'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

[luc]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

Eric,

The frame is NOT aluminum but mild steel tubing.

Everything can be fixed, I imagine the frame rails in this case but it would be a very expensive and complicated job and I am not sure that the end result would be as good that a undamaged car.

Stay away from this car.
In my opinion it will be way more than 10K since the hood by itself cost more than that.
May be 25k to 30 K.
Luc.

 

[ACR Joe]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

Establish a buy price based upon replacement of the frame. In my mind (if no where else) this is the only way to go.

 

[ACR Joe]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

I should add that Chris Barone is outstanding in this area and if anyone is capable of doing a great job it's Chris. He's done some work for me and it is perfection.

 

[luc]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

You can buy a 99 for 55K to 60K.
So if you buy this one for 37K and add 20K of parts/labor to fix it you are right in the middle of the price range for a 99.
Even if you don't mind having a "salvaged"title, you can be sure that the resale value of it would be greatly diminished.

To be even ,you will need to pay the value of a 99 minus the cost to fix it and minus the damaged/salvaged loss of value.
So let's say that a 3000miles 99 is worth 60K minus 20K and minus 10K that give you a "fair" price of no more than 30K.

 

[Viper99]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

I bought my '99 RT/10 last March for $62,000 with both tops and extended 7 year Chrysler warranty. The car had 3600 miles on it and not a scratch to be found.
I would be leary about buying a salvaged or totalled car of this calibre.
I live on LI and practice in Huntington let me know if you want to get together and talk or even see my car to compare.

 

[99 R/T 10]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

Koolman365,
Offer the guy no more than 20-23K. If no deal, then walk away. Just my .02.

Mike

 

[viperrt96]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

My past line of work (12yrs) dealt with this exact subject matter so I will add my .02 worth.

1. Any car with damage (within reason) can be repaired and repaired better than new. Use a frame specialist-not a typical body man that happens to have a frame rack and does slight pulls from time to time. Frame specs have some pretty wide tolerances. If you have a Chrysler manual-look for yourself. Sometimes as much as + or - 10mm (1mm = .040" of an inch)this means that less than a 1/2 inch is allowed. This is done for a reason. Even Vipers are not excluded. When manufacturing frames in assembly plants frames are done in Jigs. Jigs have tolerances that they must meet but nonetheless they have them. Nothing is perfect. If you dont believe me take a close look at some of the body panels on your viper(especially the small panel in front of the doors)I have yet to to see one that doesnt have shims in it. What do you think they use shims for. you guessed it.... tolerances.

2. Salvage(rebuilt) title cars do take a beating on resale. But only between buyer and sellers. Banks will loan on salvage(rebuilt) title cars the same amount as clean title ones. If your Bank doesnt then you are dealing with the wrong bank. I have dealt with salvaged -rebuilt title cars with insurance companys and they do not differentiate the two. They will pay the same out on salvage ones as clean title ones. Do you think your insurance premium will be less because it is salvage - Think again. THE ONLY REASON salvage title cars are marked the way they are is to warn any future investors (Buyers, Banks,Ins Co's)That at one time....That vehicle was a total Loss. It does not state the worthiness of any vehicle. Insurance companys deal with repair work everyday. They know that cars can be repaired. The only Question is does it out weigh the cost. I HAVE SEEN MANY a cars totalled that should not have been. This is even more evident in dealing with high dollar Sports cars. I have seen many ballooned estimates just so they can total a vehicle out. Reason: 90%(car owners) mindset is the same as I see in this post. It(the car) wont be the same.I dont want it. So insurance companys find it easier to settle and be done with it. Dont think this doesnt have a ripple affect on what each of us pay for insurance premiums.

3. I have never heard of any Insurance Co reporting damaged vehicle status back to the manufacturer. Ask your agent. I have had warranty work done on salvaged(rebuilt) title cars before. The only way they could know is if you told them or the damage is obvious(resulting from the wreck). They have no way of knowing your title status. They are not the BMV. This may sound fraudulent but be honest. Do you think the clutch going out would have been caused by a wreck.(example) Dont think so.

4.If this vehicle has salvage stamped on the title. You can not register it. I dont know all 50 states licensing requirement so this may differ in NY. The reason you have to do the police affidavit or DMV work is to have the status of your title changed to REBUILT.You do this only after the car is repaired. The other reason is so the police can make sure you didnt put your car together with stolen Parts and it is road worthy. Some states have inspections for this also.In the end the Title will reflect a Rebuilt Status.

I apologize for the long thread....Whew. I tried to cover as much subject matter as I could to help you out in your decision. I am one that is not afraid of any wrecked car(within reason)there are cars that belong salvage but I drove many a wrecked(repaired) vehicles and never had problems with them. If repaired properly you will never know the difference. Just be patient and IM sure you can end up with a nice car for thousands under. There is many things that can make this investment go wrong so be carefull.

 

[Sean Roe]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

Koolman,
You've received a lot of good advice here, especially the response above. I'll throw in a few cents, having rebuilt Vipers for track and street.
As long as you take the time to do it right, your rebuilt car can end up as tight, or better than a used Viper. There's no reason it can't. I too am one that is not scared by rebuilt cars, as long as they're done right. Believe it or not, a good indication of the rebuild is the paint. Paint lines, paint on weatherstrips, overspray, orange peel, wavy panels, that would be a car that the frame was probably tacked together and shoved out the door (stay away from these as it's always more dificult to fix somebody elses poor repair).
I think you're on the right track, but have an opinion about the price. If you're going to fix it and drive it for a couple years, I'd try to be in it ('99 with 3K mi) for $44K or less, with it done 100% right where nobody could see that it was ever damaged. $42K or under and you're in good shape. Give yourself a little extra cushion on the rebuild expenses for some surprises. Check the oil filter adapter plate for cracks. They usually break and take the timing covers with them ($1000).
Regarding the title, it will say rebuilt after you get the DMV inspection. Get VIN #'s on receipts for any used parts you buy, take pictures before and during repair, save all receipts as DMV will want all of this.
About the warranty, forget it, Dodge knows (no big deal really as Vipers are pretty durable as long as they're not abused).
Good luck on your project.

 

[Janni]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

That car was totalled for a reason. Vipers are obscenely expensive to repair, as all the replacement parts are low volume and only come from Dodge. Oftentimes, parts like a frame may be on national ackorder or virtualy unobtainable.

I think the only people that should buy wrecked vipers are those who will be building a race car, and very experienced Viper owners / collision repair folks that will have better access to a parts supply.

Even if you do get this car back to 100% (and it'll be WAY more expensive than you think - ask Jay H), you;ll end up with a car with a salvage title (don't ever get it stoilen, your insurance co will only pay you pennies on the dollar compared to a clean titled car), a car that overall is worth significantly less than original, a car with no warranty (I think), and unless someone is VERY EXPERIENCED, it will most likely have a few niggling problems that will decrease your ownership experience.

IMO, its not a good idea to try to do this with your first Viper.

However, if you do decide to go that way - check out ALL hte DMV regs befroe you buy and talk to your insurance comany on collision insurance, as well.

 

[luc]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

If the car was written off by the insurance, that mean that thes cost involved in fixing it was more that the market value of the car.
Being a 99 that will mean about 60K.

If as you said, the cost was less and the owner knew someone, that tell you that the owner was smart enough to know that the Viper will NEVER be as good than a undamaged one.

How much $ they want for the car?
Luc.

 

[phiebert]

Re: \'99 RT/10 Viper Frame Damage

In my opinion, if he wants between $35K and $40K for it, walk away. Even if by some unbelievable miracle it cost you only $15K to fix then you are looking in the mid 50's. With a realistic cost of fixing being probably more like $25K then you are at least in the 60's and closer to 70's. That's far, far too much for a damaged car. You would be much better off taking $50K and buying a nice '97 or '98 car. Or spend just under $60K for a '99. There is one listed for $58K in the classified.

When I first saw your post on this topic I assumed the guy was asking $10K for the damaged car. Then it's worth putting $25K into (maybe) and having a damaged '99 for $35K. Otherwise I'd just get a good one.