Is anybody buying Vipers?

Boxer12

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What are your opinions on the Viper market? Is anybody buying? Have gas prices put a lid on Viper sales? Are new cars moving? Used cars? Dealers, please chime in!

Here is my reason for asking. I decided to sell my 00 GTS, in fact, have an ad I just put up, and buy an 08 Cpe. I plan to wait until I sell to buy, rather than trade, although I might rather trade if the used Viper market is soft. I saw someone who posted a trade-in value for their car, and it was surprisingly low I thought. But who can really tell unless you know what they are buying and the price on the swing? I could use more info on the market. Come on Viper Club! Help a brother out! (Thanks in advance.)

Jim
 

99 R/T 10

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The market is slightly declining(IMHO), but I believe it will reverse itself in about 5 years and they will become a much more desired car than any of the old 60/70's cars. Just will take time.
 

Lake Murray Viper

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From my discussions with a dealer who sells quite a few used Vipers the market has slowed some since March. Now that summer is here and people start driving them a little more the exposure will probably spark some more sales. Either way, being stuck holding a Viper isn't so bad :)
 

agentf1

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I just bought one and from my observations it seems the really nice low mile cars seem to go pretty fast, especially the rarer colors. The other higher mileage (over 10,000) mile cars tend to sit for a while. A lot depends on what people are asking too. Obviously if they are overpriced they will tend to sit. Forget about trade in values, they will kill you on a trade in.

That said I do not think many people are buying any high ticket luxury items like sports cars or vacation homes with the economy the way it is.
 
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Boxer12

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Well, I have about 6 mos at least until I can even buy a Red or Black 08, so I guess there is time to hold out. I will just see what happens, and if I have to hold on to it, and try again next year, no big deal. Its a great car I have in the garage, so no worries here. I just get mad when guys are pulling away on the straights and don't want to put more money into the GTS, which I will never get back. If I did that, I would have to hold it, and would be committed to an inferior car from a track standpoint. If it was for cruisin, I would personally keep the GTS, since I love the style of it. I like it more every date, in fact. It will be hard to get rid of, but I want HAVE A NEED FOR SPEED!
 

Scratch

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Seems like alot of them on various sites, many the same ones re-posted.
Seems like in the last week or so, alot of Gen III's ...many getting ready for the 08 I assume :rolaugh:
 

PatentLaw

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The new car market for Viper is very strong. Very strong. Gen II is not bad either. Early Gen III will find its legs I am sure. It is summertime.
 

big-n-italian

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i am not sure if this means anything, but i have noticed that during the winter months, ebay usually has around 100 vipers for sale, and during the summer months there are around 70 vipers for sale. we are now into june now, and there are still around 100 vipers for sale.
 

Asp Man

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I think it depends on what market you are in. Here in Alberta, where the econ. is strong, I think they move pretty quick. There was recently a dealer here in town with an '05 convert. that sold for +$85K CAD, used, avg. miles, and had been sitting on thier front lawn, day and night, for about four weeks.
 
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I have my 2005 yellow SRT-10 Gen III listed here on the VCA forum at $62,500.00, plenty of views, no action.

Its a SE Florida car, bought new, and still shows new with 3000 miles on the ticker, whats it worth?
 

slaughterj

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I just bought one and from my observations it seems the really nice low mile cars seem to go pretty fast, especially the rarer colors. The other higher mileage (over 10,000) mile cars tend to sit for a while. A lot depends on what people are asking too. Obviously if they are overpriced they will tend to sit. Forget about trade in values, they will kill you on a trade in.

That said I do not think many people are buying any high ticket luxury items like sports cars or vacation homes with the economy the way it is.

Wow, you finally bought?! What'd you get?

As for the economy, it's pretty damned good, low unemployment, S&P500 hit its highest ever the other day, etc., all in spite of high gas prices, but I guess people will always find something to ***** about.
 

big-n-italian

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I have my 2005 yellow SRT-10 Gen III listed here on the VCA forum at $62,500.00, plenty of views, no action.

Its a SE Florida car, bought new, and still shows new with 3000 miles on the ticker, whats it worth?

i hate to say it and i hope i am wrong, but i am afraid your car is worth less and less everyday, and probably worth even less than that after the 08 gets delivered.
 

viperbob

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I just sold my Yellow '05, 2k miles, and lots of mods for my asking price. It was only advertised here and on the Alley and I made a deal within about 2 weeks after posting it.

But if it was Red I bet it would be sitting a lot longer. However, mods matter and if one is for sale that has just what the buyer wants it can sell quickly. Regardless, anything will sell if the price is right.
 

agentf1

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Wow, you finally bought?! What'd you get?

I pick it up this weekend. needless to say I can't wait. :2tu:
It is an 2001 Sapphire car.

P10100173.JPG


P10100052.JPG
 

RoadiJeff

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I have my 2005 yellow SRT-10 Gen III listed here on the VCA forum at $62,500.00, plenty of views, no action.

A guy I work with drove home a new leftover 2005 red Gen III recently. He bought it for $60,000 several months ago and I guess finally got the rest of his finances together or whatever to take it home.

Anyway, if some dealers are selling brand new ones for $60k you might have a hard time getting more than that for a used one, even if it only has 3,000 miles on the odometer.
 

Mopar488

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I pick it up this weekend. needless to say I can't wait. :2tu:
It is an 2001 Sapphire car.



P10100173.JPG


P10100052.JPG
I took those pictures and that Sapphire is really a sharp car in person. Congratulations and enjoy your new ride! :2tu:
 

Stray Cat

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Vipers are slow for a number of reasons right now, but I sold (Sniff Sniff) my 05 Copperhead a few weeks back for what I was asking - $68K. 875 miles. Cheap for sure, but I was told by two dealers that I would be lucky to get 65K for it. A dealer also told me that there are new 05's still out there that dealers have chrysler money on that are going in the high 50's. I know of another Copperhead that sold in AZ, same miles, for 66K.

I have a 67 Firebird 400 for sale that I have owned since I was 19 and a 66 2+2 for sale that should be sold tomorrow when a check arrives. I am being told 60's cars are starting to slow. Market goes up, cars go down. Market goes down, cars look like a good investment. But friends are telling me to sell the 60's muscle now at the top of it's game, wait and pick up a GenII or GenIII when prices dip in the fall after the 08's are out. When both older cars are sold I will get serious about another Viper.

My bet is that the Viper, all of them, will someday be worth big $$$$. Handmade American Muscle. I did not want to sell mine - in fact I thought I priced it where it wouldn't sell based on conversation with people who deal with these things all day long. Sell the old cars and the hunt will be on for another.

Good luck,

John
 

PDCjonny

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My bet is that the Viper, all of them, will someday be worth big $$$$. Handmade American Muscle.
As much as I would like to buy into that, I don't. Far too many Vipers were made to make them valuable collectibles in the near future, or the distant for that matter. Sure, maybe some pristine examples that have no mileage but the average Viper with average miles, I don't think so. They are now 15 years old, and nice examples of Gen 1's aren't worth squat on the open market. I just don't see how they are going to be so valuable with so many out there, taken care of and still running beautifully.
 

viperbob

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Hey Stray Cat - I'd sure like to know where: "A dealer also told me that there are new 05's still out there that dealers have chrysler money on that are going in the high 50's."

Drop me a PM.
 

Stray Cat

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viperbob,

PM sent.

Viperjon,

You could be right. I'm just guessing based on history. Didn't they only make about 10 or 11,000 of the GENI and GENII's ? And, by most estimates, haven't there been about 20-30% of them wrecked ? If that is true, then the cars are fairly rare. How long did it take the Cobra to really take off ? When the kids that watched the Viper get introduced hit their money making age and want one, they should go up. Maybe another 10 years or so. But you may be right because the Viper has always been a fairly expensive car to begin with. It has a lot of ground to make up.

John
 
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Boxer12

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Man, if Chrysler lets new Gen III cars go for high 50's, they are going to go fast. What a deal! That might put a dent in the market for this year though. Maybe I will just wait until the inventory of Gen III 05-06's are gone and the market normalizes. Might as well keep it in the classifieds though, in case someone wants a nice low use well setup car and doesn't want to dump all the money into it themselves (like I did). It was worth it to me, since I don't like the OEM ride. If it doesn't sell, it isn't like I am slummin in a Vette! LOL
 

Stray Cat

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I don't know if they are really going in the high 50's (58K was the number I was told), but it is safe to assume that it could be true since ROADIJEFF reports a friend of his picked one up for 60K a few months back. The fact that I sold my Copperhead for 68K says that color and condition matter.

Your original question is are they selling and I think the answer is yes. viperbob and I both sold ours for what we are asking. Just remember, in car sales, there is a butt for every seat.... case in point: I have a friend who just sold his Silver 05 Automatic SSR with 4600 miles for $32,000. Within two days, he picked up a Silver 05 Six Speed (much more desierable and usually go for more) with 2000 miles for $29,000. He was extremely pleased. I paid $50,000 for a GENII sapphire with just over 6,000 miles, both tops etc. 2 years ago. It was a great deal and I think that they are going for that or more now so they are holding their value.

John
 

CFRA7

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Hi,

This is a prospective for someone who is looking to buy. The Viper is without question my emotional choice for a street/track car. I’m selling my NSX which is my favorite choice for a steer car. Not a very good track car.

Here is my prospective which is only “my” perspective. My choice is either a C6 Z06 or a Gen II viper. My heart wants the Viper but my head says that the Z06 is better in every way. So here is where it comes down to the numbers. The Z06 will be dropping in value quickly as they continue to build 7,000 units a year. I’ve already seen a few sell for $58K. Most are still in the low $60K but with a 435hp base Corvette arriving in 2 months, you can be sure they will soon be below $60K. They also tend to be driven a lot more than a Viper. Z06’s with 30K miles are only a year away. At that point you’ll be seeing some in the low $50K range and a few breaking into the high $40s.

The best Gen II vipers are being advertised for the low $50K. For the same $, I’ll always choose a Z06 over a Gen II viper just because it’s too good a deal to pass up. In short, my head won’t let me pay more than $55K for any Viper. The only Gen II viper I would consider paying over $50K for is one of the 10 Daytona replicas. The only one I would pay over $45K for is the 2002 FE. I would only pay over $40K for a 2001. In short, no stock pre-2001 Viper is worth over $40K to me. I would rather wait 2 years, drive my race car and wait for Z06’s with 30K miles to drop under $50K.

So here is what I see happening. As the Z06 enters the $50K range in 2008, it will put downward price pressure on the older Vipers. So will the availability of a 600hp Viper. In 2009 as the Z06 enters the high $40K range, I see it difficult to get over $45K for all but the most collectable of Vipers. In short, in two years in someone offered me a 2006 Z06 with 30K miles for $45K or a 2002 FE Viper with 30K miles for $45K, I would take the Z06.

At the moment, there is still a good $20K price difference between the Gen II Viper and the C6 Z06. In value, I think the Corvette is only worth about $5K more than the Viper. As the Z06 declines in price, it will force the Viper price to decline as well. Of course those who only love Vipers will have no other choice but those who value performance above all else will choose a C6 Z06 over a Gen II Viper.

Please note I only made comments about the Gen II because I won’t spend over $50K for my next car. If I could get a 2006 Viper for $50K, I would jump on that and forget the Z06. I don’t see that price for 5 to 10 years because they aren’t driven very often.

So, here I set waiting to see what I can get for between $40K and $50K. If I find a great deal on a Gen II, I’ll take it. If not, I’ll wait 2 years and by a 2006 Z06 with 30K miles for under $50K. Not as cool on the street but cooler on the track.

So what is a great deal? Probably Kelly Blue Book trade-in value + $1,000. I do see a lot of Vipers going to dealers because owners have tried without success to sell them on their own or they just don’t want to deal with tire kickers.

I’m happy to pay more than a dealer for a Viper but not more than $1,000 more. I’ve given myself 2 years to find the right car. 2001s and 2002s are still depreciating. Z06s, even faster. We all want the best deal we can get. I want the best deal I can get for under $50K. I hope I can find that in a Viper with-in the next 2 years. If not, I’ll just get a Z06.

Please note I think the Viper is wonderful. I just don’t think I could pay the same for a Gen II Viper and then watch a Z06 pass me on the track.
 

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