Advice for a prospective Viper owner

[Azrael]

Howdy, hoping to find some friendly Americans who can provide me with some info, found these boards and think i may have found the right place.

Ever since i first saw a Dodge Viper (in Need for Speed 1 back in 1994) i knew i wanted one of these cars! At the end of this year i will have finally finished Med school and after a short conversation with my wife i've been given permission to pick myself up a Viper and have it imported to Australia I should link a pick of my current car for you to see what i'm upgrading from, i'm sure it'd provide a good laugh

Currently the plan will be to fly to the US in December pick up my new car go on a nice road trip across/through america for 4 weeks before having it shipped back to Australia. So i have a couple questions i was hoping you guys could help me with...

1) Where is a good place to find the vehicles for sale? i've found www.cars.com, www.autotrader.com and of course www.ebay.com but i was wondering if their were any other good websites for vehicles for sale in the US or places to look

2) Due to Australian vehicle import laws i'm restricted to vehicles 15 years or older (unsure whether thats year of manufacture or year of compliance at this point... looking into it), so it either has to be a 1st or 2nd gen Viper. Any tips on which to go for? Was their any particular run of vehicles that was prone to failure that i should avoid?

3) Are their any services in the US (particularly country wide) that offer vehicle inspections/certification? Obviously i'm going to need to get someone else to check out if the vehicles ok or not since i'm going to be buying it from the other side of the world

4) Is their a registry that i can do a check on the vehicle to make sure it hasn't been in any accidents or been previously written off?

5) How does insurance and registration work in the US? Does registration transfer with the sale of vehicle? Obviously i'll need to find a insurance company to cover my vehicle for the time that i'm driving it over there before shipping back to Australia but i have no idea how your registration works

I'm sure i'll have a bunch more questions before i'm done but appreciate any help anyone can provide.

Thanks in advance

 

[Black Moon]

Buy a Vette.

 

[georgethedog]

Call John Gastman at Roanoke Motors or Bill Pemberton at Woodhouse. You can find their phone numbers on the Internet. They are great guys who own dealerships that are highly respected for their honesty and knowledge of Vipers. I would believe that both are versed in overseas transactions. That would be where I would start.

 

[Venomiss]

This the list of all the VCA vendors in good standing here with website and phone contact information.

http://forums.viperclub.org/forums/178-New-Products-Supplier-Specials-Group-Buys-amp-Vendor-Reviews

 

[Mutts02GTS]

Aren't Australian vehicles right hand drive? I think that will kill your search for a Viper.......

 

[SkyBob]

Aren't Australian vehicles right hand drive? I think that will kill your search for a Viper.......

Yes, but American vehicles in Australia are left hand drive.

 

[eucharistos]

are you sure that holds true south of the equator

 

[DrumrBoy]

Finding a good car in the US won't be too hard....there are a lot of them on the market. The hard part will be finding support for it in Oz. Maybe you know of a Viper collector who knows much about 'em, but if you're not mechanically independent or hadn't started the search for the help you'll inevitably need* I'd get that in place before buying the car. Hope you come over and take one back!


* Note - the cars are pretty tough so its not like they break down all the time. Lots of stuff is easy to fix...some stuff requires a bit of car-specific know-how.

 

[AZTVR]

Howdy, hoping to find some friendly Americans who can provide me with some info, found these boards and think i may have found the right place.

Buy a Vette.

This ain't Viper Alley, Perhaps BM forgot which site he was logged into? Azrael. Forgive him, he is from East Tennessee. Banjo country, you know. (It's been a while since I was in junior high or the VA, so, I am out of touch in the case that you guys have a thing going on over there.) PS I am from Middle Tennessee. A much higher class. We are guitar pickers.

Azrael, good luck with your purchase. Remember that those internet sites are harbors for scammers in addition to where good, normal people sell their cars. People also use craigslist to sell cars on. For any of those sites, you have to have a local person check out the car first. Also, any Dodge dealer (really, any dealer) will do a prepurchase inspection for a fee.

As has been mentioned, there are some really trustworthy dealers that one could buy remotely from with full confidence. With others, it can be hit and miss, especially if they aren't an established factory related dealership.

 

[jwolf]

I would stay with a get 2 as it has windows and you can lock it up, I think would be a big plus during shipping.

 

[georgethedog]

Yes, Gen 2 all the way.

 

[Azrael]

Call John Gastman at Roanoke Motors or Bill Pemberton at Woodhouse. You can find their phone numbers on the Internet. They are great guys who own dealerships that are highly respected for their honesty and knowledge of Vipers. I would believe that both are versed in overseas transactions. That would be where I would start.

Thanks for the websites, Roanoke's car finder option will actually be a massive help as well. Also good to hear they are reputable dealers, thats what i'm after

This the list of all the VCA vendors in good standing here with website and phone contact information.

http://forums.viperclub.org/forums/178-New-Products-Supplier-Specials-Group-Buys-amp-Vendor-Reviews

Cheers Venomiss thats perfect, guess should have trolled through the forums a bit harder to start with

Aren't Australian vehicles right hand drive? I think that will kill your search for a Viper.......

Your spot on they are, but the state that i live in has a exclusion - should the car be over 15 years old it can be licensed without having to go conversion to right hand drive... its a rule for "car enthusiast's" which i'm going to take advantage off! So LHD Viper is fine as long as its 15 years of age or more

Finding a good car in the US won't be too hard....there are a lot of them on the market. The hard part will be finding support for it in Oz. Maybe you know of a Viper collector who knows much about 'em, but if you're not mechanically independent or hadn't started the search for the help you'll inevitably need* I'd get that in place before buying the car. Hope you come over and take one back!


* Note - the cars are pretty tough so its not like they break down all the time. Lots of stuff is easy to fix...some stuff requires a bit of car-specific know-how.

Yeah i know what your talking about, thats another reason why i was asking if there was any design problems with any of the models (Gen 1 or 2). I'll get the car to have a full service in the States before bringing it back, also i may buy some spare parts and put them in the container with the car for spare back home, but its the price i'm going to have to pay for having a kick-ass car. I will have other forms of transport so if it has to spend some time in the workshop while parts are on the way over won't be a massive issue. Minor stuff i'll be able to do myself without any problems

 

[Azrael]

This ain't Viper Alley, Perhaps BM forgot which site he was logged into? Azrael. Forgive him, he is from East Tennessee. Banjo country, you know. (It's been a while since I was in junior high or the VA, so, I am out of touch in the case that you guys have a thing going on over there.) PS I am from Middle Tennessee. A much higher class. We are guitar pickers.

Azrael, good luck with your purchase. Remember that those internet sites are harbors for scammers in addition to where good, normal people sell their cars. People also use craigslist to sell cars on. For any of those sites, you have to have a local person check out the car first. Also, any Dodge dealer (really, any dealer) will do a prepurchase inspection for a fee.

As has been mentioned, there are some really trustworthy dealers that one could buy remotely from with full confidence. With others, it can be hit and miss, especially if they aren't an established factory related dealership.

Haha, cheers for the wise words AZTVR! What your saying is pretty much why i'm on here trying to get the info. When dealing with this amount of cash you can't be to careful. I may end up getting a agent in the States to handle the transaction for me. Some companies over here offer to handle purchasing the vehicle for you but they charge a arm and a leg.

jwolf & georgethedog cheers for the advice, good to know that you can lock up Gen 2 as opposed to the Gen 1. Any other major differences from Gen 1 to 2?

So psyched about getting this car, making it hard to concentrate on studying for my upcoming exams. Found a 1996 Viper RT/10 for sale locally for $139,000 AU (AU is the same or slightly stronger the the USD at the moment), so you can see why i'm prepared to ship it over from America

 

[DrumrBoy]

....and join the VCA. With the illustrated upgrades section and the help folks here can be on just about any issue....if you're a decent wrench, you'll find Vipers to be pretty straightforward. Good luck with the acquisition.

 

[3whitevipers]

Get with Chuck Tator for advice on spare parts--he may also be able to help you find a car along with Woodhouse and Tomball dodge--Dave

 

[happy56]

I have had gen 1 and gen 2 and gen 2 is much more ''civil''. Easy to have a conversation in #2 not so easy in #1. #1 is much ruder and cruder but what a feeling when you drive it. Sold #1 because wife did not enjoy as much as I did and the phrase ''if momma ain't happy then no one is happy'' applys.

 

[AZTVR]

Due to Australian vehicle import laws i'm restricted to vehicles 15 years or older Was their any particular run of vehicles that was prone to failure that i should avoid?

Since you are looking at 1997 & earlier, there are several things to make sure were taken care of correctly. There was a recall for strengthening the frame (recall 998 & 999) I do not know what specific years they apply to; but your search range includes affected cars. You can only trust an experienced tech to do the install, prefereably one who has done many before and has certain specialized welding knowledge. In addition, even if the recall was done on the car, it may have been done incorrectly due to some kind of mix up in the instructions. People are finding that their access to getting the oil filter out is blocked by a wrongly placed gusset.

Gen 1 cars have a OEM head gasket issue if they still have the original installed ones . The thought is that all cars built with the composite gaskets will eventually leak. They need to have been replaced. I will let more knowlegeable folks talk about "replaced with what kind?." Here is a typical thread or two http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/596784-head-gasket-question http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/628590-Mandatory-Head-Gasket-Replacement-Issue

 

[Azrael]

....and join the VCA. With the illustrated upgrades section and the help folks here can be on just about any issue....if you're a decent wrench, you'll find Vipers to be pretty straightforward. Good luck with the acquisition.

Hmm could be difficult, i'm international so can't use standard sign up and their isn't anyone in my region to help me sign-up. Closest is Japan and their could be some language probe I suppose i could always use a dummy US address...

I have had gen 1 and gen 2 and gen 2 is much more ''civil''. Easy to have a conversation in #2 not so easy in #1. #1 is much ruder and cruder but what a feeling when you drive it. Sold #1 because wife did not enjoy as much as I did and the phrase ''if momma ain't happy then no one is happy'' applys.

Seems to be the recurring theme to go for the Gen 2. I'm now pretty much sold on the idea. Now its just a matter of waiting till i'm ready to purchase and hope seomthing comes up around that time

Since you are looking at 1997 & earlier, there are several things to make sure were taken care of correctly. There was a recall for strengthening the frame (recall 998 & 999) I do not know what specific years they apply to; but your search range includes affected cars. You can only trust an experienced tech to do the install, prefereably one who has done many before and has certain specialized welding knowledge. In addition, even if the recall was done on the car, it may have been done incorrectly due to some kind of mix up in the instructions. People are finding that their access to getting the oil filter out is blocked by a wrongly placed gusset.

Gen 1 cars have a OEM head gasket issue if they still have the original installed ones . The thought is that all cars built with the composite gaskets will eventually leak. They need to have been replaced. I will let more knowlegeable folks talk about "replaced with what kind?." Here is a typical thread or two http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/596784-head-gasket-question http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/628590-Mandatory-Head-Gasket-Replacement-Issue

Thanks man thats fantastic, now i know what years i'm looking at i suppose i can search a little harder to see if any other recalls were done on those models. Makes me think its even more important to get the car checked out at a Dodge dealer.

Anyone got any more tips please feel free to let me know. Its all helpful

 

[viper_itch]

Buying one these cars that old is not exactly risk free. A lot can happen to a car in 15 years. A guy here recently had an accident and only then, when working with the insurance company, did he find out it had been previously totaled. I think all the advice to work with one of the respected dealers here is spot on. You need to make sure the car is what you hope it to be and the all the service items are taken care of. It probably is wise to get the recommend spare parts shipped at the same time.

Pretty exciting really. Best of luck!

 

[Venomiss]

Hmm could be difficult, i'm international so can't use standard sign up and their isn't anyone in my region to help me sign-up. Closest is Japan and their could be some language probe I suppose i could always use a dummy US address...

If you would like to join the VCA write to [email protected] and we will give you the details and options available.

 

[killerviper]

carfax history, fewer owners, and have a viper tech look at the car. that should cover it well as far as a prebuy inspection