Damn....Got bit!

[EFI-1]

Well after 5 years of searching, I finally found the right deal on the Viper I've been looking for. Being that I live in Hawaii, there are very few examples to pick from. I'm guessing that there are less than (8) 97 B/W that came to the state and currently even fewer remaining.

Found this 97 thru a local classifieds. Car is almost 100% stock except for new silicone intake tubes. There are some scrapes under the front fascia (as expected), the chrome on one of the wheels is flaking, and the gas cap is oxidizing (also as expected). The car is as nice an example as I have seen locally and has under 10,800mi on her. Pulls nice and strong, A/C blows cold, no leaks, no prior accidents....What a feeling to finally be adding another one of my dream cars to the garage.

Here are some pics of the car...She'll come home in a couple of weeks (shipping from another island).

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And always my favorite shot of any Viper GTS

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Aloha, Dave

 

[Russ M]

Very nice enjoy.

1st mod remove the cats, you will love the car 10x as much if you are going to drive it.

 

[white out]

looks great.

Nick

 

[EFI-1]

Mahalo Russ.

Oh it'll get driven....And it won't stay stock for too long.

It'll be shacked up right next to my other weekend warrior:

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[sdaddy]

Very nice looking car. Best color combination ever. I know most folks replace the stock wheels, but I think the stock wheels on the 97 look great.

 

[02 Graphite GTS]

SWEET ! When I come back home for visit, you can take me for a ride !

 

[eucharistos]

nice catch

congrats

blinging vet too

 

[EFI-1]

Thanks gang. 02Graphite, it'll be nothing new. Perhaps we'll go in the Z instead.

When I went to look at it, I was thinking it would be showing wear of a 13yr old car, but this thing is in better condition than my 2009 Tacoma. No rock chips, (3) scratches all easily fixed and measuring less than 2" in length, welds under the car all solid.....Just doesn't get better IMO.

I'll definitely be back with more pics when I get it home.

sdaddy, I gotta agree with you brutha. That being said, I got some new kicks in mind already since I don't want to be rolling on the original tires anyway. I'll keep the stockers stored and recondition the damaged one.

 

[kcobean]

Great find EFI-1!!! Welcome to the website. When you have a moment, please visit this link:

http://forums.viperclub.org/new-owner-questions/603453-new-viper-owner-time-join-vca.html

for a list of all the awesome benefits of being a VCA Member. This is the BEST car club on the planet, hands down!

 

[Olddudesrule]

Looks awesome, and as rare as they are on the mainland, I'm sure they get many more looks there! Is that a Pantera in the seller's garage? Another awesome car! Best of luck.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Car is almost 100% stock except for new silicone intake tubes.

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Snake Oyl aftermarket exhaust downstream of resonators also. Rusty bolts behind drivers rear tire also an indication that the battery is leaking. Nice find, great looking Gen 2 Viper!!!

 

[SkyBob]

Congratulations on that find. I'm sure the pickins is mighty slim in Hawaii.

 

[EFI-1]

Thanks all for your encouragement!

kco - Will do brutha. I was a member on here a long time ago and don't know what user ID I had so I just created a new one. I'll look into becoming a member.

Olddudesrule - Yes it's a 1971 (titled as a 72) fully built (32k mi) and restored. One of the cleanest examples I've seen in person as well and it's for sale as well (The owner wants to move up to some new toys).

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Hoosierdaddy - Good eye on the exhaust. Thank you as that escaped me...Never seen a Snake Oyl system. That'll probably get supplanted with a Corsa and some Random Tech 3" HF's. Regarding the rust, almost every bolt on the external/underside panels had surface rust; likely due to the salt in the air (We live in Hawaii so we're surrounded by ocean). Is it possible that this is the explanation? Regardless, I'll pull the tire and do a double take. Thank you for your input again.

Skybob - Yep, you have no idea how long it's been coming.....I actually started looking in 03, bought my Z, curbed the interest, then got the bug again in 05 and have been contemplating shipping one in from the states ever since. Then I stumbled across this one.....

<----Thanks God

 

[HOLLYWOOD1]

Wow....an absolute beauty....gotta love that color. Congratulations!

 

[xiongb1]

Extremely Nice... Great Find!

 

[SkyBob]

... in from the states ever since. Then I stumbled across this one.....

Oooooohhhh, don't say that! That's one of the quickest ways to anger a resident of Hawaii! I accidently let that slip when I was there and the local I said that to politely explained to me the proper tourist etiquette.

cheers,
Bob

 

[EFI-1]

Hollywood & xiong - Mahalo (Thank you)

Skybob - I'm straight local brutha....Born in Ohio, but raised in Hawaii. We like visitors! We say, come over, enjoy yourself, get a tan, spend some money, then go home! Hahaha

 

[JBW1997]

Which island is the Viper's new home going to be?

 

[Fatboy 18]

Wow the GTS is nice but have to say the Pantera and the Vette are rather cool too

Enjoy your new ride

Mark


PS: If you could send a few months of sunshine over to the UK, I would appreciate it

 

[EastTnMan]

Hey Bro'! We (wife and I) are headed to Honolulu the week of April 17th...it would be GREAT to see a Viper there! I only wish it were possible to take our '97 B/W over with us...it would make our tour MUCH more fun! Congrats Bro'!
Mike

 

[Sneaky Pete]

Congrats on the great find! The 96/97 B&W GTS is probably the most classic and desirable Viper ever made. Sure there are more rare models/colors, but none as iconic (IMO).

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Are people in Hawaii allowed to own Vipers? You can only "win" at life so much If you start dating a 21 yr old supermodel, I'm gonna have to ask you to choose 2 of the 3. Girl and car, Hawaii and girl, or car and Hawaii, or I'll just be TOOOO jealous Congrats on the purchase, its a beautiful and well kept Viper!

 

[mhill1950]

very nice car ,congratulations

 

[slysnake]

Aloha. What island will you be driving on? If it's Maui It would be great to see a Viper driving around. I've only seen one in Kahului and another at Kamaloe beach park 1 once. Can't wait to ship my baby down there for year round driving. But I'm a little concerned with the salt air. It does a number on the other cars.

 

[mhill1950]

What is the price on the De tomaso Pantera?

 

[EFI-1]

Haha, great group of people here. Love the comments and feedback!

JCBW - I'm in Honolulu, the Viper currently sits in Maui and we will be working on shipping arrangements for next week.

Fatboy - Thanks. Nice to see a group of car enthusiasts who can appreciate any nice ride. About that sunshine....When the GTS arrives, I'll get you some sunshine brutha. Check out more pics Here

EastTnman - Get at me when you're here. I'll see what can be done. PM/Email through this site.

Sneaky & mhill - Thank you. I have always wanted a blue and white. Had a shot at an '01 Sapphire/Silver that maybe I should not have turned down a few years ago, but after looking at this B/W knew that patience had paid off. No other color cmbo quite (as you say) iconic (at least in my eyes).

V10 - Well she ain't 21 and it's been over 8 years but she's did model (that's how we met).

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[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Congrats , but I need to politely disagree with a few comments on here. One, do not remove the cats and you are quite lucky to have found one that is almost completely stock. The market for Gen IIs has changed quite a bit in the last few years, but one thing to note is that stock 96/97 are bringing alot more than modified ones. This is coming from the Dealer that has done more modifications than any other in the US, but one needs to be truthful with fellow Viper owners about their best interests.

If you do decide to do any modifications in the future, make sure you keep the stock parts and I would advise only doing things that are reversible.A Blue/White that is unmodified is quite rare as most of us personalize our Snakes. Enjoy , and know you have special machine and get ready for all the stares, admiration, questions, and.....................heck the list goes on and on, ha.

 

[EFI-1]

Slysnake - It's in Maui now. Came from Cali, went to Honolulu, then to Big island, Maui, and now she's coming back to Honolulu. Too bad we lost that Superferry huh?

mhill - The owner is looking for $55k for the Pantera. I have to say it's a very fair price based on going market rates.

 

[EFI-1]

Congrats , but I need to politely disagree with a few comments on here. One, do not remove the cats and you are quite lucky to have found one that is almost completely stock. The market for Gen IIs has changed quite a bit in the last few years, but one thing to note is that stock 96/97 are bringing alot more than modified ones. This is coming from the Dealer that has done more modifications than any other in the US, but one needs to be truthful with fellow Viper owners about their best interests.

If you do decide to do any modifications in the future, make sure you keep the stock parts and I would advise only doing things that are reversible.A Blue/White that is unmodified is quite rare as most of us personalize our Snakes. Enjoy , and know you have special machine and get ready for all the stares, admiration, questions, and.....................heck the list goes on and on, ha.

Bill you may not know this but about 6 years ago a guy (former buddy of mine) named Bill Walters put you and I in contact. I was contemplating an SRT10 like his Black Mamba. You may recall the rest of the story.....

It is very nice to see that your involvement with the community has not waivered a bit and I appreciate your input. I concur. While I do not plan on keeping anything stock in my garage, I do want to build this particular ride in a way that will allow me to return her to stock as I feel the condition of the car, and low mileage may have me kicking myself for doing it otherwise one day.

I am looking at FI and I know that I want to replace the entire exhaust system from the block back. Luckily, I have some storage space for all the stock parts. Perhaps the clutch will be the only thing I cannot go 100% back to stock.

Again, thank you for your input. I'll be needing lots of it as time goes on!

 

[Fatboy 18]

Haha, great group of people here. Love the comments and feedback!

V10 - Well she ain't 21 and it's been over 8 years but she's did model (that's how we met).

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WOW, HOT PIC You have my respect Sir