First Post..Potential Viper buyer..long but replies / input appreciated

[FranciscoR.]

Hello all. My name is FranciscoR. I am not a Viper owner ( yet ), but do have a lot to talk about if ya feel like listening. ( And I hope you do. )

For starters, the Viper IS the single BEST American made car. Keep your pony pouners and whatever else you got, and give me a Viper. Plus, being only 5'8" tall, I am made for this car, and vice-versa.

Ok, now for the more serious part. I am planning right now to buy a Viper. I however due to age ( 23 ) , along with school and other expenses wouldn't be able to get it for within a year, maybe a bit more. ( Oh no, I will be 24...lol ) I keep on hearing people waiting 6 years, or six days to get a Viper. Is one year of planning too long or too short? I know it may sound stupid to ask, but I want to "test" and make sure I am getting the best Viper, for the best price. I just don't know if starting this early ( potential buy next september or so ) is too early, and even worth it. What advice can you all give me on buying my first Viper?

I am looking for a 94. ( sidepipes baby ) Nothing special really. No need for a "low mileage" car. And if possible, around 30g or less. ( keep in mind next year 94's will be ever so slighgtly cheaper ). Any and all help would be appreciated. I know I am not the first one to go through first-buy planning jitters...Francisco

p.s. I live in Cincinnati Ohio. If ANYONE would be willing to give me even a 10 minute ride in a Viper, I'll buy lunch at McDonalds...lolol

 

[plumcrazy]

i think you will find a few in that price with some looking. one year is hard to do cause after about 3-4 months , you're gonna want one so bad you will end up buying one. trust me I did. I was gonna wait till feb/march to get one and along comes the perfect car for me and BAM......I bought it..lol

 

[Magicboy2]

Plenty of posts like yours have been made... do a search for "newbie" or "buying viper".

If it helps at all, I'm 23 and love my '94. I wasn't planning on getting one till next year, but the perfect car came along, so I went for it.

For $30k you can certainly find a passable car, probably with quite a few miles on it... I was set on finding a pristine one, and trust me, that's not so easy for $30k... even for a '94, a pristine car with lower miles will easily go for $35k.

Just to reiterate, do a search, you'll find answers to all your concerns, and then some more you didn't even know you had.

 

[Buckeye Viper]

If you're ever in Columbus, I'll take you up on your offer.

-J

 

[ViperJoe]

Do what YOU want and buy what YOU can afford when YOU are ready.
Give your self a 30-60 day window AFTER you know what to look for and KNOW what you want. Don't RUSH. If you miss one or the $$ are too high, another one will be by soon enough.
Good Luck!!

 

[ViperJohn]

Do not start looking until you are ready to buy, if you start looking early, you will end up buying sooner. I know this because it happened to me.

Plan on spending atleast 35K. Most 94's in good condition have been going for this price. If you find the perfect one for 30K, then put the leftover 5K into mods.

Good Luck

 

[genXgts]

Hey Franco,

Good luck in your search, it took me a year to find the car I wanted, and picked it up at 28.

Don't let a few grand sway your mind one way or the other on a Viper. The savings for a suspect car can quickly be eaten away, moreso on a non warranty car as your thinking (GenI). That is not to say stick to low miles, I prefer some mileage, a trailer queen in the vintage your looking can have severe head gasket issues or worse and thousands of bucks to fix.

Find a VCA owned car, more specifically that is on this site (as most of the VCA is not), and your way ahead of the game, like most things knowledge is king.

If your ever up this way, we can hit the town for a night in my GTS, there will be dozens of Vipers in Norwalk for some track fun I think in mid Sept, try and make it out there and you see and hear every iteration of Viper ever made, that'll get the blood going!!haha

good luck,

 

[FranciscoR.]

Hey, if anyone is willing to get together with me at events, and talk to me, it would be awesome. Also, any "personal" info on 92s - 94s or so would be greatly appreciated. I see why some people say waiting one year isn't too great, but at same time, like you say, knowledge is King. I rather spend one year looking, asking tons of questions, and riding in different models...hint...hint...hint....LOL never hurts to have as much info as possible.

 

[Birvini]

I love my '94!!! I would not part with it for any amount of money. As far as "personal info on 92 to 94" do a search and you'll find plenty. Good luck!

 

[BarbaraAnn]

I think you need to get acquainted with a reputable Viper tech. (I haven't met any disreputable ones, but...) Dave Harris, the Viper tech with Hinckley Dodge in Salt Lake City, has been a "best friend" in all matters Viper. If you find a previously owned Viper, you will really need for someone knowledgeable to check it out for you. I have a '94, a '95, and a '98, and I love them all. For different reasons. Kind of like having several children, which I also have. Good luck...and ENJOY!

 

[Birvini]

Wow, nice stable!!!

 

[SUN RA KAT]

I'm hungry! I'll come down to Cinci and take you for a ride in my Viper very soon.

 

[Jim Hodel]

I started looking for Vipers almost two years before I actually made a purchase. By then, I had looked at several used Vipers and was quite familier with Viper related issues and prices. I was also saving money so that when the right one came along I could buy. That happended to be a new 99 GTS that the dealer wanted to sell, and I was able to make a very good deal (traded in a 98 M3).

Jim

 

[FE 065]

Stay away from '92s. A number of pieces on them were not of the same quality as on '94s or later. In fact I was just told about a month ago by someone in management inside the Viper plant that many '92 pieces were so prototype-ish that they are no longer available.
I had the opportunity to look at a '93 for the first time last week, and I could see for example that the forward section of the airbox didn't meet the rear section as well as on my '94.
No offense to owners of older Viper, but personally,I'd start with the '94 Viper and go from there. The price probably isn't much different for a '94.
For me, the 'jitters' part when I was looking for a used '96GTS 4 years ago was not wanting to buy someone's ex-race car or one that had been beat to death.
There are some garage queens around, keep looking. One 65yo guy who was busy in FL with his 50' yacht had both a low mile '94RT and '96GTS in his other garage in KY that I looked at back then. Just the kind of owner you want. I ended buying a 950 mile 3 yr old GTS that was a MI dealer's personal car and stored in a climate controlled garage with his other cars.
Look for an owner who seems responsible. It would seem the less high performance add-ons an owner has done - the better chance it's been babied.
The internet gives you access to newpapers in any state you're willing to drive to for a good car. Spend some time,even now, putting together neighboring newspaper websites in your Favorites so you can access them quickly when you're ready to buy. Alot of owners don't advertise their cars in national "for sale" sites. Good luck!