Teach me about Vipers

[Kirk911SC]

Has anyone on here owned a Viper, or currently have one?

How would it compare to a 930? I realize it is a Dodge, and fit and finish is lacking......

Reliability?

DIY? Parts and technical support availability?

What is considered high mileage?

[David]

I drove an older one that a friend was looking to buy and I was not impressed. It was like a kit car.

Hopefully they've gotten better with the later models.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

My old boss had one. Ungodly fun in a straight line but handle like a greased pig on a linoleum floor. Grossly overpowered for the terrible handling they have. The only lateral stability you'll get is from the tires.

He lent his to a friend who promptly gave it a bit too much juice in a right turn. You guessed it, slid right into a light pole. They are very, very squirly in anything but "point and shoot" applications, but they do look wicked and are neck-snappingly fast when you hit the "go" pedal.

Craft/quality of construction is marginal. It reminded me of being in a MiG-25. All engine, stoopid fast but crude and no maneuverability. Not especially comfortable either.

[Kirk911SC]

Are they really that bad in the handling department?? Is it that any throttle will overpower the tires in a turn and slide the rear out?

Weren't all the old high horsepower muscle cars on bias-ply tires like this?

Sounds very similar to the orignal AC Cobras.

Are they really that dangerous, or has a myth developed? Much like the 930's reputation for swapping ends.

[masraum]

I don't have any first hand experience, but I've read that the second gen is supposed to be hugely improved in the handling dept.

[allaircooled]

My good buddy from back in the high school days has one. His has 25k miles and he was showing me where door panels were falling apart, seat bolsters were deformed, etc. But after that he just smiles and says "But it has 500 hp!"

[Kirk911SC]

Wow....is the build quality that bad??

[emcon5]

I drove a first gen one a few years ago. Fit/finish seemed OK, but I do remember how crappy the ergonomics were. Surprisingly uncomfortable.

Made a great noise though.

[89911]

I drove one the first generation Vipers. Really a compromised quality in the ergonomics. The engine is pushing in on your feet and you have to maneuver around the bulge. The heat is obvious also pouring into the interior. About as subtle a ride as a WWII jeep. Hey, its fast though!

[Baz]

I have a client-friend who owns one. VERY expensive to repair!

Personally I never liked the body design myself....much rather have a vintage muscle car like this....

[rouxroux]

A hoot in a straight line, quirky handling, But the two things I hated after a drive were the lack of headroom and DANG IT, hot sidepipes.

[Jim Bremner]

The last time I was out at a track event during the lunchbreak I asked the corner workers which club crashed the most cars. VIPERS! came out of 7 corner workers mouths at the same time. All solo wrecks.

Asked what club was second. they said BMW! and that they would crash into others! too musch red mist.

I was looking at buying a Viper coupe and did talk with a friend that tracks one. He told me that if you do buy one and plan on tracking it that the rear end of the car needs work to prevent a toe in/toe out change from happining under breaking and to expect to pay $8k for that work.

[tocobill]

I would avoid the 1st gen as they had alot of problems from being a new model like most cars do. They were very sparse in the interior and creature comforts area. They were also extreamly hot inside. The 2nd and 3rd gen would be the two I would look at .. more so the 2nd for me personally. The body lines have gotten much better. They pitched the roof up for helmets if you ever want to track or auto cross it. The 1st gen sucked for that. Vipers are GT cars. I have a 65 cobra with IRS and ~600 HP and it handles night and day better then a viper. The viper has much better aero's then the cobra ... the pit fall of all open cockpit cars. The cobra has the aero lines of a elephant with its ears out, lol. Depends on what you want to do with the car. I have alot of buddies with them and they love them. Good luck.

[Kirk911SC]

2nd gen GTS is what I've been looking at.

There seem to be two camps - people that LOVE them, and people that DESPISE them. Not a lot of in-between. A lot of harsh rhetoric from people who have probably never even sat in one before.

Do they really handle that poorly?? Specs show 1.0 g skidpad

[tocobill]

GTS ... awesome car. Still has the looks of the early ones but better. I think there is alot of bashing by guys who have heard form another guy from another guys opinion. The car handles well but if you go into a corner and mash the throttle there is only one way to go and its usually ends badly. Its alot easier to blame the car or tool then to blame the driver or mechanic. My buddy was letting friends ... me included drive his newly acquired Viper when he stopped in town 2 years ago. He let a 18 or 19 year old co worker drive the car around the block and up the road. Long story short he totaled it. Lots of guys die every year in cars they can handle or know how to drive ... not the cars vault.

[David]

A tip I got from a mechanic when I was looking at a Viper for a friend: If you are looking at buying a Viper, make sure you inspect it on a lift for any frame damage. They are very easy to wreck so many do and then they either aren't fixed correctly or they were damaged in a way that just cannot be repaired correctly. If there's any frame damage, even that's been fixed, it will likely handle even worse than it did when new.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Baz

I have a client-friend who owns one. VERY expensive to repair!

Personally I never liked the body design myself....much rather have a vintage muscle car like this....

Don't want to hijack your thread... but Baz has a good point.

If you are in the market for a American big block bruiser... how about one of the new muscle cars? Ala Camero/Challenger/Mustang? Probably just as fast around a track and much better ergonomics.

[tocobill]

Always pick up a new GT500 Super Snake. Probably be twice what the used Viper would cost and about the same HP if not a little more. Its a numbered Shelby car which now after this death and the proposed last model year of the Super Snake a car that can only go up in price. An original Shelby Cobra cost ~4K in 1965 and sell now for 1-2 million a pop. Whats a original Shelby Super Snake cost 40 some odd years later ... ??? Good food for thought if you don't want to buy the Viper.

[targa911S]

I "challenged" one in my 70 S once. It was like he reached over and took my key out of the ignition.

[Steve Viegas]

It is a mid-engine car I believe. That does not automatically mean good handling, but I have to think it helps.