 miles is worth $20,500. I just bought it for $26,500 from my Dad who was the first owner! Its in pristine condition minus the interior trim paint. 20K my a&&. Edmund can &*() my %^&*. I know I got a good price or fair price for it.
 
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