Need advise, puchasing 99 GTS...

[xtremesnake]

Hello,

If everything checks out, I will be purchasing a red 99 GTS this upcoming weekend. My last two sports cars have been corvettes and this will be my first viper. With that in mind, I am in unfamiliar territory and don't know the ins and outs of this car. I have seen several pics of the vehicle in question and it looks extremely clean and well taken care of. When I see the car in person what are some of the things I should be paying attention to? Any known quirks or problem areas specific to the gen2 vipers? Also, the car has 68K miles, I am assuming this will not be a problem due to the forged engine and stout drivetrain. Any advise is appreciated.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Fun cars...never boring!!

Be SURE that you see a report from a friendly C-J-D dealer based on the car's VIN...then, match that with Carfax, etc. There are surprises out there.

That's a lot of miles...so I hope that you're looking at a very low price, even if it's a solid, straight car...as I sure it will have some "needs".

Due to the recent economy, there are a lot of great, low mileage Vipers out there...it's a buyer's market.

Have an experienced Viper Tech check out the car before you close the deal. Take a Viper owner with you as well on the viewing.

Questions??? Ask here.

 

[Venomiss]

Welcome!

Buy this:

Viper Buyers Guide

This thread may be helpful for you.

What year is the best one to own?

This has information you might like too. On all years.
Dodge Viper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[VENOMAHOLIC]

Ask the owner if he repleced the plastic power steering pulley bracket that comes from the factory. Ask owner if he pinned the damper to the crank because they tend to unscrew themselves off. Any mods made to the car could be good or bad but do not add value necessarily over the Viper than if it was left stock. Make sure it was never in an accident because that would kill resale value with a bent frame. Hood alignment gaps are usually a good tell about if there was a rebuild but may just need an adjustment if they are off. Be careful if test driving it because the torque of the V10 catches people off guard. Good luck.

 

[RTTTTed]

Go to Dodge's website and enter the VIN number to check that the recalls for that year have been done (free). With that many miles (probably only 25% of what you'll get from the engine). Many Viper owners have 100,000 miles on their trouble free Vipers.

Do a compression test to check that condition of the engine.

Assuming that the tires are good and not old? PS2s? Check condition same as any other used car (brakes, fluids, bushings etc.

With that many miles it's likely that the exhaust system (mostly the crap factory 4 chamber Cats) has been changed out?

Ted

 

[RTTTTed]

Ask the owner if he repleced the plastic power steering pulley bracket that comes from the factory. Ask owner if he pinned the damper to the crank because they tend to unscrew themselves off. Any mods made to the car could be good or bad but do not add value necessarily over the Viper than if it was left stock. Make sure it was never in an accident because that would kill resale value with a bent frame. Hood alignment gaps are usually a good tell about if there was a rebuild but may just need an adjustment if they are off. Be careful if test driving it because the torque of the V10 catches people off guard. Good luck.

He means the plastic power steering pulley and lighweight pwr str pump bracket should be replaced with Roe Racing or BB Dave's upgraded parts for super reliability.

He's also right that mods don't necessarily add to the value of a stock Viper, but if the exhaust hasn't been upgraded that should decrease the value of a stocker as the new owner (you) probably will be replacing the junk stock tires, Cats, etc. Aftermarket BB kits also decrease the stopping distance to the same as the newer Gen 3 and 4s (with the newer tires).

The older classic muscle cars usually had a stopping force of .6G with little cars below .5Gs. One small factory flaw was that the rear brake calipers were only 36mm pistons and Tom's rear caliper upgrade would increase the stopping force to 1G from .8G stock. I'd pay extra (and did) more for that and it is a highly regarded upgrade for all Vipers from 1992 - 2000. 2001 was ABS and had 44mm rear calipers.

Ted

 

[xtremesnake]

Thank you for all the advise; very helpful. I do plan on changing out the exhaust to the full belanger system -- headers, high flow cats, and exhaust. The asking price on the car is $28,500, haven't discussed price as of yet.

RTTTTed - I will definetely do Tom's rear caliper upgrade and I was also looking at upgrading the front brakes to the Gen3's stock setup...I am assuming this should make a significant difference in stopping distance and brake feel.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

RTTTTed - I will definetely do Tom's rear caliper upgrade and I was also looking at upgrading the front brakes to the Gen3's stock setup...I am assuming this should make a significant difference in stopping distance and brake feel.

No. Unless Tom has done some more engineering his rear caliper upgrade is specifically designed for stock fronts. If you upgrade the fronts contact Tom for advice.

Also keep in mind a 99 Viper DOES NOT HAVE ABS. So if you need that safety net you'll have to get a 01 or newer.

It also doesn't have TC, Tire pressure sensors, cup holders, heated seats, a good stereo, and probably a whole lot of other things not needed on a sports car.

 

[99 R/T 10]

So Chuck, what you're saying is the 99 is a REAL Viper?

 

[RTTTTed]

Chuck is correct. When installing 14" front brakes Sean Roe recommends removing the spring from the rear brake pressure proportioning valve to increase rear braking pressure. Not needed with ABS.

When I followed the break in (temper) instructuions for Stoptech brakes I ended with all 4 brake rotors being the same color of Blue. That should mean that all the braeks are balanced on my ABS 01. Hopefully your brakes work out the same after the brake in.

Ted

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

So Chuck, what you're saying is the 99 is a REAL Viper?

Some Vipers are realer than others. Unfortunately the whimps and candybutts are gonna kill it completely.

 

[Vreracing]

Hope you get a nice car.

 

[xtremesnake]

I would like to thank everyone for the helpful information. Unfortunately, it looks like my search will continue. The owner of the 99 GTS I was supposed to meet this Saturday has stopped returning my emails and calls. Not sure if he changed his mind, the car is still posted on craigslist.