I had briefly owned two 2003 SRT 10 verts back when they first came out. There was a marked difference in build quality between the two vehicles. Each had their share of construction boo boo's, however one was better than the other in most areas. I recently looked at a '06 coupe and was turned off by the assembly faults. By now I though Dodge would have corrected some of the early problem areas. The alignment of body panels on the coupe was terrible. Gaps were not uniform. The panels did not fit flush, apparently because they were not shimmed correctly. Under the front bumper there were 2 unevenly spaced "bumps" in the flexible skirt area. For a vehicle that is supposedly hand assembled, care in construction was non existant. I have owned a C6 Corvette and (other than orange peel in the paint) it's fitment was vastly superior to the Viper at about 1/2 the price. I know I'm a nitpicker when it comes to panel alignment, etc and was wondering if anyone else has experienced sloppy assembly and been turned off by it? I was going to purchase a new coupe, but now I'm undecided.
Viper Build Quality
- Thread starter Way2Fast
- Start date
Kai SRT10
Enthusiast
Build quality on my 2004 is very good. I have no issues with fit and finish.
Warfang
Enthusiast
sounds like a plant to me
viperdrummer
Enthusiast
Build quality of a C6 vs. Viper---NOT EVEN CLOSE. I had a C5 and C6. The orange peel which is awful was almost the least of the problems. The C6 had a new electrical problem each time I got in the car and fit and finish was lousy which is not surprising given that they knocked out 38,000 of them in 05. Also i had to wait 3 months while the car sat in the lot at the factory while they tried to get the tranny to work .
I have owned 3 Vipers and they have been put together like Maybachs compared to the Vettes and the other problem is that when something goes wrong there ain't no such thing as a Vette tech--you get whomever is on duty. Don't get me wrong--I love Vettes but their build quality isn't even close.
I have owned 3 Vipers and they have been put together like Maybachs compared to the Vettes and the other problem is that when something goes wrong there ain't no such thing as a Vette tech--you get whomever is on duty. Don't get me wrong--I love Vettes but their build quality isn't even close.
Lee00blacksilverGTS
Enthusiast
I have had the chance to look at several 06 coupes, some of which were very early production, I saw none of these faults, and frankly it does not make sense. The cars are handbuilt and the line does not move forward unless every craftsman at every station signals they are satisfied. And as a guy who has owned and still owns Corvettes I have to say it is laughable to call out the Vette as having superior build quality.
Maybe the '06 coupe I looked at was a Monday morning or Friday afternoon build, but I can assure you that the uneven gaps between adjoining panels and the "levelness" of the hood, rear hatch etc were subpar to any new car made today. (Possible exception being the Ford GT, where you can practically insert your fingers into some of spaces between panels.) I'm not discussing mechanical problems or reliability with the Viper, only exterior construction. The coupe I saw was terrible !!
Maybe your best friend is Bob Lutz or you need to lay off that stuff.
DodgeViper01
Enthusiast
I would have to agree. The build quality vs a Vette is night an day. Yes afterall a Viper is american so you are not getting BMW like interiors and such but for an American car I think the build quality is excellent. If you compare this to a Caddy, Vette, or Mustang, you are shocked at the difference.
Andrew/USPWR
Enthusiast
My SRT/10 is two days away, but my 2000 GTS amazed me at the quality and workmenship the went into it. For 450hp and the amount of track time I put into it, it never quit, rattled, or broke. The quality of my 2000 is one of the reasons I have no problem paying $60K for my next one.
FASTFUN
Enthusiast
My 04 is just fine!
twinturbo3150
Enthusiast
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my 06 coupe, looks badasp. My buddy just bought a c6 and is very happy, but it is in the shop already because the drivers door does not align with the strike plate. Its almost like someone hung on the edge of the door. Car has only 1,000 miles. He likes my car way better. 
ViperRay
Enthusiast
My '03 and now my '05 are both very good.
I agree it's even better than the GT although I was lucky there too.
I agree it's even better than the GT although I was lucky there too.
DEADEYE
Viper Owner
I like my GTS better than my '01 Z06 but the vette was built better. I never had to worry about the doors on the vette sagging.
corseviper
Viper Owner
Have not found a fault with 04 yet.
Battery *****, but I do not count the
crappy battery as a build quality issue.
Maybe this guy was looking at a rodge vaper coupe
kit car made in Uzbekistan.
Battery *****, but I do not count the
crappy battery as a build quality issue.
Maybe this guy was looking at a rodge vaper coupe
kit car made in Uzbekistan.
FASTFUN
Enthusiast
Maybe its a Chinese knock off Viper!
Richard,
As you are the only one who has seen this car, I have elected to consider your view as personal observation, which is what it appears on the surface. For us to assume that maybe a few sneak through that may not be quite up to normal standards is a rational assumption with any handbuilt car, yet I think we ( Woodhouse) are in the position to also enter a fair rebuttal on the quality we have seen in 2006.What you observed , I believe, is very uncommon on the new Coupe, as we have sold over 30 since last Fall. Including all the ones we have just recieved, we have noticed a marked improvement over the past few years --- and yes, the quality is much better than 03 , which in turn was better than the Gen IIs. DC has been much more observant to issues that caused damage at the Plant or during shipping, and fitment of panels , interiors, etc. has elevated itself to a point that a problem is extremely rare. But please, do not take my word for it, we have had no complaints from any of our customers on the fit & finish issue ( which was common on Gen IIs ) and we seldom have a claim with the factory or with shipping. Common sense says that surely one may have gotten under the radar, but overall considering the Viper is a hand-built car, the response about the car has been much better than in the past. What I have found over the years , since we trade for so many Vettes, is that previous Chevy owners tell us ( unsolicited ) that the Snake is the better built of the two cars. So jump back in there and get another Serpent, as you likely found one that shed it's skin too soon, and the rest are all silky smooth and ready to strike.
Best Regards,
Bill Pemberton
Woodhouse Viper
As you are the only one who has seen this car, I have elected to consider your view as personal observation, which is what it appears on the surface. For us to assume that maybe a few sneak through that may not be quite up to normal standards is a rational assumption with any handbuilt car, yet I think we ( Woodhouse) are in the position to also enter a fair rebuttal on the quality we have seen in 2006.What you observed , I believe, is very uncommon on the new Coupe, as we have sold over 30 since last Fall. Including all the ones we have just recieved, we have noticed a marked improvement over the past few years --- and yes, the quality is much better than 03 , which in turn was better than the Gen IIs. DC has been much more observant to issues that caused damage at the Plant or during shipping, and fitment of panels , interiors, etc. has elevated itself to a point that a problem is extremely rare. But please, do not take my word for it, we have had no complaints from any of our customers on the fit & finish issue ( which was common on Gen IIs ) and we seldom have a claim with the factory or with shipping. Common sense says that surely one may have gotten under the radar, but overall considering the Viper is a hand-built car, the response about the car has been much better than in the past. What I have found over the years , since we trade for so many Vettes, is that previous Chevy owners tell us ( unsolicited ) that the Snake is the better built of the two cars. So jump back in there and get another Serpent, as you likely found one that shed it's skin too soon, and the rest are all silky smooth and ready to strike.
Best Regards,
Bill Pemberton
Woodhouse Viper
Lee00blacksilverGTS
Enthusiast
Yeah, I'm starting to think the same thing here. Guy has 3 posts and we are supposed to believe he really owned a couple Vipers, I thought the "I owned them briefly part" was very interesting.
twinturbo3150
Enthusiast
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I hope your finger is the only thing you are inserting into the C6.
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25,000 miles and the "build quality" on my 04 SRT-10 is very good.
I have had other issues, but none with build quality.
I have had other issues, but none with build quality.
Midwest Muscle
Viper Owner
I've owned a few dozen GM cars (60's - Current) and was amazed at how well my GTS is put together. You could almost make me believe this isn't an American car
DodgeViper01
Enthusiast
Nice mileage! The only problem that I really see in SRT's is the Seat wear. Seems to wear faster than the GEN I & II but I will take seat wear anyday over engine problems.
Richard,
As you are the only one who has seen this car, I have elected to consider your view as personal observation, which is what it appears on the surface. For us to assume that maybe a few sneak through that may not be quite up to normal standards is a rational assumption with any handbuilt car, yet I think we ( Woodhouse) are in the position to also enter a fair rebuttal on the quality we have seen in 2006.What you observed , I believe, is very uncommon on the new Coupe, as we have sold over 30 since last Fall. Including all the ones we have just recieved, we have noticed a marked improvement over the past few years --- and yes, the quality is much better than 03 , which in turn was better than the Gen IIs. DC has been much more observant to issues that caused damage at the Plant or during shipping, and fitment of panels , interiors, etc. has elevated itself to a point that a problem is extremely rare. But please, do not take my word for it, we have had no complaints from any of our customers on the fit & finish issue ( which was common on Gen IIs ) and we seldom have a claim with the factory or with shipping. Common sense says that surely one may have gotten under the radar, but overall considering the Viper is a hand-built car, the response about the car has been much better than in the past. What I have found over the years , since we trade for so many Vettes, is that previous Chevy owners tell us ( unsolicited ) that the Snake is the better built of the two cars. So jump back in there and get another Serpent, as you likely found one that shed it's skin too soon, and the rest are all silky smooth and ready to strike.
Best Regards,
Bill Pemberton
Woodhouse Viper
Bill; Like I had mentioned, I am a real fuss budget and probably notice and get annoyed by stuff that wouldn't bother the average buyer. The Viper that I traveled 95 miles to see in person was on the showroom floor at New Symra Dodge here in FL. I pointed out the obvious flaws to the salesman who then had his "Viper Tech" come into the show room to see if they could be corrected. He said the panels that had a wide gap on one side and a tight one on the other side (hood for example) could be adjusted. Same for the panels that needed to be raised or lowered to be flush with the adjoining panels. The mismatch where deck mounted spoiler meets the spoiler on the fender (right side only) could not be adjusted because it would throw it too far off wack and then the deck lid probably wouldn't close properly. The "bumps" under the grill were there to stay too. I was disappointed to see the quality was probably worse than either of the first year '03 verts I had owned. I know that ALL Gen 3 Vipers are a BIG improvement over those that came before them. Same for the C6 Vettes...they are better built than any model before them, except for the shity paint which has been a problem since my first Corvette , a 1961. However, from what everyone seems to say on the forum, I'm inclined to believe that the coupe I saw may have been the exception rather than the norm. I wish there was a local dealer who had one that I could get a second opinion on, but I was unable to find one.
Richard
Warfang
Enthusiast
I hope your finger is the only thing you are inserting into the C6.
...at least AFTER the vette cools down
