Well without a true observation, I will be speculating on the actual condition of the car. If it was a real deal venom 550 with absolutely no prior body damage or paint work and had good rubber, clean interior and 40k miles, I would say the car would be worth in the mid upper 20's with a retail of very low 30's. The 40k really shoots that car in the foot. Now, we dont know if he just wondered in and asked for an apraisal or actually showed serious interest in the 04 SRT. If he just went in and asked for an appraisal just for the sake of getting an "idea" of seeing what it is worth, then I understand throwing a low ball figure at the guy. It does not benefit the dealership to just appraise the car. They wont have any idea what it is worth and will be calling wholesalers who dont have a clue either. As far as they are concerned its a "modified" car and has no appeal to a retail dealership. Unless you are at a Viper specializing dealership, I would never entertain the thought of trading in a viper (modified or not) at any dealership (you cant get mad at them for not understanding our cars)
Also, keep in mind that a dealer appraises a car like this and has to keep in mind that the brakes might be shot, the clutch might be shot, trans might be grinding and so on. So in closing, you have a guy appraising a car that appraises neon's all day and doesnt have a clue, so rather than make a several thousand dollar mistake for the dealership, he plays it safe and low balls the car. Hope that clears up a little bit. Any other car dealer questions, let me know.
