Hey Viper community,
I'm very seriously considering purchasing a 2013-14 Gen V Viper as my mostly daily driver. The issue I'm running into is that with a car like this I really want to make sure it's something I could live with before pulling the trigger, and a five minute test drive just isn't telling enough. The Viper would be a large change for me, as I typically go more towards the British interpretation of a sports car.
I'm not so worried about comfort or ease of ingress/egress as I've previously daily driven a Lotus Elise S/C 220 for two years as my only car and considered it quite livable, and more recently I've had a Lotus Evora. Currently driving a 2014 Porsche Boxster which is a fantastic car but it's missing a little something, and in general I've found that modern sports cars are a little too digital and numb for me. Finally, I've been a massive Viper fan all my life and now that the stars have aligned in such a fashion that I could actually go forward with what would be a lifelong dream, I want to be careful not to rush into something uneducated.
I'm also on the younger side (25) and I realize how fortunate I am and how potentially absurd it would be to outsiders for me to have a Viper. I own my own businesses and have been blessed to be able to have had a lot of amazing sports cars, track experience, and am part of many great driving clubs. I've never had an issue getting test drives before (Lotus, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, Maserati, and Aston Martin were all very accommodating) but Dodge dealers seem to be (understandably) much less willing to allow what for all they know is a snot nosed tire kicking little **** into one of their very expensive 640HP monsters.
Anyway, I'm making this post to see if anyone here on the forum knows of a dealer that would allow me to have some real time behind the wheel. Or perhaps, if anyone is willing to let me drive their car for a while (of course with you in the car if you'd prefer and/or take the keys to my Porsche as collateral) that would be incredible and much appreciated. A super nice bottle of wine would be gratefully exchanged. I'm in NYC and would be happy to travel a few hours to make this happen.
I'm not looking to exploit the performance of the car on this drive. I really want to ascertain if the ride quality, shifter/clutch, size, seating position/visibility, and 1/10th road manners of the vehicle fall in line with what I feel is an engaging, pleasurable drive. After all I do most of driving on the horrid NYC war trails we call roads. Of the 13 cars I've owned, 11 have been manual so I assure no clutch antics and I have had enough track days with the Lotus and Porsche guys as to have no real desire to push a car very ******* the street.
Very much appreciate any advice/suggestions. Thanks!
I'm very seriously considering purchasing a 2013-14 Gen V Viper as my mostly daily driver. The issue I'm running into is that with a car like this I really want to make sure it's something I could live with before pulling the trigger, and a five minute test drive just isn't telling enough. The Viper would be a large change for me, as I typically go more towards the British interpretation of a sports car.
I'm not so worried about comfort or ease of ingress/egress as I've previously daily driven a Lotus Elise S/C 220 for two years as my only car and considered it quite livable, and more recently I've had a Lotus Evora. Currently driving a 2014 Porsche Boxster which is a fantastic car but it's missing a little something, and in general I've found that modern sports cars are a little too digital and numb for me. Finally, I've been a massive Viper fan all my life and now that the stars have aligned in such a fashion that I could actually go forward with what would be a lifelong dream, I want to be careful not to rush into something uneducated.
I'm also on the younger side (25) and I realize how fortunate I am and how potentially absurd it would be to outsiders for me to have a Viper. I own my own businesses and have been blessed to be able to have had a lot of amazing sports cars, track experience, and am part of many great driving clubs. I've never had an issue getting test drives before (Lotus, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, Maserati, and Aston Martin were all very accommodating) but Dodge dealers seem to be (understandably) much less willing to allow what for all they know is a snot nosed tire kicking little **** into one of their very expensive 640HP monsters.
Anyway, I'm making this post to see if anyone here on the forum knows of a dealer that would allow me to have some real time behind the wheel. Or perhaps, if anyone is willing to let me drive their car for a while (of course with you in the car if you'd prefer and/or take the keys to my Porsche as collateral) that would be incredible and much appreciated. A super nice bottle of wine would be gratefully exchanged. I'm in NYC and would be happy to travel a few hours to make this happen.
I'm not looking to exploit the performance of the car on this drive. I really want to ascertain if the ride quality, shifter/clutch, size, seating position/visibility, and 1/10th road manners of the vehicle fall in line with what I feel is an engaging, pleasurable drive. After all I do most of driving on the horrid NYC war trails we call roads. Of the 13 cars I've owned, 11 have been manual so I assure no clutch antics and I have had enough track days with the Lotus and Porsche guys as to have no real desire to push a car very ******* the street.
Very much appreciate any advice/suggestions. Thanks!
