New Viper owner -1993 with 17,000 miles

[Vrinner]

I just picked up from my cousin a 1993 RT/10 with just under 17,000 miles. I’m not 100% sure what I’m going to do with the car but it does have a few thing that for sure I want to look into fixing.

The car has gold wheels and trim which I believe was done by the first owner. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have the wheels and trim refinished back to stock.

The dash is original and shows some ware. Is there a general refinishing process for the dash like sanding and painting or aftermarket?

How important is original paint as far as collectibility? There are several areas on the car that will need repainting/cleanup. I’m debating painting the hood and the exhaust panels as they are pretty shot.

From a collectible standpoint, are 93’s a good collector?

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[redtanrt10]

Vrinner, Congrats!! My answers to your questions are below in italics;

The car has gold wheels and trim which I believe was done by the first owner. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have the wheels and trim refinished back to stock. You might want to find a different set of Viper wheels. The '99-'02 5 spokes look pretty good and you can find a good set for $1,000. or less. They are 18's so you'd need new tires too. (17" rears are getting hard to find).

The dash is original and shows some ware. Is there a general refinishing process for the dash like sanding and painting or aftermarket? OEM replacements are getting hard to find an pricey. Most folks have then resprayed. Do a search on this forum or on the voa forum, lots of people have painted them

How important is original paint as far as collectibility? There are several areas on the car that will need repainting/cleanup. I’m debating painting the hood and the exhaust panels as they are pretty shot. Original paint is always better but get it done by a good shop and document with before pictures. Many older vipers have had their front facia's repainted and that doesn't effect resale value if done correctly.

From a collectible standpoint, are 93’s a good collector? '93's are probably the lowest priced vipers unless they are "antennae cars." Early '93's came with a radio antennae on the drivers side rear fender, a carry over from '92's. Black is a rarer color in '93 as most were all red. http://www.theviperregistry.com/ 93's, like '92's didn't have factory A/C which hurts resale. If the later model factory A/C was added to your Viper than it will help resale.

Enjoy your new Viper!! it's only going to be worth $20-30k for many years to come until something happens in the economy or with future vehicles. But if you maintain it and don't put ton's of miles on it you'll always get your money back and you have a great car for a pretty low cost. Best wishes!! Mike

Here's my '94, take a look at the wheels;

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[DJ'sviper]

93's are very underpriced so you got a great deal. The big collectors with $$$ bought them new and are hanging on to them. they were very low in price when new. The viper community keeps saying what they feel it is worth according to their needs. A faster car with more conveniences. The collectors are starting to look for these cars and the price has started to come up. It is an antique. None of the others can say this was the first. I got a great top from auto form with windows and it doesn't leak if you get in a rain storm. I have all the original parts including the tires, bra, interior cape, canvas top and windows, etc. If you compare price to power my viper will beat all the new srt challengers, chargers but not the Hellcat. If you put NOS or turbo then you would have a good chance on beating them. Get used to driving it. DO NOT PUNCH IT UNTIL YOU HAVE GOOD TIRES and then be careful. 50% of the 93 were wrecked in the first year. With that Mopar put out a driving school program free to drivers with the Skip Barber program. So if you want to talk about a rare care there were only around 900 of them made so that only leaves 450 left. The car can run out from underneath you. It has done it to me and to a race car driver instructing me on the track. There are many viper owners that have bought their cars and never raced them. I bet only about 15% actually race their cars if that much. However, they are always pointing out how better the newer models are. This car is now in a different category, one of a collector car and is priced differently. Where else are you going to find a cooler, rare car with this HP under $30,000 to have fun with. I can see in the near future it going up to $40,000 and have seen it on eBay and has more potential to go for a greater price. I have taken my car to the track a few times and the newer cars had better times. Although I would be around fourth or fifth in the lower times it was still fast and their extra 200 plus HP they would barely have enough power to get past me on the straight away and I would always let up on the gas and not challenge them in the corners. They really pasted me up on the corners with better brakes and suspension. Some were better drivers and there are those like me that were there to have a good time.
That being said, a classic car is worth what someone is willing to pay for it and the price you are willing to sell it for. I wouldn't sell mine for under $50,000 because that is what it would take to replace it with a similar car along with the fact that it is very rare and the first. Don't be a owner of a 93 and let others tell you what your car is worth. It's worth the price I'm will to sell it at. I'm really happy keeping mine.

 

[David McSeveny]

Well said DJ's Viper
I have a 93 model with Factory AC and in kph. A metric car with 17,000km.
Factory everything and has the seat belts coming from the waterfall like the later Gen 2 and not from the door
1 letter on the vin is different for automatic seatbelts.
Mine was number 944 of the 1000 odd cars which were built in 93
Yes they will increase in value
Love mine

 

[InTheZoneAC]

If those tires are old, like 5+ years, do not get on the car until you swap them with new tires. I'm sure a handful of accidents are caused by people losing control due to slippery no grip old tires.

 

[Frank Parise]

Suggest you take your car to Dan Cragin, a well known certified Viper Technician in Southern CA, to do a safety check and help you with your punch list on any replacement parts needed. Great guy, very honest and fair, extremely competent and in your area. His phone is 310-597-6295.

 

[Shaggy]

I just picked up from my cousin a 1993 RT/10 with just under 17,000 miles. I’m not 100% sure what I’m going to do with the car but it does have a few thing that for sure I want to look into fixing.

The car has gold wheels and trim which I believe was done by the first owner. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have the wheels and trim refinished back to stock.

The dash is original and shows some ware. Is there a general refinishing process for the dash like sanding and painting or aftermarket?

How important is original paint as far as collectibility? There are several areas on the car that will need repainting/cleanup. I’m debating painting the hood and the exhaust panels as they are pretty shot.

From a collectible standpoint, are 93’s a good collector?

You must be registered for see images attach

So how you liking it after a few months ownership?

 

[seniorstorekeeper]

Good deal! I have a 1993 antenna car that I have had for about 5 years, has just hit 15k miles, had 13,700 when I bought it. I have had no issues at all with my car, still has the original tires on it and they are still in good shape. Think a lot of the problems people had with the cars had to do with how they were driven and maintained. According to Hagerty's website, they seem to be appreciating a little in the last couple of years. As with any car, the newer models may drive better and have a little more hp and few more features, but there is nothing better than the old crude model gen1 vipers. Just big engine, big transmission and big tires. A real head turner and fun to drive.