1995 Viper with 66k miles

[pieceeofchum]

Hello,

I am looking at purchasing a 1995 Dodge Viper with 66k miles on it and is owned my a mechanic. I wanted to see if anyone could advise me on what to look out for with the car. I also wanted to find out what I should pay for it 66k is a lot of miles but the car seems to be very well maintained and in very good condition and is original, other than the stereo and tires, with the original windows and top. It is green with grey interior, interior is in very good condition no tares and regular amount of wear.

Thanks

[Special Ed]

Oh yes it's worn out. 3000 miles a year is total abuse.

[dave6666]

Oh yes it's worn out. 3000 miles a year is total abuse.

^^^ this. People don't realize how dumb the "It's a lot of miles!" statement is until someone actually pauses 3 seconds and does the math.


Anywho. It's a car. Just like any other car. Look for what you would look for on cars. Inquire to see if the head gaskets have been changed to MLS from the factory paper ones. I might even be convinced to call that an... *gasp*... upgrade lol.

[SlowPoke McGee]

Hello,

I am looking at purchasing a 1995 Dodge Viper with 66k miles on it and is owned my a mechanic. I wanted to see if anyone could advise me on what to look out for with the car. I also wanted to find out what I should pay for it 66k is a lot of miles but the car seems to be very well maintained and in very good condition and is original, other than the stereo and tires, with the original windows and top. It is green with grey interior, interior is in very good condition no tares and regular amount of wear.

Thanks

I think anything south of $25k US is a bargain.
Check age of tires. Head gaskets but also valve cover gaskets. Hard to check hoses but expect to need to replace those if they are original. Motor/tranny mounts. A word of warning on the Gen 1's. Parts are becoming very hard to find...
I've also noticed the green vipers sometimes take a bit longer to sell so you may have a bargaining chip there...

[Bill Pemberton]

More important than the miles is age. Folks seem surprised they have to do things to older Vipers, but the key is they are " Older Cars!" We have essentially a 22 year old car and folks seem shocked it needs things, when the same is normally true of a 22 year old ( Vette, Porsche, Ferrari , feel free to insert your favorite sports car). Folks usually are concerned about the head gaskets , since they are a well known concern, but by this time that is often been done ( even more than once in some cases ). The real concerns should be things like possible bubbles in the side sills that look like paint issues, but in reality is metal electrolysis from dissimilar metal contact -- those sidesills can be super expensive , as not always can they be repaired. Cracks in the hood ( they actually look like hairs in the paint) , lots of other gaskets and seals due to age, throttle body adjustments and repairs, end link bushings, and on and on. It is not uncommon for someone to spend 5-10K to get an old Viper up to snuff ( not including tires which are tough to find ). Enough said , but so many forget all the things to check and then find themselves fixing a lot of stuff on Gen 1 , ending up having enough to maybe get a Gen II -- but there again, age and parts cost can be an issue.

[pieceeofchum]

Thanks for everyone's input. I don't mean to suggest that a car with 66k miles on it is a lot of miles what I meant is that there are a lot of purchase options out there for low mile Vipers so that may impact what I should pay. I realize that it doesn't mean that the car is over-used or greatly affected by those miles assuming it was well cared for and maintained. I actually think that the car has the "right" number of miles on it as it has been used and so don't have to worry about damage due to being stored and idle too long. Also, this Viper is local so I can go check it out other I have been looking at are way to far for me to inspect and I would have to find a reliable mechanic in those areas for example California for one of them and that is not appealing to me. I am looking at this as both a little investment and for my own personal enjoyment for the next 6-10 years.

[ACRSNK]

If the car is mechanically sound, has had the head gaskets replaced along with details on the maintenance received over the years and looks to be in nice shape overall, then low $20's would be a good deal. You will be hard pressed to find a better value and car that you can have more fun with at that number.

Also...don't put a lot of stock in the fact that the car is owned by a mechanic. Some mechanics take horrible care of their own cars, even though they have the knowledge to do a good job. You should still look over the car thoroughly.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[goodee]

I bought my 2000 GTS with 129k on it since it was within my price range. Honestly, I was shopping for a C5 Z06 because I knew Gen2 GTS Vipers (my personal favorite) were out of my price range. Then I came across this one at Roanoke Dodge and it came with all the paperwork from the day it was new.

Since buying it I have put probably another $2500 in it including new radiator, hoses, O2 sensor, tires, etc. I am very pleased with my purchase.

[Drummerviper]

I had almost that exact same car. 95 green/grey Viper . I put 50k plus mileage on it till 2000. Never an issue -- but that's 17 years ago and stuff ages. If you like it get it but do it with the knowledge that it's 22 years old and things age.

[ViperDC]

If the car is mechanically sound, has had the head gaskets replaced along with details on the maintenance received over the years and looks to be in nice shape overall, then low $20's would be a good deal. You will be hard pressed to find a better value and car that you can have more fun with at that number.

Agreed. I paid $22k for my first RT10 and it had 65k miles on it. Car ran good but I made sure it had the head gaskets done, etc. I drove it for a year, put 7k miles on it and sold it for what I paid for it. Low 20s would be a good buy. Nothing beats the cool factor per dollar at that point.

[pieceeofchum]

I checked this car out tonight and there were a few issues. The price is firm at $24,900. The tires are bald and need to be replaced right away. The leather is cracked on the side bolsters of the driver's seat. There are some paint chips and a couple of minor body imperfections. The black coating on the inside of the trunk is pealing off and is quite bad not sure how that can be fixed. Everything else is very good not sure though that the value is there for the price. I think for a 1995 Viper with 66k miles where the owner is asking 24,900 that it would be in just a little better shape and have tires with at least some tread. Looking for thought from others on the price with these issues. Also there was a layer of grease all over the engine I wonder if this is a sign of gasket failure.

[ViperTim]

I had almost that exact same car. 95 green/grey Viper . I put 50k plus mileage on it till 2000. Never an issue -- but that's 17 years ago and stuff ages. If you like it get it but do it with the knowledge that it's 22 years old and things age.

Agreed.
I think the age will be a bigger culprit than miles.

I bought mine as a 25k mile car. Age has taken bigger toll on it than the miles, no doubt. And 25k miles or 66k miles, honestly with a car built like a truck as these it probably barely matters.

[98RedGTS]

Can you elaborate on body imperfections? I would expect some seat wear and chips in the paint since the car has actually been used but are you talking about cracks or misalignment? First thing to do would be to price out some tires and to see if you can even get a set right now (they go in and out of production all the time). You can then factor that in with the rest of the things. For the grease, it sounds more like a valve cover gasket as a head gasket is more a problem with the cooling system. Did you take pics?

[pieceeofchum]

26252262532625426255
26256Can you elaborate on body imperfections? I would expect some seat wear and chips in the paint since the car has actually been used but are you talking about cracks or misalignment? First thing to do would be to price out some tires and to see if you can even get a set right now (they go in and out of production all the time). You can then factor that in with the rest of the things. For the grease, it sounds more like a valve cover gasket as a head gasket is more a problem with the cooling system. Did you take pics?


The body has some chips in the paint. A small gauge in the plastic of the passenger side exhaust. The engine had what appeared to be a thin layer of grease or something like that but had no smell and was not dark so it didn't show up on the pictures. The seat has some cracking but I think that it can be repaired for low dollars. Most of the pics I took didn't come out very well because there wasn't a lot of light at the time.

[98RedGTS]

I may get some flack for this but that doesn't look like a well loved car right there and I'm not sure what is even going one with the wiring under the break booster. Needing tires and side sill I would say this one is pretty well over priced. If it drove grood I think my offer would be $20K. If I couldn't get a deal then I would pass and find a nicer example for not much more than their asking price.

And if you are talking about the shine to the red part of the engine (valve covers and intake) that's probably some dressing one it (like tire dressing). The seat and minor paint blems wouldn't be a concern to me and would actually be expected with a car of this mileage, age and price point. The side sill (not cheap), tires (not cheap), corrosion on the brake booster (where else could it be corroding) and the trunk would be my concerns.

[ViperDC]

I may get some flack for this but that doesn't look like a well loved car right there and I'm not sure what is even going one with the wiring under the break booster. Needing tires and side sill I would say this one is pretty well over priced. If it drove grood I think my offer would be $20K. If I couldn't get a deal then I would pass and find a nicer example for not much more than their asking price.

And if you are talking about the shine to the red part of the engine (valve covers and intake) that's probably some dressing one it (like tire dressing). The seat and minor paint blems wouldn't be a concern to me and would actually be expected with a car of this mileage, age and price point. The side sill (not cheap), tires (not cheap), corrosion on the brake booster (where else could it be corroding) and the trunk would be my concerns.

Yup offer 20 and see where that gets you

[pieceeofchum]

The owner did say that the grease was detail dressing but I had never heard of that before so I figured that there may be something else wrong. I thought that maybe the brake booster corrosion was just normal as it seems to be on the surface but maybe it is a sign of a worse problem. The trunk was a big concern for me also but I was hoping that you guys would say that it was normal for these cars. The side sill just has a small gouge in it the size of a quarter so I probably would just leave that it is hard to even see. Well I am sad I was hoping most of those issues were just normal for the car and the year. I did get to inspect underneath the car and it is really in excellent condition with only a few very small surface rust spots smaller than a penny otherwise clean as a whistle. Also outside of the chips the body is really great with no fracturing I sat there and inspected every inch for over an hour. The rest of the interior other than the seat and steering wheel are great but the seat is easily repaired for like $300 or less I already got a quote and I already found an replacement steering wheel. The electric issue near the brake booster was from the owner letting the battery die and the car going into protection mode so he was messing with the wires to try and charge the battery from the front. I am very glad I posted the pics thanks a lot for your feedback I will probably pass unless he can go down to $22k.