How easily we take our Vipers for granted...

[FinalEd357]

It is winter, haven't driven her in 2 months and I'm reflecting on Viper ownership. I'm as guilty as the next Viper owner for always wanting more. A more exclusive car, an ACR, maybe a new Gen 3 coupe, even the coveted GTS-R.

It's easy to forget (with 101 Viper listings on Ebay) just how rare & truly special EVERY Viper is. The day that DC dicontinues production, we will rush to get our hands on any low mile car we can. 30 yr old MASS PRODUCED muscle cars that couldn't hold a candle stick to a Viper go for 10-20x their original price these days. Nearly 170,000 mustangs were built in 1969 alone, for example.

Approximately 20,000 total Vipers built in 10 years, exclusive car club, VOI events, V-10, special edition cars and racing packages (ACR). We all own ABSOLUTE AMERICAN CLASSICS - regardless of generation/specifics, however, I do agree the most sought after will be Gen 1&2, especially GTS .

Do any of you feel that you take owning a Viper for granted?

 

[Leslie]

I have to honestly say yes I did for awhile there, and maybe it took me going through some hard times here recently to realize how lucky I am to have this car.

If anything happens to your Viper, I here people say , "oh you can get another one", welll.. some of us just might not be able to....it's MORE than that.

My Viper represents how hard I've worked in my life, all the crap I've dealt with at work, all the times I've relocated, left a great relationship so I could 'get the big promotion', work harder and make just a little more, and for all the lousy bosses I have had to put up with the last 30 yrs.

THAT'S what my Viper represents to me, and I DID take it for granted until 2 weeks ago.

Today I plan to go out in my 2 degree garage and start my awsome car up and be grateful for having such an amazing ride.


Please feel free to send me a bill for your Psychiatric services, I feel better now.

 

[SERPENT INDY]

agree....I still mess with classic MOPAR Muscle cars.....what you said is all true...

...I believe in the GTS/ACR for the long term investor above any other Vipers except the GTS-R

 

[Viper Fever]

I used to own a few shelby and mustangs cars I was in to shelbys
when most people never even knew what they were. Today they act
like everyone wanted one back in the day not true. I always told
my wife one day the shelbys would be worth too much and when the big
money was into them fun was over.Today the Viper is the same way
the true Viper enthusiest loves there Viper.I like these cars
so much better.The Viper to me is my shelby /daytona coupe/cobra
all in one package these cars are absolutly awesome.As I see it
some of these mass produced muscle cars are very nice but are getting
way too expensive as that happens you look too the next best deal
and the used viper market is the absolute best bang for the buck
way undervalued.
Sometimes I tell my wife when Im under alot
of stress I need to go to the garage and spend some time working on
my Vipers .I never took them forgranted and sometimes all I do
is just look at them and marvel.I used to have shelby fever
but Viper fever is way worse(thats a good thing)To the younger
guys here I'm 51 and my passion for cars has not changed since I was 18.

 

[FinalEd357]

Great point. After a rough day I'll sometimes tell my wife "we're low on milk, I'm gonna run to the store" or "how about a video rental"? She knows those are code words for: Need 15 minutes away from reality in the Viper to clear my mind! Works every time.

 

[ASKYOURWIFE]

Im intotal agreeance. I often find my self thinking it's just a dodge..Or it was only 75 grand brand new and only worth low 40's now so it's nonthing special...

I forget that too the average person making 25-35 grand a year a 75 grand car is super car territory...And even my used 99 rt10 that I paid low 40's for would be an expensive car to them...

I also forget that what i paid for my 99 viper I could have easily bought a 2007 c6...

It's funny because I dreamed of owning a viper for two years and took 6 months on just deciding between a forged gen 2 or a SRT10. It felt so good finally having my own viper. Much better experience than buying my first brand new 2004 vette.

The differance was though..That the dream of the vette was only my dream and no one else seemed to think the vette was special. While the Viper seems to be everyones dream based on all the oohs and ahhs.

Even with this said i still find myself saying it's just a big truck engine and a used low 40 grand Dodge..

So thanks for posting this and helping me remember just how special this car really is.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

I agree so much, which is why it blows my mind that these low production, hand built, sports cars don't hold their value more.

I'm happy for it because it works with my budget, but I just don't get it:-(

 

[YouWish]

Yeah I think to a degree I have taken my Viper for granted since I have owned it now for 5 years. That being said whenever I drive her she still gives me goose-bumps after 5 years!!! The Viper is truly an experience everyone should be able to experience once in there lifetime and the fact of the matter is less than .0000001%(don't quote me on the fraction lol)of the earths population are able to. We have been lucky/blessed to own an amazing car especially a GTS!!! LOL

 

[RobZ]

Good points from all.

I like to think I don't take my car for granted. It has been my dream to own a Viper since I was 12 years old and now that dream is a reality. I plan on keeping my GTS for the long haul so I could care less what it's worth and I'm not opposed to putting miles on her as long as they are meaningful (as in no daily driving or running errands in it). I think those who just park these cars (and other exotics for that matter) in their garage are MISSING OUT on the whole point of owning them. I can understand keeping a nice mint low mileage example off the road if it's a '92 RT/10 or a '96 GTS but if you can afford to do that you probably have another Viper that you drive so... They were built to be driven so grab the keys and enjoy it!


Sorry I sort of drifted off topic there.


Rob

 

[PatentLaw]

How many have been totaled or abused in those years as well? The numbers dwindle over time. Every week we see another one bite the dust on the website. Like clockwork.

 

[Viper Fever]

Andrew/uspwr Don't fret too much I bought a Shelby gt 500 kr conv
in 1984 for 14,000 and my friends thought I paid way too much.
three years later when it was going for 60,000 they wanted to know where they
could get one. One day the Viper will go up over night and most people will
be asleep at the wheel so to speak. The Viper is the super car of today
enjoy it while you can .I am currently in search of my fourth Viper

 

[FinalEd357]

great point Patent. How many hundred have been wrecked? How many have been heavily modded? That # of mint, low mile, original condition Vipers continues to dwindle...

 

[PatentLaw]

I would say in the thousands from the look of it. Modded is an excellent point that I did not consider.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Andrew/uspwr Don't fret too much I bought a Shelby gt 500 kr conv
in 1984 for 14,000 and my friends thought I paid way too much.
three years later when it was going for 60,000 they wanted to know where they
could get one. One day the Viper will go up over night and most people will
be asleep at the wheel so to speak. The Viper is the super car of today
enjoy it while you can .I am currently in search of my fourth Viper

I'm with ya.

I think 20 years from now Vipers will go for crazy money at Barett Jackson. And worth every penny.

 

[Vic]

I think there was about 6000 total GTS body style Vipers produced, including the ACRs and Final Editions.

What is the attrition rate? I heard it was about 39%. There might be only ~5000 left?

 

[handyman_321]

I just got my 99 GTS last june so I'm no where near taking it for granted yet, I'm still in awe. Whats killing me is that I have to look at it every day inside it's bubble waiting for spring.

Not being able to drive it *****!!!!

 

[dyeguy]

I haven't had my car long enough to know if I could ever take it for granted but this story relates to how other people see Vipers. I bought my Viper from a small luxury car dealership here in Arizona called Autohaus. The owner is from Germany and has been around cars his whole life. He had taken the Viper in as a trade in on a Ferrari. It was the first Viper he had ever sold or driven. He has sold and driven Porsches, Ferrari's and BMW's etc. When I test drove the Viper it was his first ride in one. He asked me to drive the car the way I wanted to and not worry that he was with me. He knew that people that like Vipers want to know what their car has but he also wanted to see why so many people are so religious about their Vipers.

I took it easy until we got on the freeway ramp then really got into it. His mouth dropped open. Then he notices that everyone is looking at us and smiling and giving us the thumbs up. When we got back he couldn't stop talking about the car. His twelve year old son (who has been driving all the cars on the lot since he was seven) was waiting out front excited to see his dad's reaction to the Viper ride. "I never understood why people were so crazy about the Vipah, but now I know " (German accent) I thought that was pretty amazing that someone who has been around nice cars all their life would be that impressed.

 

[phantred]

I'm almost on my 3rd month of ownership. I was very young when the viper tv show came out, and it was my introduction to the car. Every friday my dad would come and pick me up from my mom's for the weekend. First thing I would do is sit down and watch viper. Later they moved it to a 2am time slot of something, and I would be up every night to watch it.

I have never been a car person. I mean, I had the stereotypical lambo poster on my wall, but I just never really cared how many horses were under the hood or anything. I knew one day I would have a viper though.

The viper is a different car. It's not a marvel of german engineering, a **** italian machine, and it's completely different than a vette or a cobra.

It's a viper. You either know, or you don't.

 

[monnieh]

The Viper is the ulitmate American Muscle Car.

 

[Finally got it !]

I sold my 05 and 98 about three months ago. Trying to make room for my 08. Which was suppose to be here by now.Looks like rumors got the best of me.
Talk about withdrawal. I have never been on the forum so much.
I am looking now at fall delivery of my 08. A 96 or 97 B/W might be in my driveway very soon. To stop my panic attacks of course!!!!

 

[FinalEd357]

'96 B&W will always have that alure..

 

[jwbond]

Some excellent points made here. So good that I took my 96' gts out on superbowl sunday morning. I swore I wouldn't take out in the winter because of the salted roads, but I couldn't help it! I'm glad I did, these cars are meant to be driven, it put a huge [*****] eatin grin on my face all day long.

PS - Don't worry, I cleaned it immediately upon return.

 

[Warfang]

Take it from me... without my snake for 3 months... the withdrawl is unreal! Hopefully It'll return to me soon.