Used Vipers - does mileage substantially affect body condition?

[AbsolutHank]

Its still a little premature, but I'm starting my Viper search early since I have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD because I'm not driving a Viper yet!!

Mechanically, I am not scared of mileage at all. The Viper is a fairly basic car without all the potential technological problems surrounding other cars. The drivetrains are as stout as can be, and I literally have zero reservations about mileage in that respect.

My question is with the higher mileage cars(20-30K)...what kind of beating do the bodies take? Do the tires really damage the rear side of the wheel openings? How about the lower side panels? Do the door sills and door sill interior panel really get scratched? How do the seats wear? How badly does the nose seem to be affected? What about the convertible top?

I am resigned to the fact that more than likely I will have to travel to buy a Viper. If the seller can provide pics of problem areas before I fly in, it might save me alot of wasted time and money.

So, where do you see your Viper taking the most abuse?

 

[VENOMIS]

My question is with the higher mileage cars(20-30K)...

 

[AbsolutHank]

Well, lets be honest here...most Vipers haven't even seen the 10K mile mark yet. 30K is about as high as I've seen browsing eBay/Autotrader for a SRT-10 car.

 

[ulllose]

Hank----my 03 has little pits behind the front and rear wheels inside the wheel well. the lower rocker panels get alttile beat up also. the nose on mine has been fine a couple rock chips maybe.
The bottom of the nose will tell you if the person doesn't know where the front of the car ends and where the curb starts. On the rear of the car the pits are only inside the wheel well along the painted edge that wraps inside. The front lower rocker gets alittle more abuse.

 

[Shank2117]

im at 18,000 miles and running fine. i have a buddy with one with 36,000 miles and he uses his as a daily driver and his has seen less problems then mine.

 

[dragon rider]

22k on mine. Body is great. Wheel wells beat up pretty good. The untrained eye wouldn't notice

 

[ViperGeorge]

I had 30,000 on my 03 when I traded it. No major problems. The tire pressure system went out a few times and there was the typical sand blasting effect on the painted surfaces that wrapped around and behind the tires. The bottom of the sills were also sand blasted. Underneath the front bumper cover had some scratches mostly from going up driveways that were a bit steep. It was driven hard.

On my 08 I put a clear bra on the front, mirrors, and behind the tires. I also put a chin guard on to protect the underside of the front bumper cover.

 

[99 R/T 10]

Since V10speedluvr decided to be a ****** and second guess his thought D ) I will say that a high mileage car is over 50K and even then I wouldn't have any reservations about it body wise. Any car with any mileage is more prone to get wrecked due the power that over takes the drivers ability. That would be my worry. Other than that, check the control arms, especially if it has been tracked. I have over 44K miles on my 99 and I am just breaking her in

 

[AbsolutHank]

What exactly am I looking at on the control arms? More or less checking bushings for excessive wear?

 

[29OUTLAW]

Without a doubt, under the side sill. I had my sills repainted 2 years ago and put clear bra on the underside after painting.

Unlike the underside of the sills, I think most of the other stuff depends on the owner and how the car is used. For example, even though my car has 24,000 on it, there are zero paint chips on the front. That's due in large part to the fact that I live in a rural area and my car has only been on the interstate once (the day I bought it).

The foot dragging on the door sill is another common issue that can be controlled by how careful the owner is. I've seen new ones in showrooms that have door sill shoe marks from wannabees getting in and out yet mine with 24000 has none.

BTW - my car will probably be for sale in Nov/Dec.

 

[goldcup]

I have 16k on my car no mechanical issues, three chips and the undercarriage looks like new.The only cosmetic issue is darkening of side sills above the cats.You would not believe the mileage if all you looked at was the condition.The car is driven as much as possible and in the rain.It also routinely goes through intensive details.The quality of the car depends on the love and attention that was spent on the car, kind of like kids!!By the way "Tailwag" has a wicked 97 or 98 coupe that has 25-30k 0n it and is nicer than cars with 2k

 

[goldcup]

Clear bra can do alot my car is covered in it,saved myself alot of chips but when things start to look chipped etc I will have sills etc repainted

 

[Nixon's SRT]

05 Copperhead and 65k and runs strong as can be. Driven everyday, as long as there is no snow on the ground.

Cars are meant to be driven and will run much better than sitting in a garage all the time. Have 2 tiny rock chips on the hood, a small 1 inch crack from a speed bump, and behind the front wheels have some paint wore off, but the thrill of driving makes it worth the battle marks

 

[TAILWAG]

Generally mileage would be an indicator of shape of interior/exterior, but I think the correlation makes more sense as it relates to the owner, type of driving, and most importantly, the type of care the car has seen. I have seen some Vipers with 5,000 miles and they look like they have been left outside in rain/snow/tornados! I have seen a couple of Vipers with more than 40,000 miles and they look better than some 08's....

 

[Roysviper]

I put over 70,000 miles on my first Viper and when I sold it most people thought it was a brand new Viper.It was a 1997 GTS and it NEVER had any problems other then the air conditioner. I raced the heck out of it on the track (drag race) and babied it on the street. It was bone stock and ran 12.20s all day. Yes the underside of the front was scatched from driveways and speed bumps but that was the price I had to pay for driving it so much.

 

[Vipuronr]

Okay, here is one on Ebay ('97 GTS) with over 100k miles...unusual, not sure why anyone would want to buy any car with that many miles... to me, its kind of used up before you get it.

Dodge : Viper:eBay Motors (item 130313010148 end time Jun-22-09 18:42:46 PDT)

But, will agree that it isn't all about mileage. I bought my '98 RT/10 with 5,200 miles, one owner car...but, the car was from Boca Raton, Florida and the extreme humidity created some surface rust in the engine compartment. While I don't mind re-doing, it wasn't something I planned to do. But, I will say that the car drives like a new car and I attribute that to the low mileage.

 

[dsg03svt]

When I test drove an 04 w/ 30,000 miles it had some of the plastic paint peeling up around the cupholders and window switches. It was also a mamba edition and the red on the shifter was starting to look worn and rubbing off.

I'm not sure if this is a common issue. Seems like it would be because I don't know how you could excessively wear those items...

 

[wallbanger]

By far the worst thing you can do as far as rock chips are concerned is to attend a vca event and join a line of 30+ vipers doing 100mph+ along isolated back roads....my clear bra saved me that day...

 

[AbsolutHank]

Well I looked at a black SRT today with 32K on it, and I was completely floored at how well it looked. Mainly because it was black, I was really expecting to see lots of road rash etc, but it truly is in near perfect condition.

I guess it goes to show you that it depends mainly on the owner and the types of roads its driven on

 

[TAILWAG]

Okay, here is one on Ebay ('97 GTS) with over 100k miles...unusual, not sure why anyone would want to buy any car with that many miles... to me, its kind of used up before you get it.

Dodge : Viper:eBay Motors (item 130313010148 end time Jun-22-09 18:42:46 PDT)

But, will agree that it isn't all about mileage. I bought my '98 RT/10 with 5,200 miles, one owner car...but, the car was from Boca Raton, Florida and the extreme humidity created some surface rust in the engine compartment. While I don't mind re-doing, it wasn't something I planned to do. But, I will say that the car drives like a new car and I attribute that to the low mileage.

Dang....110,000 miles!!!!!!!???? Someone has enjoyed that puppy! Somehow, I don't think he will get the US$ 30k he is asking though...

 

[Shank2117]

is that what the orange paint on my car is from?

heat wrapping up?

behind the wheel on the driver side i have orange peel.

 

[lagalaxy13]

Well I looked at a black SRT today with 32K on it, and I was completely floored at how well it looked. Mainly because it was black, I was really expecting to see lots of road rash etc, but it truly is in near perfect condition.

I guess it goes to show you that it depends mainly on the owner and the types of roads its driven on

The plastic under the paint is black, so bet a black car will not show the black chips under the side sills etc.

 

[lagalaxy13]

Hank----my 03 has little pits behind the front and rear wheels inside the wheel well. the lower rocker panels get alttile beat up also. the nose on mine has been fine a couple rock chips maybe.
The bottom of the nose will tell you if the person doesn't know where the front of the car ends and where the curb starts. On the rear of the car the pits are only inside the wheel well along the painted edge that wraps inside. The front lower rocker gets alittle more abuse.

Sounds just like my 03, with 9,000 miles. unless you have a clear bra & just paved roads, there are going to be rocks chips on the bottom of the sills. Remember the car sits like 6" off the ground. Unless you are laying on your back you woun't see any of them.

 

[AbsolutHank]

Yeah, I'm not too worried about the underside of the car. I plan to drive it quite a bit so I know its inevitable

 

[Newport Viper]

34000 with clear bra ..... Still perfect.

 

[ViperGal]

You have an IM. Know where you are getting it from. On gen 3/4 clear bra on side sills makes a world of difference. Good luck and once you get your Viper - you will never be the same and that is a good thing!

Good luck and we cannot wait to see the pics. Don't forget to join the VCA first thing.

ViperGal

 

[AbsolutHank]

Thanks...I am definitely joining the VCA when the time comes

 

[05SRT]

I bought my '05 with 33000 on the odo. Based on the mods and some dirt in unusual locations, the previous owner appears to have spent some time on the track. After I put 500-600 miles on it, it threw a bearing and I've been waiting 5 weeks now to get it back from the shop with a new engine. It's been a miserable experience that I'll detail more when I get the car back. I Don't want to bash the dealership while they still have my car. I keep hearing that these engines are bullet-proof, but I've already got a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[goldcup]

You know I fantasize about putting 100k on my car.Dont know if I fantasize about purchasing that car but it would be a good ******!!