Dodge reliability concerns-

[Lawrenzo]

I am considering leasing a new GTS, but am currently going through warranty h*ll with my SS. I will be attempting to force a buyback, and I am a little leary of purchasing another American built car. My wife has had Acuras for 10 years and can't even imagine why I would want to "risk it", but it's been my dream car since I saw it in LA, and I can finally afford it comfortably!
I have noticed threads about horror stories of cars being out for months waiting for an engine rebuild and other long term delays. So I am wondering in general how reliable are the new Vipers? And when they have troubles can the dealers take care of them in a timely fashion. I'll most likely be putting around 4-5,000 miles a year on it, and not putting it on the track. Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Mike Brunton]

SSunburn,

I've had a bunch of cars... Corvette, Camaro, RX7, Eclipse, 300ZX, and a whole bunch of others. I can honestly the Viper has been the most problem free, next to the Eclipse.

The Viper has had only one problem - a window motor blew when the car had 100 miles (the motor was probably used maybe once). Other than that, no problems. The Eclipse never had a problem. All the others had several problems, sometimes major ones.

With the Camaro and my Corvettes, it was like something would break every week. On the Viper, I *never* worry about breaking something. It's a relatively simple car... it really doesn't have any weak links, except maybe the halfshafts and they are only a problem when you drag race on non-stock tires.

As for the motor problems, it appears to be a relatively rare occurence (seems to me that maybe one percent of Vipers ever go back for this repair, and mostly on older Vipers). I wouldn't worry about it... with any car you can have a problem, but I think that next to something like a Honda Accord, a Viper is going to be statistically problem free.. mine is.

 

[Serious Eric]

Just sold my '95 - original owner. It had 28k miles on it including about a dozen road-course track events. In short I flogged the crap out of it AND still took good care. Religious maintenance rituals surrounding the track events and it NEVER let me down. I literally never had a single breakdown at the track (mostly in 100+ Texas heat), and if something's gonna break ... that's when it'll happen.

In fact the only thing that ever went wrong with the car was a 'suspected' head gasket leak which the dealer cheerfully volunteered to fix toward the end of the extended warranty cycle ... just 'cause he wanted me to feel safe about it (pretty good treatment). The head gasket issue was common with 1st generation motors but has been fixed since the gen 2 came out in 96.

As a counter-example, I drove my cobra mustang on the road course for one day and it almost killed that car. I came into the pits with the brakes smoking, the rotors warped, the brake fluid boiled, the radiator steaming and the power steering pump puking fluid ... I'm not kidding. Made me really appreciate A) just how tough road racing is on a car and B) how tough a viper is in completely stock trim. It's not an exageration to say that it's truly built to be a street legal race car.

 

[Lawrenzo]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. It's good to hear that they are close to bulletproof, and that I have an excellant Viper tech only 10 miles from me in Irvine. The wife is still pulling for an NSX though so I still have a little work cut out for me.

 

[VardaMan]

Vipers are GREAT cars! BUT some of their dealers and Chrysler
support is not! They have both put me through hell!
Proceed with caution. Interview the folks at several dealerships prior to selecting which to buy from. Talk to their owner, service manager and Viper tech's. Tell the what your expectations are and obtain a list of some of their customers that you can interview about their performance.When you do buy, you must purchase the longest and most extensive service warranty. That is the only way for you to insure yourself. When expensive repairs are involved both the dealership and Chrysler may use any loophole they can fabricate to get out of paying for the repair. If you follow this advice,I think that you will be OK. Vipers are great cars and fantastic to drive.
Best of luck, VardaMan

 

[Tpup]

On the flip side, I just sold my GTS due to the lack of quality service in the Atlanta area. I own a Lotus, Lamborghini, two Porsches, a Ford and an Infinity. Service on the Dodge, and parts availability, was worse than them all (except the Lambo).

Just another perspective. E-mail me if you want more details.

Thanks
Roy

 

[Kid97GTS]

I'd recommend going for it. I've had mine for a little over a year, and it really is a simple car, so there is less to break. In my experience, the drivetrain is the last thing to worry about in a car that is driven normally on the street - things like electrical crap and other high-tech doo-dads usually cause more of an issue. The Viper doesn't have any of that stuff - basically a big pushrod 488 with a Rock Crusher-like tranny and simple rotors. Besides, if something does break, you have one of the best mechanics I've encountered in your area - Dave Jenkins at Neighborhood Service - he'll treat you right and he knows all anyone would need to keep their Viper running right. Besides, can always use another Snake in South OC to keep the thrashing on the millions of C5's puttering around

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[JimDavis MT 97GTS 650R]

"Parts is Parts" quoted an old biker as he wrenched on his Harley Davidson. "If ya got em, and ya can put em on, the bike will run forever"! Automobiles are just parts too, and some times machines need service, and some times something breaks. Vipers are VERY durable machines. As stated before, you want good dealer support. A brand is only as good as the dealer that stands behind it. Manufactures causing customer anger are few. Most generally, it's the dealer. Find a reputable dealer with a qualified Viper tech, take care and service it properly, and chances are like 99% of us, you will really enjoy the car. I've had mine four years now and don't regret a minute of it, and I live in the "boon toolies" of Montana.

 

[Tpup]

I agree with you Jim. I would like to get a 02 GTS but I have GOT to find a good dealer first.

Roy