Question about 2002 GTS Viper SE

[Treviso]

Question about 2002 GTS Viper FE

Hi Everyone,
I am new to the Viper Club and the world of Vipers. That said, I have an opportunity to purchase a 2002 GTS Viper FE with under 8000 miles that looks very nice and no crashes, but it has a few mods that I would like to find out if they decrease the value of the car? The GTS has an aftermarket stereo with some modified speakers. I haven't seen it yet, so I can't tell you exactly what has been done. Is this generally considered to be ok or a bad thing in terms of the overall value of the car? Also, the cat convert has been changed to another one and it was described as a mod that many Viper owners do, but he has the original. Finally, the other thing is that a shorter shifter has been installed, but he still has the original one. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, in advance.
Robert

 

[BlackSnake99]

Hi flow cats and short shifters are common mods, and is desirable IMHO, especially since he has the original parts. No effect on value. The stereo is a matter of taste, how well it was done, and how much things are hacked up to install it. Personally I never turn my stereo on in the Viper so that would not be a plus for me.

 

[Treviso]

I agree with you about never turning the stereo on. I am coming to the Viper world from the Vette world and I never turned my stereo on. I just wonder why someone would even mess with modifying the stereo. I know that there is a remote control for it and it just seems kind of silly to me, and I don't mean this as a slight on those who are really into their car stereo systems...it's just that I'm not into them. I would imagine that this system was professionally done and should be tastefully done. I can only hope...

 

[kcobean]

The aftermarket cats will help to keep the car cooler inside, so they are a plus. From a cost perspective, they're only a couple hundred bucks, so a mild value-add.

Is it just a shorter shift knob, or was an actual 'short shifter' installed. They're distinctly different. One just replaces the "8 ball" OEM shift knob with one that has a shorter shaft on it, the other actually replaces the shifter arm from the transmission linkage up. Both will generally help the shifting feel more precise and generally make the car more fun to drive. I'd call it a plus.

Stereo....BlackSnake99 hit it on the head...personal taste is what it's all about. I'd consider it to be a minimal value add unless it's some crazy car show set up.

Good luck with your hunt!

 

[plumcrazy]

what an SE ?

 

[Treviso]

Sorry for the typo...I meant to write FE (Final Edition).

 

[Treviso]

Hey Kcobean,
Thank you for your reply. I believe that it is just a shorter shafted install, but I could be wrong. At any rate I will know shortly.

 

[Treviso]

Here's a picture of the shifter.

 

[kcobean]

Impossible to tell from the pic if it's just the shift knob or the whole thing. That looks like the MGW Gripper shifter shift knob, though mine is just a tad different. If there's short-shifter linkage underneath it, I can't tell.

 

[eucharistos]

Hi flow cats and short shifters are common mods, and is desirable IMHO, especially since he has the original parts. No effect on value. The stereo is a matter of taste, how well it was done, and how much things are hacked up to install it. Personally I never turn my stereo on in the Viper so that would not be a plus for me.

thanks for saving me the typing +1