#277 ARRIVES! (plenty o' pics & commentary)

[Y2K5SRT]

#277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

Greetings! Sorry I am a bit late with this, but it has been a looooooong day! We planned to depart for Woodhouse at 4:45 AM from my house, and I was wide awake at 3:30 AM. Gee, I wonder why?

So, the first thing I do is look outside. CRAP! There is fresh snow everywhere, including the roads. Not good. Ray (red SRT #515 - D1) arrives a little late thanks to the snow. We head over to Frank's place to hook up and make our departure. Frank and his lovely bride are patiently waiting. We pile in the Grand Cherokee and set the course for Blair, Nebraska!

As we headed north, the weather alternated from bad to worse. Snow on the roads, more snow blowing, and some nice packs of slush and semi-truck ice droppings. Throw in numerous highway department trucks dropping enough salt to create another Dead Sea, and it was not a pretty picture. As we picked our way through the various weather challenges, we happened upon this:

You must be registered for see images

No, it is NOT an SRT (ha!), but is a sporty little S2000 with a monstrous wing. We were undecided if he (or she) wiped out from the bad roads or just acheived lift-off from the wing:

You must be registered for see images

Seriously, we felt bad for the driver, who was long gone by the time we arrived. Don't know about the wing, but it seemed like a nice car that held up well sliding down an interstate embankment. So, we saw this and a Durango that had wiped out on the snow-packed highway and clipped a semi going the other way. Everybody was okay, but the driver's front quarter and wheel/tire on the Durango were completely gone. We were starting to get the feeling that driving brand-new SRT's back down over these same roads may not have been such a great idea. Nonetheless, onward we went!

We soon arrived at what can only be described as Viper Heaven:

You must be registered for see images

Yep, Woodhouse Dodge has a few Vipers getting ready for delivery! We wandered around and checked them out, careful not to so much as bump a mirror. Frank quickly found his silver beauty:

You must be registered for see images

Meanwhile, I wandered around some more and found this on a window sticker:

You must be registered for see images

Hey, that's me! <FONT size="1">(continued...)</FONT s>

 

[C O D Y]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

Very cool!

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

So, now that I have found my car, I am checking it (and others) out in more detail. As EVERYONE has commented, the trunk finish absolutely stinks. I am sure they saved a couple pounds of weight by skipping any carpet, but on an $83,000 car you would expect there to be something better than this:

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

You might also note that the black "X" panel is the battery access. Much easier! So then Bill Pemberton showed us the Mopar trunk mat kit and what it looked like. HUGE difference!

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

They seem to be simple to install (will let you know tomorrow) and the adhesive "tabs" are velcro so you can remove the mats if you are really that worried about weight or whatever. Likewise, we immediately asked about Mopar mats for the front and they had plenty of SRT stuff in stock. Nothing terribly fancy, but non-slip mats with the Fangs logo for around $70 a pair. That works (and will shoot pictures in the daylight tomorrow).

Well, we watched a few other Viper folks stop by to see their Vipers and a couple to take delivery. One gentleman had come out from Colorado and was driving his black SRT back. Woodhouse does great prep work, including that Zaino stuff!

You must be registered for see images

So, Mike gets a few pictures with the Kansas City crew and then off he goes:

You must be registered for see images

Yep, still plenty of snow on the ground and two VERY nervous drivers. Well, we decided then and there that we would trailer our cars back to Kansas City with the incredible Woodhouse crew. We figured it could be as long as a week, or perhaps the weather and roads would clear enough so that we could make a run at it again next week. Then lo and behold, St. Pemberton came down and let us know he could get ONE trailer immediately and send one of our two SRT's back to Kansas City today. As Frank very generously drove up, I told him it was all his. Of course, Frank being the ultimate gentleman, he INSISTED that mine go first so that my family could check it out. I finally bowed down in acceptance. We then learned that Woodhouse would come through and make another delivery on Sunday (now today) for Frank! Mind you, these were folks that were taking some of their personal time to deliver our cars on very short notice. We were both thrilled and very grateful.

<FONT size="1">(continued...)</FONT s>

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

Our concern about driving was not so much about wiping out, but rather caking 400 pounds of road salt on our very brand-new cars. I don't have access to a lift, so it would take me forever to try and clean that stuff off.

In the meantime, Mr. Pemberton was doing a demo of some of the nifty parts of the car:

You must be registered for see images

One of the things that I especially liked was the airbag shut-off switch. It is now located in the center console storage where it can be hidden away. Likewise, there are TWO cigarette lighter outlets, including one in the center console so you can charge your cell phone and keep it out of sight:

You must be registered for see images

Probably one of the coolest things is the "hidden" keyhole. The idea is that if your remote locks stop operating (and they appear to be the exact same system as previous Vipers), you can find the secret keyhole and still get it. Check it out, as well as the great lines of this car!

You must be registered for see images

And no, there is no sign that says "This is not a cupholder" under the ashtray. Oh well! I also noticed that the center speakers were actually one big sub, all by Alpine:

You must be registered for see images

I would get to test out those speakers a little later. By this time Woodhouse has treated us to the New Car Meal Plan, which was some cold pizza upstairs. Okay, okay, it was actually quite hot, but by the time I got to it it was starting to wither. What was I doing? Checking out my car in the sunlight as it waited to get loaded onto the truck!

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

<FONT size="1">(continued...)</FONT s>

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

Good call on waiting and getting it transported, fighting that temptation must have been really hard to do!

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

And then it was time to load my baby up!

You must be registered for see images

Of course, when we figure out that I am going to the same place as the car, the driver (Larry) and his wonderful wife invite me to ride with them in the truck (extended cab) for the ride down. As with all great dealerships, they are defined by their people. Larry and his wife were absolutely wonderful, listening to my goofy stories and making great time (probably to end the stories as quickly as possible!). They took the utmost care in bitter cold conditions to make sure my car made it to the nest:

You must be registered for see images

Of course, I checking out all the various doo dads and seeing how easy the top is to close and open:

You must be registered for see images

Okay, some initial observations with absolutely no drive time besides my driveway:

1. The fit and finish really is great. Body lines that seem to look very equal and no unexplained noises. Everything opens and closes just as it should.

2. Speaking of closing, HOW DO YOU CLOSE THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE? The problem is closing the door without getting finger prints all over it. On my 2000 GTS we just pushed the door closed using the small handle. With the SRT you either have to palm the door itself (which can get ugly on a black finish), or push on the very unsupported window. Scary.

3. The door handles are cute, but will be a problem down the road. How so? Even the chrome handle inserts on the older Vettes got scratched up from fingernails. The new SRT doesn't solve that, but may even compound it by having what appears to be painted inserts. These will be scratched up in no time.

4. The gauges: VERY, VERY classy!

You must be registered for see images

The key is to remember that your fuel gauge (often the most referenced) is the only small gauge off to the left. The rest run down the right side.

5. The radio/stereo controls. While hard to see in this picture, there is one VAST improvement: A real (and large) volume knob so you don't have to stop to work the tiny buttons on your radio anymore. It also sounds great!

You must be registered for see images

6. 220 mph, need I say more?

You must be registered for see images

<FONT size="1">(continued...)</FONT s>

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

7. The "dummy" lights. Very well lit and kind of 3-dimensional. The "up shift" light is now in the tachometer instead of off by itself.

You must be registered for see images

8. The climate control. While I did not mess with it much (in the garage), I did turn the knobs. WOW, also redone so as to turn with little effort and very satisfying increments.

9. Interior lighting is excellent, with both lights in the rearview mirror and the footwells.

10. Exterior lighting: INCREDIBLE! The tail lights are literally a work of art, while the headlights can probably be used to send signals to distant galaxies. They are HID and are very nice. Driving lights also seem to be better focused. Here is a picture from Frank's car (also notice the fit and finish around the lights - tight!

You must be registered for see images

11. Seats are very comfortable, but my wife is complaining heavily about lack of lumbar support. Even the old blood-pressure bulb is gone and there is no way to adjust it.

Whew! That is all for now. I am going towards 24 hours with no sleep and am probably typing in gibberish at this point. I will give many more details and opinions tomorrow after I get some DRIVE time! Oh yeah, and a LOT more pictures too!

Chris

 

[genXgts]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

Thanks for the great writeup and pics Chris, great work, as per usual.

Dash shot looks awesome, gauge layout with the backlighting looks all business. The extra temp gauge is a nice addition as well.

Not as warm to the Neon issue radio, hope it sounds better than GenII Alpine units!

take care, thanks again,

 

[Frank 03SRT]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

I have one small comment to add to Chris's, and that is:

All the colors are fantastic. I would look at the red and say, hmmm, that's the best, then the silver and another hmmm. But the black is the most sinister of the group. It is downright bad looking.

However, my first sight of the silver absolutely impressed me. Maybe because my wife said I ain't getting any color other than silver, but the color is indescribable, but maybe platinum moonlight might get it.

And the new lines are fantastic. I was twice as impressed as I thought I would be.

Mine's commin' today, didn't sleep last night, life is good.

 

[Joe Bliss]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

Great write up. It is truly an awsome car that can only be matched by the awsome service of WOODHOUSE Dodge. Their driver Larry and his wife are two of the easiest going people who take their time and do things right. I only wish they would have taken the snow with them so that I could drive the car. It's been snowing and below 20 degrees for two weeks now.

 

[2charmed]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

Chris,

3M plastic film for the door handles! I was noticing the door
handles on the display car at Barrett/Jackson and they didn't fit well. I then looked at three production SRTs in the parking lot, they all seemed great, so I guessed the display car
was a "pre-production" car.

Thanks for the write up and pics!

2charmed

 

[SUN RA KAT]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

Great story & photos - makes me wish I was getting a new Viper again from Bill.

You're right about Vipers & snow - they drive pretty OK in the snow, but the cleanup of salt & road crud ***** big time - you made the right choice in putting it in the trailer.

 

[Russ Oasis]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

A question for you guys who have already taken delivery of your SRT's: Are the resonators bolted on or welded into the pipe? Are there any of you that think the car would sound better by removing the resonator? I plan on doing that as soon as I receive my car. An unnamed member of the PVO team suggested I do that when I said that I wanted a louder car. I have the Hennessey headers and cat-back exhaust systems on both my RT-10 and GTS and like the way the cars sound. I want my SRT to sound louder.

 

[Hans Christian]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

Chris,

When you write - you write - THANKS - you have a gift for writing - it is like being there with you - AGAIN thanks for a great write up.

I am sitting here drooling and waiting for my 2004 from Bill the KING Pemberton (Thanks for making the wait much harder - ARGH).

I hope you can find time to also descibe your driving impressions (once it stops snowing).

Thanks

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Russ Oasis:
A question for you guys who have already taken delivery of your SRT's: Are the resonators bolted on or welded into the pipe? Are there any of you that think the car would sound better by removing the resonator? I plan on doing that as soon as I receive my car. An unnamed member of the PVO team suggested I do that when I said that I wanted a louder car. I have the Hennessey headers and cat-back exhaust systems on both my RT-10 and GTS and like the way the cars sound. I want my SRT to sound louder.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That sounds like a question for Janni, who has already gotten under the car and inspected it more closely. I don't have a lift and have no way of inspecting. I will say that I like the sound of the SRT stock, which I could not say for my GTS...

Chris

 

[Steve Miehe]

Re: #277 ARRIVES! (plenty o\' pics & commentary)

Chris:

Your new Viper is too cool. Bet you had a great time looking at all the new ones at the Woodhouse viper pit. Thought I would mention something regarding your photo of the S2000 that was in the ditch. Bought my wife a new S2000 in November and we are in the process of getting used to it. Had an opportunity to drive it on some snow last week and the car handles horribly on such slick surfaces. The rear end breaks loose and wants to come around on me with VERY little gas pedal pressure. Any speed over 25 MPH on snow and you are in the ditch. Am betting that the guy (or gal) who owns that yellow one simply lost control due to the car being so light. On dry roads? The car is a real hoot! My two cents. Good luck with your '03!