1997 GTS

treed

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I'm considering purchasing a 1997 GTS that has the following modifications: The car has a brake upgrade, headers, gear upgrade, and catback exhaust. It also has had blue racing belts added. Are any of these mods considered a negative? I'm assuming they are all bolt on and could be reversed if desired?

Thanks,
Tim
 

Simms

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Not negative in my book, unless you are an original kind of guy.
Assuming the seller still has the stock parts, they should all bolt back on.
Only thing I can see that can not be restored is the holes in the rear bulk head for the harnesses. ACR's have them stock, but not GTS's.
 

Bad_Byte

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If you are able to, I would ask to see the original calipers and ensure they have not gotten hot, if they have the white 'viper' will appear golden or brown. It is just a sign that the car was on the track.

In my opinion aftermarket brake calipers are a good thing.

I would also be curious as to why a gear change is considered 'an upgrade' IMHO its just a gear cange and not necessarily a good or bad thing, just different.

Remember what's preferable for one person is not for another.
 

PDCjonny

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Wouldn't those modifications generally point to a car having been raced in some capacity? Racing belts and gears? Not that it matters if it was maintained properly.
 
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treed

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Good comments/thoughts, thank you.

On the bulkhead, is that something that could be replaced with stock? Cheaply?

ViperJon - Good point. The way everyone modifies these things, it didn't cross my mind that it might have been raced. No roll bars/cage is mentioned, so I would assume it was just for show... good question to ask, however.

I thought the "gear upgrade" was a strange one myself.

Tim
 

Toby

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Treed...I am in Mason Ohio myself. Let me know if you need help finding/looking over a Viper.

I know of the one you are looking at and my first reaction was the car may have been tracked/raced but if it was taken care of...no worries. Just have it looked over top to bottom including a tech checking compression and doing a leak down test on the motor.

You may want to work with the seller on price too. I think they are asking about 5-7K over what I would pay for it.
 

Simms

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Just have it looked over top to bottom including a tech checking compression and doing a leak down test on the motor.

Amen to that. :D

Treed, I think bulck heads are expensive, but can be replaced. Call Chuck Tator on pricing and availability.
 
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treed

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Toby - I'll definitely look you up if I find something in our neck of the woods. There is someone that has a blue/white GTS in the Sharonville area that I wouldn't mind purchasing, but I have never seen it for sale.

Chuck - The one in question has 12460 miles on it.
 
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treed

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I've also run accross a 1997 Blue/White RT/10 with 4500 miles on it that looks interesting. Any thoughts on how much might be a reasonable offer for this? They are asking $56,500.00 which seems a bit high...

Tim
 

joe117

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"$56,500.00 which seems a bit high..."
No kidding, that's high.

But I guess that blue and white is worth it. Right?

What does that used SRT cost?
 

Toby

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I've also run accross a 1997 Blue/White RT/10 with 4500 miles on it that looks interesting. Any thoughts on how much might be a reasonable offer for this? They are asking $56,500.00 which seems a bit high...

Tim

56k is too high. Mid to upper 40's depending on condition. People are looking for emotional buyers at that price. The market is soft and deals on really nice examples are out there if you really dig.
 

LethalBite

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Even with only 50+/- RT/10's with that color combo and only in that year?

I'm looking for a 96 or 97 GTS blue/white, but haven't found anything decent in the 40's.
 

Ron Hickey

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Frankly, I'm surprised that 97 blue/white RT/10 is selling for below $60K. I don't think $56,500 is too high for a car that's 1 of 53 or so. A 97 with 4500 miles is low mileage. When the Viper dust finally settles years from now, the cars with the highest resale will be the '92's, the 100 '98 GT-2's, and the fifty or so '97 blue-white RT/10's. Oh yeah, and the several one-off VCA raffle cars.
 
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treed

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Good point on the value of the RT/10. I guess it's a tricky balance between what a car is worth today, versus 10 years from now versus how much someone else is willing to pay for it. If you look around enough, prices are all over the board right now on 96/97 RT/10's. Heck, I found a black one with 800 miles on it for $100,000.00. Yes, $100k.

I would love to pick up a nice, unmolested, low mile (15k or less) 96/97 blue/white GTS for the mid-40's. I get the feeling from this forum and others that from an individual, that is what they are worth right now. Problem is, what you see on the market most often is from a dealer, and they are consistently asking low to mid 50's. And then you have a lot of leg work to see what all was done to the car, if it was raced etc.
 

Toby

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FYI...It took me almost a year to find my 96GTS but only a few months for the 01 ACR as age really plays a part in finding a good example. 96/97 GTS's are not exactly spring chickens anymore.

Don't be afraid to walk away from a car...it's easy to fall in love with a Viper you are looking over and sometimes that can cause you to make a poor decision.

Check these sources daily...

Autotrader
Viper Alley.com classifieds
The VCA classifieds
Ebay

Many of the good deals on clean Vipers come and go so fast you miss the opportunity if you dont watch the market daily.

Also, I would recommend starting a new thread here at over at Viper Alley.com with the heading...

"looking for a clean 96/97 GTS"
 

97 B/W GTS

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Personally I wouldn't buy any Viper that has been modded. Just my opinion, but anyone who mods their Viper is going to drive it harder... I eventually plan on modding mine, but I wanted a totally stock one to start with.

The bl-wt RT/10's are definitely rarer so $56K doesn't sound that bad. If you're looking for a bl-wt GTS (yeh, that's the one I had to have too), there were 1163 1996's and 965 1997's. How many of these cars are left? The 1996's had a few little bugs supposedly (some minor oil leaks amoung a few other minor things). I chose a '97 because these things had been fixed. There is another thread "Need a fair price on a 97 Viper. Blue-wt stripes" fairly recently you can look up that talks about prices for the bl-wt's. Not sure how to past the link here. Sorry (If you tell me how to do it, I will get the thread for you). As I said in that thread, don't let price get in the way of the car you "gotta have". I don't mean paying obscene money for it, but I believe a fair price is $50K for an absolutely perfectly clean under 10,000 mile '97. They can be had for mid $40's, but I think you are going to be looking a lot longer. A few thou shouldn't make a difference on the perfect car. Be willing to pay a little more. These '96-'97's bl-wt GTS's are a very desireable color combo.

Also, don't even consider what it will be worth in 10 years. Who cares? Also, if you could predict that, play the stock market, make your billions, and then you won't have to worry at all about what a Viper will cost.
 

BLUESNAKE367

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I've also run accross a 1997 Blue/White RT/10 with 4500 miles on it that looks interesting. Any thoughts on how much might be a reasonable offer for this? They are asking $56,500.00 which seems a bit high...

Tim

If you are not interested in the 97 RT/10, I would love to buy it myself, can you email or send me a pm...thanks, Yeah $56,500.00 for a 97 RT/10 blue/white,
To whom do I make the check out to???? Thanks..............
 
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treed

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Anyone have contact info (email or phone) for Chuck Tator? Want to ask him about the bulk head replacement. . .

Thanks,
Tim
 

TomSlick

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Treed, I had a car with Simpsons in it. Took them out in about 30 minutes and sold them on e-bay. All that's left without doing anything is a slot that doesn't show behind the seat. The car your looking at looks great at about the right price. I bought my first Viper from them, and they are wonderful folks. If you want, I'll be glad to go look at the car and give you an independent opinion.
 
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treed

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In laymans terms, what should I look for in a leak down/compression test results?

TomSlick - I may just take you up on that offer. Are you far from there?
 

1TONY1

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Anyone have contact info (email or phone) for Chuck Tator? Want to ask him about the bulk head replacement. . .

Thanks,
Tim

Just a silly thought here..... (and I think Chuck Tator is great) but, If I was buying a car from a dealer and needed a part, I would ask the dealer to sell it to me at cost.

p.s. I just looked at the cost, if I looked at the correct part# .... you don't want to buy one. How about this.....if you didn't want the belts....whoever wants them.....trade bulkheads.
 
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treed

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1TONY1 - Excellent point. Just out of curiosity, to save me a call to Chuck, what was the price in the bulk head?
 

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