Todd,
Can't believe this finally all came together! Congratulations! Thank you for your patience and your positive attitude, the "karma gods" smiled on you. That Viper is unbelievable. Have fun on the maiden voyage down the coast, I can't wait to hear all about it. I attached a few photos from my phone.
Paul, fantastic experience start to end with you, thanks!!!
For those of you that don't know Paul Normandin of Normandin Chrysler Dodge... If you are in California and looking to buy a Viper, he's the go to guy to buy Vipers from. He's a racer, he's a long time Viper owner, and he runs a top notch dealership with a Viper master tech that stayed late just to prep my car. Here are the high points:
1. After talking to another local dealer in November that wanted a, cough, $50K markup, I called Normandin. Paul said that if I join the VCA, he'd order me the Viper at MSRP. At that time, that was a deal and that's all I needed.
2. Ordered a black/gunmetal GTS, but Paul remembered that I wanted (but couldn't get) a Stryker Red.
3. Just before Christmas, Paul called me with a surprise. He was able to negotiate a trade with another dealer and secured a Stryker Red for me! Something I will never forget.
4. Paul did everything he could to get me answers during the wait for the Viper. A+ for effort.
5. Paul talked the driver into delivering the car the eve of the day before he was planning on dropping it. This is the reason I am able to get my car clear wrapped and go to the CA Viper Gathering this weekend. If I had lost that day, the trip would have been off.
6. Dealer prep was meticulous, although they didn't have to do much because the car rolled off the truck clean and ready to roll. They swapped my street tires/wheels for the track packs that evening, so I could drive it home without rock chips from the sticky Corsas.
The car is sitting in my garage now, getting all wrapped in plastic. Tomorrow AM, I'm hitting the road for the CA Viper Gathering in Santa Barbara. That's the way to break her in!