Re: from a vette to a viper, who\'s done it ?
I had a beautiful Mustang convertible, but when I thought of all the things that I wanted to do to the car to improve it's performance and handling, I ended up buying a Corvette convertible. It was also a beautiful car, but then whe I got a chance to get a Viper, both the Mustang and Vette were sold in 6 months.
The Mustang was the most practical with (tight fitting) back seats, a spaceous trunk, decent gas mileage and cheap parts.
But even in performance red with a white top, it was almost invisible on the road, being sporty but more common.
The Vette was obviously designed more for performance, and could go quicker in a straight line or around corners much faster than the Stang, with less effort. I had a '94 Vette, so it had no trunk, but it was a quick car and quite enjoyable to drive.
As much as I liked my Mustang and Corvette, the Viper is another animal entirely.
It was odd getting used to the V10 sound/feel, but I added Sean Roe high-flow cats, and a Corsa cat-back exhaust and it sounds great now.
There is an instant celebrity status that you get by owning/driving in this car. For instance I had two separate people today say "nice car" when they saw me get into the Viper to drive off.
Kids scream and point, and adults alternately smile/wave, or try to look disinterested as you pass beside them.
My wife says that she feels like we are in a parade.
So the "bottled fame" is good and bad. I do feel a bit more worried leaving it unattended than my previous cars.
The inside of the Viper feels less spaceous than my Vette. More like an airplane cockpit with a less raked windshield and with the dash more upright and closer. The pedals are slightly to the left. The clutch is a bit stiffer, there's no dead pedal, no cruise, ASR or ABS (on mine), and a slightly harsher ride than the Vette.
As much as the Vette parts were a big jump over the Mustang parts, for mods and maintenance. The Viper parts are a huge jump up again. It's a bit of a shock to hear that the hood sells for $17K and the side sills are $4400 from the dealer.
Mods prices range from "only" $125 for smooth tubes and K&N filters, to $5,000 for shock, tire/wheel, or brake upgrades. $4,500 for ported/polished heads with roller rockers, compared to $1400 for the same thing for the Vette, and $500 for the Mustang.
Insurance coverage was the same price surprisingly.
As far as driving mileage goes, I've already decided that I'm just going to drive the car normally and not sweat the miles. I've enjoyed the experience of every drive so far, and now the car is my daily driver with no regrets.
For me it is like realizing a dream, like seeing a special exotic show car that you've drooled over for years, but then actually getting to drive it around anywhere that pleases you, and taking it home as your very own. It's NOT a car for everyone. But for what it's designed to do, it excells.
-Dean.
