Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!!

[Snake Charmer]

Guys: Thanks for your advise on the other thread. Looked at a 2001 ACR red no stripes (owner removed the factory stripes. I can get new ones installed for nothing...friend does this work, thinking silver stripes instead of white), 14,000 miles can buy for $46,000.00. Car is mint. Also in a collection. The underside is as clean as the topside.

BBS wheels too!!!

Trying to decide now....2001 GTS ACR as above or...

1996 GTS Blue with white stripes 8,000 miles for $35,000.00.

Appreciate the sage advise and opinions.

 

[Next Phase]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

The ACR seems a little pricy unless it has some nice mods....

 

[hemihead]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

'96 Blue and White all day, 11K in your pocket or for mods and (this will start a war) do you have any idea how many red Vipers are out there!?

 

[dave6666]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Blue/white is over rated and tons made. Get the '01 with the upgraded chassis items like ABS and the missing powertrain items like leaking timing chain covers.

 

[Viper98912]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Factory stripes were painted, not vinyl

 

[daveg]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Put me down for the 96

 

[troublemaker]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

I'm not going to disagree with Dave6666' but our opinions differ. I think the BBS wheels on the ACR are very nice, but nowhere near as nice as the price they command. He is correct in there being more made, but just over 1000, something like 1100-1200 to me isn't many, try to figure out how many are left. The ABS is a nice addition if that's an addition you want. To me the Gen2 ACR is too easy to duplicate to add much value to me. It's all going to pretty much come down to what color you like, as shallow of a deciding factor as it is.

 

[hemihead]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

I did not pull out my copy of Maurice’s book to do the research as to what years B & W was available but my point is that red is available EVERY model year, I’m sure someone will chime in with the facts but B&W ‘s were only available in gen II’s for oneor two model years. Dave’s points on the frame, brakes, and gaskets are well taken but we are all familiar with the available brake upgrade kits and new gaskets. The stiffer frame would be a consideration if Snake Charmer wanted to track the car. With $11k in your pocket Troublemaker is right it comes down to color preference.

 

[roller]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

I would go with the b&w, LOL.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

...edited...offer retracted.

 

[Zee]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

b&w baby!!

 

[Camfab]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Get the car you like the most, however don't believe that replicating an ACR is cheap. You'll pay more for those parts than the price difference between the two cars your looking at, and it still won't be an ACR. If modding the car is your main concern, especially supercharging, then the earlier car is a better choice. If color is your thing then go with that. The ABS is a really nice feature on the 2001, especially after you flat spot your new set of tires on the '96. Stock 2001 ACR's ride like a race car and have finiky shocks that need rebuilding often. Blue / White cars have an iconic Viper look. Both great cars, but with slightly different personalities. Either one is goin to plant a permanent smile on your face for a long time.

 

[troublemaker]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Get the car you like the most, however don't believe that replicating an ACR is cheap. You'll pay more for those parts than the price difference between the two cars your looking at. If modding the car is your main concern, especially supercharging, then the earlier car is a better choice. If color is your thing then go with that. The ABS is a really nice feature on the 2001, especially after you flat spot your new set of tires on the '96. Stock 2001 ACR's ride like a race car and have finiky shocks that need rebuilding often. Blue / White cars have an iconic Viper look. Both great cars, but with slightly different personalities. Either one is goin to plant a permanent smile on your face for a long time.

Cam fab, mostly what I was getting at is that the ACR shocks are not what I consider to be a reliable shock considering what you paying for the ACR premium when there are quite a few nicer shocks with modern technology that can be had in the $5000 range. Add in the BBS wheels which are very nice but very pricey wheels. If you are considering upgrading brakes or to a larger modern wheel, the premium for those is out the window as well. Some smooth tubes are cheap and the oil filter adapter while hard to come by has merits that can be argued. I'm not telling him which car to buy, it's his money. I'm just saying that $11,000 thrown into a 96 will pretty much get better products than what was available on the ACR. ABS is the one that can't be easily fixed, so if that is an important option to him, the color and ABS is where his decision should lie. He is looking at almost exactly the two cars I was, the deciding factor was finding a well maintained 96 for $30,000, the ACR was over 10k more. Wheels, tires, shocks, smooth tubes and oiling upgrades are going to fall into a 10k range so I basically chose based on color.

Good luck with search, that was one of the funniest parts of ownership so far, right behind picking it up.

Actually there is a set of BBS wheels in the classifieds right now for $2750 if the wheels are a must have for him.
http://classifieds.viperclub.org/sh...ng-wheelsforgen-2-never-mounted-2-piece&cat=7

 

[v10enomous]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

That is a very tough choice. If the ACR was a factory stripe car with the lower 8k miles I would take the ACR if the price were the same but a 96 B/W with 8k miles for $35k is a steal on what many consider to be in the top 5 of collectible Vipers even though they made more B/W's than any other color combo of all generations. The ACR is actually much rarer.

 

[denniskgb]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Factory stripes were painted, not vinyl

My thoughts are the same

 

[Luisv]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

In my opinion, I feel the ACR is too high. If you can negotiate down a bit, perhaps it's worth it.

The 8k mile car is awesome. Can't beat the price. As was mentioned $11K is a big difference in price.


If you are planning on upgrades, then you may prefer the cheaper car. In the end, if your going with higher end coil overs for example, why pay for the ACR tax?

As a reference, understanding not all deals are the same, I picked up my car last year for $38K. It was a FE, single owner, 32k miles. Car is pristine.

 

[slitherv10]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Some of these comments are too funny.

First off...a 2001 ACR is just another regular production car with a few hidden differences which make no difference in your case since this is not a factory perfect ACR with no stripes. Never will it be a collectable.

Secondly, If your looking at modding this car with a Blower or Turbo..forget it. youll be way over your head with extras that it needs engine wise.

Thirdly, How can you compare any Vipers Iconic figure over a 1996 Blue and White. What car before and after that car wrote the books for the future of Viper? What car brought on the coupe as the desired version? Which car brought on the Hp wars with no competition? Which car brought on the color combo of the originator Shelby. Which car started rolling the ball for what has become todays icon know as the all powerful Viper? Why did Chrysler and now SRT continue to relicate and honor the 1996 B/W if it has no relevance in Viper history and is an underated Viper. Underrated in which way, specifics,like weather striping,a leak, comon,,lol...now theres a reason to underate the car that started it all. Too funny. The 65 Shelby was underated...lol..yet its worth what? There are a handful of Vipers that to me are collectables....my list would consist of...

1992 rt first of the line
1996 B/W GTS
1997 B/W RT
1998 Championship car
All the GTS-R cars esp 49-52 (i believe they were)
ACR Roadsters (woodhouse dodge)
2002 FE Edition
2010 ACR one of cars


Not a 2001 ACR..rare or not....its like saying a ZR! is a collectable and the indianapolis car is not. Have not seen that yet. Not from Ford not from chevy and not from dodge ofcourse.

I say get that 96 hands down ! For th money and especially for what the car stands for. The B/W is distinctable and noticable. The ACR car is just another Nice Viper. As they all are. When you drive a B/W your driving history. IMHO of course

 

[GTLaser]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

If you don't get the B&W pass the contact info my way, I'll pick it up!

 

[Fatboy 18]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Question, what do you want out of the car? If you only intend to do a few hundred miles a year I would go for the B/W keep the miles low to keep its value. If you intend to do several thousand miles I would go for the Red car, but as others have said stripes were painted and if you put them back on you really should stick to white (it will help with resale value) . I think the red car sounds overpriced seeing as you would have to get it painred to get it back to original spec

 

[Rickman6]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

No brainer... go for the 2001 ACR!

 

[Caesar!]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Grab the 96... in a heartbeat....

 

[LifeIsGood]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Who cares if it's collectible, What *ucking Ever! Drive the damn thing. Get the 2001...but try to get a better deal. The 2001 is 5 years newer with ABS. The viper purists will always say...insert annoying voice here...96 B/W, 96 B/W, 96 B/W...blah, blah, blah. If a 96 B/W fell out of a truck into my driveway, I'd sell it. If a 2001 ACR fell out, I'd keep it. My 2001 was also MINT when I got it...best choice.

 

[Roysviper]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

There is no way the owner removed the stripes, unless he had the entire car repainted.............so if he has lied about that,,,,what else has he lied about?????

BUY THE 96 GTS.............even if the other car is straight up...........BUY THE 96 GTS.......

Factory stripes were painted, not vinyl

 

[AZTVR]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!!

We all hope that our sage advice has solved your dilemma.
You can always count on your fellow Viper owners !
Personally, I'd go for the B&W as being the better value, and spend some money on getting wheels that you specifically like. You can get Forgelines or CCW that have a similar look as the BBS if that suits your style.

'96 Blue and White all day

Blue/white is over rated and tons made. Get the '01

Put me down for the 96

Get the car you like the most,

No brainer... go for the 2001 ACR!

Grab the 96... in a heartbeat....

My 2001 was also MINT when I got it...best choice.

..........BUY THE 96 GTS.......

 

[The Roar In The Night]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Here's another thought for you - you can probably resell the '96 for closer to what you paid than you could the '01. This means should you decide to move to a newer Viper later, you'll be able to do so more easily. Or you may just find the '96 is just what you need and never part with it. I don't think you get enough bang for your $11K bucks buying the '01. While there are differing opinions on which car folks would like, there seems to be more of a consensus that the '96 is a good price, and the '01 a bit pricey. So unless you can get a better deal, or $11K really doesn't matter to you (lucky you if so!) then I'd say the '96 is sounding like the better option.

 

[tbsviper]

96 b/w. no other reason than I like the color combo, low mileage and good price. You need to develop a decision criteria. Write it down, pros/cons, etc. many thoughts in this thread will get you started but at the end you decide. I am waiting to see if another viper enters the mix.

 

[dave6666]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Everybody always brings up resale value. Which is based on consumer hype to begin with lol. BUT... are you buying it to sell next week, or drive for a lifetime? I bought my '01 to be buried in in 50 years, not to play stupid money investment games with.

 

[charlesj]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Blue/White is a head turner. Not saying other color combos w/ stripes or no stripes are not but you can see a blue/white coming from miles away and you are like, "Whoaaaaaahh!" and then she's like "WHhooooAAHHH!" and then you're like, "WHhhoooooaaah!" as it gets closer. IMHO, you don't get the same effect with other viper color/stripe combos. It's takes a little bit longer to register. Just sayin'.

So if you want wow factor and identification at the furthest possible distance and up close, get the blue/white. Oh... and I am completely not biased in any way at all.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[FrankBarba]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Just make your own decision.
Otherwise your leaving the decision up to Enthusiasts & Viper Club Members
on how to spend your money. You should do your homework.
I hope you do make a decision on your own and not someone else's decision. If you want assistance, Find someone in the area
that knows vipers (a great tech) will help. Do a PPI. If your spending 35K might as well make sure it is money well
spent. A plane ticket to send a reputable Viper person to look over the Vipers might be money well spent also. Contact
Chuck Tator, Tom Sessions, Maruice Lang, I am sure that there are others that i am missing. If you can't make the
tug of war decision on your own these are just a few of the people i'd trust to look over a Viper for me. Just my .02.

 

[PDCjonny]

Re: Confused Newbie deciding between 2001 GTS ACR and 1996 GTS ...Man this is tough!!

Some of these comments are too funny.

First off...a 2001 ACR is just another regular production car with a few hidden differences which make no difference in your case since this is not a factory perfect ACR with no stripes. Never will it be a collectable.

Secondly, If your looking at modding this car with a Blower or Turbo..forget it. youll be way over your head with extras that it needs engine wise.

Thirdly, How can you compare any Vipers Iconic figure over a 1996 Blue and White. What car before and after that car wrote the books for the future of Viper? What car brought on the coupe as the desired version? Which car brought on the Hp wars with no competition? Which car brought on the color combo of the originator Shelby. Which car started rolling the ball for what has become todays icon know as the all powerful Viper? Why did Chrysler and now SRT continue to relicate and honor the 1996 B/W if it has no relevance in Viper history and is an underated Viper. Underrated in which way, specifics,like weather striping,a leak, comon,,lol...now theres a reason to underate the car that started it all. Too funny. The 65 Shelby was underated...lol..yet its worth what? There are a handful of Vipers that to me are collectables....my list would consist of...

1992 rt first of the line
1996 B/W GTS
1997 B/W RT
1998 Championship car
All the GTS-R cars esp 49-52 (i believe they were)
ACR Roadsters (woodhouse dodge)
2002 FE Edition
2010 ACR one of cars


Not a 2001 ACR..rare or not....its like saying a ZR! is a collectable and the indianapolis car is not. Have not seen that yet. Not from Ford not from chevy and not from dodge ofcourse.

I say get that 96 hands down ! For th money and especially for what the car stands for. The B/W is distinctable and noticable. The ACR car is just another Nice Viper. As they all are. When you drive a B/W your driving history. IMHO of course

Reality check, tbey are 35K cars now and plentiful.
Keeping living in your fantasy world. Hang on that "iconic collectible" dream..17 years and counting now.