Went to Look at a 2001 GTS... Questions ?

[v10enomous]

Car looked good but had a number of issues...

It's a salvage (rebuildable) title. 19,000 miles. Car is stored under a cover in the yard and not insured or driven much for 4 years.

Car started and drove nicely but there was an occasional high pitched belt squeal which was frustrating the owner because he replaced the serpentine belt an pulley ?

He said that the check engine light had just come on and I noticed that the oil pressure gauge was pegged at 80...?

Car had a custom hood with the grills reversed... It looked to have a few bubbles.

All 4 rims had scraping on the edges and it had the original tires.

Air conditiong was also blowing warm..

It was missing the side Viper emblems and the E from the rear Viper emblem...

What do you guys think ?

 

[KNG SNKE]

 

[v10enomous]

Here ya go..

Dodge : Viper:eBay Motors (item 190339506549 end time Oct-11-09 19:30:00 PDT)

 

[TAILWAG]

For ALL the issues mentioned, I figured the price would be much lower...

 

[KNG SNKE]

That hood doesn't look custom. Just looks like the vents are backwards. Kinda odd.

 

[Next Phase]

Personally, I would pass on a car w/ a salvage title unless you plan on keeping it forever and paying cash.

 

[Red Snake]

Major hood gap issues at the front corners too.




I would stay away from it at that price.

 

[eucharistos]

that hood (or front bumper cover) is jacked up will it be a driver? are you handy (a wrencher)? can you get it up on a wrack before buying? if it stays near the current price and no major problems, would make a nice dd. i wouldn't buy for much more than current price

 

[v10enomous]

I'm looking for a weekend fair weather car... The hood gap looked a lot better after he closed the hood after I had a look under there...

My big concerns were the check engine light, Oil gauge, a/c and the belt squeal...

 

[KNG SNKE]

Belt squeel is nothing, should be an easy fix. Oil gauge might be a really clogged oil filter. check engine might be a problem, just get a code reader.

I'm looking for a weekend fair weather car... The hood gap looked a lot better after he closed the hood after I had a look under there...

My big concerns were the check engine light, Oil gauge, a/c and the belt squeal...

 

[BlackSnake99]

why on earth would you reverse your hood vents?

At 24 maybe, but be prepared to find big (expensive) issues. But, you may get lucky.

 

[terminator02]

The ad is pretty shady as does the condition of the car. He says he has a sapphire/silver car that he is "waiting until the market tanks further"...so he can lose more money on it? Doesn't sound smart. He alludes that this car is an investment in the ad as well. From what I gather, any investment potential is shot when you have a salvage.

You can get a non-salvage right now for just over 30k so why spend 24 and have a 30k salvage car once you fix it up?

 

[BlackSnake99]

You can get a non-salvage right now for just over 30k so why spend 24 and have a 30k salvage car once you fix it up?

thats a good point.

 

[v10enomous]

The ad is pretty shady as does the condition of the car. He says he has a sapphire/silver car that he is "waiting until the market tanks further"...so he can lose more money on it? Doesn't sound smart. He alludes that this car is an investment in the ad as well. From what I gather, any investment potential is shot when you have a salvage.

You can get a non-salvage right now for just over 30k so why spend 24 and have a 30k salvage car once you fix it up?

That's what I'm thinking... The saphire/silver car looked to be about the same condition...also salvage but modded and tracked... He's keeping that one...

 

[viper02]

Man, I would turn left, punch it and get as far away from that car as possible. I've had two Vipers. An RT/10 and my 01GTS. There are a lot of nice Vipers out there...now. It's a buyer's market. Take your time, and CHILL. You'll find your car.
Viper 02

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Belt squeel is nothing, should be an easy fix. Oil gauge might be a really clogged oil filter. check engine might be a problem, just get a code reader.

The pressure is measured downstream of the filter, so can't be a clogged filter. It could be the sending unit wire is shorted to ground, which should produce a "max" reading.

The CEL issues are emissions-related, so while difficult and/or possibly expensive, they are not life threatening. For $100 you can buy a CEL and you might want one anyway.

If the title paper work is complete; i.e. you buy it, you can register it and drive it, then it seems like lots of 5-min jobs (reverse the vents, buy some emblems) make it go from "stupid owner" to normal pretty quick. I love project cars that only take a little homework and things you can fix on your own time.

Biggest question - why the salvage title?

 

[Leslie]

If I was going to keep it and never resell it, I would go for it, but it would have to be <$25K for me.

If I knew at some point I might want to sell it, I would look at other Vipers.

There are so many great cars here on the site that the history is known.

JMHO, have fun looking for your new Viper, that's half the fun.

 

[Warfang]

Id only get it as a track car... hold up with duct tape over the years until it falls apart completely.

 

[RTTTTed]

The 'custom hood' probably means that he's purchased an aftermark hood. I've seen aftermarket hoods for $6,000 and stockers new are worth $18,000 and up. Aftermarket hoods are usually about 40# less. Turn the vents around and they should be OK.

His comment was that "when the economy tanks even further he may have to sell his Sapphire Viper as well" (to me) means that he needs to sell this Viper as he can no longer afford to keep it.

Seem OK but I would pay for an independant check up. He said tires and wheels are good, but if they're more than 4 years old I'd drive really careful until I bought a set of new PS2s for it.

I try and recommend a Vendor but where is Bergen County? New York, Texas?

Ted

 

[RTTTTed]

I should add that the 24K price is what I would pay - as stated by Leslie. Borrow a code reader from a friend and check the engine code.

Ted

 

[kenmo]

I say get another set of eyes out there with you. Get it on a lift and take a GOOD look at it....as some have pointed out, there are things that don't look right on the car. Hood vents, gaps, and the stripes don't line up. If someone repaired it to look like that, it's likely they took shortcuts underneath.

As others said, the dude sounds shady. He left a Viper outside and uninsured for several years? Personally, I've been pretty picky about cars AND previous owners. That would be a red flag to me.

Lastly, I've eyed ebay Vipers for quite some time. The salvage title cars always seem to get relisted...meaning they don't hit reserve, or people flake out on the auction. Make him an offer...if he doesn't take it, leave him your contact info. That's how I got my Viper (minus the salvage title).

I went and looked at a $25K 1997 b/w GTS off of craigslist. Too good to be true, of course. Car was located in the ghetto, parked on this dude's front lawn in front of a house that was likely worth less than his Viper. Car smelled like mildew inside, half the car was shiny, half was oxidized. It had a "custom interior" that was absolutely hideous. Scratches everywhere, etc. I talked to the guy a while, had him show me the title, even started it up. He offered to go for a test drive and I kindly said that I was looking for something in better shape. However, I threw out an offer of $18K, which he refused, and I was on my way.

Unless it's a smoking deal, I'd pass on vehicles like this. Save up a few more months and buy this winter when the prices drop even further

 

[RTTTTed]

Another thing to keep in mind is that my 98 GTS sold for $17,375 at auction AFTER I wrote it off. Front end was toast, Hood busted, front frame was bent, nose gone, rad and oil cooler torn out, no headlights, impact on front wheel. 29,000 mi and Roe supercharged engine.

Ted

 

[eucharistos]

the buyer was probably excited to be able to say his auction car was once owned by rtttted

 

[RTTTTed]

the buyer was probably excited to be able to say his auction car was once owned by rtttted

Perhaps I did up the value of it a little. Once I lost control and the car was spinning, I turned the wheel back and forth, stood on the brakes and let the pedal go, revved it up and took my foot off the throttle. Nothing I did made any difference so I shut the engine off. When crashing and the oil cooler and rad were torn out of the car ... there was no engine damage because I'd turned it off. I supplied a Notorized statement for this as well.

I think that increased my insurance payout for the car. After head-0n with the Semi

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Ted

 

[BlackSnake99]

Perhaps I did up the value of it a little. Once I lost control and the car was spinning, I turned the wheel back and forth, stood on the brakes and let the pedal go, revved it up and took my foot off the throttle. Nothing I did made any difference so I shut the engine off. When crashing and the oil cooler and rad were torn out of the car ... there was no engine damage because I'd turned it off. I supplied a Notorized statement for this as well.

I think that increased my insurance payout for the car. After head-0n with the Semi

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Ted

ouch

 

[RTTTTed]

Not the first time I should have died but it sure shows why I believe in God and Guardian Angels. Head-on'd the loaded Semi at 60mph.

Ted

 

[Fatboy 18]

Glad you walked away ok

Mark

 

[zracer196]

Wow...And to think a car like mine sells for $35K!

I would wait and spend a few more dollars for the perfect car and not have any additional surprises...

My .02!

GOOD LUCK with your search!!

 

[TAXIMAN1]

wow... who put that car back together.. Stevie Wonder..?? Look at the body gaps in the front...

move on... ask anyone who has purchased a salvage car for their "honest opinion". They are never right again.. You'll be fighting with that car for year to make it right.. In this market you can grab a nice GTS for $30 grand. clean title, no paint work..

 

[plumcrazy]

i see no problem with buying a salvage car at the right price. but these cars are just about worthless these days and a nice GTS can be found for 30K or less.

its close enough to me, if you are really stuck on this car, i might have time friday afternoon or saturday am. let me know.