gen 2 vipers on the highway

[buttermaker]

hello,

my name is tim, i just joined the forum, but i'v been a long time reader. the last sports car i had was a 350z, i sold it for a dodge durango about six months later. i love the gen 2 viper, but i read alot about it not being the daily driver that the corvette is. i was wondering if some of yo could tell me your thoughts. if i were to get a viper i would drive it primarily on the weekends and the occasional 200 mile highway ride to see my parents. city/highway? thanks, tim

 

[Andy 98 RT/10]

I have a Gen II Viper, and all of my passengers tell me that they're surprised at how comfortable it is compared to what they originally thought. I've been on 350 mile trips in it, and it's fine. As long as you take a minute before your trip to adjust the seat to how you want it, it won't be a problem.

I used to have an '02 Z06. If it is not snowing, there is really no difference between that and the Viper in daily drivability. As long as you don't mind attention, that is.

 

[S-JC]

Go for it. Gen IIs are very comfortable (especially GTS).

 

[Anaconda]

The first day I had mine, I drove from Wilmington, Delaware to Jacksonville, Florida. It runs just fine on the highway. It's remarkably comfortable...and....gets good gas mileage.

 

[Falconeer]

I drove my GTS from NC to SK, Canada.. It was a long trip but no problem at all. You sit very comfortable (even though I'm 6'4" and don't have the seat lowering kit).

As long as you take a pause once in a while I cannot see the problem with long distances..

 

[Schulmann]

The most difficult is the first 500miles.
I do remember that I had a lot of difficulty to drive the car. Once you got used to my Viper things got easier. Now I am able to spin the car with just one hand on the steering wheel.

Also your future Viper has to survive the first 1000 miles. A LOT of vipers are destroyed in accidents because the drivers are not used to car's handling. Just this last Friday a guy destroyed his Viper in Englishtown, NJ. He got his car 3 weeks ago. Viper is not a sport car it is a race car. You can easily speed 150mph on the highway ... Just be carefull the first miles and everything will go fine.

 

[plumcrazy]

drove mine home from nebraska to NJ the day i bought it.

drove it to florida twice from NJ and loved it.

dont listen to anyone telling ya the car isnt comfortable to drive.

 

[Wild Bill]

I have taken several trips in mine (400+ miles needed to qualify as a 'trip'). The only thing I found uncomfortable was having to change seats every 1 1/2 hours so wifey could drive......I'm just not as comfortable in the passenger seat.

Buy it-drive it-but as was said before--it is a street legal race car; handle with care or it WILL bite you.

Bill

 

[97 B/W GTS]

Before I bought mine, I had read a lot about the Viper NOT being a daily driver. Whoever wrote those article are a bunch of pansies. Anyone who says it is uncomfortable should just stick with their minivan.

 

[Randy]

My gen II RT/10 is my daily driver, as well as doing long distance trips (1000 to 2000 miles each way). Now, if you were only used to a luxo-boat, it would not be for you, but if you're coming from a sports-car background as you say, I don't see any issue. If you came from a sport-bike background (as I did), you'll feel that its luxury.

 

[Casey]

hello,

my name is tim, i just joined the forum, but i'v been a long time reader. the last sports car i had was a 350z, i sold it for a dodge durango about six months later. i love the gen 2 viper, but i read alot about it not being the daily driver that the corvette is. i was wondering if some of yo could tell me your thoughts. if i were to get a viper i would drive it primarily on the weekends and the occasional 200 mile highway ride to see my parents. city/highway? thanks, tim

If you buy a Viper you will drive it every chance you get! None of this weekend stuff,unlss that's the only time you have free!!

If you are average size, and fit nicely in the Viper, those 200 mile trips will be pure fun!

 

[Cal Cobra]

Buttermaker - When I bought my 96 RT/10 (GenII chassis & suspension) I had some of the same concerns that you have. I read a lot of info online, books, magazine articles, etc., and had some concerns that the car could easily be uncontrollable. I also expected the ride to be somewhat harsh, and much to my surprise, it's a very comfortable car. I've only had my car for less then two weeks, and I drove it about 100 miles from the owners house to mine, and it was on a large variety of road surfaces (freeway, highway, two lane roads in the boonies, and full on rush hour traffic all in the same 100 mile stretch!), and it was fine, purred like a kitten the whole way home (well except for the couple of times I gunned it, and to my amazement it was exceeding tripple digits instantly

Cal

 

[NOTV8]

You just have to be ready on all the folks that will give you the thumbs up all the time. Get used to being an attention getter. Go for it.

 

[Russ M]

The whole thing about the car being not a daily driver is true, but not for the reason corvette owners would like you to believe.

Plain and simple there is no where to park it when you get to your destination. Unless you are interested in a constant crowd arround the car with lots of finger prints, and the occasional jealous stupidity you will not be using the viper as a daily driver.

But for a weekend car, and the occasional 200 mile trip its perfect.

 

[YouWish]

The first day I had mine, I drove from Wilmington, Delaware to Jacksonville, Florida. It runs just fine on the highway. It's remarkably comfortable...and....gets good gas mileage.

Did you say the Viper gets good gas mileage??? Compared to a 18 wheeler maybe...lmfao!!!

 

[ROCKET62]

The first day I had mine, I drove from Wilmington, Delaware to Jacksonville, Florida. It runs just fine on the highway. It's remarkably comfortable...and....gets good gas mileage.

Did you say the Viper gets good gas mileage??? Compared to a 18 wheeler maybe...lmfao!!!

The Viper does surprisingly well on gas during highway driving. I actually was able to get 23 mpg averaging about 80 this past weekend - and thats even with my 3.73 gears. V10 purrs at about 2000 rpm doing 80 in 6th gear with my rear end.

 

[thebigsnake]

You don't sound like an SUV guy who can afford to keep a Viper for image enhancement, so I think you'll want to drive it as much as you can. To a true enthusiast, it offers every enjoyable sports cars feature in overdose. If you think you like it now, you'll love it later.

 

[monnieh]

You don't sound like an SUV guy who can afford to keep a Viper for image enhancement, so I think you'll want to drive it as much as you can. To a true enthusiast, it offers every enjoyable sports cars feature in overdose. If you think you like it now, you'll love it later.

Hi fellow 2000 ACR B/S owner! There are only 33 of our cars left as a guy in CA totaled his.

Anyway, the Viper can be used as much as you want. I drive my every chance I get.

 

[Anaconda]

The first day I had mine, I drove from Wilmington, Delaware to Jacksonville, Florida. It runs just fine on the highway. It's remarkably comfortable...and....gets good gas mileage.

Did you say the Viper gets good gas mileage??? Compared to a 18 wheeler maybe...lmfao!!!

On the highway that I was driving on (I-95), yes, it did. I got over 20 miles per gallon for the whole trip.

 

[buttermaker]

hey guys,

thank you for all the replies. now i need to convince the fiancee that the viper is an investment.

 

[Warfang]

Before I bought mine, I had read a lot about the Viper NOT being a daily driver. Whoever wrote those article are a bunch of pansies. Anyone who says it is uncomfortable should just stick with their minivan.

The other pansy old-timer's tale is that you can't drive Vipers in the rain. I locked mine up everytime the clouds rolled in. It wasn't until I got caught with my pants down in a downpour that I realized the Vipers do just fine in the rain. Just keep the gear one higher than you usually do when dry and don't slam on the go-pedal when your tires aren't pointing forward.

 

[luc]

I'm 6.3 and I have no problem being comfortable on a long trip with one caveat: either drive barefoot or with some sleeper/racing shoes,this way you can slide your left foot under the clutch pedal in order to "stretch" your left leg.

Luc 00GTS

 

[Epro]

The only drawback that comes to my mind is the whole 12 MPG city driving thing.

 

[big-n-italian]

<< --it is a street legal race car >>

I like this comment.

It all depends on your expectations. My 97 GTS is not a "cushy" mercedes by any means. it is a street-legal race car, and you have to expect what comes with that.

I used to read comments on this forum before i bought mine, like, "this car is different than any other, blah, blah, blah", and I used to roll my eyes in disbelief.

you can never truly understand how accurate these comments are, until you own one.

 

[Randy]

The only drawback that comes to my mind is the whole 12 MPG city driving thing.

Yeah, and as gas goes higher, its more of an issue.

However, I don't know of anything else I can do that is as worth it. I still always enjoy driving a lot more because of it. Look at it this way - is the *differential* cost-per-mile between the Viper and whatever else you would drive worth the fun? In my case, it always is.

 

[ceieio]

For me comfort isn't the issue on using the car as a daily driver. I have slept in mine while the wife was driving (very comfy). The longest trip in a single day was about 770 miles.

The problems are ground clearance and security.

Trying to dodge knuckehead drivers, man hole covers sticking proud of the ground, flotsam on the road, negotiating speed bumps and the like takes attention.

I can't tell you how may times I have come out of a store and some would-be comedian has pulled his ****** up tight to the nose or some other such comedy. I have never been keyed or hit, but the extra level of defensive driving during a type A work day makes it easier to drive one of my SUV's instead. I take the car out for fun. I do drive it to work now and again, but commute traffic keeps the beast tamed too.

It's all up to you. It can be done, the ride isn't bad, and the car is a blast.

 

[DodgeViper01]

Driving this car on the weekends is not going to be a problem at all. Long highway drives are nothing but fun!
You might get a bit uncomfortable but that is about it. Also it will EAT gas compared to the Corvette but if you are cruising you should be fine. I did 250 miles and burned only 5/8 of a tank of gas in fifth and sixth the whole way.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[charlesj]

very good comments & agree most with russ m that the problem is parking & leaving her. i have taken mine on trip to Philadelphia (approx 80 miles one way) and Lancaster (approx 100 miles one way.) no problems and i agree with all comments that car is comfortable but i did notice two negatives...

1. interior storage room & ergonomics **** a** - the small storage pit located over your right shoulder is a pain to get to & dangerous to access while driving. the small sleeves in the roof are a joke. no matter what i put in there it always comes flying out even with modest acceleration. no glovebox... no cupholder... in some model years the radio was difficult to access and in most years i believe the ashtray is in a totally ******** position (vertical) & is located under the emergency brake (they must have been thinking nobody would dare smoke in her so who cares...)

2. on cruises & trips over an hour, i notice that my right leg begins to ache around my knee. i believe i read somewhere that this is due to the angle of the pedal. i have tried several different combos of pedal & seat position but to no avail. anybody else have this problem and solve it? perhaps i will open a specific thread for this.

those are the only issues for me. and i love her anyways

 

[buttermaker]

can u put golf clubs in the back?