It was worth every penny, we both really wanted to get our hands on the car for an extended period of time to see if it would be added to the purchase list, or if we should be considering buying gen 2s and just doing the big brake kit, suspension tuning, power adders, etc. In the end both of us concluded that this is essentially what SRT had done with this new car, taken a gen 2 and done the tasteful modifications without losing the soul of the car (which was our primary concern pre-drive). So I would say, if I could only have one car between a gen 2 and a gen 5, I would take the gen 5 hands down. However, I would not say the gen 5 is of such a nature that it renders a gen 2 totally redundant either.
A big part of the excitement is passing along our personal opinions/impressions (whatever they are worth) to others who may be looking at this car, because I think we both felt that the media was not doing the car any justice and it deserved an enthusiast-style review. I also think we are fairly objective albeit we both did love the gen 2, however we are always honest about its faults with people and that is just part of the deal with this sort of car. It isn't a for-everyone-and-every-occasion type of car, it is very purpose-built. We are not single-brand type of owners, and are not, in strict terms, fanboys. I've owned Mustang, Viper,
S2000, modded 335i, Z4M, 997.2 Carrera S, 09 Z06, and now I am hunting for a Ferrari as well. So I am a real basket case in terms typical brand demarcation lines and platform types, and I am not shy to point out flaws (and all cars have flaws no matter what the journos say). It just bugs me that the majority of journalists do not really understand this car and what is intended to do / who it is intended for, and I feel sort of depressed that it is the end of an era. I can't see how the media loves the F40 (my favorite car I haven't driven...), and yet they don't seem to understand the Viper, it is very frustrating.
Anyway I highly recommend this (renting a Viper) to people who don't have access to a gen 5 for a serious long-term evaluation, and are considering dropping 100K+ on a car. 1K is basically a tenth of the sales tax one would pay on one of these cars in CA, so it is well worth the expenditure to make sure you are not about to make an expensive mistake, and this car is certainly not for everyone, it just feels like it was meant for me
