My guess? It's a sellers market coming up...

[Y2K5SRT]

My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

If you haven't noticed, there are more and more people "looking to buy" or "just bought" Vipers here on the boards of late. Great stuff! Well, I went down to the local dragstrip today and was really surprised. Sure, the 121 mph trap speeds (on a greasy track where I couldn't break a 2.05 60' time) were a nice surprise, but what really was amazing was the other drivers: The Corvette guy I liked to pick on last year? Driving a '99 GTS in black/silver (he said he had been asked if he was "Chris Marshall" about a dozen times in the last month). My favorite Supra guy? Looking to pick up a Viper this spring and make VOI 7. His other friend with a Supra? Same deal. Then a kid (well, early 20's - a 'kid' to us in our late 30's), came up and said his dad was desperately trying to find a used Viper around here, but the only one for sale was snapped up (the same '99 the Corvette guy bought). Another guy came up after that and asked where he could find a Viper. I scribbled down Bill Pemberton's name and number on several of my own business cards, since that cheap Nebraskanite won't send me any of his. To me, that is a sign the economy is picking back up (except for Pemberton's stinginess). And a sign that it may once again become a seller's market for Vipers.

Of course, the down side is that now the dang Viper is just SO common: I had only seen four on the road in the past two years (besides VCA events). Yesterday I saw a red GTS with tinted windows (southbound Highway 69 near Stanley) and then a black RT/10 (eastbound 135th Street & Antioch) on the very same day! Then on my way to the track today I see a yellow RT/10 (westbound 350 Highway in Raytown). What are the odds in this little podunk town? Oh, and I only saw 35 Corvettes in that same timeframe...

Seriously, I was surprised to see the first Viper, shocked to see a second one on the very same day (and nobody I recognized from the local VCA), and downright disbelieving to see the third one the very next day. Guess I better get a McLaren now. Anybody care to give me a small loan - say a million or so?

Chris

 

[Performin Norman]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

Chris,

This has nothing to do with your comments but I thought I would say it here. I can't tell you how many people have told me "I was going to buy a Viper" or "I am going to buy one" or something to that effect but they never do. Lots of wanna be's out there. I hope we build a much bigger following here in KC but I am going to be a little skeptical.

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Performin Norman:
I can't tell you how many people have told me "I was going to buy a Viper" or "I am going to buy one" or something to that effect but they never do. Lots of wanna be's out there. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh believe you me, I know all about the folks that say, "Someday I am gonna get me one a them thar Veppers" or the classic, "My uncle has a '91 that he got over 225 miles per hour in third gear." In this case, one guy (who I thought was the least likely of the three) now has a GTS in his garage, while the other two are serious gear heads with more than enough money to pull it off. Put it this way - they are old farts like us and not "wannabe's": Steve has bounced back and forth between Supras and Vettes (I think his current Supra is a 10-second street car), so the Viper is a natural progression. He has already driven a couple at the track. Don't know his buddy with the other Supra, but I trust he is telling the truth and his friend is serious. As to the "kid", his dad must be in the market for a Viper or he wouldn't have known about the '99 that sold last month. He thought it was mine (nope) and that's why he came up and asked if I had bought "the last Viper for sale around here."

You will also find that most of the people "looking for Vipers" on this board have a "GOT IT!" post not too long afterwards. There are more right now than I have seen in the past year or so. I see this as a serious buying trend and not just an isolated case of wannabe fever.

Chris

 

[CitySnake]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

Chris,

Please be careful with what you post:
"Then a kid (well, early 20's - a 'kid' to us in our late 30's)....Put it this way - they are old farts like us..."

Being into my 40's (squinting to read your post

) would put me somewhere BEYOND "old fart". OUCH!!! What's that....near dead fart?

You're frightening me.

Scott

 

[randall]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

chris,
i'm new to this board today,i joined because i'm thinking about getting a viper.i live in o.p. as well(deer creek)i currently have a nsx,but wanting a little more tire smoke!how would you compare the viper?my main concern is build quality,maybe we could get together and compare cars,i've never even sat in a viper.thanks randall

 

[Sniper]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

I hear the same worries from about every car owner. My girlfriends dad own a Firebird WS-6 Ram-Air and is always worried about the Mustangs getting faster and how many cars are on the street of same caliber.

Here in Joe Town, since I have owned mine, I have seen two other Vipers. One was an automatic and the other I still don't know if he even lives here.

As far as the track times, I still haven't heard anything from Chris about getting together and going to the track! When summer comes around, I've got to buy another set of tires. 2nd gear 60mph fishtails with no clutch, all acceleration, is scary!!!

 

[David Jenkins]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

I've got an idea on what's going to happen. Right now, I could find you just about any color, any year Viper you wanted, with the exception of the rare cars. There's a ton of cars for sale from 25k beaters to 100k limited run cars. The used market gets bigger every year. When the '03's start coming in, you'll see even more cars in the market due to some '03 owners not being able to support two cars financially. In fact it's true for any year of production, but this year will again ('96) be different in that these owners will have the 2 cars. I think it will be a buyers market starting in the fall. Used coupes have been found around and below 40k already. Sell in the spring when people are willing to pay for a summer ride. Remember, someone, somewhere, will always buy whatever they want, whenever they want, no matter the cost.dj

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by randall:

i'm new to this board today,i joined because i'm thinking about getting a viper.i live in o.p. as well(deer creek)i currently have a nsx,but wanting a little more tire smoke!how would you compare the viper?my main concern is build quality,maybe we could get together and compare cars,i've never even sat in a viper.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Randall -

Be delighted to take you for a drive in the GTS so you can get a feel for it. I am very happy with the build quality, as are most. I don't think many cars could enjoy the "vigorous" driving these cars get and hold up so beautifully.

Would love to see the NSX up close as well. I haven't been in one, but I can tell you that the acceleration in the Viper is bound to blow it away. I honestly don't believe they compare, at least by the stats I have seen. I am in love with the quality and refinement in many imports (owned several and will again), but to me the rumble of a big block motor really gets the adrenaline going - especially when you punch it.

I am in Corporate Woods at 435 & 69. I'll drop you an e-mail and we shall see if you can't get "snake bit" very soon...

Chris

 

[randall]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

Chris,
the problem with the nsx is that the power doesn't kick till the v-tech comes on about 5600-5800 rpms and pulls good to 8000 rpm.not what i like to do on the street much,i like the low end stuff.the car i sold before i got my nsx was a 68 RT charger w/ a 440 and i still have my street-rod.the nsx is good at high speed and is a good track car,i prefer to be able to smoke my tires whenever i want!

 

[AJ]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

unfortunately, the car market (as opposed to the stock market) always follows the simple statistics and the viper will be no exception. there are more than enough of those around to exclude it from the truly exotic herd: so, as soon as the new model comes out, the old one plunges down on value.

expect the 96/97 blue with white stripes to be more desirable and be able to resell fairly well in the next few years (but dont hold your breath), but for everything else, it will be rock bottom prices...

the reason why all of a sudden there are few people looking for vipers is because vipers now become available. the old ones are cheaper and the new ones are going for invoice, so people that liked them before but didnt like being screwed are jumping in. comes to mind a clueless dealer i talked to yesterday: "well, we dont have any vipers in the showroom, but we can spec one out and i never sold a viper for less than 10g over msrp". idiot. since this is not the case anymore, the "normal" car-freaks are jumping in and guess what- there are enough cars for everbody.

remember- the only pro's in the business that have a good grip on what is going on are the viper dealers and they are literally unloading those cars at any cost. draw your conclusions

alex
00 m5
few other cars

working on my first viper deal

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

AJ& sum fast.. you may be right, unless the new one is fairly expensive, then it will draw the prices of the old one UP, and until production of the GTS actually stops, used GTS prices are going to be down, because you can still get a new one. New ones are down at the dealer level, because lot's of folks are waiting on the 2003. But wait until you can't get a GTS anymore...that's really what Chris was saying. Anyone really watching this board lately cannot miss the discontent a lot of guys have for the new car. And rarity? when the real wave of resales is over and everyone is now hanging on to their GTS and waiting for 2005 or possibly never, watch the prices climb! Especially if you prize originality and want a particular color.For example, there were just over 100 black silver stripe GTS's made in 99 and 00, I think I could count 10 that I know of from this board. Doubt any of them are selling, ever. How many wrecked or raced to death? My point is there will never be a better time to buy than now! There wil be ups and downs till Dec or so but at that point values of the GTS will steadily climb until such time as DC commits to making a new coupe. Interestingly enough AJ, M5 resale is really good right now, if I was you I would be on the phone to the Pembertons of the world, getting myself one of the last 300 red/white stripes. Maybe Mr Woodhouse would like to try a used M5 for a while!

 

[AJ]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

lee, have you been eavesdroping (sp?) on my phone conversations?

btw, the resale on the m5s has dipped significantly.. my car wholesales anyhwere between 57-58k...

alex
00 m5 (soon to be a gts)
few other cars...

 

[Sniper]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

Jim-

Dodge did not make any autos, and I believe Woodhouse fixed the guys car because one of the other vendors messed it up when he tried converting it into an auto. There are 2 auto's out there.

 

[Steve 00RT/10]

Re: My guess? It\'s a sellers market coming up...

I've only had a Viper for 2 years and don't know the historical data on re-sale for these cars. However, I'll bet the stock market this time around is directly related to the downturn in prices for used Vipers. Supply and demand is the game. Many people are much less 'flush' now than 2 yrs. ago. Job loss is also a component of a sagging stock market and economy. There appears to be many Vipers for sale due to the above.

As for rock bottom prices on the old model, I think the jury is still out on the acceptance of the new car. Personally, at this point, I like the old better. It is much more unique. I now make the same power numbers the new one will have and prefer the hour glass shape as opposed to the new rectangle. It may take a couple yrs. for it all to shake out.

Steve