Viper pricing

[Viper 8251]

I have been looking at vipers for the last year or so and I just can’t wrap my head around the pricing of them. I would like a 2001 or 2009 but for what people want for them I can get a 2014 for like 10-20k more which is a little out of my range for a few more years. I have made a few reasonable offers on some but people won’t budge makes me almost not want one now bc people think their vipers are “rare” and want classic car money. What are your guys thoughts on this?

 

[steve e]

They are, and as time go's by the price will go up. I think they make more Corvettes in one year than all the years they made Vipers put together, and if I am wrong I bet its not to far off. And old Corvettes I think are going for more then when they were new, but if I am wrong I bet its not to far off with that to.

 

[MoparMap]

I was surprised at where prices have gone recently, but I also hadn't looked in quite a while. Back when I got mine you could find a handful of gen 3s in the upper 30s and lower 40s and now it looks like most are mid to upper 40s. Not sure where I see prices going in the long run though. The ending of production surely created a quick spike in prices as they are "in the news" and people want one before they think they can't get them, but at the same time I wonder if prices won't slide back down a little after a few years when they aren't being talked about as much.

 

[lane_viper]

I was seeing this as well, and was getting frustrated. I always pictured the Viper as the attainable dream car. I stuck to my budget, but it took me almost 2 years of looking at least weekly to find the Viper for me.

Since I bought mine last year, prices have gone up even more. No way I could replace mine at the price I paid.

Stay diligent and hopefully luck will be on your side.

 

[Viper 8251]

Yes I agree that most years they we’re pretty limited. Acr cars I get 200ish is a very low number. But i think I have settled on 2013 with a track pack in a few years as long as they drop a little or hell stay the same price. Then maybe one day I will be able to afford that gen 2 ACR one day.

 

[MoparMap]

I think the gen 5 prices have room to come down in the long run. They are still more or less "new" cars, so I don't think they've really seen the bottom of their depreciation curve. Gen 1 and 2 prices are the ones that confuse me. The gen 2s seem way high to me and gen 1s seem way low. I get that the gen 2 is way more useable and that it was the first coupe, but I really would have thought the first generation would have carried more weight than the gen 2.

 

[Viper 8251]

I agree. I think it may have something to do with the just raw car issue that it doesn’t seem to be made super well and now by today’s standards it is slow. But if you somehow have a 92 then you have a super rare car.

 

[Bill W]

I went to a car show the other day and saw a 1967 corvette with a sign on it that said only 22,900 made. Had to chuckle. My '02 roadster is one of 545 made...ever. Red with black interior: 139 made. There were only around 30,000 Vipers made in 25 years. In 2016 more than 40,000 corvettes were made alone. Lots of folks talk about increased values on Vipers and it's all a matter of opinion...mostly. I think the Gen I and Gen ll roadsters will eventually become the most valuable (with exceptions of certain rare Viper models) because they only made that body style for 10 years, while coupes were produced from 1996 to 2017 with the exception of Gen lll convertables. While I never bought my car as an investment, it's nice to see values go up. My opinion is that early roadsters will become true collector cars ten to fifteen years from now. The older they get, the more collectability they will have.

 

[MoparMap]

I agree. I think it may have something to do with the just raw car issue that it doesn’t seem to be made super well and now by today’s standards it is slow. But if you somehow have a 92 then you have a super rare car.

Yeah, I think I agree with that to some degree. In a sense you are getting "less car" with a gen 1, so I can understand how they would be cheaper. The build quality and whatnot really isn't the same, so I can see how they would be worth less in that regard. Still surprises me that they don't carry a little more weight as "the first" though.

 

[steve e]

Just wait you will see, the first few years of Corvettes were made like crap, look what they go for now, first Vipers were made much better in comparison, so like anything in the old car collectors market it will go up, even old every day cars are worth a lot now.

 

[Viper 8251]

Well I agree it looks like the gen 1 were made better than gen 5 from most of the stuff I have read.

 

[steve e]

I don't think so, the newer the Viper the better they became, my 95 is a great car my 99 is even better and I am sure a 2017 is great, now what year you like best and find the coolest in your eye is a whole different story. I lot of what you hear is fake news, there is also CNNs in the auto world.

 

[razviper]

As a long time car collector (vipers, classic muscle, Ferraris, classic Japanese) i will give you a piece of advice. Prices (where there is tremendous upside) that might seem high now, are really relative bargains. Do your research, find the car you are wanting i.e. brand, model, production numbers, etc. and when you find "that car" buy the very best example you can afford and don't look back.

I trade for a living and we have a saying, "bottom pickers only get smelly fingers"
Yes, i realize that is tacky, but it is very true. If you have some savings and you can afford a 35k car then get a loan for the remaining and enjoy the ride.

Good luck

 

[HobokenViper]

While I always expected Viper prices to rise after production ended in 2017, I have been very pleasantly surprised at just how much pricing has gone up in such a short time. I do have sympathy for anyone wanting to buy one and waiting for them to depreciate, yet the opposite happened instead, but I only see prices increasing further over the next few years and beyond.
I bought my 2008 about 7 years ago and am happy to say the value has remained fairly stable during that time and is starting to go back up now, and my 2017 ACR that I ordered as a special 1 of 1 car has blown my mind in how much it went up in the past couple years. I am pleasantly surprised at the crazy values ACR’s have been fetching at the big auctions like Barrett Jackson this past year, and some of the high prices well into the $200k range and up, that some private sales have gone for that I’ve heard about this year as well.
My 2 sense on why values shot up so fast and will continue to rise are as follows.....

1. The Viper in any form over the years is a very rare car (especially considering all the ones that were already wrecked thru the years by people who didn’t know how to drive them properly).
2. The Viper is the poster child of what makes a car highly sought after and collectible, causing rising values, in that it is not only rare, but it is the last of so many things in an age when cars are all becoming digital over analog, automatic dual clutch vs manual transmission, turbo/hybrid/electric vs naturally aspirated, reducing the number of cylinders and displacement vs a massive 8.4 liter V10, etc..... The Viper in almost all forms presents us with the last of all these things and more, which was the fastest street legal production car in the world on the racetrack in its final and highest form as the 2016-2017 ACR Extreme (and as a manual!!!) until the Performante and GR2 RS dethroned it on the Nurburgring circuit. As sports/supercars continue to go hybrid and electric, they are all starting to lose their “souls”, and the Viper arguably offers one of the most unique and exciting driving experiences with a TON of soul with that manual & roaring V10 under the hood!

Long story short, these cars are all fantastic, and are still a bargain in most forms today compared to where values are heading in the coming years. You can still find a few bargains out there from uneducated sellers who don’t know what they have, but that will continue to dwindle over time as the demand will continue to grow for an ever dwindling supply of an already rare car. My advice to anyone considering a Viper purchase is to buy now as I am very certain that values are only going in one direction going forward (to varying degrees depending on the year and version of Viper), and that is UP. And for all members of this forum who own a Viper, this is all a very good thing that we should all be happy about and embrace, instead of try to argue against these facts and try to devalue our cars. I will never understand the mindset of an owner who gets angry or upset, and even argues against the rising values and praise their car(s) are experiencing. We are lucky to own very special and unique cars that hold their value very well, and are now even possibly making you money over time! How can anyone argue this is a bad thing.....?!

 

[Purdue_Boiler_Viper]

I think you are misinterpreting the actions of most Gen 2 owners. I bought my 2001 Gen 2 GTS Viper used in 2005. I could have bought a Gen 3 for less, but I liked the Gen 2 better, so I paid more for what I wanted. Most Viper owners do not buy the car as a daily driver. They have enough money to buy a fun car that mostly sits in the garage waiting for a nice day to drive. Such owners are not in a hurry to sell. If they decide to sell, they are probably ambivalent about giving up their favorite toy. If a buyer makes an offer for less than the asking price, such owners are inclined to decline. As for how "rare" any given Viper is, just consider your search. I bet you have looked nationwide. I did. If I had been interested in a Vette, I could have looked at many within a 20 mile radius of home.

 

[DukemNukem30]

You have to consider what you are saying in your original question... you have looked for over a year now and still can’t find one for what you WANT to pay. Very rare will someone let one go under value.
My Gen 3 FE (Blue/white) is worth more now with 10,000 more miles than it was when I purchased it 3 years ago. I saw this coming years ago and jumped on it when I had the chance.
Get one before it’s ever harder.

 

[Daniel SRT-10]

I for one am proud to own a viper, Yes I intentionally did over pay, it took me a year to find a blue and white without those rediculous blue leather accents pieces in the interior and even got a little screwed on it’s physical condition but I forget all that when I’m driving it.

If you want a gen 2 in grate condition you are looking to pay a lot expecially if by some miracle it hasn’t been in an accident. Just so you know car fax isn’t a guarantee the vehicle hasn’t been in an accident( the vehicle might not have been reported threw the insurance company). 1 in 5 vipers never make it home from the dealership without wrecking. You have to do some serious research on the vehicale to make sure it hasn’t been wrecked. Also you will pay more for the gen 2 because it’s the style that the majority favors with its more pronounced curves.

I’d say Gen 3,4 are probably what you should be looking for, gen 4 has a better tranny and they got ride of the cross over pipe that cooks the pasanger. Gen 3,4 are reasonably priced, relatively speaking.

Gen 5 I would stay away from , I think I’ve heard there being some issues with the engine, and the launch control is worthless, more likely to throw you in a ditch then down the road and god forbid you ever have a front end collision, that hood it something like 12 grand.

A viper isn’t a corvette, It takes allot to own a viper. Mostly money, insurance can be a killer for some and there are several insurance company’s that won’t even carry a viper because of the risk. The car it self is naturally suicidal, I’ve been cruising on the high way and hit a curve part In the road and the vehicale tried to throw it self off the road, the vehical doesn’t like concrete it will get squirrelly on it and finally unless you just plan to baby it you better know or learn how to drive. I nick named mine “The Beast” since it takes every bit of my driving skill to keep it on the road going fast around turns, also named it that because it has a full Belanger exhaust which is ear damaging loud, noise readings get as high as 130 decibels. Kinda feels like I’m driving a NASCAR

 

[djviper]

when the average person thinks "viper" they think of the gen1/2 style... so that will be the one that keeps going up in value, so even if it seems overpriced now, you'll lose less in depreciation (or gain more in appreciation) if you buy a gen1/2.

I sold my superlow mile mint 1999 RT a few years back and only got around 32k for it, prices for the same car are now approaching 40.

 

[CigarKing]

These are the prices for SRT10 Roadster:

2001: 30k Miles - Trade-In $34k - Retail 48k

2009: 20k Miles - Trade-In $43k - Retail $52k

Now you can make an educated offer.

 

[Viper 8251]

I suppose what caused my original post was some dealers were saying they had 1of1 vipers when it was just a gts with mods so they could jack the price up and I cannot believe that gen 3 and4 are so expensive considering they had the most models made. I understand that the vipers are much rarer than I have recently thought I would never buy a vette. All good points have been made I finally found that a 2014 ish would be perfect for me. It is just so hard for me to choose I want them all. Unfortunately I have to wait till I move back to the mainland In a few years I was gonna buy one site unseen but after looking at a couple low mile examples here in Hawaii I see how that people can’t be trusted and most dealers have no idea what they are looking at. So I suppose you guys are right I will just have to bite the bullet and after driving a gen 3 I can only imagine what a gen v will be like. Thanks for all the Input. And finally I want the viper gift that exact reason it is a drivers car I am buying to mostly fulfill my childhood fantasy and keep it in my garage and just look at y anyway and maybe Take her out a few weekends a month.

 

[Viper 8251]

These are the prices for SRT10 Roadster:

2001: 30k Miles - Trade-In $34k - Retail 48k

2009: 20k Miles - Trade-In $43k - Retail $52k

Now you can make an educated offer.

Thanks for that but if I haven’t seen a 2009 for under 65k and now that I can’t trust buying one site unseen i have to reduce my searches to when I go I. Vacation.

 

[geno]

I have been looking at vipers for the last year or so and I just can’t wrap my head around the pricing of them. I would like a 2001 or 2009 but for what people want for them I can get a 2014 for like 10-20k more which is a little out of my range for a few more years. I have made a few reasonable offers on some but people won’t budge makes me almost not want one now bc people think their vipers are “rare” and want classic car money. What are your guys thoughts on this?

 

[geno]

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I have seen pricing all over the place. The car, miles and condition will set the pricing more often than not. Color preference will drive the price up also. I have my 2005 Yellow Viper for sale because I am moving to Florida and I am selling some of my car collection because I won't have a place to store them. I have attached some pics of my car

 

[97BlueWhite4Sale]

My 1997 GTS, blue/white stripes just went on auction at Bring a Trailer. Check it out. Very well maintained and Never raced!

 

[DJ'sviper]

I have never felt the viper community has given the Gen 1 its real value. Sure the others following were better. But it was the first. So why would a collector be more interested in a higher up Gen other than it was more desirable because it was faster and built better and that is why they can sell it to the viper community for more? It seems a collector would be looking at a car for different reasons of purchasing than a community that valued a car on how fast it goes on the track. Sure those reasons of future Gen's have value. But none of them can say they were the first Generation. I think the attitude of the viper community has kept the Gen 1's price down. You are going to have a real surprise (when there are less than 500 left because they were wrecked) and the real collectors can't find them, the prices go up past all the Gen's except the special editions like the ACR's, etc. Wanting to have and collect is different than wanting to have and drive.

 

[Viper 8251]

Where is the 05 at and that’s a beautiful car. I will also check out the auction thanks guys.

 

[John333]

Presently, I believe the majority of Viper buyers are choosing a Viper due to their passion for the car, a collectable they will drive. This drives preferences (pun intended). When Vipers start to become too valuable to drive, like the Cobra and to a lesser extent the Shelby are now, the buyer population will shift from driver to collector. When this time comes, I'm sure we will see a fairly dramatic rise in Gen1 values. As a former Sheby owner and Shelby American Automobile Club member from the late 70s to mid 80s, I remember how our community lamented the rise in values. Fewer and fewer car were being driven, seen at meets, cruises, etc. Be sure to enjoy this time while it lasts and get your Gen1 now.

 

[JB1022]

Hello, I just registered for this Viper Community. I too have been looking for over a year for a Gen 1. I have been taking my time looking, learning and researching. I am primarily looking for a 1-2 owner unmolested Viper and am willing to accept mileage in the 50k range if the head gaskets have been changed out and the car has been meticulously serviced and cared for. A year ago $29k was about the norm. Now $24-$25k seems about the norm for a viper in decent shape with 30k in mileage. I too am curious about the drop in values. I am not a flipper and at 59 the Viper is the last car on my list of many cars I have owned over the years. As some posters have said buy the Viper, drive the Viper, and enjoy the Viper. This is what I intend to do but in chasing cars over the many years I have not witnessed a fluctuation like this. Thanks again for letting me and join!

 

[MoparMap]

I think a lot of it is that the Viper community is one that really likes driving compared to other clubs I have been a part of. Strangely enough the Vette club I was in seemed to be more worried about driving their cars in anything but the best weather. They were a nice bunch and and older crowd that was more of a social club, but it never felt like they enjoyed driving as much as owning. That's one reason I've always liked Vipers, the people they attract have a similar mindset to me and really enjoy driving.

 

[Viper 8251]

Yup I will want to drive it but it will be hard for me to. I mean if I even get a scratch or a dent on my mustang I lose my mind. I could only imagine if it happened to my viper. I might just buy one and put it in a blow up bubble so I can just look at it haha. Also I am terrified to buy one and ship to Hawaii I wouldn’t be able to handle any damage to it.