NO SRT-10 COUPE!

[Viper Wizard]

According to DC's E-mail today:

"While the 2003 Vipers are already accounted for, time is running out to get one of the last of the 2002 GTS coupe and RT/10 roadsters EVER built. At present, there are NO plans to produce an SRT-10 Coupe so we strongly encourage you to place your coupe orders now. Pricing information for the 2003 Viper SRT-10 WILL BE annouced at the end of the summer." DC

I read alot into that statement! What do you all think of that?

In stock now 2002 GTS/ACR Graphite-W/Stripes!

 

[bad viper]

It might be a marketing ploy ?????????????
I'm beginning to wonder about the Comp Coupe?

 

[Frank 03SRT]

I think the SRT coupe depends on the country's economy, DC's economy, and if every SRT/10 built is bought. If all of those things are a "positive", then the coupe will happen. AND, if the two economies are good, DC probably won't build the coupe if the convertible isn't a sellout. My opinion only.

 

[Steve Ferguson]

My OPINION is that they view the SRT/10 as the third Viper Version and the Comp Coup as version four. If this is what they are thinking then I do not expect a GTS to be built.

I do agree that the best possible SCENARIO would be a great demand on the SRT/10, because this will open the door for alternative excitement. And just listening to the Coupe Fans I would think that they will be able to make the case as strong as needed. At this point we have to sit back and enjoy what is coming, and hope that at some point they can find a reason to build a street coupe.

 

[Venom Lover]

Chuck,
What I read into the statement is that 2002 sales aren't great, and here's a way to try and create some demand.

Steve,
I really hope you're wrong, because if you're right, the logic seems kind of twisted. Dodge gets everyone excited with the VGX coupe concept at the car shows and in the mags two years ago (or whenever it was). Then they decide to produce a convertible version instead, which very few people prefer vs. the coupe from a styling perspective. Now the theory is if the convertible version doesn't sell well, they'll never give the thumbs up to producing the coupe, which is what everyone was excited about to begin with.

Is it just me, or does that sound like (1) a bad decision to make the convertible instead of the coupe, followed by (2) bad reasoning deciding whether or not to produce the coupe based on demand for the convertible.

 

[remster]

dunno why... I have this mental picture of a chicken running around with its head cut-off...

 

[Steve Ferguson]

Mike the convertible Viper is a new addition something they have never offered. Making another coupe is just that, a repeat. They are looking at it as having three version rather than two. Throw in the Comp Coupe and you have a forth.

As for the show car, they are producing it. It was a GTS-R show car, which in the past has been the name of the Viper race car, which is exactly what the Comp Coupe is.

I just don't see how anyone is being misleading? They are producing EXACTLY what they have shown.

 

[remster]

I'll say that makes sense.
Now the chicken is still running around, but the head is attached.

 

[Joseph Houss]

Venom Lover,

The Concept Coupe from a few years ago was an engineering exercise, very logically agreed upon by Dodge, to make sure the next generation production car was able to have ALL the performance mandates to evolve into the best handling, most aerodynamic, ultra performance racecar ever to hit the tracks!

It was ALWAYS Dodge's intention to use this concept as a template for the production version, and I'm quite sure their intentions were always to produce a true convertible.... why? Because we asked for it! Over and over again during numerous surveys, VOI seminars, etc.

Want a coupe? Dodge is giving us THREE choices!

1) Keep your beautiful (but less powerful with its' mere 450 HP) GTS
2) Go for the gusto and purchase a comp coupe
3) Purchase an SRT-10, put on a hardtop (that will surely look similar to the concept..whether by Dodge, or one of our loyal aftermarket vendors), add some ground effects, and enjoy!

 

[Steve Ferguson]

Remster, can I ask the National VCA board to appoint you as "Court Jester"? You kill me!

 

[remster]

sure!

Just coming back from lunch... guess what, we had chicken.
This one won't bother us anymore.

 

[Dolph Williams]

But nobody beats ol' FunnymanAugs, Augi Flak, from a couple of years ago. Augi sold his Viper and rode off into the wild blue yonder. But he and Kristi still live in Oklahoma.

 

[Mike Brunton]

Remster,

That chicken won't bother you anymore..... for about 12 hours!

Everyone,

I think Steve hit the nail on the head. I think we are all ASSUMING that the SRT is an evolution of the RT/10, and that the next logical step would to have a SRT-GTS, which would be the next logical step from the GTS.

DODGE DOES NOT SEE IT THIS WAY!

They see the SRT as an all-new design - not derived from the RT/10 and not derived from the GTS. The RT/10 is more of a targa, and NOT a convertible (IMO). This is an all new design for Dodge, and just because "they did it that way before" has ZERO bearing on what they will do in the future.

I just think alot of the guys are setting themselves up for disappointment when/if a coupe does not get produced.


As for the letter from DC - I see it very much the same way Mike sees it - trying to prop up 2002 sales. However, I think it would sit badly with many GTS buyers if Dodge is lying, and they REALLY ARE thinking about doing a coupe, but are lying to us now to prop up 2002 sales. I do think their statement is true and that there ARE NO plans to do a coupe ever again.

One thing this makes me ask though is this... if sooooooo many people hate the SRT, and given that Dodge has NO PLANS to build another GTS, and given that 2002 is the LAST year you can buy one, then WHY OH WHY are the sales so bad? Why do dealers have 2001's sitting around that they are practically giving away? So many on this board complain that the SRT is not a "real" Viper. Well, I see alot of you guys buying a new Viper every year or two... how many went from 90's GTS's to 2002's? Hmm? I don't think I know of anyone on this board with a 2002 - at least none of the regulars. So all you guys slamming the SRT - why aren't you out scooping up the GTS's if you love them soooo much? Very curious on that....

 

[Steve Ferguson]

Mike, YOU DA MAN! Wow, I am wiping those tears away!!!!

 

[remster]

Mike, that might explain your intemperate disposition... 12 hours is a little slow... I recommend you drink some prune juice!


re-SRT: the more in hear about it, the more I agree it's a cool beast, but the more I can't accept it to be named a Viper. I think they were too chicken to name it a Wiper, sniper, Ziper...

 

[Mike Brunton]

Jim (

),

Do you really think that is the reason though? Car sales are up - WAY up! I have a few businesses I am involved in, and I can honestly say that all of them are doing really well. Of course I read the news and I know I am one of the lucky ones, but not everyone is doing badly. Also, there are a lot of Viper owners who can afford to buy Vipers regardless of how the economy is going, and I don't see them taking advantage of the great deals on 2001's and 2002's. From what I hear, 2002 Viper sales are way WAY down - much more so than 9/11 could account for.

I concede that a big part of the drop may be due to 9/11, but I don't think anyone could say that the coming of the SRT also doesn't have something to do with it. And I know a lot of people really don't like the SRT (I know you LOVE it Jon!

), but many of these same people ain't buying "last run" GTS's before they disappear forever - and they can't ALL be victims of a stuttering economy.

 

[slaughterj]

DC is making that statement for two reasons. One is to sell the current stock of cars - the classic "buy it now, it won't be available for long!" strategy. The other is to not detract from the '03 and beyond vert sales - if they said something about a coupe now, a lot of people would just wait - by not saying it'll be available, a lot of people will buy the vert, and if the coupe is made, then they'll by the coupe - again, more sales.

DC doesn't have to be lying to have some ideas that maybe a coupe might be made, depending on the market and economy, that's still not a "plan" to do so.

 

[DEVILDOG]

DAH...why would I trade in my '98 GTS Venom 650R for a stock 2001 or 2002. I imagine a lot of current GTS owners have upgraded their cars and don't want to spend the time or money to do it again. I'd prefer to have my current GTS ready to kick some SRT-10 asp!!! By the way you'll probably end up paying as much for the SRT-10 with it's whoping 500 - 520 flywheel HP...wonder how much gets to the rear wheels...wonder what the car looks like ....wonder how much I'm going to pay for it... as I did to buy a GTS and upgrade to a Venom 650R. I wish I had you guys for customers. Ever hear of buyer beware or the story about the Pied Piper? Substitute certificates for the flute.

I'm sure you can trust the 'D' in DC. Look what happened to the Executive Mgt. at the then Chrysler only company that brought us the ORIGINAL VIPER. Does anyone know where Bob Lutz is????

 

[Mike Brunton]

Jim,

Come on now - you should know that comparing a modified car to a stocker isn't a very reasonable comparison. No doubt 568.2RWHP is quite an accomplishment (with the 11% driveline loss Sean Roe measured, you're only 12hp short of what you paid for), but we'll have to wait and see what the SRT does. And the HP numbers don't tell the whole story... top speed... handling... usability... a REAL convertible top!

Jim, do you like how the Comp. coupe looks? If so, I challenge you to show me what lines are different between the two, save for the lowering, lower aero pieces, and huge diffuser. They have the same lines!

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE my '98 GTS just like I'm sure you love yours, but I have to wonder why some folks are soo SOOO against the SRT. What do you care? If you're happy with your GTS and you don't want anything else, why spend time worrying about what guys like me do? Did you think the GTS was an abomination and a diversion from the true purpose of the Viper? Why not? After all, the RT/10 had no windows, no top, no airbags, side exhaust, no OBDII, no power mirrors, etc, etc. So I guess you could consider the GTS a "poser" version of a REAL Viper? Now I'm sure you'd argue that someone who thought that way was crazy, and they can be free to dislike the GTS, but it will be success despite them.

Well, that's exactly how I feel about SRT naysayers. Don't like it? Fine. Gonna call me a poser and a trained monkey for buying one? Then that's YOUR problem and YOUR insecurity about not liking what is sure to be the best Viper yet.

 

[DEVILDOG]

People from the Netherworld really don't make sense in the real world. Are you suggesting I bought something that does not yet exist, has not been tested, don't know what it looks like, don't know when I'll get it and don't know what I'm going to pay for it. If so please enlighten me as I have not yet morphed into the Netherworld. Too many drugs in the 60s?

 

[DEVILDOG]

Mike,
I don't care what you spend your money on...even if you don't know how much. I just don't see how you and others can be so blindly loyal to whatever the SRT-10 turns out to be....what it turns out to cost...what it looks like....when you get it...how many first year bugs are in it...etc.. I wish I had more $$$s than sense. Really hope you guys don't get burned.

 

[Mike Brunton]

Jim,

I think most Viper buyers are pretty willing to deal with "issues" to buy the cars they love. Yellowing sidesills, porous oil pans, missing baffles, ACR shock rattles, GenI engine failures all come to mind. So to be honest, I'm not overly concerned with "bugs" in the 1st year SRT. Yeah, there will be some issues... but I'm confident they will be attended to by Dodge, and I think they will be less than the RT/10 bugs, and less than the GTS bugs (since they have learned).

As for not knowing the details - I would differ with you there... sure, I don't know the price, but Dodge (and my dealer) has said I may cancel my order without penalty at any time if I am unhappy with the price... so no big deal there right? I've seen the car - in production pics, show car pics, and "bystander" pics. I know they are making adjustments, but again I can choose not to take it if I like. As for when I get it - well they said they will start production in Q3 2002, the only thing that they DIDN'T say is how they will allocate (will I be first? Will I be last?) - but I know I'll be in there somewhere - I don't see it any different than ordering any new car - you don't always know exactly when you'll get it (my last car was made in S. Africa and took 2 months longer than expected to arrive - no biggie).

And in the very worst of cases, where I decide to get the car, and I am disappointed in it when it arrives, well I could sell it probably within the first 6 or even 12 months of ownership and probably get more $$'s than I paid.

I guess I just see it as a win-win situation! I respect your opinion though - but you don't HAVE to buy one, ya know

 

[Steve Ferguson]

Lutz is at GM. He was scheduled to leave Chrysler before the merger even happened because the Chrysler rules at that time did not allow for Executives to be past the age of 65.

Isn't it ironic that a person who had to modify their Viper to gain pleasure is complaining about a new version? Are you getting nervous that some stock SRT/10 is going to pull up next to you and give you a whooping!

 

[ViperRon]

One senario no one has mentioned is that knowing that Viper sales are down with 2001's still at dealerships this may be the last of the Vipers. Chrysler kept the Prowler around until the same thing happened and now they are gone. I for one believe that there is no profit for Chrysler in the Viper. Add it all up and if you believe Vipers will be built forever, or even much longer would probably a bad bet. I was one of the guys that was not going to purchase one but I had a order in for a Silver bullet within hours of getting my certificate. They do not make a bad Viper period.

 

[onerareviper]

Jim,

I couldn't agree more with your previous statement. I think the new Viper has a great interior, great engine, great performance (I'm sure), and will probably be better in every way compared to the current RT/10 - EXCEPT EXTERIOR LOOKS... Just my opinion, but I think many, many people agree with these views. And yes, I do LOVE the look of the Competition Coupe, and I realize it has many of the same styling cue's, but I tell you it looks totally different. I guess small changes to a cars appearance can have a major impact on people's perception of the exterior design. Hopefully Dodge will make some minor changes to sway my opinion of the current exterior design.

Later

 

[VOI9 ASP]

Jim

I think it is much more than idle conversation. Dodge reads the posts on this site. They also make changes sometimes from suggestions posted here. Such as adding the color black to the SRT-10 lineup. By the way I know your name isn't Jim - I was just kidding around. I guess everyone that posts on this site has the right to say what they think - within reason. It's just that everyone now knows that many don't care for the looks of the new Viper - but many do. I am also sure that Dodge will listen to all constructive criticism and may make changes to the car to try and appease as many of the Viper family as they can.

 

[CAP]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mike Brunton:
you guys slamming the SRT - why aren't you out scooping up the GTS's if you love them soooo much?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I did.

(Still not much of an SRT fan, but it may be growing on me.)

 

[DEVILDOG]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Steve Ferguson:
Lutz is at GM. He was scheduled to leave Chrysler before the merger even happened because the Chrysler rules at that time did not allow for Executives to be past the age of 65.

Isn't it ironic that a person who had to modify their Viper to gain pleasure is complaining about a new version? Are you getting nervous that some stock SRT/10 is going to pull up next to you and give you a whooping!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Ever hear of sarcasm?...definition: a cruelly humorous statement or remark made with the intention of injuring the self-respect of the person to whom it is addressed, usually by drawing attention to one of his weaknesses and often associated with irony. There I used it again. By the way, Lutz is also partnered with Cunningham in a new company creating a new original that will probably be my next purchase. Additionally, take a survey and see how many modified Vipers there are compared to totally ****** stock models. I think you will find there are more modified than stock since they are owned by true performance enthusiasts. That won't be the case with the SRT-10 I'm sure. Sarcasm again. Also if you believe that corporate speak about why Lutz and the other Executive Mgt. at that time left the new DC I'm sure there are many folks that would be happy to sell their ENRON stock to you. I'm sure you know that was also sarcasm by now. Woops, I forgot you are evidently an extension of the new DC Corporate Mgt.. Yes, I'm so scared of the new SRT-10 I've encased my GTS Venom in plastic to sell to a museum years from now since I can now longer go out on the street due to my paralyzing fear. Sarcasm again. James Thurber was one of my favorite authors.

 

[Vypr GT2]

&lt;&lt;DC: throw some curves and hood speakers into that SRT so I can start scheming! &gt;&gt;
and some STRIPES! Hopefully, stripes will be made available as an option. One of the main reasons the GTS-R looks great (and the SRT-10 doesn't) is that it has stripes. Add those and fix the side scoops and the hood scoop and the car will look dramatically better.

 

[Viper Fever]

If looks did not matter we would all be driving Ford Pintos and Chevy Vegas with a modified 350 chevy motor in them . Yes they are fast, do I want one nooooo.I think the SRT-10 has some good looks and is growing on me, but the hood scoop Im sorry reminds me of a camero.The reverse slash in the side will denote the new viper. The new V-10 looks awesome will be a snap to super charge and should cost less due to its single air inlet. Do I want to drive one yesssss just my .02