Re: Any opinions on \"Renting Out\" Vipers?..
Yep. I made my decision to buy after renting one. I used Beverly Hills Motor Cars. They are right next to the LAX airport (right next to it). They have Viper and other stuff. When I was looking, they got a brand new 96. I think it had something like 12 miles on it when I got it. I took it out to Death Valley and, ahem, helped break it in for them. When I brought it back the tech guy just looked at the odometer and giggled.
For me it helped me confirm that I wanted a Viper. I did worry about hurting the car, but it retrospect, it probably wasn't any worse than some car I might get from Hertz or Budget. It was the right decision on my part.
There are some other places I know that rent Vipers. There are two places in Las Vegas, but I have looked at those cars and they really beat the hell out of those. A place near the Maui airport rents at least one RT/10. A pretty good place near the Orlando airport (just west of the airport and you can see it from the toll road) has a few Vipers. All the ones that I saw were in very good condidition, but you need to make reservations in advance: I almost rented one there but the guy with reservations showed up after I had finished the paperwork, but before I got my foot in the door.
Orlando and Maui don't strike me as good places to rent a Viper. Maui gets you the hill climb on the volcano, but every where else it is too much traffic, too slow, and too dangerous if you are just learning the car. Orlando has the Florida 'blue hairs' and too many cops. LA works well, but plan that you have to drive at least 2 hours to get into some serious driving. If you just want cruising, LA is great. Vegas has gobs of wide open spaces (I took that LA rental to Vegas) and you can get lots of speed. I think I found some little road where I had 1/2 hour where I never went below a hundred. Cruising on the strip is fun too. Keep in mind, Vegas has more Vipers for rent than anywhere else (and they may all be red), so it won't seem as exclusive there.
Have fun!