What to look for in a used 99-02 GTS/ACR?

[Coloviper]

Hey I am posting in the GEN II section.

Sold my 2006 GEN III Coupe last month (miss it already) and may have a posibility to get into a used 1999 GTS/ACR potentially in a partial trade for another car (1969 Mach 1) in my small collection. This would be the first GEN II, I would have owned, and would like to ask what do I need to look out for on a used GEN II/ACR? I don't have enough money to get into a newer GEN Coupe with my serious health issues that hit me earlier in the year and I want to be in a coupe again so for the time being a GEN II GTS/ACR should fill the bill.

The used GEN II GTS/ACR I am looking at has around 30,000 miles, is solid red, has all original pieces included, only mods are vinyl stripes, cat-back and aluminum HVAC knobs, all documentation (even full service history) with the car. It is way over in Southern California so I am having to rely on pictures and the honor system as the dealership is very reputable. Price is just under $40,000. It looks in great shape, no accidents, body lines are very tight and it is just clean, clean, clean. Car has been on EBAY, Autotrader, etc. for quite awhile so maybe I am missing something. California license plate was 99 ACR, in case anyone is familiar with the car; just PM me and let me know.

What do I need to look out for on a used 99-02 GEN II GTS/ACR? I ask about 00-02 as well because if this does not come though on this car, I will still be looking for a used GTS/ACR of another year. Only interested in Red, Silver, Saphire Blue, Steel Gray or Graphite Gray (stripes preferred but not a requirement) but has to be one that has no mods or minor bolt on mods and is all original for the most part or could be returned to all original easily if need be. Miles, as long as well kept with a full service history, the number of miles do not scare me. My dream GTS/ACR is a 1999 Silver with Blue Stripes, but those are rare, seem to most all be wrecked or modified heavily lowering that number even more. The ones I am aware of, the price is not on this planet, so they are out of reach.

If anyone knows of one that the owner or dealership might be interested in a partial trade, please PM me. I don't have alot of extra cash to put into it beyond my car, but it should be enough to cover a reasonable price differential and transports. BTW, my 1969 Mach 1 is mint with vast majority of parts being NOS. Would sell it outright if someone was interested. Not a concourse restoration, but an extremely good one built to be a driver. Have owned it for over 25+ years and am into it all that tme for close to $50K. Of course it is not worth that in today's market but then again it is still in the $30s car range somewhere.

Thanks fellows! Never thought I would be posting in the GEN I/II section after owning my GEN III Coupe. Love all Vipers, but our financial situation took a major beating due to health issues this year. My lovely and understanding wife is freaking out that we are now Viperless and may have to be out of the VCA due to no car. She and I love the people and the Club. She is theone pushing me to get the small collection down to just cars I actually drive, not any garage queens.

Any help is appreciated guys.

 

[AZTVR]

The typical stuff would be possible sagging doors, 2001 water pump issue, power steering pulley and bracket, tight crankshaft pulley bolt, rear hatch lift cylinders worn out, broken wires in driver's door jamb, window weather stripping on the vertical door stanchion coming loose, overflow bottle in fascia cracked/leaking. All pretty easily rectified but can annoy a new owner.

 

[NI-KA]

I went from a GEN III to a GEN II.

GEN IIs are aging. I would consider that fact and that maintnenace items may increase.

Items to consider.

The items mentioned in previous post and
The A/C o-rings may need replaced and A/C re-charged.
Week hood springs.
The Dynamics suspenion dampers are notorious for leaking. They can be re-built.
The rubber motor mounts will likely need replaced, as well as, the tranny mount.
The "A" arm rubber bushings might be due for replacement - the cars are getting old.

Good luck on your search.

 

[Coloviper]

Thanks guys!

Some of these items I was able to pick up on from reading old posts and some of them are things I had not thought of. Sounds like there are some notorious items common to all 97-02 GTSs I need to look out for as general aging issues.

Wish I could just get a new GEN V but it is not going to happen in the forseable future.

Anything else that can be determined from certain pictures or angles?

 

[AZTVR]

Anything else that can be determined from certain pictures or angles?

I will state the obvious. The ACR should have the BBS wheels with plastic center caps that have Sneaky Pete on them in silver on a black background. A close in shot of the flat area adjacent to the lug nuts, should show the BBS serial number in crisp lettering. If not crisp, then the wheel is refinshed/repainted. Not a terrible thing if well done; but, a negotiating point. It should have the ACR logo'ed 5 point seat belts in addition to the DOT approved lap/shoulder belts, and a little ACR plaque on the console. A 99 should have the uprated Koni shocks and 2001-2002 should have the Dynamics Suspensions shocks. I am not sure of where the changeover point was. Very rare to find an ACR without radio and AC option added and many have had the foglights added.

 

[Frank Parise]

Perspective from old-time washed up Viper racer...

Owned two different gen II ACRs. Recommend you speak to previous owner(s) before making purchase. Understand past history of the car. Also recommend you find a CA VCA member to do an inspection if you don't want to do it yourself.

This is not a low mileage ACR. How many miles are track miles? Replacing tranny or diff is big dollars. Recommend Arrow engine rebuild after 50 track hours (about 4000-5000 miles). New tires with current date stamps (PS2) are about $1850 from tire rack. The high dollar options on the ACR are the shocks and wheels which you want to have in great condition. Your racing harnesses are likely out of date and will not pass tech inspection at the track. You will want to change all fluids unless you have written documentation that it has already been done. If previous owner has been messing with ride heights, your car probably needs a four wheel alignment.

Judging from your avatar it looks like you enjoy track time. Consider spending much less on a lower mileage non ACR GTS and buy yourself some track wheels, brakes, and shocks. You'll have money in your pocket and faster lap times.

Just purchased a 2002 rt10 with under 1000 original miles. Have already spent $4000 on new tires, fluids, filters, etc. purchasing from private party out of state saved me nearly 10% in sales taxes. Check how it works in your state.

Good luck, the gen II is a beautiful car!

 

[Coloviper]

Thanks Guys;

My Avatar is my 10 minutes of fame and only track time I have ever had, ever. It was at VOI11. And YES I did enjoy it; still dream about it. I doubt I will be tracking anything much at all.

The ACR I am looking at appears to not have been on a track from what I can tell and the seller says I was all highway miles. Thre ar no stone chips or any of the like on the paint so I think I may be okay here. The BBS rims and tires are as Jim expressed and are in great original shape. Car has newer PS tires on it, correct Sneaky Pete center caps in blck with silver/chrome looking Pete. The five point ACR harnesses are there, fog lights are still deleted, ACR plaque in place, A/C is on KN Intake appears to be all original. Appears exactly as the original window sticker included with the car. Original stereo still there. Underhood looks as factory fresh as when new, again from the pictures. Service history does not show anything out of the oridinary and regular maintenance was performed. I will still do coolant flushes, rear diff flush, brakes, etc., etc. if this deal works out and I get the car.

As far as tax, with the trade on my Mach 1, I only pay CO taxes on the difference.

I am not sure of the suspension settings but the car appears to not be hammered into the ground so I would have to guess the Konis are still on default 1 setting and still factory ride height. Finally, I agree for a track car 30k miles would be insane, but for a street car, that works out to an average of 2,300 miles per year. For a street car, I would not consider that excessive. Compared to my 8,300 miles I put on my GEN III Coupe in 6 years, that is about double but I never drove mine much.

Thanks guys for the help. If anyone thinks of anything else, just let me know.
Rick

 

[DrTaco]

Here ya go...

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Hope it helps.


For what it's worth. I LOVE my GEN II and have no desire for any other gen. Good luck and have fun!

 

[tricky nicky]

seen that car on autotrader for a while. FYI that dealer has used the same interior pictures for different vipers over the last few months.

 

[MTGTS]

It's probably already been said but check the shocks as they are probably leaking. 1999 had Koni's and 2000-2002 had DS's, both had issues

 

[DrumrBoy]

It's probably already been said but check the shocks as they are probably leaking. 1999 had Koni's and 2000-2002 had DS's, both had issues

In my experience, the shocks are expensive to have rebuilt, moreso even than Penske's or Motons. Check these carefully for any leaking or non-dampening (in case ALL the fluid is gone).

 

[Coloviper]

Thanks guys;

If Koni shocks are shot, looks like $1K to have them rebuilt and recharged. I am still waiting to hear back from the seller on the car today. Nothing yet, then again I threw a bunch of questions at him on most all this stuff. Guess we will see how interested he really is! If it doesn't work out, I will be looking again. I could just sell the Mach 1 outright, but don't have time for all the tire kickers, etc.

 

[Coloviper]

After all the talk with the Seller, Seller decided he just didn't want to deal in an older car. Fair enough but now back on the hunt for something. I hate going through the whole trading BS and who has time and patience for all the tire kickers, etc.

It is too bad as I was offering a very fair trade in, plus a good chuck of cash. Maybe it is not in the cards for me to be back in a Viper? Can't complain as I am still breathing after all the medical issues his spring but still frustrating.

 

[Alan]

You must be registered for see images attach

I just bought a 1999 GTS ACR. It came with air and sound system. Noticed immediately sagging doors, lumber badder did not inflate. Its a 13 year old car, shocks are tired, struts in deck lid flat. Other than that its is great shape (9K miles) and runs very strong.

 

[Coloviper]

Nice car Alan!

I am still looking hard but not finding any takers for a potential trade. Unfortunate since my 69' Mach 1 is in such great shape with NOS parts etc. and I am being extremely fair on the price in a trade scenerio, I am really suprised by the non interest to try to work something out. Most used Vipers seem to be at dealers that only deal in newer cars or exotics for trade in.

Not looking good for me to be back in the VCA family at the end of the year as we will be Viperless. I really would like to still stay on, but medical issues forced my hand on my 06' I had from new. At this point, if there was a great GTS non-ACR I would probably look seriously at it on trade, but I don't see anyone knocking my door down there with a potential either. My only stipulation is no Black. I just can't live again with a Black vehicle. I swore never again! It is frustrating me much more than it should these days as in reality it is only a car, but I am a passionate guy.

Rick

 

[Coloviper]

Well after speaking with over a dozen GEN II GTS owners and 6 potential Viper deals the past few weeks where I tried to work with the seller on a trade and realistic additional significant cash and transport fees on my end type of sale, only to get a late answer after deep thought on their end and excitment wanied when they asked their wives, I have just decided to give up on GEN II potential ownership, keep the 1969 Mach 1 and fix it up a bit more to drive it more reliability at altitude with FAST EFI kit, rear disc brakes, etc. I came down to way, way below market value price on the Mach 1 in effort to push a trade but I am just not going to give it away anymore after almost $50K into it as the car is worth more than I went down to.

Have to say my personal opinion is most Viper owners really do not want to sell their cars despite being up for sale.

Oh well, anyway it was all fun while it lasted but guess this will be our last year in the VCA for now (maybe forever if I am never in another position to buy one with our family hopefully on the way which is very realistic; too bad you could not still be a member of the VCA on past ownership credentials as I really do not want to leave the club (stupid rule anyway)). My venture into the GEN II section and potential ownership has been short lived.

Thanks for the help anyway fellows, the best to you all in the future.
Rick

 

[01sapphirebob]

Dont give up. Of you want one get it. Just private sell the mustang and then get the viper. .

 

[Viper98912]

Finding somone to take a trade on a car (a specific, rare old car at that) is very very difficult. I don't think that it's people not wanting to sell their cars, it's that you're not bringing money, you're bringing something else they don't want.

 

[Camfab]

Like most things, if you wait things tend to work themselves out. Really spending even more money on a car that you already have 50K invested in, may not be the smartest move. Sell the car, as bad as you want a Gen II there is a guy who wants your car. Usually when your selling in order to buy, it seems the market is never in your favor. It's in your head, and that's why used car dealers always come out on top. Take your time and sell the Mustang, believe me, someone really wants that car.

 

[Coloviper]

Thanks guys!

 

[shooter_t1]

Did you try Viper Exchange or any other of the big 5 Viper dealers. While Bernie might not have a deal for you, he has a line on most Gen 2 ACR's and might even know of someone looking for a 69 Mach 1. Worth a phone call at least. Hope it works out for you.