68 miles/ 10 gallons = ouch.......

[genXgts]

Well did a 5 hour rental of a 1996 GTS on Monday while in Vegas, first extended seat of the pants in a Viper to get past the motor and get a feel for the car.
This thing had 22500 miles on it, hard ones for sure but the fit and finish of this car is giving me second doubts on a purchase, truly....
Hoping to blame the looseness on it being a rental car, but hoping you guys can help sway me back to the right side.
The passenger door took double the pressure to seal than the drivers, hood alignment problems, various BSR noises, notchy shifter on the 2 to 3 especially, erratic power steering boost, man, I could go on but I'll stop, I love the car and will buy one in the spring, yet came away from the rental feeling my current RX7 Turbo is a more confident handling car, ouch.....

Thinking of cruising over to Chicago for a rental for a day from Steve I believe from Cloud9 Rentals? I need some reassurance that this rental was a bad example.......

Regardless I had a blast, did a mountain ride in a state canyon park by taking Charleston Drive off the strip.
Elevation was huge, the peak at 11,000, I am thinking I was more 7 or 8 for a 60-80 horse loss which didn't help things out, had a few blasts to 120 or 130ish.
On a positive note the exhaust at full wail was better than anticipated, the tires bite a lot better than I expected from reading some threads, although the HP loss was a factor.
Full throttle first to second powershift laid a nice 20 footer but did not break right free into a sideways slid, which was surprising!
I'll try and add a few pics, feel free to comment, still scouring the autotrader up here in Canada before jumping stateside!
Is that accurate that I was that down on horsepower that much? Did a search on altitude and came up with a few different formulas, 3% per 1000 ft, others said 2hp per 1000?????
like to hear some replies quality wise if you have some input!!
Thanks gang,
Ryan
Okay here's a no brainer question, how do you post a pic from storage and not a url to the topic?????? No flames please!!!

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[ruckdr]

genXgts,

Post pictures here:
http://viper.epikos.com/

 

[Phil]

It's a rental car. Ofcourse a rental car is all beat up..infact, it's suppose to be beat up since it's a rental car. After paying the money to rent the car, do you think people will pamper the car? It's simply because people rent the car and want to abuse it as much as possible. I'm sure these kind of beat up conditions also applies to those rental ferraris and porsches. Ofcourse you cannot judge an appearence of a rental car for the durability and craftsmanship of the car. As far as my knowledge goes, I had my 98 GTS for almost 3 years and the car is always in it's prestine condition. To be honest, ofcourse you cannot compare the quality of a Viper to some of the european cars. But one thing I can assure you is owning a Viper is something you will never regret of doing. The unbeatable attention you will get, the lighting speed of the car.....the lists goes on and on! Go for it!! Good Luck!

 

[Scott J]

I won't sway you, because the car should speak for itself. I prefer my Viper over Ferraris that I've owned in the past, even though the Viper doesn't have the fit and finish that you describe. If I want wood trim and cushy seats, I'll buy a Cadillac or Lincoln.

You had a rental car for one day and you're trying to make a fair comparison with your own familiar RX7? All of your altitude and power ratio formulas are a little too analytical when it comes to cars - let your instinct guide you.

Regarding handling: I drove an NSX and found that it paled in handling compared to the Viper, let alone an RX7. Congrats - you must have the best handling Mazda in the world! Did you happen to see the tuner shootout in the last Car and Driver? Gotta love how the Corvette absolutely stomped the top RX7.

No flame intended, just bringing balance back to some of the statements.

 

[BWoodbury]

Ryan,

I know Steve and have seen his car many times. It is a fine example of an early GTS and I would recomend it very highly.

Don't be swayed by the poor condition of the Vegas rental. It is not typical of Vipers.

 

[Venom Lover]

Based on the symptoms you describe, it sounds like the car you rented had been abused. On the other hand, based on your tone, I get the feeling you are not going to be happy even with a perfect Viper.

If you think your RX7 is a superior handling car, then I recommend that you don't waste your money on a Viper, but buy some performance mods for your RX7. I don't want to be reading posts after you buy a Viper complaining about the experience.

IMO, either you love the Viper or you dislike it. You seem ambivalent now, but I predict your ambivalence will grow towards dislike. So, get over it and move on with your RX7.

Sorry if this came across as harsh, but it's what I truly believe. The first Viper I drove was also a total POS, but I knew immediately I had to have one, and I knew I could forgive whatever shortcomings there were for the styling and performance. BTW, I think Vipers handle phenomenally well -- at least mine does at the track.

 

[Jim Hodel]

I owned a 93 RX-7tt and it was fun to drive, but a huge lemon. I worked on it more then I drove it. I liked the small and nimble feel of the Mazda, but other then that, our 99 GTS simply blows the Mazda away.

I know you can mod an Rx-7 to be very fast, but in stock form the cars are not in the same league. The Viper rides better, is tighter, and of course has way more power. I never liked the hissy spitty engine of the Rx-7. Plus it had a big bog between the first and second turbo and it sucked gas almost like the Viper.

Overall, the Mazda was more like my Z28 in performance, although not nearly as reliable. In the Mazdas defense, it really isn't fair to compare a $20,000 used car to a $70,000 Viper. BTW, I sold the Mazda for an E36 M3 which had similar overall performance, and I traded the BMW in on the Viper.

Jim

 

[ACELLR8]

Ok, to start with both cars are in my eyes exceptional cars. Yes, I may be biased seeing that I own both, had the RX7 for four years before the Viper.
I was concerned the Viper would not handle as well as my RX7, but it does, in some instances it out handles my RX7. Where the RX7 may pull ahead in handling is that it is smaller and lighter at 2800 lbs and just feels more tossible.
As for driving experience, NO COMPARISON, the Viper takes it all the way!! Much more fun to drive in my opinion and certainly attracts more attention. I thought my RX7 got lots of attention which it did, but know-where near the Viper.
I was and still am a big RX7 enthusiast but I gotta say, the car (RX7)I once loved as much as my wife has taken a back seat to the Viper.
I agree with all the Viper speaks for itself and in owning one you will definately fall in LOVE with it, if you are a true performance enthusiast!!!

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[SoCal Rebell]

I've owned both cars and there is no comparison, stick with the RX-7 and mod it, you don't deserve a Viper.

 

[JonB]

No Flames, but: ITS A RENTAL ! 98% of its miles were by folks who did not know HOW to properly operate hood, locks, alarm, etc.
And drove it like you did.....or worse. And a LOT of the problems may be attributed to poor wheel / tire balance alone.

Cloud 9 has a top-notch car, but some of the exotic rentals out there start with a rebuilt or salvaged car.

My 1996 GTS was the 1st retail unit out the factory door. It has 36xxx miles on it. Dan Vargus drove it at SIR last week and commented how new-like and tight it feels and sounds....just like his 5000 mile GT2-001.

 

[genXgts]

Yikes, what have I started!!!!
Excellent points brought on by all, the topic took a mind of its own into an RX7 versus Viper, which was not the intent, trust me.
The cars are not in the same league, sure RX7's can be made quick, dump in 20K as can Viper's.
My point on handling remains, I am not saying the numbers, as far as G pad goes are higher, just a more solid feeling that's all, I will attribute that to it being a rental and will make a weekend to Chicago and rent Steve's GTS from Cloud9 before making any more assumptions!
Just for the notes, a 25% loss of horsepower at 10,000 feet above sea level is worth talking about when grossing 450 horse!!!
The car was down a 100 horse or so for sure....
Luckily Chicago is a little lower, and my hometown for that matter,
take care,
Ryan

 

[genXgts]

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Found some time to post to epikos and then pull from there from my rental, might even work.
No more talk of the RX around these parts, I'll join the masses and flames C5's and the cupholders they deserve!!!haha...
Met a few C5's during the rental but didn't have the heart to show them my dreamcarental bracket on the back plate

Ryan