Help with a GTS Purchase

[GavinM]

Hi All,

I'm a current 300 SRT8 owner and have began my search for my first Viper. The VCA forum has been a great tool and I look forward to joining upon my purchase.

My primary color choices (Stripes preferred but not required) are:
00-Black
01-Saphire
02-Graphite

Mileage can vary, but I plan to put some miles on it so I would not be opposed to 20k which I know is "high".

Can a few of you give me your opinion on the prices I should expect. Depending on mileage and condition I feel 50-60k is what is common. Saphire and Graphite fetching more because of scarcity.

Last but not least, if you know of any for sale, pass it on!!

Thanks, Gavin

 

[C-Note]

I would avoid year 2000 cars, if you want a black car I think you would be better off with a 99.

1999 was the last year for the better engine.
2000 cars lost the forged pistons and did not have ABS.
2001 and up cars had ABS, some would rater have the engine and some want the brakes.
2000 cars didnt have either one of these features.

Just my .02c

 

[mike & juli]

Hi Gavin: Good Luck on your purchase...can't wait to welcome you as a VCA Member/Viper Owner! I'm presuming you have checked the 'classifieds' here on the forums? I also know AndrewUSPWR is selling his, as well as citysnake, just to remember a couple offhand...not sure if they meet your requirements, but it's a start? GOOD LUCK~~~juli

 

[jasontiff]

...what C-Note said!

And I think you're about right with your estimated pricing, but there are deals to be had if you're patient (because of the current economy/season).

 

[PDCjonny]

I would avoid year 2000 cars, if you want a black car I think you would be better off with a 99.

Oh boy now you did it....

 

[GavinM]

C-note. Good point on the 2000's not having either of the features. That being said, color is more important than either ABS or forged pistons/cam.

I have Maurice's Viper buying book which is a great resource so I have thought all these over. I know things can change, but right now I don't see supercharging in my future so the pistons are to much of a concern. As far as ABS goes I wouldn't mind it to help avoid flatspotting.

 

[CitySnake]

Are you firm on having a fixed roof over your head. Someone's going to get a great deal on my '01 sapphire roadster.

 

[mike & juli]

Are you firm on having a fixed roof over your head. Someone's going to get a great deal on my '01 sapphire roadster.

It's kind of why I mentioned your car, Scott...can vouch definitely for the great deal someone will get with your car!~! (But, yeah, again, hear ya and him on the roof) ~juli

 

[goldcup]

Love the Sapphire,in the sunlight there is nothing close IMO.But....keeping the color clean and blemish free on a car that is driven alot is a full time job if your are very particular .I am not an expert by any means but it seems 35k-45k buys one heck of a nice GTS, dealers are still in the 50-60k range but for a "high" mileage car 20k miles you should end up significantly below 50k.Most cars do not seem to be selling at that high range and if it is above 10k miles I think you will find a deep discount in this market.Good luck even if you pay a little more for a good car you will not regret it there is nothing like life viewed through a Viper windshield!!!!!!

 

[GavinM]

Are you firm on having a fixed roof over your head. Someone's going to get a great deal on my '01 sapphire roadster.

City, a roof is a requirement, but if i was an RT/10 shopper your blown saphire would be on my short list!

 

[GavinM]

Has anyone had personal experience or know the owners of any of these VCA classified cars? (2 are steel gray, would be my 4th choice)

ViperClub Classifieds - 2001 Sapphire Blue GTS - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds
ViperClub Classifieds - Steel Grey with Silver Stripes - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds
ViperClub Classifieds - Steel Gray w/ silver stripes 2000 GTS - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds

Or this autotrader saphire gts? AT Car ID: AT-DAB8515

 

[goldcup]

I bought my Sapphire coupe from Premier in Springfield Mo.Several people in our club have also,everyone I have talked to has had a great experience with them.I am super picky ,many people say a car is perfect and I would disagree, if Premier says the car is perfect send them your money,I would buy sight unseen w/o a second thought I would probably buy from them w/out even discussing the car with them.They inspect and detail all cars that they sell, they stand behind what they sell.You will pay a bit more than market but you will get a good car that is accurately described.You can also get clear bra etc at a reduced cost.I had a clear bra put on mine, it was nearly impossible to see and cost was in the 600 dollar range, that is cheap from what I've seen and the install was a work of art!!!!!!

 

[Jerz Viper]

Has anyone had personal experience or know the owners of any of these VCA classified cars? (2 are steel gray, would be my 4th choice)

ViperClub Classifieds - 2001 Sapphire Blue GTS - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds
ViperClub Classifieds - Steel Grey with Silver Stripes - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds
ViperClub Classifieds - Steel Gray w/ silver stripes 2000 GTS - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds

Or this autotrader saphire gts? AT Car ID: AT-DAB8515

I know the 2001 car, its our clubs secretary's car! Its in excellent condition!

 

[agentf1]

Apparently we have identical taste. You choices are in my opinion the best and as I am sure you are finding out the toughest ones to find. It seems as soon as a nice Sapphire or Graphite car with stripes comes on the market it goes quick. Things have slowed down a little bit since I bought mine last summer but they are still few and far apart, at least the nice ones.

I recently picked up a Sapphire/Silver with 985 miles and LOVE it. I ended up buying from Bernie and have no regrets. I have continued following the market and I can honestly say I do not think I would have one if I didn't buy the one I did as I have yet to see another close to mine on the market.

I would recommend you contact all of the forum dealer like BJ Motors - Used Dodge Vipers for Sale, Performance and Exotic Sports Car Wholesaler Dodge Viper For Sale New & Used, sales, Plymouth Prowlers for sale, Plus Viper Pictures & Sell your viper, buy a viper, purchase a viper, & More, Woodhouse, Buhler, Tators and Premier Sportscars Co. - Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, Viper, Exotics, Used Sports Cars. and see if any of them can help you out. You may also want to PM Dealmaker as he has a beautiful Sapphire/Silver ACR with low miles which is comparable to mine. A lot of people told me that the ACR's ride horrible and that I would not want one but on the flip side they are rarer and have beautiful wheels and 5 point harness's etc... Just make sure the shocks are not bad or leaking as that can get expensive.

If you have any questions or just want to pick my brain about my experience just let me know and I will PM you my number.

Good luck with your search. Normally I would say the search is half the fun but this car is so much freaking fun nothing compares to ownership.

Oh, the Sapphire car above looks nice.

 

[PDCjonny]

He's smart to be looking for one with higher mileage, since he says he actually wants to drive it not stare at it. Of course living in Buffalo means a 3 month driving season. Nothing wrong with 25-35K on it, you should get a great deal and not have a car you AGONIZE over when it rolls over ten more miles. Ask Agent1 about that...

 

[Venomiss]

You might find this thread helpful.

http://forums.viperclub.org/dealer-...-post-good-first-time-buyers.html#post2400410

Give Bill Pemberton a call-they have one of the largest Viper Pits in the country.
1-800-889-1893
or
1-402-426-4126

Good luck in your search!

 

[GavinM]

Goldcup, great that yourself and multiple forum members have had good experiences with Premier motorsports. I have seen many nice vipers there, but they sometimes seemed to sit quite a while without appearing to sell.

Jerz Viper: your clubs secretary's car. Let him know I could be interested, I will plan on dropping him a line and discussing.

Agent F1: Great taste! I have spent alot of time looking at BJ's website the past year and again see great cars, they do appear to sell quickly. Have heard very positive things about them as well. Tators, Woodhouse I have checked often, inventory seems "low" am i missing something? I should email them i guess huh? Buhler is new to me i will check, and Roanoke I checked often too.

ViperJon: 3 month driving season is all too accurate at times!

 

[PDCjonny]

ViperJon: 3 month driving season is all too accurate at times!

I was born in North Tonawanda, believe me I know....

 

[mike & juli]

I was born in North Tonawanda, believe me I know....

Snowbelt here, outside Syracuse, north towards Oswego, almost my whole life...so yeah, driving season is about spot-on, 3 months outta the year, rest of the time, studded snow tires!~! ~juli

 

[agentf1]

Goldcup, great that yourself and multiple forum members have had good experiences with Premier motorsports. I have seen many nice vipers there, but they sometimes seemed to sit quite a while without appearing to sell.

Jerz Viper: your clubs secretary's car. Let him know I could be interested, I will plan on dropping him a line and discussing.

Agent F1: Great taste! I have spent alot of time looking at BJ's website the past year and again see great cars, they do appear to sell quickly. Have heard very positive things about them as well. Tators, Woodhouse I have checked often, inventory seems "low" am i missing something? I should email them i guess huh? Buhler is new to me i will check, and Roanoke I checked often too.

ViperJon: 3 month driving season is all too accurate at times!

Whats happening is the nice Gen II cars are getting farther and fewer apart so these dealers which specialize in the newer cars are getting fewer of them as the years go on since people aren't trading them in as often. I also think it has something to do with Bernie and Nathan being very diligent and scouring the classifieds and grabbing the nice ones as soon as they come on the market or ebay since that is their livelihood.

Jon, I don't regret buying a low mile GTS. I can drive it 2k a year for the next 4 years and it will still be considered a low mile GTS. Maybe if I didn't have a Z06 in the garage next to the GTS for those long trips it may be a little more of an issue. And even if I do put 20 or 30k on the car it will still depreciate a lot less than if I bought a new Z06 which drops 15k the second I drive it off the lot. It is a win win situation. I never intended for it to be a investment anyway. Well, maybe an investment in my sanity but thats about it and it is paying off greatly in that department.

 

[Zan186]

Just don't get Red! We already have 3 Gen II Red Vipers In WNY that are fairly active drivers! I think there are two Blue with White stripes, one Grey and that is about all I know about the GEN II's in WNY.

I bought my Final Edition in Feb, my best advice is to contact Chuck Tator and Dan Lesser. Chuck was extremely helpful in pointing me in the right direction and getting information on each car I was looking at. Dan Lesser is the local Viper Speacialist and he seems to know everything about the cars and he is LOCAL which is huge.

 

[GavinM]

Just don't get Red! We already have 3 Gen II Red Vipers In WNY that are fairly active drivers! I think there are two Blue with White stripes, one Grey and that is about all I know about the GEN II's in WNY.

I bought my Final Edition in Feb, my best advice is to contact Chuck Tator and Dan Lesser. Chuck was extremely helpful in pointing me in the right direction and getting information on each car I was looking at. Dan Lesser is the local Viper Speacialist and he seems to know everything about the cars and he is LOCAL which is huge.

Yeah, i do see quite a few reds. Yours doesnt happen to be the final edition that is often parked outside snooty fox on delaware is it??

 

[Viper Specialty]

Hi Gavin,

Wow, I feel like an ******, I usually find the new guys before anyone else!

Any questions, comments, concerns... just give me a holler. I think #1 priority this summer it to grab the reins on the local Viper club and do some ass+foot insertions to get some of these guys out more regularly!

 

[Viper Specialty]

Yeah, i do see quite a few reds. Yours doesnt happen to be the final edition that is often parked outside snooty fox on delaware is it??

Nope, that is likely Mark, different car- lives on Grand Island.

Zan- for Gen-2, off the top of my head we have 3 Red/White FE's now, 1 yellow ACR, 2 Graphite/Silver GTS, 1 Steel Grey GTS, 1 Red/Silver ACR, 2 Solid red GTS, 1 Solid Red RT/10

 

[RTTTTed]

I like your color choice! Get two colors for the price of one.

You must be registered for see images

Maybe more than two colors as the sun adjusts the pearl between Sapphire Blue and Black. Here's a cloudy day.

Ted