Future of the Viper????

[bigerc]

Every once in a while these posts pop up but I think that with the impending sell off of Chrysler (as I understand it) it is worth talking about. Some of the questions I have.

Who are possible candidates to buy Chrysler? Who should we be rooting for?

What will this mean for the future of the viper? I would think that the new management would have little interest in the viper and would just leave it alone, but since the viper is in a "transitional" period it is kind of hard to just leave it alone.

And lastly but most important, do you think that the members of this board can pull together enough cash to buy chrysler? Because Im game*

*The amount of capitol at my disposal is about the same as the amount executives spend on haircuts

 

[PatentLaw]

The best thing would be to have an internal buy out from management within Chrysler. It would solve many issues. Outside entities may loot the company. Don't think that it will happen, however.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

I would think that the new management would have little interest in the viper and would just leave it alone, but since the viper is in a "transitional" period it is kind of hard to just leave it alone.

Why wouldn't the new management have a lot of interest in the Viper?

 

[PatentLaw]

I agree with Chuck on this one. The Viper is a very small fish on the overall problems of the company. It is a bright spot, actually. Management should be supportive. Loosing gazzilions of dollars on trucks should be the priority to fix.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

I agree with Chuck on this one. The Viper is a very small fish on the overall problems of the company. It is a bright spot, actually. Management should be supportive. Loosing gazzilions of dollars on trucks should be the priority to fix.

They created the Viper to get them out of their last quandary 17 years ago. To cancel the Viper would be saying the company is done, going out of business so don't buy anymore of our cars, etc.

The Viper is what says their the best American auto company out there and here's the proof.

 

[RMBSRT]

Looks like this is going to be a Private Equity purchase. If the PE members buy Chrysler, then the Viper is done. They are a bottom line group and will be looking at profit margins. The Viper will not make the cut....

Keep your fingers crossed that Nissan my do an end around and pick up the capacity they need to stay with Toyota. That is our only hope...otherwise 2008 is it!

 

[Yellow32]

Looks like this is going to be a Private Equity purchase. If the PE members buy Chrysler, then the Viper is done. They are a bottom line group and will be looking at profit margins. The Viper will not make the cut....

Keep your fingers crossed that Nissan my do an end around and pick up the capacity they need to stay with Toyota. That is our only hope...otherwise 2008 is it!

Link???

 

[MoparMan]

Looks like this is going to be a Private Equity purchase. If the PE members buy Chrysler, then the Viper is done. They are a bottom line group and will be looking at profit margins. The Viper will not make the cut....

Keep your fingers crossed that Nissan my do an end around and pick up the capacity they need to stay with Toyota. That is our only hope...otherwise 2008 is it!

I disagree. If a private equity group buys Chrysler and decides to keep it together then they will need an image or halo vehicle for publicity and what vehicle does better at that than the Viper? Chuck's line of thinking above is exactly correct.

 

[RMBSRT]

Wall Street Journal .com is where you will find the story on the PE buyout of Chrysler.

try this link...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB11742607...ON=wsjie/6month

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Wall Street Journal .com is where you will find the story on the PE buyout of Chrysler.

try this link...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB11742607...ON=wsjie/6month

Gotta subscribe to get the full article. Does it say something about the group wanting to eliminate the Viper?

Until I hear some hard concrete facts rather than all this speculation I really am not concerned. Particularly in light of a 2008 600hp Viper.

 

[Yellow32]

Wall Street Journal .com is where you will find the story on the PE buyout of Chrysler.

try this link...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB11742607...ON=wsjie/6month

Thanks,

Here is a 'free' version:

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/finan...254&k=19006

And a longer free version:

http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=188295

Some details on the PE firm (they look like good guys)

http://finance.google.com/finance?cid=6170491

-J

 

[RoadiJeff]

Looks like this is going to be a Private Equity purchase.

Both the German and American union leaders have said they will fight an attempt by any PE firms to buy DC, as has already been said. The DC board of directors has 20 seats, with 10 of them going to the union. A majority has to approve the sale.

 

[AviP]

Say it aloud everybody, "Unions ****! Unions ****!".

IMHO, the Viper will not die in 2008 because a lot of stuff is already in place for it's production. But 2009 onwards could be a different story. I think it's too early to predict anything.

But until then, we have lots of time to say, "Unions ****! Unions ****!".

 

[rcdice]

Chuck, you going to buy an 08? A few recent posts have got me wondering.

Gotta love 600 hp and still NA. Awesome!!!

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

08 will be too soon, but 09 really has me going.

 

[RoadiJeff]

You'd better thank the unions for taking a stand on this. If a PE firm buys Chrysler you can all kiss the future of the Viper, as well as the entire company, goodbye.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

You'd better thank the unions for taking a stand on this. If a PE firm buys Chrysler you can all kiss the future of the Viper, as well as the entire company, goodbye.

Not sure the Unions didn't have their hand in getting Chrysler in this situation in the first place.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

You'd better thank the unions for taking a stand on this. If a PE firm buys Chrysler you can all kiss the future of the Viper, as well as the entire company, goodbye.

Not sure the Unions didn't have their hand in getting Chrysler in this situation in the first place.

LOL Excellent observation. LOL

 

[RoadiJeff]

It was the unions who agreed to concessions in the early 80s with Lee Iacocca or Chrysler would not have been able to rise from the ashes of near bankruptcy. The only Viper you guys would have known would have been some animal that slithers around in a tropical rain forest.

So, yes, one could say that the unions played a part in getting the company to where they are now.

 

[DAMN YANKEE]

imo

Pick your Viper, get the one you want... old or new. Do it now.
No "new" reorganization is going to be the least bit interested in funding a new Viper. The new flagship of whatever comes from Dodge will not be a V10, it will not get 12 mpg. It will be a very different set of objectives. If the Viper survives, it wont be built by the same company that build mini vans and hybrid vehicles. It will be a "forward thinking, new age, best way forward, we are the future, go green, earth sensitive, socially responsible" kind of company.

Think Ford GT...

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

It was the unions who agreed to concessions in the early 80s with Lee Iacocca or Chrysler would not have been able to rise from the ashes of near bankruptcy. The only Viper you guys would have known would have been some animal that slithers around in a tropical rain forest.

So, yes, one could say that the unions played a part in getting the company to where they are now.

I meant the shape that Chrysler was in in the 80's

Companies can't run competitively with their employees and share holder running things based on filling their own pockets. That's why we're seeing a trend of companies buying back their own stocks and moving to non-union states and countries. I won't say some companies did not draw first blood but, enough is enough.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

imo

Pick your Viper, get the one you want... old or new. Do it now.
No "new" reorganization is going to be the least bit interested in funding a new Viper. The new flagship of whatever comes from Dodge will not be a V10, it will not get 12 mpg. It will be a very different set of objectives. If the Viper survives, it wont be built by the same company that build mini vans and hybrid vehicles. It will be a "forward thinking, new age, best way forward, we are the future, go green, earth sensitive, socially responsible" kind of company.

Think Ford GT...

Good idea. I'll run out and buy one today.

Wait a minute...they stopped building the Ford GT.

Thanks for the great advice.

 

[DAMN YANKEE]

Sorry Chuck, I guess I wasn't clear enough, I'll try again.

"Wait a minute...they stopped building the Ford GT"
THAT IS MY POINT, BUY YOUR VIPER BEFORE IT HAPPENS TO DODGE.

Think of it this way, in the last year, when Ford knew they had to become accountable, when investors insisted that Ford be accountable, when Fords management was threatened, when the stockholders pressed for board change, When Ford himself had to step down, when Wall Street pressed....projects like the Ford GT was KILLED, ENDED, STOPED, FINISHED as in no sustainable profits.
Ford now is spending ALL their capital on....hybrids, entry cars for Europe, efficient mid class high margin economical family cars. The Ford GT was not "the best way forward".

Think Ford GT
Think Aston Martin
Think Cobra

If you want new Dodge Viper, from Dodge or if you want an older Viper model before Dodge turns into the company no longer making Vipers, then imo

Pick your Viper, get the one you want... old or new. Do it now.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Sorry. That was a good one and I missed it. I feel like an idiot now.

Where is that "I better get outta here" smiley?

 

[Zan186]

I am not so sure about the future of the Viper, but you have to think the Ford GT was ended to keep its value high. It seems the GT sold for 135k list but really was going for like 200k per car. You have to think that if the car was that profitable that they would continue building them. Yet, sometimes you sacrifice some profit to create high demand.

As for the Viper, well I bought mine a few weeks ago. If they don't make them anymore well mine will become a classic and rare! So that is good. Yet I like the Viper to compete in the race industryit gives the vehicle some clout. Either way I think the Viper community is in a win win situation.
Well except when you need a part lol!

 

[Cobraken]

The Ford GT was always scheduled for a limited run. What didn't happen was the next generation halo vehicle for Ford (ie Cobra or GTR whatever). The Viper was a corporate excercise in large part to see if it could be done & as a morale booster for Chrysler employees. It's purpose is no longer valid if the company is purchased by "bean counters".

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

You have to ask your self, why did Ford remake the GT? For money or image?

Image is everything and the Viper shows Dodge is the company to beat.

The Dodge Viper owns the American road. Why would a company just walk away. After working so hard to be top dog?
If they cancelled the Viper it would be a major step back and saying "we're not as good as GM and Ford" and put themselves back in 3rd/last place. Chrysler has the best looking automobiles in every category and their quality is superior.

Warren Buffet should buy it and let the company just focus on making great cars, rather than having to show a profit every quarter. If your good at the first, the second will come in wind falls. IMO

 

[Fast Freddy]

the reason that the ford GT was only made for the years 2005 and 2006 only was because the cars body design would not meet the new federally mandated crash test standards set for all new cars starting in 2008. in order for the GT to meet those specs the cars body design would be so radically altered that the end result would not look anything like what the car presently looks like. this was also the reason for the rush to build the car because ford became aware of these changes in 2002.

the good news is that fords shelby GR-1 does meet the 2008 crash test standards. unfortunately the 600 hp 6.4 L V-10 engine does not pass emissions. its compression ratio is so high that it will not run on anything less than 100 octane unleaded race gas. if they drop the compression it will run on pump gas but the power output will drop to 500 hp. the GT's motor is to heavy and too tall for the front engined GR-1. once they get a motor designed that will give this car the power and handling it deserves the GR-1 will be the next halo car for ford. i will be the first in line to buy it too. the simple solution is to punch the displacement out on the 6.4 L V-10 to 8.4 litres like the new viper and give it VVT camshaft with 10:1 compression ratio.

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[Chuck 98 RT/10]

It is unfortunate that some regulations aren't relaxed for low production cars. Ideally (eventually) I suppose, the whiners will have us all driving exactly the same cars with exactly the same styling, safety, performance, etc.

Gee, that'll be fun.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

I give DCX even more credit then. To see down the road on the Gen III and make everybody happy. The feds and Viper lovers. 600hp sports car, out in 2007, under $90k. Way to go Dodge.