How many would rather see the Viper become extinct?

[Nine Ball]

With all the press talk of Dodge ending Viper production, or possibly selling the brand name to another company, how many of you Viper owners would prefer they just ended the legacy?

I know some of you are diehards and would love to see the Viper live on forever, but that doesn't seem logical by today's fuel and economic situation. This thread probably isn't for you.

My own opinion, I'd prefer to see the Viper become extinct and go out as a hero of the latest performance battles. I will not look at these cars the same if Brand X owns them. I do not want these cars to become diluted versions of their current form. I would not want to see them become $200,000 custom built cars.

Plus, the value of our Vipers would then increase instead of depreciate. Supply vs demand. Look at any other vehicles that had such a huge media and enthusiast following, and how their values reacted once they became extinct. Supra turbos, Buick GN's, Ford GT, etc..

It isn't like our current cars are going to go ~****~ and disappear. We will still have 16 years of Vipers on the road. Those of us that enjoy Vipers will still be able to buy them. Our group will not get any smaller, and our passion for these cars will not grow cold.

Anyone else feel the same way?

Tony

 

[Boxer12]

I would rather see the Viper go on an Aluminum space frame diet...than kill it. Then call it the Viperess.

 

[triplexotica]

"today's fuel and economic situation"

Fuel? If you own a viper who cares about fuel prices I put 100 race fuel in mine since day one and that's all I use. So who cares if 93 is at $4.25 a gal when I've been used to spending about $6 even when gas prices were around two bucks a gallon.

Economic situation is a whole other issue in the last 90 days a bunch of people lost nearly 1/2 of their investment porfolio but who cares markets go up markets go down right now it's a great time to buy if you have cash.

I personally think that they should continue to build vipers even if they're custom $200k cars you'll be surprised how many guys/gals will still pay that for them.

I would much rather see a custom viper than have to go out and spend months building one after the fact.

 

[wastntim]

I do not have pleasant thoughts about what it will be like if Viper gets sold. The viper tax as we know it will probably triple, you will be lucky to find any kind of dealer or better yet place for service and I bet the reliability will go down the tubes as it does with many of the high priced ultralimited exotics. Furthermore, when the cost goes up to $200k now you will be competing against Lambo and ferrari, which I believe will hurt Viper.

I'd rather see dodge put the name into mothballs for a few years and then have
Dodge bring it back.

 

[Venomiss]

With all the press talk of Dodge ending Viper production, or possibly selling the brand name to another company, how many of you Viper owners would prefer they just ended the legacy?

I know some of you are diehards and would love to see the Viper live on forever, but that doesn't seem logical by today's fuel and economic situation. This thread probably isn't for you.

My own opinion, I'd prefer to see the Viper become extinct and go out as a hero of the latest performance battles. I will not look at these cars the same if Brand X owns them. I do not want these cars to become diluted versions of their current form. I would not want to see them become $200,000 custom built cars.

Plus, the value of our Vipers would then increase instead of depreciate. Supply vs demand. Look at any other vehicles that had such a huge media and enthusiast following, and how their values reacted once they became extinct. Supra turbos, Buick GN's, Ford GT, etc..

It isn't like our current cars are going to go ~****~ and disappear. We will still have 16 years of Vipers on the road. Those of us that enjoy Vipers will still be able to buy them. Our group will not get any smaller, and our passion for these cars will not grow cold.

Anyone else feel the same way?

Tony

I think this should've been posted on this thread in the Grailtrail.
http://forums.viperclub.org/grail-trail/618131-big-news.html

 

[dave6666]

I could care less if they ever make another new Viper. I love my GTS, don't want an SRT, and have been on the Viper tax diet since I bought my car. They quit making the Viper 6 years ago as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Nine Ball]

"today's fuel and economic situation"

Fuel? If you own a viper who cares about fuel prices I put 100 race fuel in mine since day one and that's all I use. So who cares if 93 is at $4.25 a gal when I've been used to spending about $6 even when gas prices were around two bucks a gallon.

Who said I was talking about the Viper owners when it comes to fuel? You also have to consider the manufacturers. It gets a little difficult for them to justify building 600HP V10 cars when facing $4/gal and rising fuel prices. Remember the mid-70s? The HP wars ended back then also, and this is a similar situation. Buyers of Vipers can afford fuel, that is a no-brainer. Manufacturers have a tougher time justifying using the engineering and plant resources to build them, however.

 

[EZ 2B Green]

This is a tough question without having a crystal ball. What I don't want to see is an emasculated Viper. Can you guys remember the Mustang II or how about the 83-87 Dodge Charger? If the Viper is headed in that direction then kill it now.

On the other hand, if somehow the Viper can continue as a low production performance flagship that's made in the USA, then lets pursue it.

In a few short years when the next generation of cars come to market, we may have little choice in performance vehicles. We have to try to save some of the vehicles we perfomance enthusiasts love. The Viper seems to have enough passionate followers to save it. It's up to us to keep reminding Chrysler and/or other suitors that we want the Viper to live on as America's top exotic perfomance machine.

 

[RTTTTed]

Manufacturers justify 600hp ... blah blah blah???

The Jeep SRT is rated at 14mpg while the Viper is rated at 22mpg!!!

The Viper gets amazing gas mileage! It gets better milage than most of the other cars I own and better mileage than my wife's V6 gutless Ford Escape mini SUV.

So stop with the gas mileage whining - the Viper gets fabulous mileage. I drove my highly modified supercharged GTS 6,600mi. to and from Detroit and got 19.7mpg. The other 4 Vipers I travelled with got even better mileage than I did.

Joe towed his Viper and his pickup got a Whopping 7mpg. That's bad mileage.

Ted

 

[RMBSRT]

BOTTOM LINE....The V-10 engine will kill the Viper! With all of the major car companies trying to produced as many econoboxes as they can, there is no room for a V-10 motor in their line up. As a sad example of this...GM is working to put a turbo 4 cylinder motor into the new camaro!

There is no "halo" effect from the Viper in todays market. The prevalent marketing story for today is "MPG's" and the Viper(specifically the V-10) does not fit.

If you want a new Viper than you better buy it prior to 2010.

I love my Viper ( and I will be getting an additional one ) but it is what it is....just my .02

 

[RMBSRT]

Manufacturers justify 600hp ... blah blah blah???

The Jeep SRT is rated at 14mpg while the Viper is rated at 22mpg!!!

The Viper gets amazing gas mileage! It gets better mileage than most of the other cars I own and better mileage than my wife's V6 gutless Ford Escape mini SUV.

So stop with the gas mileage whining - the Viper gets fabulous mileage. I drove my highly modified supercharged GTS 6,600mi. to and from Detroit and got 19.7mpg. The other 4 Vipers I traveled with got even better mileage than I did.

Joe towed his Viper and his pickup got a Whopping 7mpg. That's bad mileage.

Ted

Good example but....

Any car that has a gas guzzler tax associated with it has the PERCEPTION of getting poor gas mileage.

 

[GTSnake]

I think I would have to go with let it die quickly rather than linger on a slow death. I would rather have the legacy that it has earned today than trickle on with various mutations of Viperlike frankensteins.

I guess it really depends on how the new owners treat it. If they try to change the original formula then it would be a disaster. But if they build on the current formula and enhance it or improve it then it's a different story.

One bad example is the Shelby name. Carrol Shelby should have left well enough alone. His last attempt to resurrect the car was a total failure iMO.

 

[93 Cobra R]

They quit making the Viper 6 years ago as far as I'm concerned.

*SMACK* That's gonna leave a mark! lol
(SRT owners) (Dave)

 

[slysnake]

There is no "halo" effect from the Viper in todays market. The prevalent marketing story for today is "MPG's" and the Viper(specifically the V-10) does not fit.

Every where I park it is an advertisement for dodge Because it never fails to draw stares and people coming over to look at it and take pictures of it. Maybe they don't go buy a dodge because of it, but they sure know it's a dodge.

I would welcome another company to produce it. Nobody would take it on that didn't know the tradition. I think they would treat it well.

Does the line lose money? Does it drive consumers away? I just don't understand the reasoning behind dropping it. .............Not politically correct? that's a lame reason.

 

[FLX109]

Why don't we all get together and buy it?

 

[dave6666]

Why don't we all get together and buy it?

I'm a little short on $MM notes this week. I may speak for others on the forum too.

 

[jeffdai]

i know it would never happen, but since the original viper is really a new ford cobra, let ford buy it!!

 

[Dads Toy]

I hope it sticks around for a few more years. being a future owner, I do not want my dream shattered by marked up prices on my dream car if they stop making them.

 

[Angela]

Okay, this is what I think:
The Dodge Viper needs to stay a Dodge Viper. Built by Dodge. If they cannot afford to build it with a V-10, perhaps a 6.1 HEMI with 450+ horsepower would sell more units at a lower cost, to keep the Viper alive without watering it down too much. Rather than, having Dodge's only 2 seat sports car go to another company, and having the Cheverolet Corvette win the "war" for somewhat affordable American sports cars. This would help the Viper stay alive, and not be killed like the Baracuda, Roadrunner, or anything else Chrysler use to have (that didn't ****).

Adam

 

[2000_Black_RT10]

Okay, this is what I think:
The Dodge Viper needs to stay a Dodge Viper. Built by Dodge.

Yet.. Dodge was once Dodge Brothers.. more or less it's just a brand name under Chrysler today.. a Ferrari is still a Ferrari even though they are owned by another company, etc.. I think the Viper will always be a Viper, especially with Herb involved with the next gen (my prediction), it's the people that make the car, and I bet there will be a few under Chrysler who will move along to the new brand owner and carry on the tradition.

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[2snakes4us]

I could care less if they ever make another new Viper. I love my GETS, don't want an SET, and have been on the Viper tax diet since I bought my car. They quit making the Viper 6 years ago as far as I'm concerned.

I agree with Dave, Long live the GEN 1 and GEN 2

Now imagine a 02 FE with a Gen 4 engine.....Now that would be very tempting!

 

[F8L SNK]

I would like to see it end if Dodge lets it go. I think some of the potential buyers may do it justice, but it will NEVER be the same to me.

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Whether you think it could/should die, it won't. With various papers showing a value of the platform of $150 million or more, you can't kill it. It would be like debating whether to fix up or bulldoze your house, knowing the land it was on was worth very little. Then somebody offers a pretty serious price for it out of the blue. Then you have to decide if you will fix it up yourself, possibly increasing the value even more, or just sell it outright "as is". The last thing you will do now is bulldoze it.

Long live the Viper!

 

[Mopar Boy]

As stated in the other thread (When is a Viper not a Viper?) I am a Dodge guy to the core. I would rather see the Viper RIP like Plymouth than to have someone else buy it and potentially tromple the name into the ground over a few years.

Think about it, what would we do if Vipers were to come with cupholders! That would be against the Holy Grail!

Robert

 

[Vipuronr]

I think a lower production, more custom Viper in the area of $200k is feasible. I just read about the new Corvette ZR1 coming out and costing around $115k. A production Corvette for over $100K???? I just can't see it, but it is the direction specialty performance cars are going. So, why not a $200k Viper, maybe it is factory supercharged and puts out 800 to 1,000 HP out of the box!

But, that said, if a high-end limited production Viper is not possible through the purchase of a non-car enthusiast company or investor group, then I would (sadly) vote to let it go to the Viper garage in the sky.

Just my opinion.

Peter

 

[dave6666]

Look what GM did with Hummer.

First, a 1-1/4T military truck is made into a civilian version called an H1. Good job!

Then GM buys it.

Then the H2 is made. a 1/2T PU truck chassis with 3/4T running gear. And oh yeah, a boxy body, and a $50K price tag.

The H2 is a freaking 1/2 ton pickup for fifty thousand dollars. Good job GM.

And then they decided the Colorado would make a nice Hummer, so the H3 was born.

Yup, the H3 is a mini-truck.

That's what can happen when someone buys a name. GM took a serious military truck and washed it into their light passenger truck division.

I wonder what someone would do with the Viper name.

 

[slaughterj]

Why don't we all get together and buy it?

You send me the first $1M, and I'll coordinate things from there.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

I wonder what someone would do with the Viper name.

We're all looking at this from the owner/enthusiast point of view. From a business and marketing point, what is the real "value?" It is in the name (and while a Dodge, in the brand.) Whether it is aluminum or steel frame, 400hp or 600hp, over the long term maintaining any desireability is a product of the marketing.

Classic textbook marketing teaches you AIDA:
Attention (is it different? does it create or fit within the family "halo"?)
Interest (is there a target audience? do people visit the showroom?)
Desireability (does the target audience want one? or one from the Dodge family?)
Action (can you get the target audience to buy one? or a Charger/Challenger, etc?)

Notice none of that requires the very specific features that we as Viper owners tend to focus on. Here's a thought from the other side of the box:

• Use the HEMI engine that SRT has now. Plentiful, cheap, enough power. HEMI strongly says "Dodge" to buyers.
• HEMI engines already sit in front of 6-speeds. If this combo carries forward, new mfg may save some packaging/emissions/safety costs.
• Build a smaller car, unlike the 3500lb+ porkers that we have now.
• Lighter car + enough power = same or better performance, so you can still call it a Viper. Corvette does it this way.
• A smaller/lighter car allows the constructor to go back to the existing parts bin and build out of medium duty parts. Cheaper and quicker. Use Dakota parts and it'll be historic, even.
• The new OEM only has to deal with body shapes. Now it can change to accomodate their manufacturing capability. Don't have to use fancy process for aluminum side covers, RTM fenders, etc if they don't want to.

When it's done, we may complain like we did when the Gen 3 body style came out, but in the end it'll meet the AIDA criteria and can be called a new, better, faster, modern, more fuel efficient Viper. And it may stay close to the current price - without lots of cost-saving ideas, we really will have that low volume $180,000 car.

And frankly, isn't the cost alone a game-changer? The target audience for the $80,000 car is different than a $180,000 car and I propose that once you have a car made by someone else, in a different price range, with a different target buyer, it's not a Viper anymore.

 

[99 R/T 10]

"today's fuel and economic situation"

Fuel? If you own a viper who cares about fuel prices I put 100 race fuel in mine since day one and that's all I use. So who cares if 93 is at $4.25 a gal when I've been used to spending about $6 even when gas prices were around two bucks a gallon.

If you are putting in 100 octane into your STOCK Viper, you are wasting not only money but power too.

Tom, I'll have to disagree with you here. If they(whoever "they" may be) puts a Hemi into the Viper, it might be a short term fix, but they would def. be going backwards in terms of HP(unless they S/C it from the factory) and the car simply won't sell. Who would buy a 450 HP 2010 Viper when the year prior had 600HP?

 

[dave6666]

If they(whoever "they" may be) puts a Hemi into the Viper...

The Viper should have it's own engine. I don't care if it's souped up or not, at least now when I look over at the 4 door sedans with the Hemi badge on them, I know my car IS NOT like theirs!!!