Remember the first time you drove a Viper?

[Leojmcca]

My first ride in a viper was actually a 1998 GTS I rented from a guy who would rent out his viper to pay the car payment on it. I picked it up and off I went. I ended up renting the car from him every other month over the next 8 months. When he decided to sell it, I was already hooked like a coke addict and had to get my fix, so I ended up buying my own.

I just remember I would pick up the car and leave my 2005 corolla with a 5 speed on the street until I returned the car. When I switched back from the viper to the corolla, I would almost put my foot through the floor since the clutch pressure was so different.

 

[Leslie]

Yeh, same as a few others, first time behind the wheel was when it was delivered.

Five years later...I experienced a 2nd first time.... I mean got a taste of this car's potential was at Putnam Park roadcourse. That wasn't anything even close to what I experience now.

All I can say is WOW!

Can I marry my Viper?...'cause I think I would haha!

 

[jay01m]

In 1995 I was in vegas with a buddy, so we rent a 1995 rt-10 from sun belt car rental [don't think they are in business anymore] we drove it up to rachel which is near the entrance to area 51, with the top off got it up to 176mph in 5th. tried 6th but then it started to slow down. I had a zr-1 at the time and decided to switch over.

1997 for me. It was a 92 in green at a local dealer in FL. I also had a ZR1 at the time (still do). Pulled up in my Z just to look at the Viper, and a salesman came out. I asked if we could take it for a spin, he replied asking if the Corvette was mine. I said yes and he said, "I'll go get the keys." Never bought it, but it was a fun drive. Next time I drove a Viper was 10 years later when my 97 GTS was delivered to me in VA from the same town in FL where I test drove the green one.

A side note, my GTS was a total impulse buy after my ex-girlfriend broke up with me. I've always said I'd thank her next time I saw her

 

[doctorbob]

One of my friends was getting divorced and his 1995 RT showed up. Bought the car. I had the first viper in Arizona. I was driving to Flagstaff and saw two highway patrol cars going the other way....they turned around and stopped me to look at the car.

 

[BlknBlu]

My first time was actually a Viper Truck. After owning it for 3 years and also having a Plum Crazy SRT8, I traded the both in for a GTS Blue and Black striped SRT Coupe. The trip home was 45 miles of awesomeness. My Girlfriend met me at the dealership and followed me to my parents where she told my dad she got a new car that was in the driveway. His eyes popped out of his head when he saw the car. The car was no comparison to the truck.

Bruce

 

[01sapphirebob]

First drive for me was when I was eighteen. It was a '94 RT/10. It was a graduation present. My dad was good friends with someone that owns a bar locally and he had purchased a Viper earlier in the year. He showed up to the party in the car and hung around for a while. Later he finds me and throws the keys my way. I had the car for the next 45 min. taking all my friends for rides. BTW, this was only the second time in my life I had driven a stick and I thought I did pretty well. I have pictures somewhere.

 

[VYPR BYT 94]

If this thread was made into a sticky, imagine a few years from now all the great "short stories" we would have collected.

It's great reading these... Keep 'em coming guys!

 

[NorthernSnake]

lol...first time was in a 2001 sapphire blue GTS in Calgary. i was starting to get serious about Vipers and was still deciding whether an 01-02 or a 2003+ was gonna be the car for me. This little dealership had one so i swung by for a look and a test drive.

two turns out of the dealership i was sitting at a red light and a guy in a brand new silver mustang GT500 pulls up to make a left. His car was invisible (and he knew it)...might as well not even been there...the 7 year old (at the time) GTS was on a whole other planet when it came to style, presence and performance

other than that it was a fun but uneventful test drive...but i like my cars rare/special...and that encounter with someone who paid twice the asking on the GTS i was in for in my opinion half the car only cemented my decision.

2002 GTS FE#358 ended up being the viper for me...i'll never sell it. Ever.

 

[Wayne64SS]

First time for me was after I flew from NY to Georgia to buy it. One of the best automotive experiences I've ever had.

 

[DaDood]

First time for me was the test drive to pick up my '03 SRT-10 in March just this year ('11). When I got to the dealer, the salesman and I went for a test drive. At first, he wanted to give me the keys and just say "Go for it!" but I couldn't because I was so afraid of all the power (having come from a '95 Integra with 140 hp at the engine!). We went for a ride and about half way through we switched and I got to drive it for the first time.

Not only did I continuously have a ridiculous smile on my face for the rest of the day (because I decided to buy it right there), but I found it incredibly easy to drive. Everything was so tight, responsive and smooth and the faster the car went, the better everything performed. I was hooked on my first ride!! Everything about the car felt great.

 

[VENOMAHOLIC]

The Viper was my dream car since I knew what one was. I had to test one first before spending the dough so I rented one in Vegas for a day. That was a priceless ride through Red Rock Canyon and up and down the strip. That was 8-9yrs ago so it was a yellow 95 I was driving. I actually was so happy and delusional during the experience that I laughed every time I scorched my leg on the sidepipe. Within a couple years I found my 2000 RT 10 and will never sell it.

 

[Viper4Christ]

First time I sat in one was April of 99, back then the only major tuners around were H-man and SVS so I was online looking at their vids musing on the day when I'd have one for myself. Fast forward to fall 04, I was in the service and my friend and I went on a cruise with the NY/NJ club as passangers and it was quite an experience. Early 05 I drove a silver 99 ACR that was quite a blast and the most fun car I drove would have to be Geralds DLM Paxton GTS that had quite the kick to it as I recall. Fast forward to tday and I've been looking around at some of the various built TT cars, 1K rwhp minimum requirement...

 

[okloneranger]

My Viper was only the second Viper I had ever ridden in. The first time, a "spirited ride", was in Oct. '04 in a red '97 GTS that a used car dealer took me on. I knew from that point on I would own a Viper. Mine is the only Viper I have ever driven. The first time was about 4 or 5 days after I bought it in Jan. '07. It took that long to get the insurance from Grundy's. It was driven to my house for me by the dealer with me in the passenger seat. I always appreciated the fact that this dealer didn't allow anyone off the street to "test drive" this car while it was in their possession. That dealership had a healthy respect for performance cars, and that was their policy. My Viper was traded to them by the original owner for a new Escalade. One thing I never get tired of is the lookes you get when driving a Viper. Back in '66 I had a '65 vette with a 425HP 396 in it. That was the first time I remember being stared at while driving. In those days, in this part of the country, you would see "common" performance cars every day. But, you saw a vette about once a week, an XKE maybe once a month, and you never saw a cobra. Jump foward 40 years and the streets are lousy with performance mustangs, cameros, vettes, etc. But, Vipers are a rare sight, and you know when you take your Viper out for a spin, any and all "car guys" are going to take notice. I guess that is part of what I call "pride of ownership".

 

[dodgefever]

It's been so long ago, it's hard to remember. A friend of mine and fellow Viper owner got his first one back in the mid 90's or so. He and I used to own and show Challengers and Chargers back in the 80's so we have always driven each others cars. His was a Hemi and mine was a 6-Pak so he knew I could handle the power. He and I cruised around one evening and after a while he tossed me the keys and asked if I wanted to drive! DUH!! His only advice was to make sure I had it pointed straight before I punched the gas. It was a yellow RT10. After he totaled that (flipped on its roll bar on the highway...long story) he got a black venom 600 which we drove to the VOI in St Louis. It rained most of the trip and thinking back I had no idea how dangerous the car was in the rain, thank goodness! I got to drive his 3'rd, 4'th and 5'th Vipers also, after which I ended up owning his 3'rd one. I have owned it for five years now and am very greatfull for the 15 years of Viper driving I owe to him.

 

[GreenVenom]

Not really with all the blood rushing from my head to feed my boner I passed out before I could leave the parking lot

 

[azvipermike]

yes two months ago for me and that was 11 years too long of a wait!

 

[scottmarston]

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Flew down to Sacramento, California in 2008 when I was 26 years old. I fell in love immediately when I got picked up at the airport in it. The cop I bought it from said he was always too nervous to drive it because it looked too good. Nice guy...said he wanted to replace it with a Harley or some s***. I think the funniest part about the whole story is that the cop told me to "get on the gas" while we were test driving it on public road. Who was I to argue? I drove it all the way home to Idaho the next day. Along the way, I ran into a pack of wild Vettes while I was bombing through Nevada and felt compelled to overtake them. Arrogant...but I was snake bitten.

In any event, I thought this was a pretty cool pic that I took with the previous owner’s cop car in the background.

 

[FrgMstr]

I remember it well. It was right after I bought it. Then I drove it 2,016 miles home.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Every Man remembers his first time.

I flew to San Francisco from Orange County to pick the 96 Blue/White up from the Dealership.

First drive was taking it down the Coast Hwy 1 through Monterey and Big Sur.

Great way to break in a new engine, with all the elevation changes, and hundreds of curves.

Remember scraping the front lower facia (first of many times) when parking the first night at the Ragged Point Inn.

Fantasy way to begin a 15year relationship with Viper (now driving my 3rd.)

 

[Ricketts]

First time I drove one was November of 06, the day my car was delivered to me.

 

[Fast Viper Dan]

Woodhouse driver delivered the car to my driveway. Came inside to do the paperwork, gave him a check and wished him a safe trip home. He walked out the door and after a few minutes, my wife said, lets go for a drive! Almost forgot to do that?

 

[STUGOTS]

I love reading everyones "first time" stories, we all felt the same way, BLISS

 

[WDW MKR]

My first actual driving experience was somewhere around '00 or '01. My father and I went to an Ohio dealership that handled Lambos and Ferraris, especially older stuff, long with some modern Dodge stuff. We drove a sapphire '01 ACR, '96 B/W GTS (previously owned by Ohio Stage and NFL running back Robert Smith), and an '01 Z06. The four biggest take-aways for me were:
1) the Vette was more refined and less exciting, while the Viper was an animalistic drivers car (i.e. passionate/inspiring)
2) the updgraded Viper interior was very noticeable
3) just a hint of moisture on the road with throttle applied results in you reading the manufacturer's stamp on the nearby mailbox while sitting in the passenger seat
4) those 335s are just too much for a squirrel to dodge

Wanted one ever since, and it's about to come to fruition!

 

[BigBadViper]

I didn't drive the Viper until after I bought it. Owner wouldn't let me drive it. He said I could drive a regular Viper, but not a Twin Turbo, too many people joyriding and can wreck them.

 

[96GTS]

The first one I drove was 10 years ago, and it belonged to a good friend. It was a red/silver 01 GTS that had less than 100 miles on the odometer. Out of respect I didn't get on it, and only did the speed limit since he was still breaking it in. I absolutely LOVED the way the car looked, felt and sounded. It was at that moment that I realized all the people from the magazines that drive a Viper and then write about how terrible it is just don't "get it." In 2005 I got a '96 GTS, and every time I drive it I smile like it was the first.

 

[Cobraken]

First drive for me was a 27 mile test drive of a brand new graphite and silver '02 ACR ********. Since the miles were mine I bought the car. I put a radio in her but even without the air conditioning she is still my most favorite Viper I've owned.

 

[ACR_VP]

My first ride in one was when I was around 10. My dad got the loaner/press car for the weekend (he worked for Chrysler) and picked me up from School in it. I normally rode the bus, so they told me over the schools intercom that my dad was picking me up in a "white convertible", and I didn't think much about it as he would sometimes get various loaner cars. I remember walking to the parking lot, saw my dad sitting in the Viper (it was a '96 gen I), and literally stopped dead, dropping my bag, and slapped myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I remember not being able to open the door because I couldn't find the door handle (which I found out were only on the inside of the door) but being so excited I just crawled over the side (my apologies to whoever bought that car in the end). I could barely see out of the front, but knew when I was older I would have one.

My first drive was just last November, when I picked up my '99 ACR from the previous owner. The previous owner also wanted a winter car, so included in the deal was my '01 Cherokee (my original first car that I'm still sad to have let go). My wife and I drove from Northeast Ohio to Southern Michigan (oddly enough about 20 minutes from where I grew up and had my first Viper ride), swapped cars and we drove the Viper back. I started the car, and just knew having no life other than the wife (due to work/school) had paid off. I'll never forget the whole experience. The best was that my wife is one that gets car sick pretty easily, so she took two dramamine's and was essentially passed out the entire ride home which was hilarious given the fact that the previous owner put recaro buckets in.

 

[mgeorge]

My first drive was in my silver 98 last October when I went to see it in person--I didn't know about the skip shift and kept thinking something was wrong. I had planned to just "check the car out" as I told my wife that morning-I had driven my DD over to the dealership about 1.5 hours away--well that was a mistake, because I as soon as I got out of the Viper I bought it and sent my wife a text message: "change of plans, I'm driving the Viper home, we'll need to pick my car up over the weekend". Drove in the slow lane the whole way home, I didn't want to end up on you tube as the guy who got snake bit 1 hour after buying the car.