ACR as a daily driver?
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CitySnake
Enthusiast
Not sure what year ACR you're thinking about, but there's no issue other than any other Viper (or 2 seat sports car for that matter) ... except for the OE tires.
Martin
Enthusiast
The Gen IV ACR is really docile and comfortable around town. There's no reason it couldn't be a daily driver except for the attention it gets - you end up talking to tons of people about it, and that's fine most of the time, but if you're on your daily-grind and don't have time to chat, it's easy to come across as an a-hole. During winter months, I'd think you'd want to switch to more rain friendly tires.
Vital Velocity
Viper Owner
I wouldnt want to daily drive a gen II viper...
Cop Magnet
Enthusiast
Depends on where you live. If you are in San Diego, sure. If you are in Chicago, no. And it is not just weather. If you have bad roads like NY, then maybe not. Or lots of change in incline, like San Francisco, probably not. Your splitter won't last long. But there are no issues with comfort or driveability.
Martin
Enthusiast
I think the hardest part about driving these cars daily is the fact that they will get beat up and dinged pretty fast. Most of us cringe when we think of some dumb-ass in a Caddy Coupe de Ville opening one of those ten-foot long three-thousand-pound doors into the side of our cars. If you daily drive anything, that's gonna happen. Then, you also get those people rubbing up against your car when loading groceries into their car, or leaning their shopping cart up against your car while they unload it. With my DD cars, I just forget about it. If I came back to one of my Vipers with a big ding or scrape, it would ruin my day.
VIPER GTSR 91
Enthusiast
The biggest problem daily driving any viper is theft and damage by idiots. Better for a weekender toy.
Malu59RT
Enthusiast
Has anyone gotten a ding/dent on their Viper? I daily drive mine (29,300 miles as of today), and don't have one dent/ding on the car. I actually move the Viper out of the garage in a hail storm, and move the cars with metal body panels inside so they don't get hail damage.
I feel like a long-term reliability tester for SRT with my 08, and all I can say is that this motor and transmission is almost bulletproof. It's been in the 100's all week here in Dallas, and I've been in rush hour traffic all week long for 1.5 hrs in the Viper (25 mile drive home). Had the A/C on full blast (until it starts to freeze my left hand that rests by the turn signal), and it's never over-heated, never started to buck, etc. My left leg can get a little tired after 40min of stop & go, but that's to be expected.
Do regular maintenance on it, check oil levels, and you are good to go.
I feel like a long-term reliability tester for SRT with my 08, and all I can say is that this motor and transmission is almost bulletproof. It's been in the 100's all week here in Dallas, and I've been in rush hour traffic all week long for 1.5 hrs in the Viper (25 mile drive home). Had the A/C on full blast (until it starts to freeze my left hand that rests by the turn signal), and it's never over-heated, never started to buck, etc. My left leg can get a little tired after 40min of stop & go, but that's to be expected.
Do regular maintenance on it, check oil levels, and you are good to go.
I mean, Yes. of course you CAN use an ACR as a daily driver... You can use a Moped or bicycle for your daily driver too. But the question REALLY is, do you WANT to? Only you can answer that.
It all comes down to your personal tolerance for the "roughness" of the car and high expenses that go along with daily driving. (i.e rapid depreciation from mileage, tires,brakes,fluids,wear and tear, exposure to accidents or damage). OR is it better to have a comfortable car, that your not going to sweat every single scratch for your daily. And a Viper for the weekend..
there are some people that write a check for a 100k car, and forgot they wrote it the next day. And don't care what the car is worth. Then, there are others that are sweating bullets when someone else sells a similar car to cheap. Because they can only afford to float the car, if the value does not decrease. If you have the means to buy a 100k car and rack miles up on it, and count that money and spent, and truly enjoy driving it every day. I say, go for it.
For me, I plan to start using a viper as a daily driver. But not an ACR... the tires, low spoiler and depreciation costs dont make sense.. I plan to buy a pre-owned 08 coupe as a daily driver. I seriously considered a Murcielago. but after looking at all the costs of daily driving a car like this. It did not make sense.
It all comes down to your personal tolerance for the "roughness" of the car and high expenses that go along with daily driving. (i.e rapid depreciation from mileage, tires,brakes,fluids,wear and tear, exposure to accidents or damage). OR is it better to have a comfortable car, that your not going to sweat every single scratch for your daily. And a Viper for the weekend..
there are some people that write a check for a 100k car, and forgot they wrote it the next day. And don't care what the car is worth. Then, there are others that are sweating bullets when someone else sells a similar car to cheap. Because they can only afford to float the car, if the value does not decrease. If you have the means to buy a 100k car and rack miles up on it, and count that money and spent, and truly enjoy driving it every day. I say, go for it.
For me, I plan to start using a viper as a daily driver. But not an ACR... the tires, low spoiler and depreciation costs dont make sense.. I plan to buy a pre-owned 08 coupe as a daily driver. I seriously considered a Murcielago. but after looking at all the costs of daily driving a car like this. It did not make sense.
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RevHeat
Viper Owner
If you have the desire, you can drive any car daily. However, I would not drive any viper as a daily driver.
Rev
Rev
ACR steve
Enthusiast
Hey Martin no dings are cars are plastic/fiberglass 
(yes scraps would s-ck)
You could drive it everyday but I agree with above put some PS2's on your car and take off the cups. The car actually works fine on the cups but for everyday PS2's cant be beat for different weather and surface issues
(yes scraps would s-ck)You could drive it everyday but I agree with above put some PS2's on your car and take off the cups. The car actually works fine on the cups but for everyday PS2's cant be beat for different weather and surface issues
Martin
Enthusiast
Hey Martin no dings are cars are plastic/fiberglass
Well, I guess I used the term dinged too loosely
On most of the body panels, damage is limited to chips and circular cracks when some idiot bashes into it with a door or shopping cart. On other portions of the car (like the side sills) you can definitely get dings since they're aluminum. Those side sills are really vulnerable to the metal rail at the bottom front of shopping carts - it seems like they're at the perfect height to get bashed. One thing I definitely notice is that if a car is doing DD duty, it's going to get treated by other people just like they'd treat any other DD they rudely rub, ding, scrape, scratch, etc. in the parking lot. When you limit the use to weekends and fun, for some reason these 'accidents' are a lot less common. It's probably because we are much more careful where we drive and park, and we pay a lot more attention to the car when it is parked. I know there have been times like when I saw a minivan full of kids pull up right next to (and much too close to) my car and I just knew that if I didn't run out and say something, that sliding door was going to open and a whole gaggle of brats and their sports gear were going to come flying out all over my car.
well, I just wanted input on driving it(2009) ACR viper around my town, Ferndale,WA. we get tons of snow in the winter, is it ok to drive this bad boy in the snow?
Should I be really worried about theft then?
Thanks for the input guys
Should I be really worried about theft then?
Thanks for the input guys
Chuck 98 RT/10
Enthusiast
If you have to ask then a Viper probably isn't the car for you. Not being a wiseguy, just being honest.
Cop Magnet
Enthusiast
Absolutely. Not.
AZTVR
Enthusiast
No problem, if you're using studded snow tires !dragon rider
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Viper and snow. Man he got us all roped into this thread. Great opinions on how these cars should be used though.
johniew398
Enthusiast
No way, in fact I don't drive my ACR in the rain if I can help it. Not made for inclement weather.
yamahahaha
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i wouldnt daily drive a viper. it would take the special feelin out of it for me... i think the perfect daily driver/exotic car would be a acura nsx! 280 hp, honda motor so it cant get hurt. nor will miles be ******* the engine. easy to drive, also is one of the best looking cars ever made!!! that would be my perfect combo
kcobean
Enthusiast
Hasn't school already started back?
BigBadViper
Enthusiast
I would probably just install a plow on the front. Then you could double and make some money.
So, I always drive all my cars as daily drivers!
Except in rain or snow or just bad weather. Then the Lexus come outWILDASP
Enthusiast
Until this part, I actually thought this was a serious question; you are joking, right? No??? Well, alrighty, then! As a matter of fact, you could drive your ACR in the snow (under just the right conditions, of course), What conditions? Well. for starters, you'll need to change to studded snow tires (i'm pretty sure you will have to change wheels to do this). Next, make sure that when they plow the roads up your way, they leave a pile of ice on each side of the road of sufficient height to serve as a retaining wall when (not if) you spin out of control (this should occur a split second after clutch engagement). I do assume, of course, that you believe that a nice "wall stripe" down each side of your ACR is an appropriate, ah, "accessory". (Have to keep up the "boy racer" image, and all that, I suppose).
You DID ask. By the way, I hope your feet do not chill easily, as walking in snow in driving shoes may present a slight problem in that regard, and driving your ACR in snow boots is likely to produce some adverse (albeit interesting) results.
Phun70
VCA Venom Member
I daily drive my 96 RT/10 and have never had a problem. Rain, wind, heat, no problems whatsoever. I buy myself a ****box to drive for the winters and if I'm not driving my Viper in the summer, I drive my SRT-4 stage III. I was joking with Dick Winkles in Detroit this year about driving a viper in the winter and to my surprise he mentioned that he has driven one in Michigan winters for years.!!!! He just said he put blizzaks on it and it got around just fine!! I practically **** myself, I couldn't believe it, but I've got to believe Dick when he says he drives on in the winter.
ViperGal
Enthusiast
If you don't park in the mix and get the extra fitness benefit - no problem.
Available great weather for your location probably adds to the ability to easily have it as a daily driver 12 months a year.
ACR tires have different properties if you have significant quantities of rain.
You will have that huge grin everytime you drive it like few things in life can provide.
So if the weather in your area is right I say - Go for it and never look back!
I guess i hold these cars at a higher standard than most people do. I dont drive mine in the rain, let alone the snow, i cant see how that would even be a question. Im scarred to park it in crowded places or anywhere for that matter, i dont like parking it in my driveway at night to be honest. I dont like it when i park somewhere and go into a store and i can see the car because i see people looking into the windows or touching the paint and i cant stand that. I understand i ask for that by owning a car of this status but i dont mind talking to someone about it or showing them the car i just dont like it unattended.
Maybe i do a little bit of overkill but i've had punks around my neighborhood take mirrors off my previous trucks, or throw stuff at the houses around and i think i would just feel terrible if i walked outside the next morning to see a mirror broken off of my viper because i was too careless to leave it outside at night.
So my answer to this ridiculous question is no, no again and no some more i wouldn't drive an ACR as a daily. That is just me though...i think i would have a heart attack worrying about it.
Maybe i do a little bit of overkill but i've had punks around my neighborhood take mirrors off my previous trucks, or throw stuff at the houses around and i think i would just feel terrible if i walked outside the next morning to see a mirror broken off of my viper because i was too careless to leave it outside at night.
So my answer to this ridiculous question is no, no again and no some more i wouldn't drive an ACR as a daily. That is just me though...i think i would have a heart attack worrying about it.
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