Salvage Gen IV - deal or ripoff?

ROCKET62

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Having actually fixed a wrecked Viper – the damage on this Gen 4 doesn’t look all that bad. It would appear based on how the radiator is sitting, that the lower front frame took a hit – but it might not be that bad as the portion that supports the radiator while part of the frame isn’t a critical frame structure. This also helps to explain why the radiator hose is jacked and the airbox is out of alignment. Would really need to see a picture of the underside to have a better idea on frame damage. Without removing the quarters or front bumper cover, it is difficult to tell if there is damage to the inner fenders – which can be a costly repair not only for the parts – but for the labor to replace. Also, the body gaps on the rest of the Viper look good, but the wheel well in the rear looks odd as those look like 18” rear rims.

Possible parts list: both front quarters, front bumper cover, front bumper, hood?, right headlight, radiator?, dash, passenger airbag, driver airbag, windshield (often cracks when airbags deploy), splash shields, some minor frame work, and misc. My guess on range to fix doing much of the labor yourself - $7,000 - $15,000. I assume a 20% hit to value for a salvage title. From a pure financial perspective, you would be cutting it real close at the buy price of $38k. At $30k you would have a better margin for error and quite possibly, if the fixes required come in at the low end, be in a rock solid, nice Gen 4 at a decent price.

Be happy to help anyone if they are really interested in buying this. I think that this would make a great donor car for a Street Serpent!
 

SNKEBIT

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The pass. airbag is under the dashpad. So, either replace the whole dash or take it out and replace the dash cover. Just did this, PIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:2tu:
 

rcl4668

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Hey guys . . . I received an e-mail from a member here pointing me to the e-bay link a few weeks ago and I just noticed this thread. There is a high likelihood that this is in fact my former car (the "3s" on the side, the harnesses and interior are identical to the ones I placed on my car). I had an on track incident this past summer during a PCA HPDE event. The car went off track and hit an Armco barrier at PIR at the driver side front.

The accident was covered through dedicated track insurance provided by Katz & Co. (ACR Steve on this board is the broker and I highly recommened this insurance program.) Unfortunately, it was determined that there was some moderate frame damage to the car resulting in it being totalled. After that, the car left my hands and I assumed the car was sold for salvage value. It looks like a fairly significant amount of work has gone into the car as from a cosmetic perspective as there were scratches on one side fender, wheels, etc. in addition to the damage to the front of the car. I must say that if anyone purchases this car please do not reuse the Teamtech harnesses as I believe once there has been an impact the webbing on the harnesses cannot be recertified. (Jon B please weigh in here.)

At any rate, this was a great car that provided a lot of fun on and off the track. I am currently researching its replacement (probably an ACR or ACR-X) given that I was driving the car on the street fairly minimally compared to the time it spent on the track. I will miss the open air surround-sound experience of the Belangers going at full whack down the front straight at PIR though.

/Rich

PS: Some have observed that both driver and passenger airbags deployed and this is correct. A PCA instructor was riding with me at the time of the incident. The Teamtechs did their job because while the airbags deployed at impact between my HANS device and the belts, the airbags did not even make contact with our faces/helmets. Both the instructor and I walked away without so much as a bruise or scratch which is a testament to the quality of the car and the safety equipment that was installed (thanks again Jon B).
 
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costas

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Hey guys . . . I received an e-mail from a member here pointing me to the e-bay link a few weeks ago and I just noticed this thread. There is a high likelihood that this is in fact my former car (the "3s" on the side, the harnesses and interior are identical to the ones I placed on my car). I had an on track incident this past summer during a PCA HPDE event. The car went off track and hit an Armco barrier at PIR at the driver side front.

The accident was covered through dedicated track insurance provided by Katz & Co. (ACR Steve on this board is the broker and I highly recommened this insurance program.) Unfortunately, it was determined that there was some moderate frame damage to the car resulting in it being totalled. After that, the car left my hands and I assumed the car was sold for salvage value. It looks like a fairly significant amount of work has gone into the car as from a cosmetic perspective as there were scratches on one side fender, wheels, etc. in addition to the damage to the front of the car. I must say that if anyone purchases this car please do not reuse the Teamtech harnesses as I believe once there has been an impact the webbing on the harnesses cannot be recertified. (Jon B please weigh in here.)

At any rate, this was a great car that provided a lot of fun on and off the track. I am currently researching its replacement (probably an ACR or ACR-X) given that I was driving the car on the street fairly minimally compared to the time it spent on the track. I will miss the open air surround-sound experience of the Belangers going at full whack down the front straight at PIR though.

/Rich

PS: Some have observed that both driver and passenger airbags deployed and this is correct. A PCA instructor was riding with me at the time of the incident. The Teamtechs did their job because while the airbags deployed at impact between my HANS device and the belts, the airbags did not even make contact with our faces/helmets. Both the instructor and I walked away without so much as a bruise or scratch which is a testament to the quality of the car and the safety equipment that was installed (thanks again Jon B).


It looks like I'm buying your Viper (I wanted to send you a message but for some reason I can't)
I have some questions, I'm living in Sweden and the parts taking over a month to ship over :( If I ship them together with the car I don't have to pay additional 25% tax on them.

Does it have the stock controler chip, I'm thinking about upgrading to Mopar ECU.

Does it have catalytic convertors? I need stock or Hi-Flows to pass Swedish emisions.

Does it have the stock air filter? I'm thinking upgrade to K&N.

I just sold my black 2004 but I think your blue Gen4 cab is realy nice!

PLS send me msg or postreply, I'm flying to Miami next week to pick it upp!
 

rcl4668

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It looks like I'm buying your Viper (I wanted to send you a message but for some reason I can't)
I have some questions, I'm living in Sweden and the parts taking over a month to ship over :( If I ship them together with the car I don't have to pay additional 25% tax on them.

Does it have the stock controler chip, I'm thinking about upgrading to Mopar ECU.

Does it have catalytic convertors? I need stock or Hi-Flows to pass Swedish emisions.

Does it have the stock air filter? I'm thinking upgrade to K&N.

I just sold my black 2004 but I think your blue Gen4 cab is realy nice!

PLS send me msg or postreply, I'm flying to Miami next week to pick it upp!

Costas --

Congrats on your purchase. I can only speak to the condition of the car when I had it. The car had catalytic converters (the car has the full Belanger header, exhaust and hi-flow cat system). The ECU is a stock controller that received the factory-required reflash to address certain issues in the early 2008 cars. All work was done by a very reputable Viper Tech at the Dodge dealership where I purchased the car. Air filter was stock.

Again, I can't stress this enough: Whether you will be using the parts for a street or track application, you will want to get rid of those Teamtech harnesses or speak to someone knowledgeable about whether they can be recertified following an impact.

Have fun. It's good to know the car will be enjoying a second life in Sweden.

/Rich
 

Achilles99

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I sold one of my Vipers to a pilot in Sweden. You guys must have crazy taxes there to be importing Vipers from the USA :)
 

Phoenix SRT

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Just curious - what did you pay for it?

It looks like I'm buying your Viper (I wanted to send you a message but for some reason I can't)
I have some questions, I'm living in Sweden and the parts taking over a month to ship over :( If I ship them together with the car I don't have to pay additional 25% tax on them.

Does it have the stock controler chip, I'm thinking about upgrading to Mopar ECU.

Does it have catalytic convertors? I need stock or Hi-Flows to pass Swedish emisions.

Does it have the stock air filter? I'm thinking upgrade to K&N.

I just sold my black 2004 but I think your blue Gen4 cab is realy nice!

PLS send me msg or postreply, I'm flying to Miami next week to pick it upp!
 

costas

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rcl4668>
Thanks for the info! I haven't got it yet, the dealer tryes to squeeze more money out of the deal, I'll tell you guys how it goes.

Achilles99>
The Gen 4 Viper doesn't get imported in Europe, you have to imported your self.
The taxes are: 10% "banana tax" (everything between Europe and USA has a 10% penalty tax - both ways). On top of that you have 25% VAT tax to Sweden.
That's why it's better to buy a salvage title with low invoise and fix it upp, the title gets "clean" when it passes emisions in Europe.
I sold my 2004 Viper last sommer, it was a salvage title, bought in an auction. I drove it for two years and still made a profit of 15k USD

Phoenix SRT>
I'll tell you if/when I finalise the deal!
 

Achilles99

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Looking forward to your completed pictures! Did you find the car through this website, or was it coincidence that you saw it in this thread? Small world!
 

Phoenix SRT

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rcl4668>
Thanks for the info! I haven't got it yet, the dealer tryes to squeeze more money out of the deal, I'll tell you guys how it goes.

Achilles99>
The Gen 4 Viper doesn't get imported in Europe, you have to imported your self.
The taxes are: 10% "banana tax" (everything between Europe and USA has a 10% penalty tax - both ways). On top of that you have 25% VAT tax to Sweden.
That's why it's better to buy a salvage title with low invoise and fix it upp, the title gets "clean" when it passes emisions in Europe.
I sold my 2004 Viper last sommer, it was a salvage title, bought in an auction. I drove it for two years and still made a profit of 15k USD

Phoenix SRT>
I'll tell you if/when I finalise the deal!

Wow! Drive a salvage title car for two years and make money selling it. That's quite a feat. And I can't wait to hear what you paid for it.
 

Dom426h

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It looks like I'm buying your Viper

Does it have the stock controler chip, I'm thinking about upgrading to Mopar ECU.

Does it have catalytic convertors? I need stock or Hi-Flows to pass Swedish emisions.

Does it have the stock air filter? I'm thinking upgrade to K&N.

Gotta love how the kid thinks! Sounds like he's more concerend with modding the car than fixing it.
Sure he's been on Ebay all week searching for "Viper Gen4 accessorys":lmao:

What are you thinking for bodywork? bondo & spraypaint?:lmao:
 

Dom426h

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...had to take my crack at him:)

hopfully this guy is capable of restoring her the right way.:2tu:
 

costas

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Achilles99> I found it on ebay the day before I went on vaccation, 3-4 weeks ago and yes, it was a coincidence that I saw it in this thread :) I was actualy looking for the passanger airbag, the rest of the parts I have found allready.

Phoenix SRT> The price is not finalised yet.
With low invoise price it's easy to get a god deal, the cheapest 2008 Viper I found in Europe (used, with European plates) goes for approx 105K USD in Germany.

Dom426h> For the exterior I'm thinking 30" wheels with yellow spinners so it looks like the Swedish national flag :)
Joke aside, I know the Viper inside out, my 2004 was alot more damaged than this one, the guys that fixed it are professionals. Besides, I'm not working as a mechanic but I am a certified mechanic.
It was 3 things that annoyed me with my 2004 Viper:
1. The heat inside. Solution: Balenger whith Hi-Flow cats + apply heat isolation
2. The weak sound, I raced a Gallardo (I won) and the only thing I could hear was his exhaust. Solution: Balenger whith Hi-Flow cats
3. The first > directly to fourth lock in the gearbox. Solution: Mopar ECU. Besides that it takes of the BS that's necessary for Viper to be 50 states legal, adding some HP to.
About the K&Ns, if you changing the exhaust, the air intake is a must for me, cheap to. Snake-Oyl has a god kit.
I was racing motorcycles for 20 years ago (kid: LOL), I guess I'm just making excuses for the adrenaline rush :)
 
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Achilles99

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I hate the 1-4 lockout as well. You can buy a resistor that plugs into the transmission. It's $30 well spent, you don't need the mopar ECU. Summit makes it I think, you can find a thread if you search for skipshift eliminator.
 

ROCKET62

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Boy - that new Autocheck on Ebay is something. Last time it was listed - it had a score of 73. Now a week later it has a score of 85 ????

Also interesting that the seller has taken all of the "race" equipment off (number, tires, 6 points), has straightened out the radiator hose, lined up the airbox, put on razors and is now asking $2k more than he was. Still has not posted a good pic of the frame damage.
 

ROCKET62

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I hate the 1-4 lockout as well. You can buy a resistor that plugs into the transmission. It's $30 well spent, you don't need the mopar ECU. Summit makes it I think, you can find a thread if you search for skipshift eliminator.

Might want to do a double check on that as it seems some have had issues with that solution on the Gen 4.
 

JoeCom05

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I inspected the car last friday and decided not to buy :nono:
Oleg is a nice guy. He really knows how to sell cars :D
The newest ebay add shows much more cosmetics than the first.

It looks like there is a damage on the frame on the passenger side from the front until the rear and on the drivers side too, like a parallelogram. Both inside fenders have fractures, the cross tie near the cooler is broken, the passenger door isn't in a correct position (1" down), the roof isn't finding the right end position when opening and the rear fender gives more information (0,5" higher in the middle). Lot's of broken parts in the engine compartment and both inside fenders.

I've lot's of pics explaining details and my decision against this car.

In my eyes a ripoff and no deal!
 
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TAXIMAN1

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just from looking at the pictures, I can't see any way to make this car right again. and in person, Im sure there is much more to uncover.
 

LynnS

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costas: Good Luck with your project! Keep us posted as to your progress. Lynn
 

AZTVR

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In my eyes a ripoff and no deal!

I dont really see how it is a ripoff?

Did they try to cover up any damage to the car?

Or is it that they are not leading a potential buyer through an inspection and pointing out every indication of what must be repaired?

If they were selling the car as "minor cosmetic damage" only, I could see the ripoff aspect.

But if they are saying it was damaged and just downplay the negatives, that is normal, expected salesmanship.

I was VERY surprised that they left the track numbers and harnesses on in the photos in the first ad !

It is amusing to see the car being moved around with a forklift in your photos.
 

JoeCom05

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I was talking about a ripoff because I asked Oleg what happened at the rear fender and he told me that must have been a minor accident on the auction last week.
The fender needs just to be bend down and nothing more than the front ends of the frame were hit.
That's not the full story.
Whoever buyes the wreck: it's a nice car - mods wise - don't hope you just need some cheap plastic parts for going faster than 180 mls/h :omg:
Nothing more than my 5cents...

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AZTVR

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I was talking about a ripoff because I asked Oleg what happened at the rear fender and he told me that must have been a minor accident on the auction last week.
The fender needs just to be bend down and nothing more than the front ends of the frame were hit.
That's not the full story.
Whoever buyes the wreck: it's a nice car - mods wise - don't hope you just need some cheap plastic parts for going faster than 180 mls/h :omg:
Nothing more than my 5cents...

Your posts are very worthwhile. It just goes to show that buying a car like this is totally an "As Is" sale, and only an inspection by an experienced person will tell the truth. Even then, damage is often not visible.

Yeah, Oleg may have very well known that his forklift operator damaged the rear, or maybe it happened earlier in the auction chain; or maybe when the car nosed into the armco, it spun around and hit the rear also. It really doesn't seem relevant, nor would I assume that Oleg is trying to ripoff anyone. Having first listed it with the numbers and race harnesses pictured doesn't strike me as an outfit that is ripoff oriented. Removing them just seems like normal salesmanship. But, you would be a better judge, having spoken to him in person.
 

JoeCom05

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that entire car is twisted. Parts car if you ask me.

that's why the viper specialist supporting me assumed the frame might be "parallelogramed" = pushed back on the passenger side and came forward at the drivers side.

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white out

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The entire front of the car has shifted. Follow the intake & bent coolant hose, then you can see the crossmember under the intake is bent backwards on the passenger side.

Nick
 
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