Which model year is best?

[PDCjonny]

:I would rather have a creampuff than a flakie , they are faster, smoother and more efficient from the factory, that is on top of a better interior and ABS, plus your paint won't bubble up and flake off!

Well they are certainly not faster, but your right about the smoother . Dunno what more efficent means, and the '98 has the textured dash and the lighter weight tubular headers. I will say it is terrible being saddled with having the real lumpy cam, it's rough and sounds like a muscle car beast. People ask if you have had engine work done just because of the nasty idle. No one would want that sound in a Viper. Much better to have that desirable smooth, dare I say creamy , idle....

 

[hemibeep]

The 97's handle impacts the best
<======
But the best advise is to find one of each and go for a test ride. All of the other differences will be on the back burner once you pick RT or GTS. Then go for the color. You would not be disappointed with any year.

now, what year did the good stereo's come in? ?

 

[Purdue_Boiler_Viper]

Choose your model (Coupe vs. Convertible) first. Then, the color. Even if you don't think you will mod it, you will. But you can safely mod any year and get enough HP and TQ to kill yourself. Enjoy! BTW, yellow, GTS, Gen II are fabulous! Makes you into an instant rock star. ABS works great in the snow.... Just kidding..

 

[SidewinderGTS]

1997 best motor quickest viper

I bought the 97, anyone knows why its the quickest?

 

[V 10 MAFIA]

If you really must know:
92 RT/10 very collectable..has antenna

98 R/T 10 any color

97 R/T Blue/White strip...Only made around 50 of them
Very Very Collectable

96 GTS Blue/White Stripe
Very Collectable..hard to find low mileage for under $50

96 GTS White Body Blue Stripe
Extremely Collectable....Only made about 5 cars I think for the Dodge
Executives.

I swear my previous stock 98 R/T 10 was faster than my stock current 99
R/T 10. I think because the 98 had the more aggressive 708 cam.

Honestly I think all year Vipers are great in their own way. I think it is important for you to take the time to decide exactly what you are looking for. The people on this forum are extremely helpful(except when I ask them for a photo of a viper logo) but anyway, the more info you can tell us on what features your looking for, the better we can explain pro's and con's of each year produced. Good Luck, don't rush buying, we're here to help.

 

[Dan_Auito]

Let's pose this question according to cash instead (Thanks Andrew) Which car would you buy if the wife said you could spend $60,000? LOL

 

[Dan_Auito]

Let's pose the question this way. Which car would you buy if the wife said you could spend $60,000 on it. LOL (Thanks Andrew!)

 

[Dan_Auito]

O.K. Let's go this route. Which car year would you buy if you had $60,000 to spend?

 

[V 10 MAFIA]

IMO No Doubt 97 R/T 10 Blue/White Stripe if your a convertible guy.

 

[JUCD VPR]

99" is the best IMO but i like them all

 

[Dan_Auito]

Well, I'll be looking closely at the 97's and 99's as a result of all the advice here. Thanks for everything fellas, I'll let you know what shakes out down the road on this one.

 

[Blue Batmobile]

2000gts .

Bat™

 

[KC]

I said it in the begining I'll say it again 1997

but any year will do as long as its a gts

 

[VENOMAHOLIC]

Check the classifieds in this website. A 2000 GTS ACR with 9k miles colored red with silver srtipes. Under 60k with room to haggle still. Good luck.

 

[Dan_Auito]

I'm going with my original insights as well as gut feelings at this point and will probably hunt down a 97/RT for $60,000 or less if that is possible?

 

[Got Venom]

It is really sad that we have to tear up each person's car just to always find the best. Imagine if we lined up all of our wives and decided there could only be one good one, and the rest have to leave??? Hey maybe I stumbled onto something here?? Anyway, e-mail [email protected] and buy his book. It will explain everything to you about all Vipers, without all of the personal bias going on here.

 

[Randy]

Well, I'll be looking closely at the 97's and 99's as a result of all the advice here.

Sounds like a mistake... You can likely get an '00 or '01, and perhaps a higher mileage '02 for $60k.

 

[Randy]

The 97's handle impacts the best
<======
But the best advise is to find one of each and go for a test ride. All of the other differences will be on the back burner once you pick RT or GTS. Then go for the color. You would not be disappointed with any year.

now, what year did the good stereo's come in? ?

Best advice yet. Decide what is important to you - Its really impossible to say which is the best Gen II year without knowing what you want, because the slight differences may or may not matter to you.

If you want the year with all of the improvements and options and probably higher resale value outside of the collectible models, you want an '01 or '02. However, those are going to be the most expensive, in general. If ABS isn't important to you versus price, go for the '00, or keep backing up a year until you get into your price range. Also, if color is important, you may have to select a certain year or among certain years (I had to choose '99 or '00 to get black, so I chose a '00). If you're going for collectibility, go for the '96 blue/white coupe, or even more rare is the 100-run GT2.

Such was my predicament a few years ago when I was replacing my '95. I had a definite price range and a preference for a black RT/10, and no interest in collectibility as I intended to drive it as much as I could. While I was interested in ABS, I wasn't too worried about getting it as I'm aware that you can brake better without ABS in some situations. I was aware that there was a slight power increase with the new pistons (and had seen dyno runs of fellow club members that backed it up), and intentionally chose the '00 model over the '99 model partly for this reason (I still find it sadly amusing the number of people in this forum that get upset about this, and would try to make you beleive otherwise). If you plan to perform power increases/modifications on your car, then go ahead and go for an older/less expensive car as long as it has the other features you want, and save your money for your mods. You can find the highlights of the year model differences here: http://ivr.viperclub.org/features.php as well as Maurice's book (which I had a small hand in proofreading).

As far as the stereos, I beleive there's only been one model of stereo installed stock in the Gen II (and one different model installed in the Gen 1, also), but I bet you already knew that.

 

[Randy]

1997 best motor quickest viper

I bought the 97, anyone knows why its the quickest?

Well, since it isn't the quickest, I'd guess that'd be a big "no".

 

[TwinTurboed]

92 hands down. only 285 made I think.ONLY 17 OR 18 FOR ALL OF CANADA!

 

[Matt]

Let's pose this question according to cash instead (Thanks Andrew) Which car would you buy if the wife said you could spend $60,000? LOL

I didn't really have a set budget but when it came down to it, I chose a mint '97 Blue/White GTS. It was less than $60K so your wife would approve.

You must be registered for see images

 

[Dan_Auito]

O.K. as mentioned I'll probably stick with the 97' now for the final stupid question from the F.N.G.(lol) What are the significant differences between the RT and the GTS models. (I know I could probably research this) but I want the man on the street's answers here, not some design engineers over complicated version.

Thanks again fellas for the time it takes to dwell on these questions, it is helping me along the road to Viperdom! Dan

 

[Joseph Houss]

RT/10 vs GTS

Same chassis, same engine

RT/10 = Different rear (cosmetic) and of course, canvas roof with hardtop (canvas roof can be stored in trunk, hard top stays in the garage when not in use). A bit less aerodynamic.

GTS = Double bubble non removeable coupe styling, different rear end treatment, a bit more stowage space, more headroom (also, a bit easier to enter/exit, as the door opening is rounded)

All the posts have been great! Personal preference should guide you, and of course, if color is important, certain years will offer certain opportunities.

Good luck!

 

[Dan_Auito]

White over blue 97 RT. That's for me! Thanks again everyone, I feel much more assured of my original decision.

 

[LW VIPER]

AAARRRGGGG, this is getting tougher by the minute. I'LL TAKE ONE OF EACH! (I WISH) O.K. Mastiff mentioned the 99 model is for purists so I like that idea but does that mean the 97 was refined to much to be considered all muscle too. (I'm an old vette owner, and mopar too!

I would go for the high cam rumble and grumble of a 96 if the roof doesn't leak.

Color scheme? Hmmm, How about something in a stealth like camo/sky grey! Heh Heh Heh

Black or Blue with the silver stripes would be my colors.

Well, I'm still leaning towards the 97 which is probably gen II but since this isn't going to be a daily driver I wouldn't be opposed to the 96 which I think would be a gen I.

Does the 96 come in blue or black? Thanks again guys & (gals).

I had a 96 in Black with silver stripes. Nice looking with rear exit exhaust pipes. Didn't care for the windows or top (RT/10) Otherwise great car.

Like my 03 much better. Better top, with built in windows. Better seats, more power, better brakes, more expensive. Some people don't think the 03 and later models are aggressive enough in design (clam shell front hood replaced by standard front hood, and so on)

I don't think you can go wrong.

 

[santo]

I think one of the important points to make for potential Viper purchasers is that the models offered are not the typical tiered "step-up" variety like most other car models. The "GT" isn't better and costs more than the "SL", for example. The difference between the RT/10 and the GTS or the SRT-10 and SRT-10 Coupe are purely aesthetic and you don't get more in one than the other. You either get "open road" driving or a roof over your head. Mechanically, they are the same. Once you decide on one of the two, it's a matter of deciding the year. Here is where there are some changes to watch out for and not all years have all colours.

Either way, both haul asp

Hope this helps,
Santo

 

[charlesj]

if it's a viper, it is the best. if i had the financial means & storage, i would have one for every year. the only dilemma then is color... but we all know the blue/whites are the best. lol...

 

[KMODStang]

Not to try and interupt his questions, but I have one of my own, from a potential Viper buyer. I know in 00 they went from forged internals to cast, but how much of a difference does this make when the car responds to boost? I am interested in getting a Viper that I can turbo, so how do the two compare when responding to boost? Also, I saw that Randy wrote that he had seen dyno runs proving that the 00 and newer dynoed better numbers. How much was this gain? How did these numbers translate into quartermile times. I know I want a GTS mainly for cosmetic reasons. Thanks for any input. I already appreciate everything I have learned from this forum.

 

[2000gtsgsxr1000]

Hey Dan,this is Dave from landlord website.I guess you are serious.97-99 rt will go for 40,000- 55,000 depending on mileage and mods.The main thing is to check the car close.Go see it in person or have one of us check it out.Mine was reward for all the work we do and B.S. we put up with.Its pretty nice to know my tenants bought me a Viper.Good luck and check back soon.

 

[Forged Horsemen]

If you really must know:
92 RT/10 very collectable..has antenna

98 R/T 10 any color

97 R/T Blue/White strip...Only made around 50 of them
Very Very Collectable

96 GTS Blue/White Stripe
Very Collectable..hard to find low mileage for under $50

96 GTS White Body Blue Stripe
Extremely Collectable....Only made about 5 cars I think for the Dodge
Executives.
Lets not forget the 95 "Last 300 with side exhaust." run. I had one and what made this one even more rare was the odd color combo. Red with tan interior. Two pretty rare options or details on that year Viper.
I swear my previous stock 98 R/T 10 was faster than my stock current 99
R/T 10. I think because the 98 had the more aggressive 708 cam.

Honestly I think all year Vipers are great in their own way. I think it is important for you to take the time to decide exactly what you are looking for. The people on this forum are extremely helpful(except when I ask them for a photo of a viper logo) but anyway, the more info you can tell us on what features your looking for, the better we can explain pro's and con's of each year produced. Good Luck, don't rush buying, we're here to help.