Would you let a stranger drive your Viper?

[ledfoot]

My wife had me come home from work,just to pull the car out of the garage.("I'm not driving that thing")she drove the Vette a few times.........

 

[sun diego]

The best line I've heard is "No one can test drive my car or my wife".
I have let my friends drive every fast car I have owned, but not this. It is too damn fast and dangerous.

 

[Casey]

I'd have no problems - with this proviso - I'd do it with the same care I'd give to handing someone a loaded gun.

It's called trust - and part of wisdom is knowing who we can and who we can't.

Trust is very important, but you can have 100% trust in someone and they can still make a mistake. Especially with the power of a Viper!

My Dad is the most trustworthy person I know and more than Careful with everything. But he still inched up too close to a parking block with my first Prowler, bumping the front end! Really didn't bother me(it's not a Viper! ), but he told me right away and that's the Trustworthy part! He felt so bad, I just told him to buff it out! Which he did!

Sorry, just a quick memory for me!

 

[BadVenm]

This is always a sticky subject.

I sold my 94 RT/540+ HP to a guy who drove in from out of state about 8 to 10 hours. I told him up front no test drive. I felt weird about saying that. Now after getting to know the guy who bought it, I kind of feel bad I didn't let him test drive it.

BUT it was for his own good as well as mine. My cousin only 3 days younger than I, and the only cousin I was close with, died in a Dodge Viper when the driver lost control in a corner and the Viper left the road. It was a deal where the driver said "Just let me take it up to the store to get more BBQ sauce." It can happen before you can say oh s#!t

Just imagine selling your Viper, you let a guy test drive it, he wrecks and kills himself. In comes his wife and she slaps a fat law suit on you for endangering her husband or wrongful death, or what ever else she can conjurer up. So be very careful when selling your Viper, for your own protection as much as someone else's life or even the cars protection.

 

[drdaveSRT]

- Viper control can be lost very quickly, to quote"like balancing a grape on the edge of a knife." Non-speed people either kill the engine or drive it like a 4 ******.
Speeders think they have total control but we know it can be lost in a blink. Even experienced viper owners spin and slide, but we usually know when its coming. NEVER let anyone drive your viper without a signed release, and Always do the test driving with a release. After 20k hard miles, I still hardly trust myself. Go fast, be safe. maybe even a mouthguard.

 

[LIVIPER]

In the past, when I have sold motorcycles or cars, I have would say the following.

At some point in negotiations, after the usual BS preliminary questions, the buyer says, "can I take it for a ride" I say, "I would be happy to take YOU for a ride. If we have a done deal and you have they check in your hand, I will let you drive briefly and carefully with me in the car." That has always worked.

NOW, if I get someone who has, "well if I don't drive the car, how will I know if I like it." (this my friends is the classic tire kicker) I say, "look, I'm not here to sell you on THE car, I'm here to sell you on MY car. If you expect to driver my car, I expect that you already want a VIPER and you are looking to see if you want MY VIPER"

 

[Snakester]

I suppose that I've been a little more lax than most people.
I've let a couple friends, and my mechanic drive the Viper. But they have always driven carefully.
My wife would never drive the car because she is intimidated by it.

I did rent it out for a wedding once, but my provision was that I attend the wedding. The car was a hit, and the wedding was fun, and he ended up only driving the car for a couple blocks.

I wouldn't have any problem having a serious, interested buyer drive the car if I was in the passenger seat.

-Dean.

 

[SylvanSRT]

I have let others drive my cars. they were not strangers. Actually a guy i know drove my SRT on the track, Waterford Hills Road Racing, before i even had any track time in this particular car. I have known him a while and he is also chief instructor and track steward. Some people still think I am nuts(quite possible), but is really only a car. I know its a very fast and expensive car, but others have let me drive their cars as/or more expensive. Something could just as easily could happen w/ me in the car or someone else thats what insurance is for.

 

[King GTS]

I'm just wondering if I'm the only one that is paranoid. I let only 3 of my friends drive the car while I was in it. However I met this guy for the first time ( he was my friends father in-law)and he let me drive his Ferrari 550!!! I refused but after taking me for a ride he said drive it...it is only a car. I have turned down a good number of people that wanted to drive...including wallet parking guys.
Right now I have a guy that is interested in buying my car. He wants to test drive and I don't think that I will let him. What should I do? Would you let him drive?

Heck no! I'd drive him in it but would never let him drive it. Buy it and drive it all you want.

 

[Bob K]

I have let only one person, outside of my immediate family, drive my '96 GTS and I was with him. I got tired of my Corvette club friends teasing me about the Vipers so I encouraged him to take a short drive with me as a passenger. He is fairly aggressive with his Vettes but became a total whimp behind the wheel of the Viper. I think he was afraid of it (maybe because I put my helmet on before the drive!).

My wife is afraid to drive the Vipers (thank God! - she is terrible at driving a stick and I hate riding with her in the Z06). My 27 y/o son is a very cautious driver and afraid of speed. He has driven the RT/10 several times as we convoyed around as a family. My 21 y/o son, on the other hand, is a car and motorcycle nut. He is much more aggressive. However, he has put on many miles in the Viper with me as a passenger so I know he can handle it. Still, I seldom let him take one out on his own.
The only way anyone else is driving one of my Vipers is with me in the car with them - period!
Bob K

 

[DEVILDOG]

NO.