How much would you pay for a Viper with botched 998 recall???

[GTSnake]

If you were looking to purchase a Viper and the seller told you that the car had the 998 recall done incorrectly but was completely repaired to original condition would you pay full price? If not, how much would you lower your offer for the vehicle due to the botched recall or would you offer anything at all? Assume the rest of the vehicle was in good condition and had no impact on the value.

For anyone that doesn't know the 998 recall entails drilling holes into the frame then rivet and weld a plate to both sides of the frame rails just forward of the front cross member.

 

[luc]

Tough question.

Obviously the car is worth less than one with the recall done correctly.
If it was me,except if I could not find the same year,model,color,etc,I will just not buy it and look for another one.

Luc

00GTS (recall not done for this exact reason,but have all the recall parts) .

 

[V10 MOJO]

depends on how it was "botched" and, if it was corrected then the botched job is a moot point. also, the recall repairs actually add further reinforcement and if cosmetically its doen right is an "improvement"

 

[GTS Dean]

Tell him I'll take that dangerous insurance liability off his hands for the princely sum of $100.

 

[GTSnake]

depends on how it was "botched" and, if it was corrected then the botched job is a moot point. also, the recall repairs actually add further reinforcement and if cosmetically its doen right is an "improvement"

Rdustman,

Would you still take it if the repair was done correctly but you knew that the frame had been drilled into and patched up? I know that mechanically the structure is solid but would you lower your offer accordingly? If so, how much would you lower it by?

 

[Gerald Levin]

To me, this is a buyer's market and I would only consider a car with a botched recall if it was reduced by $5k. If not, I'd simply move on to the next one. JMHO.

 

[Janni]

Well, here's the thing - only REALLY educated buyers are even going to know about the recall. And if the repair is done correctly, I am not even sure you would be able to tell - after all you have to repait that area anyway.

Assuming the repair was done by somone more competent than the doofus that screwed it up in the first place, it should have only a negligible effect on the price - maybe $500.

If you were satisfied with the quality of the fix, I am not sure I'd even say anything because that would surely make a bigger deal out of it than it was. I wouldn't lie about it, but I wouldn't bring up unnecessary concern.

 

[luc]

Janni,

GTSnake seems to be especialy honest and i think that he deserve a lot of credit for it,most peoples,like yourself, will not disclose the "problem" if not precisely asked for.

Can he get a letter from DC stating that the repair was done correctly and DO NOT in any way or shape impact the structural integrity of the frame/car?

Luc.

 

[Janni]

I am not saying to hide it - but if it is repaired correctly, it would raise unnecessary concerns to highlight it. I think it's admirable being honest, but again these are steel framed vehicles and CAN be repaired - back to good as new. As disheartening and pathetic as it is that the tech screwed up the recall the first time, and I know you want to jump up and down and say it devalued your vehicle, yell at someone, etc - (I would certainly do the same) logically, I don't think the devaluation is there if it is corrected.

He's never going to get anything like that from D-C, as they won't inspect the car, so it's up to him / his dealer to find someone VERY CAPABLE to fix the mistake to his satisfaction.

If my car had been screwed up, I would have it fixed - finding someone I could trust to do it correctly and had confidence that they knew how to weld and were sticklers for details - and I'd have complete confidence in the structural integrity of the frame afterwards - I would not treat the car any differently - still track it, still run Hoosiers, etc. And if I had confidence in the vehicle, I really couldn't see how it would be devalued by a lot (if any).

So bringing up a botched recall and a painstaking repair (a few hundred dollars) unless you explained it VERY THOROUGHLY to an educated buyer would be unnecessary worry - however, if you had complete confidence in the repair, you could definitely explain the situation... Make sense? If you are confident, then there's both no need to disclose it, but it's easier to explain confidently and shouldn't impact the value. If you are not happy with the repair, then you both should disclose it and it will probably impact the value.

Hope this makes sense.

If the same dealer is saying they'll fix it good as new, I'd be VERY suspect, by the way.

 

[1TONY1]

Like Janni said: Little or no change in value if a good repair was done.

 

[GTSnake]

The problem here is with the "semi" educated buyer. If one finds out about the recall and it's very easy to do, the seller would have to disclose fully what had happened. They would know enough that it was to the frame and would have a perception that it is very serious. They may not know that the repair can be performed to new or better condition. If you were not as knowledgeable regarding welding and metal work would you not be inclined to lower your offer to buy the vehicle?

From what I've read and discussed with some people I would have to say that the value is affected negatively. Time would only tell by how much.

 

[Edward 96GTS]

I would avoid that car simply because it has a "story".

 

[Rich Detert]

It seems everyone wrongly blames the dealerships for incorrectly installing the front triangular frame braces.

The real truth of the matter is that D.C. printed the early sets of instructions showing the braces being installed in the wrong location.

The Viper tech at the dealership that does all warranty work on my Viper has copies of the early incorrect installation instructions and the later correct version of the instructions.

It's not really fair to blame only the dealership when D.C. screws up the installation instructions. The dealership simply followed the installation instructions which normally you would normally assume are correct.

D.C. should accept their part of the blame for the recall being done wrong.

 

[GTSnake]

Rich,

I absolutely agree with you. The dealership only has partial responsibility in that they should exercise common sense when they place the bracket over the oil filter and realize that it shouldn't go there. I'm sure the conscientious dealships that don't have this problem all discovered that on their own. The majority of the responsibility still falls on DCX since they (or their supplier) mislabeled the brackets with the wrong "LH" and "RH" label. Funny how a simple sticker placed on the wrong part could cause so much damage.

 

[V10 MOJO]

janni makes a damnn good point, i would do the need to know basis. and, in my opinion even if known, i feel if donr properly, the recall repairs make the involved area better that original.