Will demand for 02's be really high because of the new 03' styling?

[jwwiii]

Will demand for 02\'s be really high because of the new 03\' styling?

I posted previously but did not hear from you folks. What do you think? Should a person order now if they aren't really crazy about the new style? Luckily, I have a new Viper, but I am wondering if I should order another before it is too late.

I think the new Viper is going to be great, but twelve years ago or so when I saw the first artists drawing of the Viper in Car and Driver, I knew I was going to have one. It took a while, but I would own this car just to look at it. It is such a stunning machine. Any opinions? I am sure I will own the new style at some point, but I will have to see it in person. People who have say it looks great.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[Frank Parise]

Re: Will demand for 02\'s be really high because of the new 03\' styling?

Here come the flames again. GEN I and GEN II Vipers are awesome today, but they will be technologically obsolete compared to the GEN III Viper. The GEN III Viper should be significantly superior in terms of performance. That will drive buyers' emotions moreso than the change in syling.

Hopefully there are are enough owner/enthusiasts passionate about the styling of the older Vipers that they will provide the price support needed to maintain reasonable market values on the pre-03 models.

My prediction: Watch how fast we move from everyone sniveling about the new styling to an all-out scramble to sell the older versions and buy the new. Watch prices on GEN II Vipers drop compared to GEN III Vipers in the same fashion that GEN I Vipers dropped in comparison to GEN II Vipers. I hope I'm wrong, but I would think Dodge will have a real hard time selling the last batch of 01 Vipers and any of the 02 Vipers. I guess you call this being a victim of their own success.

My flame-resistant clothing is now on. Fire away.

 

[Venom Lover]

Re: Will demand for 02\'s be really high because of the new 03\' styling?

Ok, I've been assiduosly avoiding the running debate on GenI/II vs. Chapter III (notice I'm using the correct terminology here!), but I can resist no longer.

A good analogy here is the 1987 GM acquisition of Lotus, after which the Esprit received a performance upgrade and a styling revision. No one complained about the replacement of Lucas electronics with Delco, nor with the introduction of an intercooler allowing more boost and thus 70 more hp (a 33% increase in power in one model year!). Many other revisions occurred, including restyled interior, introduction of ABS, etc.

In my opinion (and I owned both pre-GM ['87] and post-GM ['90] Esprits simultaneously), the post-GM cars were worth owning for the bump in performance and reliability, but the original Giugiaro body style was one of the greatest works of automotive art ever.

I believe the same is true of the Viper. The current (GenI/II) body style is going to be chalked up in the history books as one of the all time greats, along with the Esprit, Countach, Miura, Dino, etc. The jury is out on the Chapter III.

People will buy the Chapt III car for the performance, and other people will buy the GenI/II cars for the looks (like they're slow to begin with!!!). You may personally disagree with me and say I am full of it because you've seen the Chapter III car in person and it's stunning. And I may or may not think so when I finally take delivery of my Chapter III car.

Nonetheless, I can guarantee you, human nature being what it is, there is going to be a sizable percentage of people in the Viper community who will prefer the looks of the original. Some because of intrinsic resistance to change, some because they honestly prefer the original styling. I don't know which category I will fall in.

For sure there will be a strong market for the original Viper for sentimental, aesthetic, or collector's reasons; and there will be a strong market for the new Viper for performance and aesthetic reasons (e.g., people who don't like the current Viper styling who prefer the Chapt III cars, such as my buddy Bob).

The size of these various contigencies will drive the ultimate prices of the GenI/II and Chapter III cars in the after-market. We shall see, but I will not be selling my GenII car, (1) because I love it in all respects and (2) because I do not expect it to depreciate more rapidly after the introduction of Chapt III. However, I will be buying a chapter III car!

 

[jwwiii]

Re: Will demand for 02\'s be really high because of the new 03\' styling?

To Mike, Frank, and Dan;

Thanks for your replies. I expected more action sooner on my question, as I too am a second time Viper owner and lover of the current styling. I am sure that I will purchase a Gen III Viper when they come out. I know what has bugged me (or not bitten me) about the new roadster design; the lack of the roll bar!

I feel that the roll bar, or "sport cap" as they call it, is a huge visual on the Viper. I could not put my finger on why I wasn't drooling, and the roll bar was the missing link. The cabriolet look seemed to eurotise the Viper. I wish the roll bar would be re-added, and the soft top improved.

Thanks alot. Please keep responding, I appreciate the input.

Jim