What to look for on used Viper I'm buying?

[Daffy]

What to look for on used Viper I\'m buying?

I'm looking at the Viper I've been thinking about, tonight at dinner time, before sunset. It is a 1999 RT/10, black with connolly, 4K miles.

What should I look for on the car? Any tips or tricks for trouble items or problems? I'm ready to make a move & need a little last minute advice (nervous I guess).

Thanks,

Dave.

 

[Marv S]

Re: What to look for on used Viper I\'m buying?

Dave, check out this write up by Jay. http://www.viperclub.org/misc/buyviper.html

 

[Daffy]

Re: What to look for on used Viper I\'m buying?

Thanks Liz!

The car is a private sale. It has an extended warranty 5/75K I believe.

The price we've agreed to is $64K - this was OK for me because it is local (20 mins) from where I live. I've given the VIN to my bank who said they would do a DMV / carfax check for salvage, stolen, etc. I've asked for service info (will follow-up with the service dealer which is very close to me also - thanks!)& to speak to his insurance broker to inquire if any claims have been made.

 

[Kurt 97 GTS]

Re: What to look for on used Viper I\'m buying?

Very sound advice from everyone. I agree with Liz on the selling price - $64,000 sounds a little high in MHO (especially for buying during this time of year - summer maybe!!) Sounds like a great car though. Enjoy

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[Brad Manhattan Beach]

Re: What to look for on used Viper I\'m buying?

Daffy:

Everyone has given some great advice.

If you don't care about paint condition, disregard this advice.

I would add that you should inspect the undercarriage of the car, to see if it has been abused. You will see the first signs on the front air dam, and the rocker panels. I even saw a used Viper that had been abused so much that the rear splash panels were scraped up.

The next thing that I would advise is to examine the paint condition under a fluorescent lighting (it's difficult to see paint flaws under direct sunlight). When you look carefully down each panel's surface (with your eyes at the surface level)
, you will see if the car has been repainted or abused by a detailer's buffing wheel. Believe it or not this is pretty common among used Vipers (and other exotics), because most owners pay others to detail their cars. It will be pretty easy to spot these signs on a black car.

Good luck on your purchase.

 

[Steve Ferguson]

Re: What to look for on used Viper I\'m buying?

Daffy, don't rush into this purchase. Why is the car even being sold? Make sure you are only the second name on the car. Make sure you speak to the Viper Tech who has been doing all the service to date. Make sure that the warrantee is still transferable once you become the owner. There have been many cases where someone purchased a Viper, with plenty of room under the maximum warrantee requirements, only to find out that they are no longer covered. This has to do with how the car has been titled.

Good luck,

Steven J. Ferguson
National President
Viper Club of America

 

[Daffy]

Re: What to look for on used Viper I\'m buying?

Thanks, Steve.

I'll plan on spending some quality time at the dealership with a hardcopy of the input from you & the others. The warranty is VERY important to me, so I will take your advice to heart.

dave.

 

[Daffy]

Re: What to look for on used Viper I\'m buying?

Hmmm, y'all are convincing me to be a bit more agressive on that final negotiation, I'll go for it.

Thanks for the great & speedy input, wow, looks like I'm not just getting into a great car, but a great car enthusiast group as well.

Dave.