Ready to be stoned to death but I hope Dodge is unable to sell the Viper Brand

bluesrt

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if u can afford to buy a 100k car, u better be able to take a :spank: on it,just drive it,take care of it,and forget about it!ya win some ya loose some.i hate it too,but they will bounce back when and if the economy gets comfortable in time,if u still have one,u will see.
 

JonB

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Economy and Bailouts aside, this has happened before to this unique brand !

-Because the NEXT GREAT VIPER (VGX-SRT) was announced, Dodge could not sell the last-half 2002 Vipers except to GIVE them away, and finally painted stripes on the final 360 and 'create' a 'special edition' to get em sold. This began the 'special edition' marketing.
(As opposed to GT2 Commemorative editions.)

-Dodge could not sell late 2006 Vipers, becauee the NEXT GREAT VIPER (G-4) was announced.

- THE ENTIRE 2007 MODEL YEAR WAS SCRAPPED......(now some are whining about a lost quarter?) 1st Q production IS lost. Gone...aint happnin. (Money and supply issues)

- The ACR demand was so high --even unexpededly so--that it impacted the orders for Non-ACR.

- Viper Divestiture announcements of August 2008 scared some folks.

- Then the USA+World economic woes scared everyone..

STAY TUNED PEOPLE ! If you can afford to order a VIPER, DO IT SOON! If you have one, BE GLAD.
 
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CarDude

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Glad you got a laugh out of it. :confused: OK, ignore my "insult". Comment on what I said instead.



Seriously.

Thank you for truly addressing the basis of my *****/whine/moan. In your discussion of supply vs demand...you answer the very heart of my original point. No supply of new Vipers ("I hope Dodge is unable to sell the Viper Brand") = same level of Demand = a higher price for my current supply. Basic economics. No new Vipers flooding an already saturated market. There will be even less 2009s than 2008s...I see no future for the Viper...sorry.

I think I have provided enough demand from my household.
 

Paul Hawker

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Hard to blame Dodge for the prices.

I believe they tried to mitigate the depreciation effect by only offering the discount to dealerships that sold the left over 08's to their employees.

The dealerships worked the deal to "sell" it to an employee, and "resell" it to a end user.

The goal was to move the Vipers off the dealers lot by selling to employees only. That would have had little effect on the market prices.
 

ViperGTS

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>>> Quote:
Originally Posted by FastGuy68
How many people on this site would actually want to buy a battery powered Viper? Not many I suspect.....
crazy2.gif


If it hauled ass and looked good, I'd consider it
drive.gif
<<<
-------------------------------------------------------------------
eRUF Porsche ?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.ruf-automobile.de/ibase/...ds/Events_Veroeffentlichungen/Pressemappe.pdf

0-100 km/h (0-65 mph): 7 seconds.
150 miles operating range.
200 horses.
Top speed 225 km/h (140 mph)
Total weight: 1910 kg (4200 pounds)
weight of batteries: 550 kg (1210 pounds)
...priceless...
 

Austin

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You have three Vipers. Quit your bitchin'. I cant even afford a Viper and Im probably one of its most loyal enthusiasts. What Id do to be able to have a Viper. You wouldnt catch me ******** because of the value. Id just be thankful I had one!
 

Martin

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Hard to blame Dodge for the prices.

I believe they tried to mitigate the depreciation effect by only offering the discount to dealerships that sold the left over 08's to their employees.

The dealerships worked the deal to "sell" it to an employee, and "resell" it to a end user.

The goal was to move the Vipers off the dealers lot by selling to employees only. That would have had little effect on the market prices.

This is where I'm a little confused about this alleged $20k discount. Was that discount readily available to anyone who walked into the showroom, or was it just an employee discount? I was searching for an '08 Black/red stripe ACR for a great (cash) price, and I never heard of any screaming deal like that. If I had, I would have pulled the trigger immediately...
 

slaughterj

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>>> Quote:
Originally Posted by FastGuy68
How many people on this site would actually want to buy a battery powered Viper? Not many I suspect.....
crazy2.gif


If it hauled ass and looked good, I'd consider it
drive.gif
<<<
-------------------------------------------------------------------
eRUF Porsche ?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.ruf-automobile.de/ibase/...ds/Events_Veroeffentlichungen/Pressemappe.pdf

0-100 km/h (0-65 mph): 7 seconds.
150 miles operating range.
200 horses.
Top speed 225 km/h (140 mph)
Total weight: 1910 kg (4200 pounds)
weight of batteries: 550 kg (1210 pounds)
...priceless...

Nah, Porsches have never looked good. Plus that thing is slow and weighs 2 tons?!
 

Cop Magnet

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This is where I'm a little confused about this alleged $20k discount. Was that discount readily available to anyone who walked into the showroom, or was it just an employee discount? I was searching for an '08 Black/red stripe ACR for a great (cash) price, and I never heard of any screaming deal like that. If I had, I would have pulled the trigger immediately...

Employees only and I believe ACR's were exempt. Remember, they are creating a supply/demand shift. There's no lack of demand for ACR's.
 
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CarDude

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I have done the employee discount,(20K you must be closely related to the employee and you need to keep it for at lease 6 mo.) Chrysler is watching this very close, if it's abuse employee and dealer are in deep do do.

And there is the real information. Where the dealers can exploit a loop hole they will...they are typically referred to as Stealerships.
 
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jimchris

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And there is the real information. Where the dealers can exploit a loop hole they will...they are typically referred to as Stealerships.
I don't know about that but I had to prove the relationship, and I had an e-mail from Chrysler confirming the info with code numbers the dealer needed to put in his computer to confirm.
 

Smog Dog

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CarDude---You should be somewhat protected from the carnage. You have an ACR, which will likely hold it's value better than the standard Vipers. You also have an SSG Coupe with black stripes, which is a very nice combination, and will be sought after in the future. And 2 of your 3 Vipers are Gen 4 cars.

Be assured Dodge does not want to give these cars away....any more than you want to see it happening. They are trying to survive.

I am sure you have worked hard to have such a fine garage full of Vipers, and can afford the depreciation better than many others. I would say drive them and enjoy them!

You could treat them like stock and buy a few more to cost average down..:D

I paid 12K less for my second 08 than the first. But I had the pleasure of driving the car for a year and putting 10,000 miles on it. And I'm gonna put a whole lot more miles on both this year. No regrets!

Bill
 
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CarDude

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CarDude---You should be somewhat protected from the carnage. You have an ACR, which will likely hold it's value better than the standard Vipers. You also have an SSG Coupe with black stripes, which is a very nice combination, and will be sought after in the future. And 2 of your 3 Vipers are Gen 4 cars.

Be assured Dodge does not want to give these cars away....any more than you want to see it happening. They are trying to survive.

I am sure you have worked hard to have such a fine garage full of Vipers, and can afford the depreciation better than many others. I would say drive them and enjoy them!

You could treat them like stock and buy a few more to cost average down..:D

I paid 12K less for my second 08 than the first. But I had the pleasure of driving the car for a year and putting 10,000 miles on it. And I'm gonna put a whole lot more miles on both this year. No regrets!

Bill

I paid full sticker for the SSG (ouch...but some paid more), but got the ACR for 99K (7K off the sticker). There was a Venom Red ACR with that tan interior I could have stoled, but I just didn't want that color combo. I never bought the cars for investment...I just can't believe they don't know when to say when. :crazy2:
 

Smog Dog

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I paid full sticker for the SSG (ouch...but some paid more), but got the ACR for 99K (7K off the sticker). There was a Venom Red ACR with that tan interior I could have stoled, but I just didn't want that color combo. I never bought the cars for investment...I just can't believe they don't know when to say when. :crazy2:

I remember the Venom Red ACR/tan interior being available at a great price and thought it would only appeal to a very limited number. Probably 1 of 1....JonB is right---buy them now while you can still find what you want....:2tu:

Bill
 

Martin

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I paid full sticker for the SSG (ouch...but some paid more), but got the ACR for 99K (7K off the sticker). There was a Venom Red ACR with that tan interior I could have stoled, but I just didn't want that color combo. I never bought the cars for investment...I just can't believe they don't know when to say when. :crazy2:

I definitely feel for you - I don't think anyone would have expected this financial mess could happen to the extent it did. On the bright side, these are toys and none of us buys them for the investment value - from the start I planned to keep my '97 B/W GTS till the day I die (still the plan).
 

compcoupe21

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Hey guys what does a 2002 clean R/T10 or GTS go for with let's say 15,000 miles? Is it fair to say that you can still get in the low 40's or even high 30's. Those were Gen 2 car's that listed for in the 70's. The point I am trying to make is that all high end sport cars (less maybe the Ford GT which is more of an exotic) take a pounding early on in their life but eventually the depreciation flattens out. Forget the 20k rebate, that was not for public consumption and it did not apply to ACR's. If you are buying one of these cars for the short term then buying a new one is not smart, add the economic climate right now and you have the ingredients for disaster. I bought my Ford GT in April of 2006 (it's an '06) for list price, six months prior people were paying way over list for 2005's, don't you think they were a little upset but timing is everything. Bottom line is if you can afford to buy it then enjoy and drive the sh%# out of it and forget about the resale value for a while. Just my opinion...;)
 

salties

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Hey guys what does a 2002 clean R/T10 or GTS go for with let's say 15,000 miles? Is it fair to say that you can still get in the low 40's or even high 30's. Those were Gen 2 car's that listed for in the 70's. The point I am trying to make is that all high end sport cars (less maybe the Ford GT which is more of an exotic) take a pounding early on in their life but eventually the depreciation flattens out. Forget the 20k rebate, that was not for public consumption and it did not apply to ACR's. If you are buying one of these cars for the short term then buying a new one is not smart, add the economic climate right now and you have the ingredients for disaster. I bought my Ford GT in April of 2006 (it's an '06) for list price, six months prior people were paying way over list for 2005's, don't you think they were a little upset but timing is everything. Bottom line is if you can afford to buy it then enjoy and drive the sh%# out of it and forget about the resale value for a while. Just my opinion...;)

Never look back , always forward :2tu:
 
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CarDude

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Never look back , always forward :2tu:

Agreed...wouldn't have been able to purchase either car had I not acted when and to the extent I did. It is the future I am thinking about. Will there be a Viper in production; will there be a dealer to service it. I say no on the Viper, but maybe on Dodge (scary). It is just my hypothesis based on the availibilty of cars, Dodge's current condition, and the economy as a whole.

U.S. December sales fall; up from November

Posted Monday, Jan 5, 2009 at 3:08 pm in Company News

Chrysler LLC today reported total December 2008 U.S. sales of 89,813 units, up 5 percent versus November 2008 (85,260 units), and down 53 percent from the same month in 2007.

For the year, Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge U.S. sales decreased 30 percent (1,453,122 units) compared with total 2007 sales (2,076,650 units). Total sales were significantly affected by the industry’s largest reductions in fleet sales, 63 percent for December and 31 percent for the year.

“Last year Chrysler and all of our stakeholders persevered through extraordinarily difficult economic conditions, made the necessary adjustments and always kept our focus on serving our customers,” President and Vice Chairman Jim Press said. “As a result, our company and our dealer network start this year stronger and better positioned to succeed in today’s marketplace.

“From a customer perspective, we see consumers selecting vehicles based on their long-term transportation needs and committing to keeping vehicles for longer periods. As a result, characteristics such as utility, flexibility, efficiency and quality will grow in importance. In terms of product focus, Chrysler will continue to invest in quality and fuel efficiency improvements on its current lineup, while developing all-new vehicles for the next generation.

“From an organizational viewpoint, we will work with all of our stakeholders to continue the restructuring our Company. We have a special bond with the American people now and pledge to continue our efforts to provide the best quality and best value in the marketplace. We are committed to help drive America forward.”

December sales highlights

All Jeep brand vehicles achieved sales growth over November 2008 sales. Jeep Wrangler, the brand’s top-selling model, marked sales growth of 15 percent (7,048 units) from November.

Sales of the Jeep Patriot were up 6 percent in December (2,597 units) compared with November 2008. Year-to-date, Patriot sales grew 38 percent to reach 55,654 units.

Minivan sales gained momentum from November. Chrysler Town & Country sales in December grew 9 percent (8,152 units) and Dodge Grand Caravan sales increased 14 percent (6,927 units).

Dodge Ram light duty pickup sales were up 10 percent (10,601 units) compared with November 2008, fueled by the availability of the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram.

The company finished the month with 397,569 units of inventory, or a 115-day supply. Inventory is down 9 percent compared with December 2007 when it totaled 438,390 units.

January incentives

Chrysler continues to offer customers highly competitive discount and financing programs to kick off 2009. In addition to offering discounts of up to $6,000 on 2008 model year vehicles and up to $3,000 on 2009 model year vehicles to all customers, the company also is working with Chrysler Financial and additional financing companies around the country to create packages that offer customers a wide range of options for lease and purchase financing. On select 2008 models, zero percent financing is available for 72 months, and rates as low as 1.9 percent APR are available on select 2009 models.

For the new year, Chrysler has entered into a partnership with credit unions across the nation to offer an additional $500 to $1,000 discount when any of the 90 million members of credit unions purchase or lease a new Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge vehicle. This program was successfully piloted in December in 12 states.
 

Mopar488

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I ran across an add this week for an 09 white ACR with dual blue stripes, 5 miles, $106K MSRP for $91K and change. That would have been my car, but some lucky guy beat me to it 2 days earlier. The salesman told me they bought it at a Chrysler auction.
 
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Nine Ball

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I would be just fine if Dodge would quit building Vipers. I have mine. I'd rather see the Viper go out while it is on top of its game, not as a diluted car from some other company with a different vision for it.
 

Coloviper

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Dude;

This is absolutely nothing new and has been going on for almost 1/2 a century. The ole Shelby Cobras in 66' sat on lots for a few years at the end of their run. They could not give those cars away and they were the fast cars around. Sound familar.

Took 40+ years to truly put out amazing values on those Cobras. Lots of people wrote them off along the way.

These Vipers are long term investments that we get to enjoy all along the way. That is great. If these were short 2 year investments EVERYONE would be doing this and they would have shows on TLC like "Flipping Vipers".

Hang in there and be patient Dude. Dodge needs to do what it needs to do to survive. Personally I think only common sense says the Viper will not survive 09' which I am okay with. I think it is a great run. Plenty out there to buy used. As far as 09's, if it is the last year, you can hardly fault Chrysler for building as many as they can to try to get as much as they can for the engineering dollars already spent. They will build as man as they can.

I have my 06' Coupe which I bought in Nov, 2006 brand new with a huge Chrysler discount of almost $20K with the dealership heavily discounting a 7yr, 100,000 mile, $0 deductible Maxcare warranty to boot, so paid basically $75K, plus tax for a full load with extended factory warranty. Yes it is not an 08' with those advances, but I love it. I am not happy that my basically 2 yr old car has dropped to $60K on the market, but I wanted my 06'. Love it and have no regrets. It is paid for and I can enjoy it until some collector gives me too much money for it down the road.

These types of cars are all about want and not need. You wanted a new Copperhead, a new SSG, a new ACR. These have to be perosnal purchases for enjoyment to get the most out of them.

A friend told me once that the only way you get your value out of the expensive cars is to drive the hell out of them. Don't care about miles, the odd scratch, etc. Drive it, maintain it and enjoy it. I think there is a lot to be said about that.

We ar ALL feeling the pain, but good things come to those that wait. In 25 years we could all be laughing our butts off on what the people are willing to pay for these cars that we drove the hell out of. You never know.
 

Y2K5SRT

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Well, I am stuck in an airport waiting to board a plane so I don't have as much time to comment as I would like. However I will add a couple comments and say as much as I am allowed.

First off, the Viper is alive and well. Despite some folks playing the "insider" card to try and gain credibility, the VCA has a very good ringside seat to the happenings with the platform. And it is all good. During this trying time for all auto manufacturers there are some things that happen that weren't necessarily part of the original plan. For example, the Walmart discount fiasco was never well-defined and just plain wasn't handled well. Rest assured that when somebody is in active discussions with potential buyers - be they individual car buyers or buyers for the entire platform itself, the last thing you want to do is start a fire sale. Unfortunately, in mega-corporations that are scrambling for their very viability, one hand may not appreciate what the other is doing.

We are on our second SRT10. We took delivery of one of the first 2003's as well. We love 'em and want them to retain their value as much as possible. We also cringe when something goofy happens like these crazy discounts being reported. But don't judge the entire platform or even the company by it. What goes around comes around.

More later - gotta board the flight!
 

JTOJR

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If 80% of people could read this this they would blast us. I was thinking of selling my Z06 & was upset of how much I was offered for it. I went to a good friends house today & he has been out of work for several months. He is doing what he can to take care of his family. I am mad that I can't sell my Z06 for what I think it is worth & I don't have to sell it. Poor me. They are people losing their homes & jobs every day. Reality check!!!
 

Coloviper

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With that said, sounds like the most they could sell the Viper for, if they actually sold it would be $99,999,999.99 then.
 

agentf1

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They are turning them into Corvettes with these discounts. My guess is they did not sell any more of them by discounting them, just cheapened the value of ALL Vipers. Most people buying this caliper of car are not effected by the economy. :dunno: :(
 
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