An exceptionally insightful Viper rant

[VENOM V]

I didn't write this, but had to pass this on. I agree with this Viper owner 100%! He gets it.

http://01viper4me.kinja.com/my-long-viper-rant-1459308222

[MoparBoyy]

100% true. every mag says the viper doesn't handle, yet it holds track records all over the place and won countless races and championships among "better cars"

[Troublemaker]

He does get it. I think it has come to a point where society doesn't fit a car like this, not they other way around. The car is still what it always has been, a handful. It's just that people are looking for easy now, and the Viper never was and hopefully never will be easy.

[Fatboy 18]

Thanks for the Link, great article :) Agree 100%

[mnc2886]

100% true. every mag says the viper doesn't handle, yet it holds track records all over the place and won countless races and championships among "better cars"


When they say it doesn't handle they really mean it doesn't handle for them and they get an ego check. That ego check results in negative press.

[v10enomous]

Porsches are a handful too yet they have all looked past that for decades.

[Canadian venom]

Very well written, he really does get it:car-smiley-003:

[BlknBlu]

It is a very well written article. The problem is that only a small percentage GET IT. That will never change.

Bruce

[F2V]

Good find VV.

Further, it is unbelievable and amazingly outrageous how the mainstream automotive press has dissed the Gen 5 (especially after falling over themselves to shout the good news that Viper is back), and totally missed the big story. Aside from being a hands down improvement over the Gen 4 ( I had one, which was a damn good ride), it is an American automotive success story...rising from the discontinued scrap heap of Chrysler's looming bankruptcy in 2010, on the proverbial wing and a prayer. Add to this, the Viper is an iconic hand built American car, with production so limited it makes the people in Maranello blush!

Sure, it's not a Corvette or any number of the European prettys...it is in a class totally by itself, and needs to be respected and admired as such.

[Space Truckin]

Good find VV.

Further, it is unbelievable and amazingly outrageous how the mainstream automotive press has dissed the Gen 5 (especially after falling over themselves to shout the good news that Viper is back), and totally missed the big story. Aside from being a hands down improvement over the Gen 4 ( I had one, which was a damn good ride), it is an American automotive success story...rising from the discontinued scrap heap of Chrysler's looming bankruptcy in 2010, on the proverbial wing and a prayer. Add to this, the Viper is an iconic hand built American car, with production so limited it makes the people in Maranello blush!

Sure, it's not a Corvette or any number of the European prettys...it is in a class totally by itself, and needs to be respected and admired as such.

What he said^^^^^^

It also takes a certain "owner"

:drive:

[A2008]

Yes! I also agree this is a very good article. Not sure how old the composer is, but I have been telling my son for years, we drove our cars, they didn't drive us. I come from the muscle car era and have had plenty of them. You had to maintain control at all times. Your legs got a work out, your arms got a work out, ( Shifting, and no power nothing!) As I get older, sure I like climbing in my daily driver especially after a hard day and putting up with miserable stop & go traffic. Even though I don't get a chance to drive my Viper as much as I would like to, there is nothing like climbing in my Viper and bringing my youth back to a certain point in my life. That's the reason I own a Viper! Does it bite? Sure does! But so far I've been able to keep it man-handled. Plus I guess I don't do all the stupid and crazy stuff I did when I was a kid!

[ViperTom]

The best Viper article I ever read was back in 07 by Josh Jacquot Sr road editor for Edmunds comparing the 08 SRT-coupe with the 07 Z06.
Here's the conclusion>

"Think of it like a bacon and egg breakfast. In a bacon and egg breakfast, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed.
Viper buyers take the plunge. They must commit. This car is just flat scary. Loud, rough, hot as hell and faster than a Z06, it wins this test because it deserves to — because it's badass and it's not afraid to admit it.

The Z06 faithful, on the other hand, are simply involved. They walked the fine line between undiluted insanity and marginal practicality and decided that practicality was the better choice. Good for them. Their Z06 is among the quickest street cars ever built, and it'll never burn their legs.

Bottom line: These are very different cars. And the easy and obvious conclusion is this: If you want a daily driver, buy the Vette. If you want the ultimate thrill, buy the Viper.

We say, don't be a chicken.

Here's a link to the full story http://www.edmunds.com/dodge/viper/2008/comparison-test.html

[Space Truckin]

What he said ^^^^^
And I love this quote from the article.

"Meanwhile, nobody is going to mistake a Viper for anything other than, well, a Viper. Unlike the Z06, there's no watered-down sissy version in the hands of every Newport Ned who likes its image. The Viper only comes in one flavor: Hardcore. And there's no mistaking the sound, road presence and tarmac-twisting torque of this new snake. It's brashly American. It's unquestionably nasty. It's why the French hate us." :United_States:

[Disturbed]

The Viper is a Driver's car that is hand build, raw and exotic. It really is the last one, period. I can't find another car like the Viper. I have driven in the last 3 months: 06 Lambo G (6sp), Z06, ZR1, 08 GTR, 997 911 Turbo, AM DB9, Bently Cont SS, Ferrari F430, Jag XKR-S. Lotus Evora, Mustang GT500, Boss302LS (although the Boss is much like a mini-viper), ZL1, Boxster S and lasty a Rossion Q1 (highly approve of this car!) But none where a Viper. The last two the Boss302LS and Rossion were viper like but the boss still felt cheap and the Rossion was TINY and under powered.

None had that "X" factor of the Viper. A Gen 4 (Soft lowend, but still raw and would make a good daily driver IMHOP). I felt the Gen5(GTS) was a bit too soft, the interior was just too good really, it felt too Porche/Audi(not a bad thing if you like that) but I liked the sound system...it thumped good, I swear it was the same HC as my Lexus LS460L. But maybe that's the other "X" factor of the Gen5, a Viper with a luxary interior...it really is an odd combo.

[ViperTom]

Space Truckin I liked that quote so much I added it to my signature, thanks!

[VENOM V]

Space Truckin I liked that quote so much I added it to my signature, thanks!

Haha! Yes it boils down the essence of the Viper accurately!

[ViperTom]

Sure does

[Thawk97]

Alright, I'm a Viper owner (a new one admittedly) and it's been my dream car since I was just a kid (I think there are many people here who can relate). I love the car - everything about it just feels like it was designed for brute force - looks, to performance, to sound etc. and I love that about the car. But I'm hearing an undertone in the defense of the Viper which I think actually hurts our credibility as defenders of the car. Granted, there are lots of reasons to love a car - which is why people prefer different cars. It's the "raw" notion which I want to address:

I've already used "brutality" as a word for what I like about the car so I understand the argument here. In another sense though I think it's important we don't get too high on our soap boxes regarding how talented one must be or that writers just don't understand the vehicle. That argument seems to stem from the historically simple roots of the Viper. Many of us like it because it's simple - lots of power, respect the torque. But certainly there are advances in automotive engineering which SRT has chosen (with good reason for people like us) not to employ. Many of the computer aided vehicles in it's competition groups appear easier to drive fast - and that actually IS a good thing (if the base criteria was simply it be difficult to drive quickly, then we all ought to take up 1000hp barstool racing).

My point is this - creeping into the outskirts of our argument that the Viper is a better car are two notions which get us nowhere fast:
1) Technology in cars is bad
2) Because it takes some practice, that makes us better than you

On the contrary, computer assists can help lame drivers go quick - and people like that, even if we feel it dilutes the experience. Further, being a challenge to drive quickly, while rewarding to master, doesn't mean the product is better. If a buyer can't hope to take the car safely to it's limits, then those limits are irrelevant to him. Apparently other vehicles are giving drivers more confidence to test the cars capabilities and us scoffing at that doesn't help the Viper's reputation.

Of course nothing I'm saying here is the core of anyone's argument - but it's two ideas that I hear hovering around our defenses a lot that I think can just turn off the non-Viper community. The reality of it is this: For a JoeSchmo driver - there are other cars which he'll be able to go faster, safer in than our cars. That's not a disrespect to him, nor a disrespect to the Viper. That's simply an expression of preferences changing over time. Today's writers and readers (and Corvette/Porsche buyers) may simply not care that a pro can achieve higher limits in the Viper -> they themselves can't (or don't care to put the time in to learn). The Viper just needs to decide if it can afford to serve a niche of learning curve willing drivers, or adapt into something designed to actually compete with the performance AND comfort (and price) of the stated competition.

So while it's possibly true that the writers "don't get it," it's also possible that they do get it, and they just don't like it. They'd rather have the Viper with computers running underneath to make it that much quicker and that much more comfortable. And while that might be a shame, many also say it's a shame that Newsprint is dying, or that film photography is all but gone....that's often how "progress" works - the PURE form gets replaced.

All that to say, in our attempt to show the Viper's merits, we should be careful how we defend it so as to keep the attention of the listener, not turn them off to an irrelevant argument.

[Space Truckin]

:t1236:

Very insightful, having owned all 5 gens I have been able to "learn" how to drive/ respect and enjoy the Viper :United_States:

[Joel]

I would agree except that Clarkson likes every Viper he has driven. You got to remember how awful, by our standards, most British roads are. They are, off the motorways, goat paths and not suitable for Viper size cars or anything wider than a radio flyer wagon. And they drive on the wrong side of the road with a bunch of roundabouts everywhere. What the hell do you expect them to say. Sad for such a beautiful country with such nice people. There is no British motor car industry anymore it's all gone. And before you accuse me of just a rant, I can say that because I cut my teeth on British sportscars and my teeth are still crooked from grinding them workin on cars with Lucas electrics, fuel pumps, and distributors.