Buying a Viper Friday.. Could use your help?

[Roadkill]

Hello All,
I'm Bruce and I'm new to the boards. I'm flying out to Las Vegas Friday morning to purchase a 1994 RT/10. I was hoping to hit up the vets on the list about things to check for. I am making an appointment with a dodge dealer in down to get a Viper tech to give the car a good inspection (this is prior to me purchasing of course). Anything I need to keep my eyes out for? The car was repainted in a non oem color with a newer hood(ducts and vents). The prior owner claims no accidents. I plan to look for overspray etc.. Any telltale things i should keep an eye out for that would be indicative of coming/past problems? I think the inspection by the viper tech is definitely the best thing of course, but anything addititional you guys could add would definitely be appreciated. I've worked hard for my money and this is certainly not a insignificant investment for me =)
I was wondering also if anyone had a active carfax going that would be kind enough to check the vin? If not, I will purchase the service tomorrow myself and do a vin check. (I've been told though that carfax is by no means definitive). On a last note, The two 5 star dodge dealers in Las vegas are Chapman's Dodge, and Desert Dodge.. Should I stay away from either of these dealers? (ie: which one should i have do the inspection? if both have the viper trained techs?)
Best regards, and hoping to be joining the Viper owner ranks shortly!
-Bruce

 

[Frank Parise]

Bruce, I'd suggest you contact the VCA President in the Nevada Region. His contact info should be posted at www.viperclub.org. Usually the local VCA is familiar with cars within their region. Of course, you will want to join the VCA.

 

[Roadkill]

Thanks Frank,
Talked to the VC prez in Vegas and found the best dealership to take it to be checked out at. I forgot to post the vin if anyone had an active carfax currently. it was :
1B3BR65E9RV102632

 

[scottgf]

One thing to think about,
There are a few rental places that rent Vipers in Vegas, be careful you are not buying an "abused" ex- rental, or at least if it is one, make sure you arent over paying for it.....
Good luck on your purchase!!
Cheers,

 

[Midgetfist]

Hey Bruce,
Check your e-mail for the Carfax. Subject line is "Carfax"

Douglas

 

[Birvini]

I hope you can still get a warranty!! If you can it's well worth it. If not, hopefully the arrow rebuild has been done!

 

[Roadkill]

Thanks very much guys for the info!
Scottgf, the car is new to vegas, the owner just moved there a few months ago and brought the car from LA.. He's had it in storage the past 2.5 years or so, run occasionally (only put 3k miles on it in 3 years). Midgetfist, Thanks VERY MUCH for the carfax! Birvini, Actually that was my very next question, was if i would be able to get some sort of extended warranty on the car.. It has 26k miles on it, and i don't think it has any sort of rebuild. I was wondering does DC offer extended warranties on cars that old? The mileage is still pretty low.
Man.. I am counting the hours till my flight leaves on friday! one more work day and a sleepless night it looks like! =)
-Bruce

 

[2charmed]

Roadkill,

Good luck! Why was the hood replaced and why was it repainted?
I too would be sure the car was not a rental. If it came from LA,
it probably wasn't, but I would then be concerned about previous damage. Having the car checked by a Viper Tech is your best bet.
If the car checks out, you will love it!

2Charmed

 

[Birvini]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Roadkill:
Thanks very much guys for the info!
Scottgf, the car is new to vegas, the owner just moved there a few months ago and brought the car from LA.. He's had it in storage the past 2.5 years or so, run occasionally (only put 3k miles on it in 3 years). Midgetfist, Thanks VERY MUCH for the carfax! Birvini, Actually that was my very next question, was if i would be able to get some sort of extended warranty on the car.. It has 26k miles on it, and i don't think it has any sort of rebuild. I was wondering does DC offer extended warranties on cars that old? The mileage is still pretty low.
Man.. I am counting the hours till my flight leaves on friday! one more work day and a sleepless night it looks like! =)
-Bruce

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hopefully the Wizard will see this and enlighten all of us on the warranty question!

By the way, there will be at least one more sleepless night AFTER you get the Viper. With a new Viper, it's tough to stay out of the garage!!!! = )

 

[genXgts]

Hey Bruce,

Glad to hear your close to joining the ranks, hope it all pans out for you.
I flew out 3000 miles from home with a check in hand based on phone/emails and a few grainy email quality jpegs, to say I didn't sleep much the night before was an understatement!!

As for the car checkout, the smartest move is the Vipertech inspection, that should catch the biggies and provide an honest assessment on the car overall.

The repaint brings many questions as well as pulls resale down a bit, I would assume at this point, and be surfing and posting this site the price is in the ballpark for where it should be.
That said make sure the tech, and yourself, check the panel gaps for repaired damage, possible frame damage, etc. Obvious things that are not Viper specific. Remember that Vipers seem to vary on panel gap, the variance is quite large, even on the same car. That is expected so do not assume bodywork, the front headlights to hood gap comes to mind, some are near touching, others are massive, from the factory this way.

If the car is being advertised as bone stock with no mods and easy driven check for smooth tubes and K&N filters, as well as exhaust mods, hacked out mufflers and or cats. This requires removing the side sills on your model, the Vipertech could tell on engine note I would guess. Again, doesn't mine the car is a track rat with some bolt ons, just something to be aware of to make sure everything "jives".

Neat trick is to check out the Viper lettering on the front calipers, (I believe GenI had them as well). The color should be white if the car has not been abused, an off white or yellow indicates severe heat cycles. Track use, or at least heavy street use is the cause.

Not sure on the yellowing side sills on GenI, check to see how bad it is, possible insulation issues in the sill, burning, etc.

Get down and check out that front fascia, although repainted, check the extreme lower lip for damage, spiderwebbing etc. While not a make or break, again, it can tell the "carefulness" of the owner. My GTS sits around 3.5 inches off the ground, when you get yours, toss on a Roe Racing Fascia Guard or one from Fasrack (mine is harder to notice, color painted blue and white in the middle to match).

Keep on eye on fluids and engine temp during the ride, they run hot, look for puddling of coolant after the drive. Puddle at the front fascia could indicate something as simple as a pierced coolant resovoir (caused by a front fascia bolt that comes in contact with the bottle when scraping the front end), "middle leaks" could be accesory gaskets, my timing chain cover gasket popped within 2 weeks of ownership, I'm into things like throttle

More rearward coolant could be the dreaded head gasket issue on GenI which I know little about.

Overall verify the mileage to wear on seats, interior trim, pedals, etc, as a Vipers mileage does affect value moreso than "normal" cars, let the buyer beware.

Enough rambling, let us know how it goes!

 

[VIPER1996]

GOOD NEWS! CARFAX search results confirm this 1994 DODGE VIPER RT/10 (1B3BR65E9RV102632) qualifies for the FREE $5,000 CARFAX Clean Title History Guarantee. By ordering this CARFAX Report, you have significantly reduced your risk of purchasing a vehicle with a costly hidden problem.

SECTION: SECTION RESULTS:
Vehicle Specifications 1B3BR65E9RV102632
1994 DODGE VIPER RT/10
Title Check Clean Title History Guaranteed
Odometer Rollback Check No Odometer Rollback Detected
Problem Check No Problems Found
Registration Check Checked 7 types of vehicle registration
Vehicle History Details 7 Total Vehicle History Records Found


NOTE: This vehicle has not been inspected by CARFAX and it may have problems that have not been reported to CARFAX. CARFAX recommends a vehicle inspection by a professional mechanic.

How did CARFAX analyze this vehicle's history?





VIN: 1B3BR65E9RV102632
Year/Make/Model: 1994 DODGE VIPER RT/10

Body Style: CONVERTIBLE
Engine: 2.0L L4 SMPI SOHC 16V
Fuel: GASOLINE
Driveline: REAR WHEEL DRIVE
Carburetion: FUEL INJECTED
Cylinders: 10
Manufactured in: UNITED STATES







GOOD NEWS! CARFAX search results confirm this 1994 DODGE VIPER RT/10 (1B3BR65E9RV102632) qualifies for the CARFAX FREE $5,000 Clean Title History Guarantee.


CARFAX analyzed this vehicle's title history to determine if any title documents were designated or marked with the following problems:

Problem Titles Checked: Results:
Salvage/Junk Checked - No Salvage/Junk Title Found
Rebuilt/Reconstructed Checked - No Rebuilt/Reconstructed Title Found
Flood Damage Checked - No Flood Damage Title Found
Damage Disclosure Checked - No Damage Disclosure Found
Manufacturer Buyback (LEMON) Checked - No Manufacturer Buyback Found
Exceeds Mechanical Limits (EML) Checked - No EML Found
Not Actual Mileage (NAM) Checked - No NAM Found

NOTE: Click here for a complete CARFAX Glossary.




GOOD NEWS! CARFAX search results on this 1994 DODGE VIPER RT/10 (1B3BR65E9RV102632) did not uncover a potential odometer rollback. CARFAX analyzed this vehicle's reported odometer readings to determine if any reading is less than a previously reported reading.

Date Reported: Odometer Reading:
01/05/1995 45

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

[joe117]

I'd say there must be some reason for the new hood. I guess you know where to look for the head gasket leak problem. Do a search if you don't know. There are some pictures.