ViperSmith
Enthusiast
All I have to say is, this car better be f'ing perfect when I get it.
Question about srt viper sales
- Thread starter SRTviper
- Start date
SLViper
Viper Owner
Any for profit company that takes orders from new customers and past loyal customers, then let's them "swing" while they fill unsold orders all over the country, is not paying attention and taking care of business. Call it what you will but it's a shame. Bottom line someone needs to be fired!
attending oaklands in july. send me a pm. I will meet you anywhere so you can see/drive the car.
Paul Hawker
Enthusiast
Hearing all the frustration, and believe it to be justified.
Buying a Viper is a pretty emotional experience, perhaps equal to a youngster counting down the days till Santa arrives. Hard to sleep the night before you get to open the presents.
With all the options available from SRT, most everyone has picked out just the perfectly equipped model, in just the right color. Nothing else will do. The desire is strong, and everyone of course wants a good price.
It seems as though production has begun to sort itself out. Initial buyers seemed to want everything but the kitchen sink, but the few early buyers that wanted them stripped down, and built to a price do not want to be saddled with extra stuff they do not want included in the higher price.
As SRT gets their act together (remember, they were starting from pretty much a fresh slate) one by one the orders will be shipped out, dealerships will beging to see their allocations fulfilled with the pipeline slowly being filled.
The word on the street is that for the patient buyer the quality of the car will make the wait worthwhile. Cancelling an order will simply screw up things more, and you still do not get your prized Viper. Maybe this is just the time to stay the course. Grumbling of course is appropriate, and perhaps some frustration and even a little anger, but for the most part the goal is to get the Viper you want, with the options you want, in the color you want, with the wheels you want.
Half way through the first tank of gas, I believe all this will be forgotten as the fangs sink in deep....
Buying a Viper is a pretty emotional experience, perhaps equal to a youngster counting down the days till Santa arrives. Hard to sleep the night before you get to open the presents.
With all the options available from SRT, most everyone has picked out just the perfectly equipped model, in just the right color. Nothing else will do. The desire is strong, and everyone of course wants a good price.
It seems as though production has begun to sort itself out. Initial buyers seemed to want everything but the kitchen sink, but the few early buyers that wanted them stripped down, and built to a price do not want to be saddled with extra stuff they do not want included in the higher price.
As SRT gets their act together (remember, they were starting from pretty much a fresh slate) one by one the orders will be shipped out, dealerships will beging to see their allocations fulfilled with the pipeline slowly being filled.
The word on the street is that for the patient buyer the quality of the car will make the wait worthwhile. Cancelling an order will simply screw up things more, and you still do not get your prized Viper. Maybe this is just the time to stay the course. Grumbling of course is appropriate, and perhaps some frustration and even a little anger, but for the most part the goal is to get the Viper you want, with the options you want, in the color you want, with the wheels you want.
Half way through the first tank of gas, I believe all this will be forgotten as the fangs sink in deep....
ViperSmith
Enthusiast
Canceling my order and writing an open letter got the attention of Ralph and contact from him.
So, yes, canceling did have a beneficial impact.
(Amusing enough apparently my letter has been circulated because I had a local dealer piece together it was me who wrote it)
If SRT would have communicated to all of us this would have been much easier. There is no justification at all why custom builds weren't done immediately after the initial 300. None. Zip. Nada.
So, yes, canceling did have a beneficial impact.
(Amusing enough apparently my letter has been circulated because I had a local dealer piece together it was me who wrote it)
If SRT would have communicated to all of us this would have been much easier. There is no justification at all why custom builds weren't done immediately after the initial 300. None. Zip. Nada.
Of all the guys getting new cars, I am looking forward to your review the most.
I have no doubt it wil be the straight deal warts and all.
And I hope it is perfect as well.
Nine Ball
Enthusiast
Agreed 100%. The wait was painful, the lack of updates was inexcusable, but the car is excellent and I'm glad I waited for my perfect car.
ViperSmith
Enthusiast
Ill write up a review, no doubt!
The viper community needs to learn how to leverage twitter better. Any issues at all you should be running to social media. It is public and gets attention fast. SRT loves twitter - everyone needs to use it to their advantage to get results. SRT wants the benefits of social media, they also have to take the draw backs of negative feedback and make things right.
If you bought a new Viper and don't have twitter, get one even if it is just to follow Ralph, driveSRT, and Beth!!
JoelW
Enthusiast
Curiously, we visited an SRT dealer in Crossville TN - even his own sales people didn't know what SRT was or that they were an SRT dealer. He has a Viper sitting in his show room - priced over sticker. We offered to have some cars cruise over as a PR measure. He politely declined and said unless we were driving "General Lee" Chargers, no one would notice and that he has had more interest in Challengers. He plans to exchange his car for some trucks. So I can certainly see why folks who special ordered cars are upset when dealers are sitting on unsold cars and folks who special ordered months ago are still waiting...
Nsane1
Enthusiast
OMG, this is the most telling post in this thread, funny but VERY sad. WHY this dealer got a viper in the first place is a crying shame. General Lee chargers over vipers, oh my.
ViperSmith
Enthusiast
Oh, just take a look in the classifieds. some brain dead dealer posting up a car with $30k ADM
http://classifieds.viperclub.org/showproduct.php?product=6666&title=2013-viper-gts&cat=61
DodgeViper01
Enthusiast
Great, I am very eager to see white/red in person. Can't wait till Oaklands!
DodgeViper01
Enthusiast
Since when did SRT make dealers sign such a contract? How would they have expected that to even be honored. With the competition on pricing now and for certain in the future, they couldn't have really thought this would work. But then again, reading this whole thread, they probably did. If dealer A has a Viper and some guy says, "I will pay you $5000 off sticker cash", they really thought that the dealer who has been sitting on a $135,000 floor plan LIABILITY, would say no?!?
Since when did SRT make dealers sign such a contract? How would they have expected that to even be honored. With the competition on pricing now and for certain in the future, they couldn't have really thought this would work. But then again, reading this whole thread, they probably did. If dealer A has a Viper and some guy says, "I will pay you $5000 off sticker cash", they really thought that the dealer who has been sitting on a $135,000 floor plan LIABILITY, would say no?!?
this contract business was the first I heard of it. Never heard of this until now. And stupid of SRT to do that unless the car was priced at like 2k over what it cost to produce. Probably though it is more like 10-15k over invoice even at MSRP. At least the 911s and zr1s are.
MoparMan
Enthusiast
Since when did SRT make dealers sign such a contract? How would they have expected that to even be honored. With the competition on pricing now and for certain in the future, they couldn't have really thought this would work. But then again, reading this whole thread, they probably did. If dealer A has a Viper and some guy says, "I will pay you $5000 off sticker cash", they really thought that the dealer who has been sitting on a $135,000 floor plan LIABILITY, would say no?!?
I agree that's a completely stupid policy but I've been told by two different people, both of whom I consider honest and trustworthy, that that's the case. I don't see how it's enforceable or how SRT ever thought it was a rational idea but nevertheless this is the policy in place as part of that goofy "licensing fee" the dealers all had to pay to get Vipers, the cost of which many are trying tompass on to the consumer in the form of dealer added markup. Chalk it up to another dumb decision in the saga of the Gen V launch.
2006red/whitecoupe
Enthusiast
Dealers can sell their inventory for whatever price they choose; how did that rumor get started?
I paid a visit to my local dealer to see the new Viper. The car is amazing but the price point missed the mark...just too high for what you get. (my opinion) The dealership would not give me the time of day even though I drove up in my 2006 coupe. I will check back in a couple of years when the discounts are high and the "SRT" dealers are few. Good luck to those who are waiting.
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MoparMan
Enthusiast
I wasn't going to post this but since you sort of "poked the bear" I'll post that I did in fact cancel my order. A wide combination of things gave me a bad feeling about the whole deal so I bailed. The irony is that the car just shipped from the factory yesterday. I must emphasize that Bernie and Tomball were high points in the whole experience and absolutely had no part in my reasons for canceling.
SRT has screwed the pooch and I have such a bitter taste in my mouth that I couldn't get over it so my heart just wasn't in getting this car anymore. I believe that if you're dropping this kind of cash on a car that's really nothing but a weekend toy that you have to be 100% emotionally invested in it and at this point, thanks to SRT and my lack of confidence in our Las Vegas dealers, I'm not even close to that point.
I sincerely hope everyone receiving the Gen V has an incredible experience with it.
ViperSmith
Enthusiast
Thats a shame, can't blame you though.
This is just a hunch. But I wonder if SRT overestimated demand and had to dramatically scale back initial production plans. What if they expected the first 300 cars to be gobbled up fast, and that they would then be justified in quickly turning around the next batch of cars for those that custom ordered. But when demand proved to be much lower than expected, they were forced to cut production to avoid a massive backlog of cars...
That's not something that SRT could admit publicly at this stage, IMO. The downside of course is that, by not stating it publicly, SRT would leave customers who preordered in a state of frustration. But it just might be necessary in order to save the car...
That's just my $0.02 as a business person/entrepreneur. It still ***** but maybe it is for the greater good, so to speak, for those of us who love the Viper and want to see it succeed.
That's not something that SRT could admit publicly at this stage, IMO. The downside of course is that, by not stating it publicly, SRT would leave customers who preordered in a state of frustration. But it just might be necessary in order to save the car...
That's just my $0.02 as a business person/entrepreneur. It still ***** but maybe it is for the greater good, so to speak, for those of us who love the Viper and want to see it succeed.
Bruce H.
Enthusiast
The same happened to me, but I expect and hope my enthusiasm will turn around once (if?) SRT gets things sorted out a bit better. I had put one of my beloved toys up for sale to make garage space for the Viper, and since I haven't pulled the ad I guess I'm at least 51% confident I'll be feeling it again!
HyperViper
Enthusiast
Sorry to hear Matt, but completely understand. Very frustrating for a car company that claims "they get it" to be this fouled up.
Big mistake #1 was letting Motor Trend test the Gen 5 against the outgoing ZR1 and lose at Laguna Seca.
Big mistake #2 was how they handled their customer ordered cars.
Happy with my Gen 4 for now and glad I didn't have to go through the pain like others did.
Big mistake #1 was letting Motor Trend test the Gen 5 against the outgoing ZR1 and lose at Laguna Seca.
Big mistake #2 was how they handled their customer ordered cars.
Happy with my Gen 4 for now and glad I didn't have to go through the pain like others did.
MoparMan
Enthusiast
Ron, thanks for the sentiment - I really appreciate it. Your #1 and #2 plus the rest of my experience with them tells me Dodge doesn't have any business selling a car as expensive as the Viper and it doesn't seem they're going to be able to pull off this "SRT" brand thing (which may have helped) either.
davidn
Enthusiast
I'm glad I waited....the wait was WELL worth it...But makes no sense that sold cars where not build first.....the wait was also worth for getting my car they way I wanted and didn't have to compromise on options or color.....
ViperSmith
Enthusiast
I hope it is just growing pains and they can get it all squared away. The car really is fantastic. The good news is, if you do get the bug again, you should have no issue getting below MSRP...
SRT should have prioritized all the custom orders. I've had so many questions the last DAY of ownership that it is unreal. People out DRIVING them would have done wonders for the brand itself. Bone headed move to do what they did, IMHO.
I can't blame you at all, you are at where I was at last month. I am surprised myself I changed my mind in the end to actually take the car, with the doubts I had, personally.
SRT should have prioritized all the custom orders. I've had so many questions the last DAY of ownership that it is unreal. People out DRIVING them would have done wonders for the brand itself. Bone headed move to do what they did, IMHO.
I can't blame you at all, you are at where I was at last month. I am surprised myself I changed my mind in the end to actually take the car, with the doubts I had, personally.
Bruce H.
Enthusiast
Losing to the ZR1 didn't bother me, it was that they squandered the opportunity with a pre-production model that they hadn't finished sorting suspension on and then blamed Randy Pobst for their loss. Then they come back with a much less streetable special TA to put up against it for a win, and the fully sorted SRT and GTS that still loses to the old Vette. I think the final SRT and GTS are more than respectable, but that taking the time to get them right would have got the job done without need for the TA. I don't think anyone could argue that going to the more sophisticated magnetic damper available in even a base Stingray, and on my 2010 XKR, wouldn't have made a significant difference, and improved the car for daily use. They tried to rush it and lost...and still are.
This is what I have been saying and scared about which makes me nervous about getting this car is that the shocks ****. Bilstein damptronics are not the greatest thing for track or street duty. I'm not sure really what they are good for. Probably just the nurburgring. This is the weak link in the viper is the shocks. Even randy said the TA used a softer shock which made it more compliant and better handling. The viper seems to be too stiff which is consistent with any car using the damptronic shocks. An MR type shock would have been best and also an absolute mandatory requirement on this price level of a car. Dodge really does have no business selling an expensive car. They did so many things right with this car but also so many things wrong as well. They probably should have just kept the viper as a brute and called it a day and left out all of the luxuries. The TA model is pointless.
Paul Hawker
Enthusiast
I spoke to SRT engineers at VOI in Utah. They mentioned at the time that they had done extensive suspension work with the magnetic shocks, and came to the understanding that on the Viper suspension that was not the way to go. It was not the expense, but the results that had them deciding on another route.
I do not believe that SRT is holding anything back. They are getting Vipers built and out the door as fast as they possibly can, while dealing with tons of regulatory and compliance items. Everything must be approved by Chrysler as well as the Federal Government and EPA before they can go to customers. Suppliers are ramping up to quality and volume goals, and the line is learning every day how to make these some of the finest vehicles ever produced by the company.
From what I understand, end customers are wanting more cars, the dealers are wanting more allocation, the ViperNation has received the cars to great acclaim. The issue is getting more cars out the door, rather than being sales restraigned.
Most dealers are asking over sticker for their very limited allocation. As usual some internet vendors are offering the lowest prices, the only on a sliver of the cars. Lots of stories already on how some of the low looking prices come with conditions.
Guess there are two choices here. Beat up SRT for every mistake they might have made in the past, or look forward to many years of great pleasure driving a car that most can only dream of owning.
For any order that is cancelled, it just provides a car for someone else to snap up. Hard to tell who looses here, but it gives the dealership the opportunity to sell the car for $$$ over sticker (that they had already ordered for sticker price delivery) and gives them one more car over their allocation. Sometimes this is the only way that a floor salesperson has a shot at making some bonus bucks.
I remember back in 96 when Chrysler required a voucher to even order a new Coupe. The demand was so great that many buyers quickly flipped their cars for a fast profit (that sure killed the voucher program). Dealers were praying for a cancellation so they could add a nice additional markup.
I do not believe that SRT is holding anything back. They are getting Vipers built and out the door as fast as they possibly can, while dealing with tons of regulatory and compliance items. Everything must be approved by Chrysler as well as the Federal Government and EPA before they can go to customers. Suppliers are ramping up to quality and volume goals, and the line is learning every day how to make these some of the finest vehicles ever produced by the company.
From what I understand, end customers are wanting more cars, the dealers are wanting more allocation, the ViperNation has received the cars to great acclaim. The issue is getting more cars out the door, rather than being sales restraigned.
Most dealers are asking over sticker for their very limited allocation. As usual some internet vendors are offering the lowest prices, the only on a sliver of the cars. Lots of stories already on how some of the low looking prices come with conditions.
Guess there are two choices here. Beat up SRT for every mistake they might have made in the past, or look forward to many years of great pleasure driving a car that most can only dream of owning.
For any order that is cancelled, it just provides a car for someone else to snap up. Hard to tell who looses here, but it gives the dealership the opportunity to sell the car for $$$ over sticker (that they had already ordered for sticker price delivery) and gives them one more car over their allocation. Sometimes this is the only way that a floor salesperson has a shot at making some bonus bucks.
I remember back in 96 when Chrysler required a voucher to even order a new Coupe. The demand was so great that many buyers quickly flipped their cars for a fast profit (that sure killed the voucher program). Dealers were praying for a cancellation so they could add a nice additional markup.
