Thread: New Viper Purchase

Hey guys/gals I'm thinking of buying a Viper Convertible. The ones I'm looking at have very low miles... say sub 5k. Is there anything I should look out for? What are some tells of an abused Viper that aren't obvious? I'm new to the Viper world and I will be choosing a third generation. Any help, suggestions, advice or experience is greatly appreciated. I really want to know maintenance and unexpected repairs. I'll probably only be putting 3-5k a year on the ODO. I know there's some serious enthusiasts out here so help a wanna be Viper owner.

After hearing from you guys/gals and depending on the answers I'll be traveling to view the vehicle. Then of course an inspection from Dodge. I just don't want to waste my time finding a car to only to find out it's flawed.

Thanks Guys/Gals, Todd

under 5k miles you will not find much abuse, look at the viper logo on the front calipers if it is yellowing it is a sign that it was tracked. look at the rear tires, came with run flats, if they are different ask why. most owner change them cause they suck. dont buy an 03

Vipers by nature are a pretty pure car so there isn't much to go wrong with them but here is a few tips for the Gen III's

- Buy and '05 or '06. In '05 they changed the oiling system and the journal bears to deal with some failures that occurred in the earlier cars.
- For some reason the window regs in these cars can make cracking noises as they reach the top of their travel. The problem comes from a split in the sheath between the motor and the roller/lifter. There is a DIY fix on the VCA web site as the regs themselves are expensive to replace.
- All Gen III's have a cross over pipe between the exhausts that runs under the seats and as such the cabin can get hot even with the A/C on. What most guys do is either switch to Gen IV pipes or buy a cat back system(Corsa, Borla, and Belangers are all well known it the Viper world).
- Make sure the body work is in good condition as body panel are expensive.
- It's normal for there to be a bit of lash in the diff during really slow driving (think main street on a busy night). This can be disconcerting if you are not expecting it.
- Any car equipped with wide will tires tram lining and the Viper has the widest so it's normal (even the Corvette boys get this)

I hope you fine what you are looking for and if you need help finding a car you may want to talk to Bill Pemberton at Woodhouse Dodge.

Cheers,

Geoff

Thanks guys this is very helpful. I am looking at a 05 above only. I had no idea about this stuff... great advice. I've had two Z06s and I just sold one. I want another American Beast... Viper Vert seems to fit my bill. Plus opening my upper garage and seeing those two American Icons... mmmmmm.

Any more advice is greatly appreciated and thank you to those who have responded.

I'll start trolling the VCA forum also next week. Heck, I've just learned how to use this one properly.

join viperalley. its probably one of the funniest car forums around

Fantastic! One other thing, as an experienced Z06 driver you have a leg up on the average buyer but if you haven't taken a High Performance Driving course I would highly recommend it. Vipers don't have traction control which is not a issue but it's better to work up you and the car in a controlled environment like the track.

For technical information I would encourage you to join the VCA as the access to Dodge's Engineering team is unprecedented and the general community is very supportive.