Vipers and Haters

[7TH_SIGN]

Night shift is taking a beating on me so in hopes of staying awake.... Help me understand. I've owned my GEN II now for almost three years. I've taken it to a couple cars and coffee meets. I seem to run in to three types of people.

1. Those who hate Dodge/Chrysler products including the Viper. (I get stared down by the group of Corvette owners like they want to kill me, they give me that look like "who invited that guy")
2. The none American car lover. (These people only care for Imports)
3. Those who have liked the Viper from its first debut in the early 90s. (These people always complement the car) This includes Viper owners.

I work with a lot of Chevy and Ford owners and they always enjoy cracking jokes on the Viper and Chrysler.

I owned multiple Supra's before the Viper. This is my first American sports automobile. However with the Supra, it was as if everyone idolized it, even domestic owners. It was kind of annoying, especially the younger kids.

I actually enjoy the fact that the Viper is more hated then liked though. It does kind of have the "F you and your opinion" attitude. I would hate to own a car that the populace liked and approved of.

Anyways school me on this. Is it just a rivalry in American car manufactures?

 

[Camfab]

Here's what's happened in the last few years............ First off pretty much everyone idolized the Viper, especially during the early years, Gen I and Gen II. Gen III came along and people still loved them but you started hearing the is that a Vette deal every once in a while. All this time the Viper was still pretty much the king of the road. When the Ford GT came and the Chevy C6 Z-06 put a hurt'n on the Viper all bets were off. All the years of pent up inadequacy came to fruition. Now it's common on the Corvette Forums to hear nothing but hatred for that POS Viper, as if it hasn't been the wet dream of most Vette owners. It all comes down to one thing, jealousy. The best part about todays era is that now you really know who are the genuine car guys. I love any make that produces a car that appeals to me, and I appreciate any genuine gear heads ride. Everyone starts somewhere, it really doesn't matter if it's a hand me down Honda Civic or a 55 Bel Air. If I meet a kid who's got a Civic and is a geniune car nut, I'd personally rather hang with him over some ****** who bought the latest whatever and can't turn a wrench.........

 

[7TH_SIGN]

Here's what's happened in the last few years............ First off pretty much everyone idolized the Viper, especially during the early years, Gen I and Gen II. Gen III came along and people still loved them but you started hearing the is that a Vette deal every once in a while. All this time the Viper was still pretty much the king of the road. When the Ford GT came and the Chevy C6 Z-06 put a hurt'n on the Viper all bets were off. All the years of pent up inadequacy came to fruition. Now it's common on the Corvette Forums to hear nothing but hatred for that POS Viper, as if it hasn't been the wet dream of most Vette owners. It all comes down to one thing, jealousy. The best part about todays era is that now you really know who are the genuine car guys. I love any make that produces a car that appeals to me, and I appreciate any genuine gear heads ride. Everyone starts somewhere, it really doesn't matter if it's a hand me down Honda Civic or a 55 Bel Air. If I meet a kid who's got a Civic and is a geniune car nut, I'd personally rather hang with him over some ****** who bought the latest whatever and can't turn a wrench.........

Well said, I very much agree with your last point as well. I had a feeling it was more then just a manufacture hating another manufacture.

 

[viper vince]

I have had people who have said it must be nice to have a car like this and my comment is YES IT IS and that usually shuts them up! Just remember Corvettes are like A$$ holes everybody has one.

 

[Nine Ball]

It is easy to summarize this.

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[ACRSNK]

Here's what's happened in the last few years............ First off pretty much everyone idolized the Viper, especially during the early years, Gen I and Gen II. Gen III came along and people still loved them but you started hearing the is that a Vette deal every once in a while. All this time the Viper was still pretty much the king of the road. When the Ford GT came and the Chevy C6 Z-06 put a hurt'n on the Viper all bets were off. All the years of pent up inadequacy came to fruition. Now it's common on the Corvette Forums to hear nothing but hatred for that POS Viper, as if it hasn't been the wet dream of most Vette owners. It all comes down to one thing, jealousy. The best part about todays era is that now you really know who are the genuine car guys. I love any make that produces a car that appeals to me, and I appreciate any genuine gear heads ride. Everyone starts somewhere, it really doesn't matter if it's a hand me down Honda Civic or a 55 Bel Air. If I meet a kid who's got a Civic and is a geniune car nut, I'd personally rather hang with him over some ****** who bought the latest whatever and can't turn a wrench.........

X2...Well said.

 

[RT/ED]

I will start by saying that anything on four wheels that has nice body lines and timeless styling are cars to behold, i.e., Jaguar XKE, AC Cobras, etc. With that said, Corvettes are one of the absolute best bangs for the buck in American and/or European automobiles. However, Corvettes are a dime a dozen. Go to any car show and you will likely see several Corvettes. Drive in any direction, in any town and you will be hard pressed to not see at least one corvette every few miles. The rarity of the Viper based on production numbers alone puts it in an entirely different class. I have met a number of Corvette owners at car shows that are interested and excited about Vipers. I have also run into Corvette owners that are so loyal to their brand they refuse to acknowledge any other type of car, regardless of make. I feel sorry for anyone that is so narrow minded that they can't see beyond heir own fenders......their loss!

 

[Zee]

"Haters don't really hate you. They hate themselves because you're a reflection of what they wish to be." - unknown

 

[EllowViper]

I have a new guy in the office and he's on the fence regarding a Viper. Has had a lot of USA muscle cars and is trying to decide btwn GEN-II and GEN-III. So of course he asks me how I like my GEN-II. I've learned not to BS anyone contemplating a Viper...since its not really a normal car by standard definition. I told him its loud, uncomfortable, twitchy on the road, hot, and not enjoyable to drive unless you are out to "take it for a drive" and you have to actually think about the decision to start the thing up and take it out on the road. You commit to driving it...even just around the block. I guess that might be why its a hater's car...since those that hate actually understand what it takes to own a Viper, the committment beyond the purchase price (unlike any other similar car IMO) and they aren't cut from that sort of "cloth of committment." So they hate on you since you are a reflection of what the car portends to be. A very primal reaction in many ways. Like my one cat. It just has to hiss at the other cat when it walks by. No reason to, it just does.

 

[danfromohio]

That's the beauty of it. Love it or hate it. You can't ignore it.

 

[FrankBarba]

Same As it Ever Was

 

[ViperJohn]

My experience has been the opposite, more people like the car than hate it.

 

[gb66gth]

Here's what's happened in the last few years............ First off pretty much everyone idolized the Viper, especially during the early years, Gen I and Gen II. Gen III came along and people still loved them but you started hearing the is that a Vette deal every once in a while. All this time the Viper was still pretty much the king of the road. When the Ford GT came and the Chevy C6 Z-06 put a hurt'n on the Viper all bets were off. All the years of pent up inadequacy came to fruition. Now it's common on the Corvette Forums to hear nothing but hatred for that POS Viper, as if it hasn't been the wet dream of most Vette owners. It all comes down to one thing, jealousy. The best part about todays era is that now you really know who are the genuine car guys. I love any make that produces a car that appeals to me, and I appreciate any genuine gear heads ride. Everyone starts somewhere, it really doesn't matter if it's a hand me down Honda Civic or a 55 Bel Air. If I meet a kid who's got a Civic and is a geniune car nut, I'd personally rather hang with him over some ****** who bought the latest whatever and can't turn a wrench.........

Ditto!

 

[Free2go]

I never get anybody haytin on my car, that I'm aware of anyway. Had this lady once...maybe in her sixties...pull up next to me at a stop light. She said "I sure hope your enjoying yourself in that noisy thing". I said "what"? As soon as she started to repeat herself I started revving the engine. I'm telling you, the Viper is pure sex on wheels. The only other car that makes my balls tingle is the La Ferrari...and it's out of my league.

 

[denniskgb]

No hating here either in NJ. seems like people are more curious than anything else.

 

[Endeka]

Lot of worry about nothing. One, tons of Corvette owners have nothing but positive things to say about Vipers-because they own both, like me, or hope to own both one day. Even the ones that don't own a Viper have generally laudatory things to say about them, with the only real exception being the Gen III which, as you pointed out, was pretty much completely overshadowed by the 2006 Z06 (not that it's anything to be ashamed of, that car stomped so much European ass they had to import more colons from Japan to keep up with the demand).

Here in Eastern PA/NJ, I've never gotten any hate for the Viper, and I definitely have for the Corvette. There are no exotics in these parts, except one guy I see heading for New York on 22E only on Wednesdays in a 360 pretty regularly, but he's never on my side of the road . Kids love it. Adults love it. My neighbors love it. Everyone loves it.

It's cool.

 

[BW96snake]

I don't know.. I could care less about some ***** who tried to have an attitude..

I bought the car I wanted.. If I wanted a Corvette, I would have bought one... The same is true for Corvette owners.. they could have dropped the $ on a Viper if they so wished.
Point is, respect that people want different toys.. anything else just shows that they are idiots, immature or both.

 

[slysnake]

I actually enjoy the fact that the Viper is more hated then liked though

I have come accross a few haters in my seven years of ownership, but they are very few compared to the people that like the car.

 

[sanguissaevus]

Here's what's happened in the last few years............ First off pretty much everyone idolized the Viper, especially during the early years, Gen I and Gen II. Gen III came along and people still loved them but you started hearing the is that a Vette deal every once in a while. All this time the Viper was still pretty much the king of the road. When the Ford GT came and the Chevy C6 Z-06 put a hurt'n on the Viper all bets were off. All the years of pent up inadequacy came to fruition. Now it's common on the Corvette Forums to hear nothing but hatred for that POS Viper, as if it hasn't been the wet dream of most Vette owners. It all comes down to one thing, jealousy. The best part about todays era is that now you really know who are the genuine car guys. I love any make that produces a car that appeals to me, and I appreciate any genuine gear heads ride. Everyone starts somewhere, it really doesn't matter if it's a hand me down Honda Civic or a 55 Bel Air. If I meet a kid who's got a Civic and is a geniune car nut, I'd personally rather hang with him over some ****** who bought the latest whatever and can't turn a wrench.........

+1 Most any car, if loved by a gear head is cool. I think that if Viper never hit the scene Ford and Chevy would still be putting out the mediocre sports cars they were before then. Chevy seamed to be content with loosing to comparisons with Porsche as long as they were the only American contender. Viper came along and started embarrassing both brands giving Chevy the motivation to stand and fight. As far as my personal interactions in the little over a year I've had mine, I haven't had one person say anything negative. I regularly get strangers walk up to me and complement her. In fact, I'm more shocked if nobody approaches me about her. It's that common an occurrence.

 

[terminator02]

I don't find this true at all; especially over at corvette forums. I find they dig the Viper (though don't prefer it) more than viper owners dig corvettes. In Metro Detroit you see everything from vettes, porsches to lambos and Ferraris (Birmingham/Bloomfield/Royal Oak etc) and even lambo guys think the Gen II viper is the best deal for an exotic/performance car out there. I briefly chatted it up with a very wealthy Porsche owner who thinks the viper is a gorgeous car. I get nothing but thumbs up from them.

I find viper owners to be more cynical and these forums to ridicule other offerings more vehemently than on other sites. GT-500 cars which are very expensive are "just mustangs" and Z06 and ZR1 cars are "just vettes." If any hating is going on to the viper it is mostly online. Maybe people don't like the old interiors or they find them uncomfortable which is understandable. I think the new C7 vettes are awesome; even in base form. Even when they litter the streets in a few years and the z06 debuts, I think it's an awesome car to get in the 40s when they are heavily discounted.

But I don't care about what people think really. If anything I can't stand that many people think I am a rich pretentious D bag when that is not the case...I'm just a D bag

 

[Camfab]

Like everything in life, you've got people who get jealous over anything they don't have. You also meet people who are truly passionate about something, it really doesn't matter the object or subject, the passion takes over. Years ago I had a Corvette, loved it, wrenched on it but never really wanted to join any kind of club. I like going to an occasional car show, not to show my car, but to hang out and check out everyone's rides. The local Corvette club was super nice to and asked me to come to a club meeting. I never did go to any of their meetings.
Some time later I sold the Corvette and purchased the Viper, I saw the same guys at the local coffee shop on a morning while I was in the Viper. I walked by and said hello, they actually snubbed me and said we are a Corvette club. I couldn't believe it, not the kind of people I would ever want to hang with. Clearly it's not a Corvette thing, it's a personal issue. To prove that point, at my first VOI, VOI 9 which was in Vegas we were at the track for the group Viper photo. Way in the back one of the guys had an SRT Neon, a group of Viper guys started screaming like a bunch of entitled babies to get that damn Neon out of the photo. Very similar to a five year old having a temper tantrum. I also witnessed two guys comes as close as you can come to blows over a demand that the Viper be available with an automatic trans during a technical seminar. Yes there are tools in all walks of life, but in the last ten years I have noted a substantial hatred toward the Viper, particularly in the Corvette groups.

 

[BlackSnake99]

Anyways school me on this. Is it just a rivalry in American car manufactures?

I would wager that I go to the same C&C events you do. I have never had anybody say anything negative to me about my car. Not once.



Maybe it's my 'Bust on my Viper and I'll beat you to death with a brick' t-shirt....

 

[Free2go]

I'm pretty damn sure you would have to be a full on tool to be at a car event amongst gear heads and talk crap about ANY car...period. Could get bad for your health. And BS99, your one of the biggest VCA snipers in the Alley. What are you doing posting here? Talk about a tool....

 

[Blainne]

I sold my Z06 for a Viper because I wanted something not seen as much. I like both cars and like all cars. If you hate any car your really not a real car guy but a 'tool' who buys cars for a status symbol.

 

[BlackSnake99]

I'm pretty damn sure you would have to be a full on tool to be at a car event amongst gear heads and talk crap about ANY car...period. Could get bad for your health. And BS99, your one of the biggest VCA snipers in the Alley. What are you doing posting here? Talk about a tool....

It's 'you're'.

 

[Free2go]

Yes. And your going against Alley protocol by posting here. Although I miss your sense of humor (a lot), it's not without a touch of irony that all the hard work and anarchy from you and others in the Alley to help kick start the VOA did nothing more than create a safe and fertile environment for KrateDisease and TrannyFox to thrive in. Bwaaaaaaahahahahahahahaha!

 

[BlackSnake99]

Yes. And your going against Alley protocol by posting here. Although I miss your sense of humor (a lot), it's not without a touch of irony that all the hard work and anarchy from you and others in the Alley to help kick start the VOA did nothing more than create a safe and fertile environment for KrateDisease and TrannyFox to thrive in. Bwaaaaaaahahahahahahahaha!

I know of no Alley protocol. Fill me in.


PS- I am just as much a non-member on the VOA as I am a non-member here. I'm an equal opportunity non-joiner. On a lighter note, I dig the new 'Viper owner' designation.

 

[SRT09]

I find most people hating know very little about it, have never even been in a Viper, and don't have a car in that price range. Just my 2 cents!

 

[steve e]

I find most people hating know very little about it, have never even been in a Viper, and don't have a car in that price range. Just my 2 cents!

Thats funny and true. Here in NJ most like the Viper, most haters are just little trolls that surf the internet and have no life or even a car. I feel bad for haters, they miss out on so many cool cars that are out there, when I am at a car show of any kind I am a kid in a candy store

 

[MoparMap]

Lately I've finally come to understand women's obsession with shoes and purses to some degree. I've found the same thing applies to me and cars. It's fun to have a car for every situation. Unfortunately I don't have the money or space to get all the cool cars out there I'd want, but the more I'm around them the more I find I like some variety. I have an old base model 71 Vette (my first car) that's mostly stock that's just a fun city cruiser and not that fast. I built a 67 Dart with a 5.7 Hemi and a T56 that was originally going to be a street legal drag car, but has since turned into more of a touring car setup (minus modern suspension, lol). The Viper is the balls to the wall car for when I really feel like going fast, but it's also the DD since it's the most capable car of the three (aka it will drive in rain without leaking through every seam and has a good heater and A/C). I sold an XKR Jag to my brother's girlfriend to buy the Viper, but it had the radiator tank crack a few weeks back so it was back in the driveway while I worked on it for her. I have to say, seeing it around again a lot and sitting in it makes me really want to get a GT cruiser kind of car again.

Long story short, every car has its merits. Some just make you drool for sheer looks, some give you "eargasms" with the engine noise, others are just heroes from your childhood that you'd love to own one day. My brother would still rather keep his beat up 94 Dakota and sell his newer 2000 Dakota then the other way around.