GTS inspection

[Slamstadam]

In a Viper buying situation, what to look out for?

I will most likely will fly out of state to buy, and will have a professional go through the mechanicals but only after I feel the car is worthy. I have purchased many used cars and other high performance toys, but there could be a whole lot I don't see having never owned a viper.

What are the top viper GTS specific things that I might look for or run from? when inspecting a low mileage GTS.

example: In a lot of photos I see body panel gap, how much is too much or did some come from the factory that way?

Thanks

 

[Dirk Pitt]

What constitutes low mileage (10 miles, 100 miles, 1000 miles or 10,000+ miles)? What do you plan to do with the car (store, drive, etc.)?

Answers to those questions will determine what you should look for.

In a Viper buying situation, what to look out for?

I will most likely will fly out of state to buy, and will have a professional go through the mechanicals but only after I feel the car is worthy. I have purchased many used cars and other high performance toys, but there could be a whole lot I don't see having never owned a viper.

What are the top viper GTS specific things that I might look for or run from? when inspecting a low mileage GTS.

example: In a lot of photos I see body panel gap, how much is too much or did some come from the factory that way?

Thanks

 

[Slamstadam]

What constitutes low mileage (10 miles, 100 miles, 1000 miles or 10,000+ miles)? What do you plan to do with the car (store, drive, etc.)?

Answers to those questions will determine what you should look for.

I'm going to drive it. 10,000 or more miles is low to me, but still a driver <5000 miles at that that age should probably stay that way. But I don't drive ugly stuff just because I may put 20,000 on in the next 5 years.

I wan't to know if hoods or body panels warp from heat, do certain Viper specific items wear out before 30,000 miles? The kind of stuff only a current owner might know as if they were looking to buy another viper themselves. I want to avoid any "if I had only known" type scenarios. Did somebody have any expensive repairs the came out of left field? Thanks

 

[Batboy]

Few things to look for:

Discoloration on the side sills - If they get real hot they will discolor
Brownish color on the Viper Emblem of the front calipers - again, if it's discolored it means they have gotten very hot

Both of these imply the car has been driven hard or raced.

Also check all electrical devices. GTS are infamous for breaking wires in the door hinge area.

Does it have stripes? If so, feel the edge of the stripes. You should feel an edge. If not, it's probably been painted or at least clear coated.

Ask if head gasket has been replaced. This was more of a problem on Gen1's but could a problem in the future.

Ask if the chasis recall was performed and then check it. Should be two triangle shaped pieces of steel between the crossmembers under the car almost directly below the foot wells. One is almost directly under the oil filter. Check and see if you can remove the oil filter (it should drop straight down). If not, the recall work was done incorrectly.

There is a book called "Viper Buying Guide" by Liang. I bought it before I bought my Viper. Very helpful for buying a Gen 1 or 2. http://www.amazon.com/Viper-Buyers-Guide-Maurice-Liang/dp/0760318352

Hope that helps.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Batboy has a good checklist, except about the painted stripes. Factory stripe edges should feel smooth, with only a slight bump on the painted area. The factory clear coats over the painted stripes.

Any Viper experienced mechanic should be able to do a pre-sale inspection for you.

As to body panels, it was never a high point for Vipers. Largish panel gaps are not unexpected, and do not necessairly indicate damage. There are shims where most body panels are mounted, and they can be adjusted if you desire better fitting panels. On later (Gen III and above) the panel fittings needed far less shims, and better fits are usually seen.

 

[Slamstadam]

good info.

I am also seeing some cars listed with "clutch replaced". Would you say the clutch wears at a normal rate with normal driving. 50k to 100k would be normal for a regular car.

 

[Batboy]

Thanks for the clarification Paul. I was never quite sure about this one. I knew the stripes were painted on after the car is painted, but wasn't sure how the clear coat was applied. I know there is a post about it somewhere.

 

[Batboy]

good info.

I am also seeing some cars listed with "clutch replaced". Would you say the clutch wears at a normal rate with normal driving. 50k to 100k would be normal for a regular car.

I would. Mine has 46K on the original clutch. It still pulls hard with no slipage. My tech has never brought it up. One thing my tech has nagged me about is my Ubolts being worn. I still haven't replaced them and have tracked the car at least once since then. If it's a low mile car with a replaced clutch then the car was probably driven hard like drag racing or poorly meaning they didn't know how to drive a manual and rode the clutch, IMHO.