Purchase Decision: Stock vs Modified?

SteveBCloud9

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Go with the mods, even if it's just headers and K&N's. You'll find yourself wanting to do some changes most likely after a few months of ownership anyway.
 

JonB

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If 450HP is not enuf, and you are "equipped" to handle a 550+ HP monstor, sometimes less streetable than stock, "Tuner Cars" can be had for a fraction of the cost of the mods.

A wise man here told me that a rule of thumb is "used Vipers yield normal prices, plus 10%-15% of the value of the mods."

ie....a $20K in mods might only add $2-3K to used retail price! A cheap way to get a lot of mods, IF-IF-IF the car was cared for and you can bear the risks associated..........

If 450-480HP lites your fire, and if you value a warranty, and have 60K to spend, buy the newest, lowest-mile used OEM Viper you can find, with only must-have bolt-ons like cat-back, tubes/filters, and some common cosmetic {MGW)upgrades.
 

Todd Richmond

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JonB is absolutely correct. I bought my 97 GTS w/ about $22K in parts(Brembos, SVSi headers, ECU, Koni ACR shocks..., no labor costs) for just a few $K over going prices(though admittedly an extra good steal
smile.gif
). I then spent less than $2K to change a few things to make it more streetable. Finally, I got a deal on used Fikse wheels and Pilots and am incredibly happy.

One thing that helps is to NOT buy a complete name-brand tuner car which carries a much higher premium. Getting something put together by a competent shop which just critical parts(Headers, cat-back, cats, intake, brakes..) saves a ton of money and time. Venoms, Snakes, Serpents.... are all awesome cars (I think many are hardly driven too...), but you pay the price.

Todd
 

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