Looking for a 03+ What is the best place for best price?

IDM

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Hi I'm ready to buy a Viper. I am considering 04 and on years. I don't know if I want a convertible or coupe yet.

How much can I expect to pay for each car and where should I look? Any problems with any of the years?

Anyone know of a great deal out there? Thanks a lot!
 

Synergy

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Gen 3 Viper = 2003-2006 505 hp stock. Coupes were only available in 2006.

As far as the price, it really depends what time of year and the condition of the car. If someone NEEDS to sell their car, the price will be low since they need to push it out. On the other hand, if it's somebody who has no rush to sell, don't expect to steal a 2500 mile car for $40,000.

Ebay.com
Autotrader.com
Cars.com
Craigslist.com
VCA classifieds
 

Copperhead133

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Look in our classifieds as they are club members and have a good history that can be verified. One that i know of is a 03' conv. 12,000 mile and is all stock and never been over 100mph keep inside always.
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Registered: March 2011
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Comment Date: Thu September 1, 2011
Price established by Kelley Blue Book, then discounted $500. Need to sell to get family vehicle back into garage. Call Ed at 256-442-2028, or call maintainence

man at cell 256-504-8943 Have Sept. A.I.M. report. 2003 SRT-10 red convertible 12k miles spotless.
posted by edlevins

2003 red convertible SRT-10, always garaged, always covered, 12k highway miles, chrome wheels, only factory equipped (no enhancements) looks new, never raced, saved all reco ... 410 Excellent $45,419.00 Thu September 1, 2011 6:57pm
 

Steve-Indy

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IDM asked: "Any problems with any of the years?"



MY answer is "yes"...some more worrisome than others. Here is one well
known recall (there were several) that applied to roughly 70% of
the 2003's:

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/596856-Power-Steering-Fluid?highlight=cooling+module

and

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads...What-to-look-out-for?highlight=cooling+module

noting that this recall is fairly straightforward...and has likely been
done by now. You can check here:

http://www.dodge.com/webselfservice...recall&country=us&emailUrl=goToEmailForm('R')


Now believe it or not, the 2004's worry me MORE:

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads...per-bolt-1200-mile-car?highlight=Crank+damper

A search will be very helpful...BUT, if you find a clean car, well
maintained by a good Tech, and well treated by a Viper-owner-in-the know...you
will be FINE in my opinion.

Agree with above statement by Copperhead133...start in the VCA
classifieds.

Then, always run the VIN yourself at YOUR friendly Dodge dealer, and always
have a capable Dodge Tech officially inspect the car before you buy it...and it
helps to have an experienced Viper driver or two go over the car during the
inspection.

Many folks contact available local VCA Members for help at the beginning of
their search...and it usually pays off !!

Gen III's are GREAT cars in my opinion...best of luck with your search !!!
 

Steve-Indy

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Please don't let my info worry you...it's just meant to help you sort!!! Gen III's are strong cars!!

Call me if you like.
 
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limitless

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if you do take it to dodge dealer do not go to greens dodge in florida i paid them to do vehicle inspection on a 06 coupe a while back they said was great i live in jersey so when i got delivery turns out had leaking oil hoses misseing bolts and rear body lines were so far off u could see a mile away come to find out car was in a small rear end but was fixed poorly calle dthem they wouldnt give me refund for inspection and *** to find out seller was freind with dealer employe soo beware them might not be near you but they **** big time just wanted to air that:mad:
 

SkyBob

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if you do take it to dodge dealer do not go to greens dodge in florida i paid them to do vehicle inspection on a 06 coupe a while back they said was great i live in jersey so when i got delivery turns out had leaking oil hoses misseing bolts and rear body lines were so far off u could see a mile away come to find out car was in a small rear end but was fixed poorly calle dthem they wouldnt give me refund for inspection and *** to find out seller was freind with dealer employe soo beware them might not be near you but they **** big time just wanted to air that:mad:

It took my breath away just reading that!
 

2easy

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I have an 03 Vert . with 50,000 on it. Great car, no probs, and forementioned posts are correct....most are great cars but do your homework first. All cars have a history so pay attention to the clues that the carfax, the condition of the car, the current owner, maint. reports, etc. provide. Everyoone on this site has varied opinions, and all kinds of advice, both good and bad (including me), but at the end of the day its not our money, its yours. JMO. Glad to see you are a Gen3 man,as most of the smart ones are(including me), and welcome.
 

Synergy

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Moderator Edit: No EBay or other out side ads please unless the ad is first placed in the classifieds. If he is a VCA member the ad is free to him.
 

madninjaskillz

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One that i know of is a 03' conv. 12,000 mile and is all stock and never been over 100mph keep inside always

that just doesn't seem right. somewhere off in the distance I heard the plaintive wail of a baby seal.
 
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IDM

IDM

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Can I post a want to buy ad on the forum or do I need to be a VCA member first?

I can tell by reading the forum you guys are my type of people. Professional and strong opinions. I can't wait to get into this car!
 
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IDM

IDM

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I will sell you mine and you won't have to drive far to get it.

Ray seems like a 08 would be out of my price range. Send me a message with your thoughts, thanks.

I have a 2001 Corvette with 700-800hp I'm selling, I see you have a ZR-1 and throwing it out there.
 
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Venomiss

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The other two places to consider looking at is the VCA North Central Florida club and the VCA South Florida Club.

See if these regions have any meetings or events coming up and put the word out with what Viper you are looking for.
The bonus is you meet the previous owner/history and get to inspect the Viper in person.
No shipping costs. Talk with other Viper owners in your area -double bonus.
 

ninjakris

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Glad to see you are ready to buy. I did a lot of searching and research before pulling buying my 03'. Here's my take on the viper purchasing world. For some reason, most people don't really move much on their car price. I had a pretty strict budget of 42K for a vert and 46K for a 06 coupe. There were a couple cars that were for sale for months and I offered 2-4K less then they were asking and was shut down every time. I tried explaining that it was december, I had all my financing in place, and trade ins, and still no luck. It was really strange to me that we are still in a crappy economy and there are not many people dropping that kind of money on used cars, and the dealers (usually) wouldn't drop their price.

With that said, check the sites listed earlier. I found my car on autotrader.com The car was listed at 39,900. Black vert with 12.6K miles. One owner. I was a little skepticle (sp?) about that price at a dealership but called anyways. It turned out that the origonal owner was friends with the dealerships owner and they were selling it under consignment for him. So I was able to get a good car at a good price at a dealership. There was no lowering on the price, but I was fine with that. It had a clean carfax, no accidents, and I was able to give it a good inspection at the dealership before I sealed the deal.

I don't know what your price range is but if you are willing to wait for a good deal, you should find a nice <20K miles vert between 40-45K. Coupe's are a little harder to come by, but my searching found that they are the 45-53K range for a nice model. I missed out on a nice copperhead color 06 coupe with 21K miles for 45,500. I was deployed at the time.

The last advice I can give is have your financing or cash ready. I put down a deposit down right away on my car and the dealership told me there was 4 people ready to buy it if I didn't buy it. Also, check the car out in person if possible.

Good luck. Hopefully we can meet up one of these days. I'm about 4 hours from you.
 

swexlin

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I bought my 03 Black from Bernie Katz (BJ Motors) on April 17, 2010. In 22 months, I've put about 4500 miles on it, and I smile EVERY time I drive it. It had 22,900 when I bought it, and came slightly modded - ECU, exhaust, plugs/wires, K&N, MGW shifter, Aldan-lowered. Since I've owned it, put PS2s on it, and had the oil cooler lines replaced last year as they were seeping (common issue on the 8.3, especially in the SRT Rams). Other than that, changed a few fluids, and I drive! Knock wood (don't want to jinx myself), but it's been a good car so far. May need brakes at PA inspection time in May, but that's to be expected. I am the 3rd owner. Before I bought, Bernie checked out it''s history, and made sure all recalls, etc had be done. I also had my local dealer run the VIN to check it out as well.

Bernie Katz is well known on this forum for selling cars that work; in essence, he is doing the pre-purchase inspection for you! Recommend you contact him.

Every once in a while, I get the "bug" for a Gen IV, but it would require me parting with this car, AND my 07 Superbee SRT, which I'm not willing to do. The Gen III already has more power than I can use. I regularly go on drives with the F-car and P-car guys from my C&C , and never have any issues with wanting more! Lots of good cars out there.
 
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IDM

IDM

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Thanks a lot fellas!

What are the forum names of these people I should contact? I will send them ***.
 

swexlin

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You can PM Bernie through this site at BJ Motors, or his website BJMotors.biz.

You can also contact him at Tomball Dodge in Houston. If and when it ever comes the day when I AM looking for a Gen IV, Bernie is one of the first people I'll contact, along with Bill Pemberton at Woodhouse.
 
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Venomiss

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Once you purchase a Viper please consider joining the Viper Club of America and supporting this site.

The easiest way to join for 2012 is online. Viper Magazine is included in the price of membership.
https://www.viperclub.org/join/





collage.jpg


 

DaDood

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One that i know of is a 03' conv. 12,000 mile and is all stock and never been over 100mph keep inside always

that just doesn't seem right. somewhere off in the distance I heard the plaintive wail of a baby seal.

2nd that one. I wouldn't trust a Viper that hasn't been driven over 100mph. It basically means the car has never been tested or broken in!
 

2005 SRT-10

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Glad to see you are ready to buy. I did a lot of searching and research before pulling buying my 03'. Here's my take on the viper purchasing world. For some reason, most people don't really move much on their car price. I had a pretty strict budget of 42K for a vert and 46K for a 06 coupe. There were a couple cars that were for sale for months and I offered 2-4K less then they were asking and was shut down every time. I tried explaining that it was december, I had all my financing in place, and trade ins, and still no luck. It was really strange to me that we are still in a crappy economy and there are not many people dropping that kind of money on used cars, and the dealers (usually) wouldn't drop their price.

With that said, check the sites listed earlier. I found my car on autotrader.com The car was listed at 39,900. Black vert with 12.6K miles. One owner. I was a little skepticle (sp?) about that price at a dealership but called anyways. It turned out that the origonal owner was friends with the dealerships owner and they were selling it under consignment for him. So I was able to get a good car at a good price at a dealership. There was no lowering on the price, but I was fine with that. It had a clean carfax, no accidents, and I was able to give it a good inspection at the dealership before I sealed the deal.

I don't know what your price range is but if you are willing to wait for a good deal, you should find a nice <20K miles vert between 40-45K. Coupe's are a little harder to come by, but my searching found that they are the 45-53K range for a nice model. I missed out on a nice copperhead color 06 coupe with 21K miles for 45,500. I was deployed at the time.

The last advice I can give is have your financing or cash ready. I put down a deposit down right away on my car and the dealership told me there was 4 people ready to buy it if I didn't buy it. Also, check the car out in person if possible.

Good luck. Hopefully we can meet up one of these days. I'm about 4 hours from you.
Damn you're the one that bought it from under me at vero beach :)
 

Viper916

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not to hijack the thread, but any of you guys can pm because I am looking for a Viper as well...03+
 

ninjakris

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Damn you're the one that bought it from under me at vero beach :)


Lol. I was on my R&R time from my last deployment and as soon as they lowered the price from 44K to 40K, I jumped on it. I put down a deposit and drove down there a couple days later. The dealership guy said there was a line of people waiting for it if I backed out. I got lucky, but there are deals out there. Just be patient.
 

2005 SRT-10

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Lol. I was on my R&R time from my last deployment and as soon as they lowered the price from 44K to 40K, I jumped on it. I put down a deposit and drove down there a couple days later. The dealership guy said there was a line of people waiting for it if I backed out. I got lucky, but there are deals out there. Just be patient.

Ohh no worries, I was able to get my hands on an 05 for right around the same price a few days later. I was bummed for a day but like you said, there are always others.
 

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