I understand that DC wanted to reduce the cost of the Viper. My question is why? The Viper has never been a major “money maker” for Dodge. It was meant as a prestige symbol recognized around the world. The Viper lent credibility to other Dodge products like the Dodge RAM. Before the Viper came out, I always thought of Dodge as a 2nd class car company with inferior quality and boring designs. I have this image of my dad’s tan Dodge Duster in my mind - ugly! And wasn’t Married With Children’s Al Bundy’s a piece of junk Dodge? Granted he hit a million miles in it, but it was always the butt of jokes on the show.
The Viper changed all that. It set the imaginations of countless little boys (& girls, i.e. Nadine) and teenagers who dreamed of one day owning a Viper. I was just at the Cape the other day, and this little 5 yr old kept circling my 2001 RT-10 round and round in awe. He circled it like 4 times staring at it without so much as a blink! I was amazed that such a young kid would recognize a beautiful car when he saw one, but was even more amazed when his parents standing nearby commented, “He has a Viper toy at home that he absolutely loves.” A future member of the Viper Nation perhaps? Well, maybe not, unless he can get his hands on a used Gen I or II Viper. 15 years from now(maybe much sooner), everyone will realize what a mistake DC made in ruining the curvaceous, eye-popping, onlooker whiplashing, design of the Viper.
The point is that the current generation of Vipers (I & II) are exotic cars that demand attention. I want a car that causes people whiplash as I pass them going the other direction - the current Viper does that. The SRT-10 is a great looking car, but it just doesn't scream "exotic" or cause "ooos and ahhhhs" from the peanut gallery. I saw it at the New York Auto Show and was very disappointed. Big thumbs down!
Let’s look at DC’s logic for this drastic change. As I stated, one of the factors was manufacturing cost. Ok, so the Gen I & II hoods cost like $15-20k to replace in an accident. So what! Hey, that’s what insurance is for! If anything, DC profits from Gen I & II Viper accidents. (though there never really is a bright side when my fellow Viper brethren get in an accident). When the hood is damaged, I believe DC is the one that has to re-manufacture it and accept payment from the insurance companies. Why turn down a buck? I don’t get it…
And if the reason has nothing to do with “replacement” costs and more to do with keeping the overall cost of the Viper down, I’d rather pay a little extra for better styling, which includes the clam shell hood and the curves around the front tires. If demand is there for a more “stylish” Viper, DC can charge a premium based on demand. Don’t get me wrong, I like that I paid $70k for a new 2001, but I’d be willing to pay $80k for a future Generation IV Viper that recaptures the essence of what truly is a Viper.
But I say FORGET profits - that’s not what the Viper is about. Consider it a loss-leader for DC. I’m sure there are Dodge RAM owners that bought these trucks thinking “Well if the DC engineers designed the fastest, baddest-as* vehicle on the planet, then maybe they helped design the RAM as well.” With the SRT-10’s “refined” styling, DC will now lose that image. It’s a sad day indeed for a great American car company - ruined by a Japanese designer. Just when American cars were making a comeback against Japanese imports. I smell conspiracy! Where’s Fox Mulder when you need him? ; )
I do like the performance gains on the 2003. But I’d rather modify my current stock Viper to get 500HP or more. You can always increase your performance, but changing your styling (Autoform aside) is much more difficult.
Sure, the 2003’s sold out. But I’m guessing its mostly collectors and speculators hoping to make a future buck by reselling it. My advice is for them to offload these cars within 2 years, because the roar of disapproval from Viper owners is sure to increase in volume with each and every passing day causing the resale value of the 2003 to surely diminish.
Well, at least the value of my Viper will increase. Too bad I will never sell it.
