Pics of '96 Viper.. need opinion please.

[RickL]

Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

Here are several pics taken by Josh (Corvetteconvert) for me. He went to look at this car for me in North Carolina. Judging by the pics, do you think this car is worth $38,000? I'm supossed to go get the car Thursday... and I'm not sure what to do. The guy who owned the car said it was impeccable, but I see in the pics that all the wheels have some curb rash and are dirty. I was also curious as to whether or not the gap in the hood near the headlights is normal. Thanks! One more thing.. if I do get the car I will defianetly clean it up a lot, but was wondering if it would it hurt the value to replace the yellow wheels with chrome 2001 wheels and replace the yellow decals with maybe silver ones.


http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1756299&a=13931825

Thanks again for the time you spent looking at this car and taking pics Josh!

-Rick

 

[2charmed]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

Rick,

If you keep the yellow wheels and simply put chrome ones on it]
won't hurt the value at all. The gap between the front facia and
hood looks normal from the pics. Have the car checked by a qualified Viper Tech and check Carfax for previous history.

good luck,

2Charmed

 

[-RUNNR]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

In my opinion, for $38,000 I'd buy it.

(Wonder how those rims would look on my Viper...)

 

[Janni]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

First pass...

Looks all original under the hood - good or bad? Still has corrugated tubes. Brake fluid looks disgusting. Cannot tell for sure, but it would appear that coolant surge tank is LOW - cannot see any color in it at all - bad sign.

Hood does NOT fit correctly - perhaps front was hit - gaps too large around headlights and looks to be too close at leading edge of hood. Fascis scrapes are avoidable, too - and the one on the leading edge of the fascia is yucky.

Pilots Sports tires appear to be in good shape. All the same type? OE on 96 was Pilot MXX3. Road rash on wheels - common but completely avoidable.

Top and interior wear- somewhat common but with a reasonable amount of care - the car should be in better shape. Looked dirty from the pics.

Under hood looked pretty dirty, too. Dirts not a big deal, but whenever I have been trying to sell a car, I at least wipe stuff off - esp. under hood.

Looks like the 19K miles were a little rough IMO. I am not familiar with the car - don't believe owner is VCA member.

 

[RickL]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

Thanks for the replies! One more thing, the car also has about 2.5 years left of the warranty from what the owner says. Will the dealer fix the weatherstripping on the top, etc. Thanks

-Rick

 

[Matt M PA]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

I'm with Janni..car looks a bit rough for being "impeccable". Not only does the brake fluid look bad, as does the coolant tank, but there is a bolt missing that retains the tank. These things alone make me wonder about the care and maintanence that this car has received. Considering how bad the hood fits by the headlight, I too would wonder about collision damage. Also remember that if the hood needs to be replaced, it costs more than $15,000. There are too many nice Vipers to take a chance on this one...call Bill Pemberton...he may have just what you are looking for. 800-889-1893. In my opinion, there are too many questions about this car, keep looking.

 

[THEMASH]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

I would pass on this car.

 

[RickL]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

The VIN is 1B3BR65E0TV100646. Could someone please run a Carfax. Thanks

 

[Jason-Middle Tennessee]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

Theres a White with Blue stripes 96' RT-10 in Tx with only 8,000 miles on it. Plus it has the TNT Serpant 605 package on it along with many other mods. It's in the low to mids 40's. Great car also. Give Prashant Patel a call by e-Mail at [email protected] or by phone at (281) 650-2574.

 

[SteveBCloud9]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

Rick, With just 19k on it, I'd pass. My rental with almost 19k is in MINT condition compared to that car. Who checked it for you? More importantly, beside cosmetics are the fluids. Is the tranny fluid burnt? Overflow tank have anything in it? Does he have maintenence receipts? Brake fluid? How did the clutch feel?

I Flew to California to look at the car I bought. Spend the extra $, it will pay off in the end.

 

[Casey]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

Sounds to me like you better pass this one up!! I would suggest to relax and keep looking. With the winter near, you are sure to get a great deal if you are patient enough!
Good luck!

 

[pacethat]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

Carfax data came back clean...below is the important stuff...
I was the one that did the drive. Everything mechanical felt good. The clutch/etc. was normal. The gaps with the headlights/hood bothered me (mine had been wrecked and looked a lot better). Also, the front fascia had a few minor scratches "under" the paint, but don't know if Dodge quality was up to par on this or not, or if this is indicitive of a repaint. I work with a lot of wrecked vehicles and I couldn't see any tell/tell damage, but I didn't get it in the air either.
For 38k, I was expecting mint. The wheels disgusted me, and if the buyer is going to replace all the yellow stuff ($2-3k), IMO it should be spent with the purchase price to get a better deal.
The owner is not a viperforum/club member, and seemed a little paranoid when I wanted to drive the car (though it drove fine). It still had dealer plates on it and he claims to have had it a year. I asked about the title (he said he "thinks" it is North Carolina). The hard top was nice, etc...
Just some random thoughts...
Josh

The Carfax database contains a total of 3 vehicle history records on this 1996 Dodge Viper RT/10 (1B3BR65E0TV100646):


DATE
REPORTED ODOMETER
READING INFORMATION
SOURCE GENERAL
COMMENTS

07/01/1996 Ohio
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Cincinnati, OH
Registered as commercial vehicle





--------------------------------------------------------------

 

[GaryA]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

The pictures only indicate cosmetic problems and don't deal with any potential (and very costly) mechanical/drive train issues. Just from the cosmetics alone, I would pass on the car, but if you really want it to be checked out, I agree with 2Charmed, you should have this checked out by a Viper ace before buying.

 

[RickL]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I think I am going to pass and as Casey said relax and keep looking. That car is not up to my standards and is not anywhere near impeccable.

-Rick

 

[Qualitywires.com]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

It doesn't look like he keeped his snake clean with all that dust and dirt. But that doesn't mean anything...take your time. It could be a good deal and maybe even talk him down a bit too.

 

[BobK898]

Re: Pics of \'96 Viper.. need opinion please.

My bottom line on cars like this is, if what you can see looks like this then what you can't see is at least as bad. Pass on it.