???? about Vipers in accidents

[93Cobra]

I opologize in advance if this is a no brainer but how do you check parts on a Viper like fenders, hood, etc to know whether or not it has been in an accident. I know how to tell if its been repainted but like other cars, do Vipers have vin#'s on doors, spoilers to match them up? I do not trust Carfax and basically looking for advise.

Also, can the odometer be tampered with? Reason I ask is because I am looking at a 96 GTS with 24k miles and the seats, and plastics look more worn out then my 97 GTS I had with more miles. Or is it that I just found a car that was not taken care of as my 97? I have a feeling it has more miles then it shows.

 

[95Viper]

A Vipertech can check the computer for mileage but I don't think this started until 96 or 97.

 

[Bonkers]

Also, can the odometer be tampered with?

Yup. A professional chop-shop can alter just about anything that would bring in more cash. I realized that on my old jeep that you could just swap out the enitre dash or gauges and remove all evidence very cheaply.

If you have the VIN I can check my logs + a dealership *might* have service records avalible + carfax is always a good source for this kind of info.

 

[93Cobra]

Thanks for the replys guys. I really want to get this car but for being just one year older then my other car (97 GTS) it makes my 97 look like it just came off the showroom floor. I mean the 96 looks good but just little things. Like the side plastic right next to the seat belt buckle, its worn out to the point where the black paint came off. This is on a 24k mile car. The guy selling it is bigger but still.

 

[venomblue550]

can't take the speedo apart....the speedo unit is one piece...unless you break the lens....maybe the car is just not took care of...

 

[DarcShadow]

For wear on things like the seat belt you can't really go by mileage. You could get in and out of the car 10 time and put 24k miles on it or you could get in and out of the car 2000 times and still only but 24k miles on it. just depends on how it was drivin, not how far.

 

[V 10 MAFIA]

Try to find oil change records if car was serviced in previous dealers. Those records will indicate the mileage if they exist. Then you can compare and see if the od. was turned back.

 

[2002_Viper_GTS_ACR]

The pcm and the odometer should match. But anyone cheating the odometer, would be smart enough to change the milage in the PCM. I know about this, because I have 2 pcms, and as my milage goes up, the pcm sitting on the shelf gains no milage, so they never agree, unless I get a Dodge ODB2 device to update the milage in the pcm. But give it a shot, check the pcm, perhaps if the guy was scamming, he didnt know the milage was also recorded in the pcm.

Jon

 

[GR8_ASP]

All years store the odometer reading in the PCM. However, it is not failsafe as it can be reset by anyone with a DRB tool.

Also, for people like me with 2 PCMs, neither PCM is reflective of the mileage (course for me both read low).

I agree with Dark Shadow in that wear of some things is not reflective of mileage. Check the pedal pads and other things that are more mileage dependent.

 

[jimandela]

check the brake fluid..see if it is dark.

 

[93Cobra]

I am lloking at this car for my brother. Its a 96 GTS that looks nice to me. It has no dings or anything like that. The front facia has the typical rock chips and actually does not look to bad. What do you guys think a car like this is worth? Below is a small summary of the mods it has. The guy selling it told me its never been on the track exept for parade laps with other Vipers. Thanks for the info.

Edelbrock headers
Borla cat back
smooth tubes
Simpson 3point seat belts