1998-1999 Gen II or 2005 Copperhead Gen III ?

[HeatViper]

I have done quite a bit of reading as I am going to be buying my first Viper but I wanted to know from actual Viper owners if you were buying your first Viper which would you buy from the following choices a 1998-1999 RT-10 Gen II a 2001 RT-10 Gen II (only looking at this year because of sapphire blue color) or a 2005 Copperhead Gen III if you had your choice ? What would be your reason? Looking for mechanical or feature reasons...

Also would someone who is 6' 2" fit in a viper convertible with the removable soft top or a convertible soft top like on the copperhead without their head poking up through it ?

 

[plumcrazy]

<<--- hates copperhead color so anything else is good. But im a huge fan of the gen2 regardless. the only real differences in 99 to 01 is lack of forged pistons in the 01 and lack of ABS in the 99. the rest is all basically the same.

 

[nmp1]

2001.

the gen 2 is the original looking viper. the forged piston cars are overhyped unless you’re going to go crazy with power adders, plus you have to deal with the recalls if they haven't been addressed. the added safety of ABS is more important for driving on the street when something darts out in front of you and you bury the brake pedal. The bias on the NON-ABS cars isn’t that great unless you change the setup. I’m not a big fan of the gen 3 cars looks but the seats are nicer and the convertible top is more user friendly. Not sure if there is a noticeable power difference.

 

[steve e]

Any Gen 2 is AWESOME.

 

[HeatViper]

2001.

the gen 2 is the original looking viper. the forged piston cars are overhyped unless you’re going to go crazy with power adders, plus you have to deal with the recalls if they haven't been addressed. the added safety of ABS is more important for driving on the street when something darts out in front of you and you bury the brake pedal. The bias on the NON-ABS cars isn’t that great unless you change the setup. I’m not a big fan of the gen 3 cars looks but the seats are nicer and the convertible top is more user friendly. Not sure if there is a noticeable power difference.

Good point on the ABS, I personally have a love hate with ABS, on some cars I have found it way to over responsive. In others I find it well balanced. Are the Vipers hard to stop fast without ABS ?

Also are the 2001 engines prone to more engine issues then the 1998/1999 ? I was looking at a 2001 at a smaller dealership who ended up sending the car to a dodge dealership to have it worked on for a "small" oil leak and that was over 2 weeks ago and it hasn't come back....

I am thinking of eventually adding a SC to it but I don't foresee trying to exceed 700HP.

 

[HeatViper]

<<--- hates copperhead color so anything else is good. But im a huge fan of the gen2 regardless. the only real differences in 99 to 01 is lack of forged pistons in the 01 and lack of ABS in the 99. the rest is all basically the same.

Thank You for the info.

 

[HeatViper]

Any Gen 2 is AWESOME.

I am leaning more towards the Gen 2 as I like the body style more

 

[HeatViper]

Have any of you ever dealt with Northrup Grumman Federal Credit Union for an auto loan? I have checked the usual suspects for an auto loan to buy my first viper (Woodside, JJ Best, Lightstream and Penfed) but NGFCU beats all of their rates can only find two reviews on them. One is excellent one is poor...

 

[nmp1]

I have never driven a non-abs car so I can’t say exactly but I have heard they are hard to modulate and they lock up easy so you end up coming off and re-applying the brakes. The only issue with the 2001 engines are the water pumps. They had a plastic impeller on a steel shaft so they can slip and cause overheating, happens to some cars. Not a big deal to fix and all the gen 2 viper engines are pretty solid and have no other common issues. Roe racing recommends no more than 5 psi superchargers on 2000-2002 engines. If you want to go 700 hp a 1996-1999 might be a better way to go. Tom is doing his 40mm rear calipers again and I have heard they work wonders to fix the brake bias issues so that might be the better way to go. Never heard of Northrup Grumman Federal Credit Union.

 

[HeatViper]

I have never driven a non-abs car so I can’t say exactly but I have heard they are hard to modulate and they lock up easy so you end up coming off and re-applying the brakes. The only issue with the 2001 engines are the water pumps. They had a plastic impeller on a steel shaft so they can slip and cause overheating, happens to some cars. Not a big deal to fix and all the gen 2 viper engines are pretty solid and have no other common issues. Roe racing recommends no more than 5 psi superchargers on 2000-2002 engines. If you want to go 700 hp a 1996-1999 might be a better way to go. Tom is doing his 40mm rear calipers again and I have heard they work wonders to fix the brake bias issues so that might be the better way to go. Never heard of Northrup Grumman Federal Credit Union.

nmp1,

thanks for the info on the water pump.

this is going to probably sound like a dumb question but who is Tom ? I'm new around here so I haven't been acquainted with everyone yet.

Do you happen to know if someone who is 6' 2" can sit in a viper with a soft top or convertible top without there head sticking up into the roof ? I know I can fit in the hard tops just fine, have never tried a soft top or convertible top

 

[nmp1]

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/674478-Tom-s-40mm-brakes-are-BACK!

as far as your height, not 100 percent sure but i don't think your head would stick past. i would go to a dealer or car show and ask someone to sit in one to be sure. jeremy clarkson is 6'5" and his head was right at the roof line, minus his afro, when he drove a gen 1.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Free2go]

At 6'2 you will be fine in any Viper. If you're a fat ass, maybe not so much.

 

[HeatViper]

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/674478-Tom-s-40mm-brakes-are-BACK!

as far as your height, not 100 percent sure but i don't think your head would stick past. i would go to a dealer or car show and ask someone to sit in one to be sure. jeremy clarkson is 6'5" and his head was right at the roof line, minus his afro, when he drove a gen 1.

You must be registered for see images attach

Thank You,

I found a Viper for sale but I need some help in understanding if what was done to the car is a good thing, the owner added adjustable coil overs w/urethane bushings, stainless steel brake lines, car lowered ( aren't vipers already low? can it be put back to normal height?), Edelbrock headers, under drive aluminum pulleys, Harvard sharp roller rockers 1.7 ratio, new pushrods, Corsa exhaust....

 

[nmp1]

sounds like fairly normal stuff. you just need to make sure the parts are correctly installed. ie the headers arent leaking, everything is tight, make sure the shocks are good. it they are adjustable you should be able to raise it if you have the tool for it. do you have a link to the add?

 

[HeatViper]

sounds like fairly normal stuff. you just need to make sure the parts are correctly installed. ie the headers arent leaking, everything is tight, make sure the shocks are good. it they are adjustable you should be able to raise it if you have the tool for it. do you have a link to the add?

I'll PM you the ad.

 

[02rt10]

2001.

the gen 2 is the original looking viper. the forged piston cars are overhyped unless you’re going to go crazy with power adders, plus you have to deal with the recalls if they haven't been addressed. the added safety of ABS is more important for driving on the street when something darts out in front of you and you bury the brake pedal. The bias on the NON-ABS cars isn’t that great unless you change the setup. I’m not a big fan of the gen 3 cars looks but the seats are nicer and the convertible top is more user friendly. Not sure if there is a noticeable power difference.

+1 what he said

 

[Brass Monkey ACR E]

<<--- hates copperhead color so anything else is good. But im a huge fan of the gen2 regardless. the only real differences in 99 to 01 is lack of forged pistons in the 01 and lack of ABS in the 99. the rest is all basically the same.

Matter of OPINION on color, I myself LOVE the Copperhead color(how many Red, Silver, Black colors do you see compared to Copperhead?
I know you said Sapphire which is a NICE color) and the GEN3/4 verts compared to GEN2 RT10's
How fast can you put together a GEN2 soft top with little experience? Can you put on and take off the soft top by yourself?
Braking on GEN2's are OK not great. 450 HP compared to 505 HP. GEN3 seats are more comfortable
GEN2 soft top takes up most of your trunk space IF you needed to take anything
Again it is "ALL a MATTER of OPINION" no matter what GEN and color you decide on