Looking for honest answers regarding Gen III & IV Parts Availability

[Ashley A]

Hi All -

I am currently considering purchasing a Generation IV Viper convertible. A Gen III would be my second choice. Either way, if I buy one, I will go for a low-mileage stock example in the best condition I can find. However, I am a seasoned "toy" car owner who has owned more than my share of cars. Everything from Jeeps, to Z's, to corvettes, and an assortment of other stuff. I know you have to be careful with such purchases, or you can be in a world of financial hurt in short order.

My question is this: What is the honest low down on part availability for these cars in 2024? I contacted the local Dodge dealer (I am in South Carolina, BTW), and the service manager said to me, "most parts for those cars are now discontinued. We have one Viper mechanic left, but he will be retiring in the next year or two, and we will not be replacing him". I am not too worried about the mechanic checking out, but I am worried about bespoke parts. I know lots of switches and bits and pieces are parts bin stuff you can get forever because it was also on a Dodge Caravan or something.....but what about the unique stuff?? Are there some parts that are pretty much unobtainable at this point?

I am looking for an honest assessment with a passion for the cars at least somewhat out of the equation. Hit me with the good, bad and whatever else.

Thanks!

 

[Dan Cragin]

There is very little in parts from the dealer, but there is a large network of companies to tap into for OE and used parts. They are expensive, but what is not these days. Also the fact that so many of these cars have been salvaged (Torque is something people don't get, we sold them on Friday and they would arrive at the body shop Monday) there are lots of spares out there.

They used almost all the Gen 5 parts to build the rush on the last orders.
Also, when Dodge went bankrupt back in the day, they did not pay vendors.
Many parts and tooling were just gone. Who wants to make parts for someone who does not pay for them.

With Dodge changing ownership so many times in the past, there is not legacy support, its all about making money for the owners and shareholders.

I had cars under warranty that the parts were discontinued.

Good new is these cars are simple and very reliable. Not like the Ferrari's and McLaren's I have worked with. Issue is the dealers don't support service on them. So you need to find "the guy" for anything other than standard service.

Having said all that, the Viper is about passion. Its fun to drive and people love them. There are no pretenses when you own one. Its American made and dream car for many who live in the USA.

 

[daveg]

Well said Dan!

 

[Ashley A]

Thank you, and that is indeed well said.

Everything you said tracks with what I imagined, but I wanted to confirm. I suppose the good news is there seems to be adequate aftermarket support out there. It does not sound like you will wind up owning something you simply cannot get a part for if you are willing to pay.

Like most collectibles, choosing wisely is the key. Get the best one you can find, not a "deal" because it is cheaper. LOL....ask me how I know!

-Ashley

 

[Goggles Pizano]

Buy 2, problem solved.

 

[MoparMap]

I think the Viper is starting to inch closer to "classic car" kind of territory where people are starting to make replacement aftermarket parts, but ultimately it's still a low volume car, so the market is always going to be small. Like Dan mentioned though, there are several companies out there that specialize in Viper salvage parts and there are still some NOS parts out there. Gen 3 and up started getting a little less "parts bin" than the early cars, but you can still see the Dodge DNA in many of the components. The really specific stuff like interior and exterior panels would be the main issues I think. I think gen 2 stantions are about the only aftermarket interior panel I've ever heard about to date, but I've also not had to look that hard yet either.

 

[Badsnek]

If you plan on keeping the car stock I’d go with a Gen 4. If you ever plan on trying to boost it or heads/cam I’d buy a Gen 3.

Truthfully the only difference aside from power that I noticed jumping from my Gen 3 to 4 is the throttle lag from the drive by wire in the Gen 4.

Dan hit the nail on the head.

I’m going to go a step farther and say be careful who you let work on these. I needed an alignment and didn’t feel like taking my one Gen 1 an hour away to the Viper shop by me. So I went to my local dealer, they claimed to have a Viper tech and they claimed they’ve done the Viper specific alignments before. Long story short they only did half the alignment and still charged me $100. Then they destroyed my drivers side door stanchion and shot super glue all over the paint on my door. At the end of the day it cost me over $1000 to straighten out and the dealership only reimbursed me for half of it.

I also had a shop that dealt with Vipers in Florida take me for over $10k and all of the work they did on two of my Vipers I had to have redone because all of it was wrong.

If you get a Viper, find out what Viper specific shop is close to you or who other Viper club members use and trust.