Hello! LOoking to become a New Viper Owner - Need Help

[BC Viper]

Hi everyone. I live in Victoria, BC, Canada and have finally made the decision after 18 long years to buy a VIPER RT/10 (only the roadster)! Can I please get help with some questions that I have? Note: I am not mechanically inclined/knowledgable (well, an oil change is about all I am good for!), so I have to keep in mind maintenance costs.

-Which is more reliable: Gen 1 or 2 Viper? Which is costlier to maintain?
-What serious maintenace work do I need to expect at various Miles? For example, if a Gen 1 Viper had 35,000 miles should I be worried about high repair costs?
-Is there a list of maintenance work at select mile intervals I would need to expect and approx. costs attached to it?
-Is CarFax better than AutoCheck or vice versa?
-What are the most important points to keep in mind for a Gen 1 or 2 Viper to look for (specific to a Viper and not just regular tips on buying a used car)?

Sorry if these questions seem a bit much. I just want to try and gain as much knowledge as possible - I do not want to rush, but I am hoping to get one for this summer and start driving the most amazing vehicle (in my opionion)!

Thanks for everyone's help in advance (and patience with me)!

Art

 

[LifeIsGood]

You can get an autographed copy from Maurice directly at...

Viper Buyer’s Guide

 

[eucharistos]

look up rtttted, he know about the canadian issues

if you can do oil changes, you can do other fluids (maybe not all, but some, and save a lot of money)

35k miles is just barely broken in

gen 1 or 2 really depends on what you want from the car (abs, a/c, windows, air bag, cam, future upgrades etc. etc. ) the book mentioned above is very helpful

the search is half the fun

 

[Steve-Indy]

Aside from the Viper Buyer's Guide link that is posted above...ALWAYS have a Viper's VIN searched by a friendly Chry-Jeep Dodge dealer to look at car's official history. NEVER rely on Carfax, etc. alone. Combine ALL info sources including your local VCA members AND an official inspection by a Viper Tech pre-purchase!!! It's easier to avoid trouble than to get out of trouble after the fact.

 

[RTTTTed]

There are other VCA members of western canada in Victoria and you'd be much better 'equipped' if you joined the club ([email protected],) Greg is our membership director. The VCA Illustrated Upgrades forum will be open to you as well as the SRT engineers forum (direct contact with the designers and builders of the Viper!). We also have a Wstrn Cda regional forum.

July 16-19th we are having our Kelowna wine tour and AutoX in Kelowna. Washington VCA club would also enjoy meeting you at their events. Your membership costs would be more than saved on 1 ticket to Viper Owner's Invitational 11 this Sept/Oct. Included is attendence at a World Challenge event featuring Viper comp coupes and the new 2010 Viper ACRX. There will be more than a thousand Viper owners and attendees in Salt Lake City this fall. Hope you plan to make it?

I have a supercharged 800rwhp 2000 GTS ACR for sale. I have invested a lot to perfect this car and it is a "Collectable" being an ACR/American Club Racer. The Gen 2 ACRs came with Koni (or Dynamic) fully adjustable racing shocks ($12,000), 10 extra hp from "smooth tubes", special lightweight forged BBS spoked wheels, 5 pt racing harness and special logo and ID plates. Of course I feel that this Red/silver ACR is the best choice for everyone (except my Sapphire/silver GTS for me!). ACR, Paxton supercharged NOS = 802rwhp - ViperClub Classifieds This is collectable, fast and beautiful (car show winner).

As to what to look for - All gen 1's need new headgaskets so if you don't get a reciept for the headgaskets being upgraded to the MLS, plan about a thousand bucks or so to get that done.
All Vipers/HPcars need their factory catylitic Convertors to be replaced with Hi-flows (for mileage and interior comfort).
Although the Gen 2 sound much better all Gen 1-3 stock exhaust sound have been compared to UPS Trucks.
There are many threads but basically you live in the middle of the ocean so you REALLY need a hardtop if you plan to drive the car much. I bought GTSs because I'm married and need the cargo space (double what RT10s have). The soft tops are mainly for storage and if driving - don't go past 100kph.
Gen 1s have no outer door handles and no side windows. Gen 1's have cast iron exhaust manifolds and side exhaust (Gen 2s are rear exit). Many Gen 1s did not have airconditioning.
Vipers came with cast 17" wheels until the middle of '97. Late 97s and 98s came with 17" forged wheels and 99 started forged 18" wheels. 96-99 came with forged pistons and .708" (rumble cam).
2000-2002 came with Hyperuetetic pistons and a smooth running camshaft
2001 started with ABS and larger rear calipers. Previous years gain .2 Gs of stopping force with a rear caliper upgrade.

Tracking your car means that you need a roll bar for faster than 13sec ET and even the 400bhp Gen 1 goes 12 sec. GTS is allowed 11.5ET before needing a roll bar. Similar at road courses. Gen2 has 450bhp.

Most Vipers that get driven have aftermarket 3" exhaust, Hi-flow Cats, K&N Airboxes, etc. PS2 tires are the best available for the street. Any tires that are over 6 years old are dangerous and need to be replaced.

Vipers are excellent cars and with a few upgrades they really kick some butt. Various years have different benefits.

Mostly, which year and model you want depends on you, your taste and what you wish to do with the car. For driving and safety the Gen 2s are much better engineered. If you have a color 'fetish' for Blue/white there was very few made and only in 96-97.

Ted

 

[BC Viper]

Thanks everyone for the help & advice... Ken, love your Viper! Great colour!

 

[Venomiss]

If you haven't already seen this already.
Western Canada Viper Club - Home

 

[Kala]

The soft tops are mainly for storage and if driving - don't go past 100kph.
Ted

Did you mean MPH Ted? cause 100 kph is what equal to about 60 mph??? I often drove my Gen I with the top on over those speeds Key word here is OFTEN... LOL
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BC, the one thing I can tell you about the Gen I (I have not owned a Gen II) is the top is very tricky to install after it has been stowed. It's like driving a go kart... really raw but incredibly fun at the same time.

If you live in an area where it rains a lot... Prepare to get wet. I only got stuck a couple of times. Had to put my sunglasses on since the rain was pelting me in the face... Maybe some toupee's leak worse than others, I think I would have been better to stow the top in that rain storm. I probably would have stayed drier.

If you want a Gen I, make sure you get a car with AC. Those floorboards get hot. Mine didn't have AC and that was the main reason I sold it. Well that and I actually wanted a blasphemous cup holder...

There were a few other reasons I sold that Gen I too. Not being able to lock it. If I had my truck full of luggage, I had to make sure that anything left in the cabin was not worthy of anyone's time. I did find a pretty good solution though, I bought a set of Northwind engineering windows. They have a lockable slider, I could lock the car, lock the windows and be fairly comfortable about leaving the car. Or at least as much as you can be in any convertible.

I could never hear the stereo above 50 MPH... My car had H******y exhaust.. It was louder than any car I ever had. It had highflo cats and would set off car alarms everywhere I went.

I don't remember having adjustable pedals... Being short I had to sit really close to the steering wheel.

Joining your local club might be the best insurance you can get. Having a knowledgeable Viper owner look over any Viper you choose could save you a ton of $. Hoods are very expensive. Some have cracks near the hinges. Replacing a hood is a very expensive proposition that could be avoided if you know what to look for.

With either the Gen I or Gen II have someone from the club show you have to close that hood properly. You can damage those clamshell hoods with improper closing techniques...

The Gen I was so much fun. It was a great introduction to Vipers for me. I sold it and got a Gen III. Which is a totally different car. For me that first Gen, got me hooked.

Come for the car, stay for the friends...

 

[RTTTTed]

Did you mean MPH Ted? cause 100 kph is what equal to about 60 mph??? I often drove my Gen I with the top on over those speeds Key word here is OFTEN... LOL
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I was trying to error on the side of safety. There's a few threads that mention tops coming off at 90mph. Crompton (Wstrn Cda member) has his come off and then the guy behind him(truck?) drove over it. Overall - go slower or keep a spare top?

Kala has put a lot of good info into this thread. I forgot to mentioned the adjustable pedals. Started with the Gen 2s.

Kala were your seats adjustable ot did you have to removed the plugs?

Ted