Looking to buy a GTS and need guidance

[natsfan]

First post here, so thanks for the help in advance.

I am interested in a stock 96, 97, or 02 GTS (less than 15k miles). Which would you recommend? If I go for a 96/97 do I need to worry about frame welds and a recall. I believe I read something about that. Do you think either year will become more valuable/collectible? What about an ACR? I plan to own the car for a long time and drive it, so maybe it's not worth factoring it into my decision.

How much maitanace does a GTS take to keep running? I just sold a 65 mustang that I loved because I was spending more time fixing it than driving it. It was a poorly done restoration and not a good buy. Lesson learned. I loved driving the car because it was so raw, but it lacked in performance and some comforts like AC. My wife hated riding in it. In the end I was looking at the car more than driving it.

I'm hoping the GTS will be a good middle ground of old and new with a boost in performance. I have thoughts of doing a little bit of autocross in it. And the GTS is just so damn ****, how could I not be bitten.

Thanks again.

 

[viper vince]

I would get 01 or 02 it has ABS. The ACR will always be worth more just because it is an ACR.

 

[daveg]

I would rather have a 96/97.. Forged motor trumps ABS (plus it has the cool B/W color). Don't care about ABS, I don't even drive my car in the rain.

 

[agentf1]

First post here, so thanks for the help in advance.

I am interested in a stock 96, 97, or 02 GTS (less than 15k miles). Which would you recommend? If I go for a 96/97 do I need to worry about frame welds and a recall. I believe I read something about that. Do you think either year will become more valuable/collectible? What about an ACR? I plan to own the car for a long time and drive it, so maybe it's not worth factoring it into my decision.

How much maitanace does a GTS take to keep running? I just sold a 65 mustang that I loved because I was spending more time fixing it than driving it. It was a poorly done restoration and not a good buy. Lesson learned. I loved driving the car because it was so raw, but it lacked in performance and some comforts like AC. My wife hated riding in it. In the end I was looking at the car more than driving it.

I'm hoping the GTS will be a good middle ground of old and new with a boost in performance. I have thoughts of doing a little bit of autocross in it. And the GTS is just so damn ****, how could I not be bitten.

Thanks again.

I too would go for an 01 or 02 unless you had you heart set on B&W.

I would get one with over 10,000 miles since you plan on putting a lot of miles on it, you pay a premium for cars with under 10k so you would be throwing that premium away. That said nice Vipers are hard to find so it may be worth paying that premium if you find a nice car and you cannot put a value on driving it sooner than later. It took me a few years to find my Viper but I wanted a perfect one.

Not positive on the years for the frame fix. Just make sure it was done properly, a lot of dealers did it backwards and that makes it impossible to change the oil filter easily.

Maintenance, what is that… ;-) You can fix them with a hammer. They only require the "normal" maintenance that ALL cars require. Yearly oil change, antifreeze every 3 years, brake fluid change pending on tyope of service. I think the one light duty use in the manual does not even have you changing tranny or rear fluid for many many years. I would do it a little earlier than recommended.

If you are on a budget go for a red one, they are much cheaper since they are made just about every year, the one year colors also demand a premium.

Good luck with your search. If I was to give you one piece of advice is get the best car you can. It is better to pay more up front that get one cheaper and have to fix this or that. Things can add up real fast and that deal you had is no longer a deal.

 

[natsfan]

All,

Thanks for the replies so far. I hear you on the B/W being oh so cool. It was that paint scheme that made me fall in love with the car back in 96. I plan to leave the motor stock so I'm not too worried about forged internals. Right now, I am leaning towards a 01-02 because it seems like you can get more car (less miles) for the same price or cheaper than the a 96/97.

Glad to hear the maintenance is normal. I like working on cars, but I like driving them more.

Please keep the comments coming.

 

[daveg]

leaning towards a 01-02 because it seems like you can get more car (less miles) for the same price or cheaper than the a 96/97.

Guess you just answered your own question about collectability on a 96 and possibly a 97 B/W...

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

The Frame situation has likely been done on almost all the cars by now, but it is easy to check with the Vin number to verify. If it has not been done, it is wise to have it accomplished by a Viper Tech that has done it before. No offense , but there are some misconceptions listed also, as it has become somewhat silly over the years the perception that the forged motors are better than the hypereutetic cast aluminum pistons from 2000 on forward. Very few folks supercharge the older cars , so it really is a moot point, and the fastest stock Gen II was a Red 2000 RT-10 that recorded an 11.7 run at Englishtown. A trip to the Plant in 1999 for 2000 production was met with workers talking about the new motor and how it had more power. This was squashed after just a few months , since Chrysler did not want GM aware that the new motor was putting out better power - racing was important with the Viper running SCCA against the Vette. Further proof was done when Skip Thomas ( Viper Days ) was told he had to change the Matrix on points to establish the Class drivers ran in , when all 2000 cars were assessed an extra point. Again , Chrysler did not want this info out , and demanded he remove any extra points assigned to the 2000 cars --- not a rumor, I was actually working with Skip on the Matrix. Lastly, a blanket statement that the ACR will always be worth more is not necessarily true, since for years the older models actually lagged behind the GTS value due to the problems with the shocks. Virtually all the ACRs from the Spring of 2000 on , had issues with shocks leaking and at over $4000 to replace , this car was avoided or bought at a lower price point. The 1999 ACRs had Konis, and there was not an issue. With the popularity of the new ACR, it has helped the older ones and they can be slightly higher than a GTS now, but again , it is important to do your due diligence. Finally, these cars are all getting old, so you really need to find a very knowledgeable and highly reputable tech to go over the car, as like any old vehicle there are issues to review. At present the concern is primarily age, but parts are getting scarce and folks often find themselves spending thousands getting certain things fixed, so ask alot of questions.

PS - keep in mind a red 97 will be substantially less than a B/W GTS.
PSPS - You have a PM

 

[daveg]

^^^ agree with Bill on Forged if you don't plan on taxing your motor with heavy mods.. Since your leaving it stock, the cream-puff motor is still a great bullet proof engine!

 

[ViperJohn]

I also want to second what Bill said about the ACR shocks. One of our members actually bought a spare set of shocks and would rebuild the old ones and switch them out every few years. They were generally only good for about three years.

 

[Caesar!]

The 96-99 motors albeit being Tops in my category...Forged internals is a Big Plus...Also the 96-98 had the Lumpier camshaft from the factory...

 

[natsfan]

Guess you just answered your own question about collectability on a 96 and possibly a 97 B/W...

Ha. I guess I did.

 

[7TH_SIGN]

99 is the best imo for reasons mentioned above and is why I purchased a 99 ACR, unless you need ABS, then go with 01-02. If you want to boost the car without rebuilding the motor(850whp or less), 99 and below.