Viper owners must be rich ?

[FikseGTS]

I got the same thing when I bought my GTS, it eventually wore off when people I knew found out the real cost.... when I sold the GTS for the ACR, no real comments.... it's just another Viper....

I recently bought a used Gallardo, I told my car friends about it, no issues at all, but didn't volunteer any info to the non-car friends... I hit a pretty big backlash, the Lambo name seems to carry a pretty big stigma with it... they think I'm nuts, I tell them the Gallardo cost less than the ACR, but it doesn't pass....

 

[MichaelP]

I don't think it is a big deal about being thought of as rich.

Then again I don't think it is a big deal being thought of as poor either.

 

[Freddog11]

Despite the current prices of used Vipers, they are still seen as one of the greatest exotics on the road, probably due to their rarity. No matter what the price, they will always be seen as one of the great supercars. I walked in the house the other day and one of my kids was playing a video game (Need for Speed-Shift). She was excited because she had unlocked a challenge race between a Ford GT and a Viper SRT-10. This game is loaded with great cars, but these were among the elite. Video games have a big impact on kids and adults that play them and they remember that when they see those cars in real life.

There are plenty of guys I work with driving Corvettes, a couple of them new Z06s. Nobody says anything to those guys about their cars but I alway catch the comments about the Viper. I tried to tell one of them that his Tahoe, or my daily driver for that matter, cost more than the Viper but I couldn't convince him. I guess I'll let him keep thinking that I spent 100k on a 14 year old Viper.

Why fight it? Let them think what they want. I don't buy a car to impress anyone, I buy what I like and what will make me happy in the long run. I bought my car with the intention of enjoying it for 6 months or so and then getting something else. That was over 3 years ago and I don't think I'll get rid of it soon. It's by far the best toy I've ever bought for myself.

As a side note, I came out of Home Depot today and saw 5 guys admiring the car. They were standing back from it as if they were afraid to get too close, which I really appreciated. You should have seen the look on their faces when I threw two bags of concrete into the trunk. You would have thought I just painted sideburns on the Mona Lisa.

 

[plumcrazy]

good post !!!

 

[PDCjonny]

It's by far the best toy I've ever bought for myself.

+1
I work at home so just a weekend toy for me, but fills a very valuable need to just get OUT and be in my own world for a few hours.
And I couldn't possibly care less what anyone else thinks of me owning them. Thats their issue not mine.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

You dont have to be rich as many owners are dealing with extended financing to have one.

 

[97GTS]

i have recommended this book to countless people over the years

Its on my nightstand right now. My DDs are either a 04 F150 or a POS 03 Neon when I don't need the truck to haul anything.
I am a FARMER by trade and when I started the farm about 2 years ago my friends and acquaintences thought I was on the skids (I have a degree in Radiology and used to work in the operating room).
All of the sudden I start driving the Viper around (12 year old car that I spent 2 years restoring) and everyone thinks I am getting rich selling blueberries which couldn't be farther from the truth. We are middle income America but we aren't stupid with our money. Our credit scores are in the 8 and 900s because we don't buy everything in sight and we ALWAYS pay our bills on time.
The Viper is a luxury but very few know exactly the $$$ that I have in the car. You can't hardly buy a new car of any kind for what I have in this one.
I have the Viper not to impress anyone but because I am a car guy. I love working on it (because I can) and driving it because I EARNED it.


Ron

 

[Hayabusa]

It is an interesting side effect of ownership. If I'm dealing with an @$$.... I just stare at the questioner without blinking. Gets the message across. For the high school kid who blurts the question, I give them a serious answer about how I did it. Education, learning a trade, hard work/effort/planning a career...you know...the American Way...work hard/be smart/don't screw the next guy...

The "you're so lucky to have the money" comments really demonstrate why these folks don't get it. Like others here I paid my way through school and busted my butt to earn the money to attain my dream car. It's not "luck".

At 53 years old I am now paying taxes to "bail out" all sorts of irresponsible and/or unethical knuckleheads ("I didn't read the mortgage paperwork and the guy said the rate was good for" ...."my 2 bedroom house in NJ is worth $500K so I'm going to take giant equity loans for vacations and big screen TV's and"...."let's just tell the investors to do XYZ and by the time they figure it out we'll figure something out"). I feel for those who are truly in a bind and do my share to donate time and materials to help (grew up a tough family situation, I get it). For the others, what happened to the concepts of responsibility and accountability?

Life is short. I enjoy what I've earned and can't control the current tax situation. The nasty, miserable, entitlement minded, short term thinking, "I gotz no luck" people out there will never get it. Spend a few minutes talking to the starry eyed kids. Hopefully some of them can be positively influenced.

It's Sunday, cold and salty out there on the roads of NJ so I'm going out to the garage and enjoy just being around the fruits of my labor. Cheers!!!

 

[RapidTransit]

At 53 years old I am now paying taxes to "bail out" all sorts of irresponsible and/or unethical knuckleheads ("I didn't read the mortgage paperwork and the guy said the rate was good for" ...."my 2 bedroom house in NJ is worth $500K so I'm going to take giant equity loans for vacations and big screen TV's and"...."let's just tell the investors to do XYZ and by the time they figure it out we'll figure something out"). I feel for those who are truly in a bind and do my share to donate time and materials to help (grew up a tough family situation, I get it). For the others, what happened to the concepts of responsibility and accountability?

Life is short. I enjoy what I've earned and can't control the current tax situation. The nasty, miserable, entitlement minded, short term thinking, "I gotz no luck" people out there will never get it. Spend a few minutes talking to the starry eyed kids. Hopefully some of them can be positively influenced.



I can't agree with you more......

 

[PhoenixGTS]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: if this is a problem then move to Scottsdale (or Newport - maybe even Miami - not sure about that, never been there). When you drive a Viper here everything thinks you are poor because you don't have a Ferrari, Lambo, Aston Martin or even AMG.

 

[ViperGal]

I was one of those people. The Viper was always my dream car but I thought I never would be able to aford one. Then, two years ago, I decided to actually look and see if I could pull it off... and it turned out I could!

seems like there is a message in there somewhere....


Glad you have your toy now!

 

[BigBadViper]

So someone thinks you are rich, or poor, so what. Even if you were rich, is that really a bad thing?

It isn't difficult to get into one of these things, I was offered 15 year financing on mine. However they aren't the most practical car on the road.

 

[Flash Gordon]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: if this is a problem then move to Scottsdale (or Newport - maybe even Miami - not sure about that, never been there). When you drive a Viper here everything thinks you are poor because you don't have a Ferrari, Lambo, Aston Martin or even AMG.

Yeah, I see where you're going with that... I would suspect, though, that a Viper would still do just fine... especially when F's and L's are a dime a dozen...

 

[Ricketts]

I'm just a your average guy here myself. I'm far far from rich.

 

[BigBadViper]

I'm just a your average guy here myself. I'm far far from rich.

Liar... All you Viper owners are rich

 

[eliems]

Rich compared to ....

 

[BolsOut]

I am rich....it must just be you.

I make about the same as most of the people in my position at work. People ask where I get all my money so I tell them "hookers and blow, we have party packages".

I'll have to try that one.

 

[Twister]

ethe "rich" word just means so many differant things to differant people...

I have a good paying Goverment job..I make less than 6 figures but still all in all great pay by my standards..

My wife owns a liquor store and brings home 3x more than I do a month..

To me my wife is rich...Like I said she makes 3x's more than me and I would have to stay with my agency for 20 more yers and get promoted atleaste 2 more times to even be close to what she brings home a month..

But some of my friends also own buisnesses and they make 3x more than my wife...

While my wife and i are thinking about a used 50K Viper and a 3K wood floor for my house..They are buying several 85K cars and haveing everything in their house redone at the same time...


My point is that yea my co workers think Im rich because I have a nsx/viper and actually own a decent house in a decent neiborhood here in hawaii.....

But in the big picture I feel as if we are average..And sometimes feel dirt poor

 

[Freddog11]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: if this is a problem then move to Scottsdale (or Newport - maybe even Miami - not sure about that, never been there). When you drive a Viper here everything thinks you are poor because you don't have a Ferrari, Lambo, Aston Martin or even AMG.

So true. I was born and raised in the Scottsdale/Camelback Mountain area. Two of my friends in high school drove Ferraris to school. One of them wrecked his and his daddy bought him a new one. Despite the money that many people have, Scottsdale is still the national headquarters of the 30 Thousand Dollar Millionaires Club.

 

[Fatboy 18]

You have to be rich to buy the aftermarket parts and tires


What I do love about the Viper though is its one of those cars that gets you into places, it sits up their with the Top Super cars and that's fine by me

 

[v10enomous]

Just brought mine home last night... I'm fair game now for my 16 and 19 year olds... In their minds I will never be able to say NO to anything they ask for again because I'm Rich now... Raises are 1.2% this year where I work if you even get one...

I've been working since I'm 14 years old. Bought my first car 1970 SS 396 Chevelle with my own money when I was 16 1/2...$1,600 back in 1976...

I'm not looking for any grief from anyone over this but I fully expect it.

 

[gofastr]

I watched a tv program about super yachts. It took 3 tank trucks to refuel it at $50,000. THAT'S RICH!!!!!!!

 

[PhoenixGTS]

I watched a tv program about super yachts. It took 3 tank trucks to refuel it at $50,000. THAT'S RICH!!!!!!!

If I sit on my back patio I can watch planes take off from Scottsdale municipal airport (11k takes offs and landings per month IIRC). On Sundays there is an endless line of biz jets taking off - from straight wing Citations to G5s and Challengers. To me, THOSE people are rich, but I sure that the guy who is using a percentage of his NetJet membership for the flight sees a guys who actualy owns a G5 and is envious. There is no end. There is always someone with more. Always. So what I do is tell people who ask that I only paid $40k for my Viper and the market for the cars has really tanked so it is not worth that much anymore and they should look into picking one up. That seems to work. The "rich" guys with the Lambos & Ferraris snicker, but they don't do it out loud as they know the American muscle will embarass them hard when gas pedals go down.

 

[Johnbennett]

I get the same thing whenever I drive either my '99 RT/10 or my '09 ACR to an umpire assignment which I do very seldom. Whether it's a travel ball (ASA), high school, or college game and I am noticed by people in the parking lot, the typical reaction is "wow, we must be paying you umpires too much money."

I just laugh and say the umpire fees barely pay for the gas. Most people are pretty nice about it and don't seem to be really complaining or jealous. But I do love my Vipers!!

 

[xlrashn]

I get the same thing whenever I drive either my '99 RT/10 or my '09 ACR to an umpire assignment which I do very seldom. Whether it's a travel ball (ASA), high school, or college game and I am noticed by people in the parking lot, the typical reaction is "wow, we must be paying you umpires too much money."

I just laugh and say the umpire fees barely pay for the gas. Most people are pretty nice about it and don't seem to be really complaining or jealous. But I do love my Vipers!!

Please tell me that you park far enough away to eliminate the risk of that occasional foul ball hitting them

 

[lh4x4]

I'm not rich. I just had my goals set for when I retired. Now I am doing it the way I planned and worked 42 years for.

When my wife and are are cruising up along the Mississippi River to have a picnic lunch on the bluffs of the Mississippi Palisades Park in our Viper on a sunny fall day when the leaves are in full color, then I might feel wealthy.

 

[mousetom78]

I am rick james ***** .... I AM RICH. My viper payment is under 450/mo and I got it in 2008 when I was 29. insurance for viper is about 2000 a year. I have a camaro z28 and altima also but they are paid off. My car payment and insurance are lower than most people are paying on their new Toyotas so I dont feel rich.

 

[Bolt]

Viper owners must be rich?

Own it and enjoy it!

You don't see bag ladys driving vipers. But then again maybe bag ladys use to drive Vipers! Hmm,,,,

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

I was rich. Then I discovered cars and girls. Been poor ever since.

 

[lagalaxy13]

Right away he says wow it must be "nice to be rich". Every where i go i get that and i gets a little annoying. Only if peopel knew my daily driver was a 99 vw jetta Vipers!!!

I Know right where your coming from. I drive a 93 Ford Ranger everyday. If 98% of those people where thrifty with there money they could own one too.