Going to pick up a 2001 ACR on Saturday. What do I need to know?

[Endeka]

I'm going to pick up a 2001 Viper ACR on Saturday that I put a small deposit on (contingent on my inspection) a couple of states over. What sort of things should I look for when I'm checking it out (Carfax+autocheck are obviously clean, miles are lowish, looks really good). What questions should I be asking? What are red flags?

I've driven, but never owned a Gen 2. I'm excited.

-Ross

 

[DrumrBoy]

You're gonna love it! If you have time, look up M Laing's Gen 2 checklist; it outlines everything in a buyer's guide to Gen 2s.

 

[DrumrBoy]

I couldn't find the one I referred to (or think I know the existence of) but here's a decent one. Use search to see if you can find one with more "meat"....i.e. ranges of values for normal wear and "when its bad". http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/648082-GTS-Checklist?highlight=gen+checklist Good luck with the purchase!

 

[FrankBarba]

Don't forget the Insurance.

 

[Endeka]

Yeah, I'm insured out the *****. Already taken care of. It was $80.00 more per year than my Corvette. God bless good driving (and no kids)! Keep em coming guys, what else?

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

There is certainly a long list of things to check for including having the car on a lift and looking underneath for leaks and possible scrapes from contact. One of the big issues is proper hood alignment with the front facia and head lamps with no large gaps. Does hood open and close properly. Door alignment and how do the doors open and close. Any door sag when opened. Rear hatch operation inc. the condition of the hatch struts. Check spare tire and jack. Is the center console arm rest solid and not cracked underneath. Even tire wear all the way around. How old are the tires. Look well under the front facia to check for possible curb contact. Wheels not curb scraped hopefully. All side sill fasteners in place on the bottom side (lift). Does drivers lumbar work. AC blows cold and heater works. How long since all fluids changed with receipts showing. Air filters clean. Owners manual. Extra key, and does alarm work. Take your time and dont be rushed on checking these and other important items.

 

[viper vince]

Window sticker

 

[FinalEd357]

Congrats on the purchase. Great advice from VIPER GTSR 91 above. ACR shocks known to leak, about $950 for a new pair installed. About $900 to change/flush ALL fluids - great advice to ask for receipts. Keep it pointed straight under acceleration and hold the wheel tightly on grooved roads, the front tires will follow the road. Enjoy!

 

[FinalEd357]

what year, color combo?

 

[EllowViper]

Make sure if you are paying ACR price that it does in fact have the ACR shocks (as has been mentioned). They are pricy and I've seen cases of an ACR being sold without ACR shocks to unknowing buyers. There's not much to what makes an ACR and ACR...so the shocks matter.

 

[uvbnbit]

Tire Date Code.......

You must be registered for see images

 

[mitchdob]

Thought this doc could be helpful:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-EETikFmFLnZHFzM3VGZVdPdnM/edit?pli=1

 

[Endeka]

Thanks everyone. As I've been looking around, I've noticed quite a number of accident free cars that have weird gaps around the lights. Why is that? Is there any way to fix it short of major body work?

What do the ACR shocks look like? Any pics?

The car I'm getting is solid red with black interior.

Also, the seller claims the car has a full belanger system (headers all the way back) on it. Any way to confirm that visually, or do I need to rely on receipts.

Pictures would be very helpful to this Vette guy; I'm not positive what I'm looking at.

 

[justingeer82]

seems most are avoiding the answers youre really looking for. Look underneath the car for signs of serious scraping (undercarriage damage). Pay a lot of attention to the radiator supports in the front. look for traces of leaking fluids inside the rims (power steering or brake fluid). look at all gaps between hood,quarter panels, trunk, doors, bumpers for anything uneven. check coolant in reservoir and for signs of leakage under heads. even if noted as new tires, inspect wear and date on rear tires. do not slouch on your rear tires. you will wreck unless you do nothing but parade this car. be aware that even the slightest precipitation increases your chances of wrecking 99% even if you are easy on the throttle. test drive for straightness, listen for any creaks or grinds. pay attention to any odd clutch sounds. shifting should be rather smooth in any circumstance. power should be predictable....insane...especially around 3300rpm WOT. Take your time getting used to the viper. Even if you have driven ferraris, its hard to explain the amount of torque youre about to experience.

 

[Endeka]

Anyone have pictures of what the ACR shocks are supposed to look like?

 

[EllowViper]

From CamFab's 2012 post...re a 1999 ACR question. "The original shocks on your car are the Koni 2812 shocks. They are specifically valved for your application, they are probably still available from Dodge. They used to be about $2,500 a piece Dodge pricing. Your original shocks were Gold in color, the later version of that shock was done in black. You can still buy those shocks from Koni, however they will need to adjusted for your application. The original springs are Hypercoils, and I'm not certain of the spring rates. I can dig up some pics from my car if you'd like. " unquote. I seached for pics on GOOGLE but came up empty. If I recall, they use an external resevoir.

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/657261-Dodge-Viper-Gift.

 

[okloneranger]

Smartest thing to do is take a Viper Tech. with you - failing that, an experienced Viper owner. It's a must to look underneath - I'd find someway to have it put on a lift.(Warning-most people don't know anything about how to do this correctly and it's easy to damage something if the person has no experience.) If you have ridden in this car and it has the ride of a buckboard, I'd say you have a 95% chance of having ACR shocks and springs on it. Sometime in '01, if memory serves, brands of shocks were changed from Koni. I can't think of the name of the newer manufacturer but the spring and shock bodies are a deep blue and there is a blue reservoir beside the shock with gold lettering all over it. Hope this isn't too little, too late. I put stock Viper shocks and springs on mine because the comp. shocks were leaking and the ride was brutal. (kept the originals-not for sale)
Good Luck.

 

[mitchdob]

Sometime in '01, if memory serves, brands of shocks were changed from Koni. I can't think of the name of the newer manufacturer but the spring and shock bodies are a deep blue and there is a blue reservoir beside the shock with gold lettering all over it. Hope this isn't too little, too late. I put stock Viper shocks and springs on mine because the comp. shocks were leaking and the ride was brutal. (kept the originals-not for sale)
Good Luck.

In mid-2000 ACR shocks were changed up from Koni to Dynamic Suspensions (DS).
I believe the coil overs were changed to Meritor

.... info giving to me by CamFab for my mid/May-2000 built ACR.