My "new" Gen 4 and 1200 mile road trip

[viper_eddie]

Hello everyone!

I joined this forum fairly recently after I sold my air-cooled 911 because I was looking for a Viper and I like this place more than the Alley. Long story short (in case you haven't seen my other threads), I started with the idea of either keeping my Jeep and getting a Gen II or trading in my Jeep for a Gen V and daily driving it. The dealer I bought my Jeep from had 5 Vipers and one SRT was pretty cheap but after reading what prices people are getting around here I figured it's still too much. They didn't budge on the price at all so I left. During the past few months I had been mainly looking at Gen IIs and found a few ACRs I liked for mid to high 40s.

Well I was also eyeing Gen IVs because I figured if new Gen Vs are selling in the 70s then Gen IVs should go down to the 50s. I don't think all sellers have caught on to this yet but after months and months of searching I started to get frustrated because I still didn't have a Viper lol. Last Wednesday (New Year's Eve) I said screw it and threw slightly low ball offers at 3 dealers on eBay. Next morning one responded with a counter slightly below 50 and slightly above mine. Called him up and the next day I was on a plane to Seattle, simply couldn't pass on that good of an offer. Picked up the car and drove it down to LA.

I've attached some pics of it, it's a 2009 and it had 7800 miles, now it has 9 and some change. Very clean car, no stories or issues with it. Roy Cats (the dealer) mainly deals with Lamborghini and said he bought this car at a good price so he's fine with selling it below market a bit. If you ever see a car he has for sale I do highly recommend the guy; I generally hate dealers because we all know how they are but he couldn't be any farther from that.

Not sure how many of you here have had both Gen IIs and Gen IVs but I wanted to share a bit of my thoughts on them. I initially rented a 2001 RT/10 and I wanted to stick to an ABS Gen II. Car was a blast to drive and pretty fun but you could tell its age. Before buying my Gen IV I had never driven one so didn't know what to expect. I do enjoy the raw car feeling more and was worried maybe the Gen IV would be too bland. Well, I don't know if it's still the honeymoon phase or what but I absolutely love the car. If you're a purist, sure the Gen II is the classic one and is "raw." However, at least to me, the Gen IV is still overall a very raw car just that it has a few extra refinements. I personally enjoy those because I do plan on doing many road trips with the car and I think they'll come in handy.

One thing I did not really expect was the amount of attention the car got on the road. Literally at every gas stop someone would come over and take a picture of it and/or ask something about it. It has all been positive attention so far which is also good. I know some people get bad thoughts when they see a Ferrari or Lamborghini and assume things about the owner. I guess they don't realize most of those people have worked very hard to earn those things. Being that the car is American and has some "middle-class" attributes to it allows it to pass on most of the negativity.

For now I just need to replace the original almost 7 year old tires and am starting to look into Corsa vs Belanger cat-backs. I would like to do a header swap but with California smog being so strict I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that. I also joined the VOA and am looking forward to meeting a bunch of other Viper owners!

82748275

[MtnBiker]

Welcome to the dark side. Gen IVs rule.

[RPM9000]

Welcome to the GenIV Viper world.

[ViperJeff]

Welcome

[SSGNRDZ_28]

Congrats and welcome!

[98intrigue]

You got a low mileage 09 coupe for under $50k???? If so, I'm contacting you the next time I need to negotiate.

[commandomatt]

Great looking car. Always liked how clean those 6 spokes are

Perfect way to get to know the car by putting 1200 miles on it the first trip

[djc986]

Awesome. Congrats on the Gen IV.

If you need tires, shoot an email to Pirelli. There is a great deal for VOA members.

[viper_eddie]

You got a low mileage 09 coupe for under $50k???? If so, I'm contacting you the next time I need to negotiate.

Yes sir! I didn't want to be too vocal about it because I know it's a sore spot with current Gen III/IV owners who are trying to sell but at the same time I felt that it's right for all members to know. At the end of the day the market has taken a significant hit because of Gen Vs. I followed about 6-7 Gen IVs for about 4 months and nobody even asked the sellers anything, let alone made an offer. There's still one on eBay which can be had for 53k and that was the lowest I had gotten someone to accept. Granted that one has 30k miles but that didn't scare me.

As I mentioned in my other ads, I was looking to get a great deal and I guess it took about 3 months to find which is pretty short. It was a complete coincidence that this one had low mileage. Even if it had 40k miles I would have still bought it. From what I saw Gen IVs are now in the low to high 50s.

[viper_eddie]

Great looking car. Always liked how clean those 6 spokes are

Perfect way to get to know the car by putting 1200 miles on it the first trip

I did forget to mention that what really also surprised me was how much the car moved around on certain freeway surfaces. It definitely scared me at first; I was used to a bit of it from my 911 but it wasn't even close to this one. I guess it's those huge front tires and good steering :)

I also enjoyed cruising at 100 mph at 1900 rpm, that was a surprise too.


Awesome. Congrats on the Gen IV.

If you need tires, shoot an email to Pirelli. There is a great deal for VOA members.

I'm still doing research into P Zeroes vs Pilot Super Sports but so far all signs point me to Pilot Super Sports.

[ACRucrazy]

Great price for a great car! Enjoy the awesome ride!

[Vprbite]

Those huge front tires will track big time on rutted roads. Even when you can't quite see the rut, the tire will find it! I don't think it's dangerous, just something to be aware of. Don't be diali your cell phone with one and and drinking your coffee with the other and driving with your knees.

I love the PSS for around town and have had a couple track days on them. I am not good enough to drive a tire to the end of its capabilities though so that's just my feeling. I will take advantage of the Pirelli deal before the year is out (my tires are still pretty new)

As far as the attention, these cars absolutely do. Go see the thread labeled "these cars turn heads" or something like that. Myself and others talk about what makes these cars so special and why the generate such buzz that in my experience is almost always positive. Every once in a while you get a wise ass comment but for me, the overwhelming majority is "how cool" or "I love these", "Viper is my dream car" and stuff like that. I actually keep matchbox Vipers in the back to give to kids who want to check it out though believe it or not, sometimes adults really like getting a matchbox Viper too.

Congratulations on your purchase. Drive safely.

[Boba Fett]

Welcome and congrats!

[Leslie]

Viper looks great, congratulations !

[swexlin]

Beautiful car, and a great deal! Welcome, and get to know it, before you really get on it!

[St.Char]

Very well done! Congrats

[viper_eddie]

Thanks everyone, I might have enough time to make it to Buttonwillow for the Viper event there but in case I don't, I will take it to an HPDE event so I can learn its limits and how it handles.

[serpent]

Yes sir! I didn't want to be too vocal about it because I know it's a sore spot with current Gen III/IV owners who are trying to sell but at the same time I felt that it's right for all members to know. At the end of the day the market has taken a significant hit because of Gen Vs. I followed about 6-7 Gen IVs for about 4 months and nobody even asked the sellers anything, let alone made an offer. There's still one on eBay which can be had for 53k and that was the lowest I had gotten someone to accept. Granted that one has 30k miles but that didn't scare me.

As I mentioned in my other ads, I was looking to get a great deal and I guess it took about 3 months to find which is pretty short. It was a complete coincidence that this one had low mileage. Even if it had 40k miles I would have still bought it. From what I saw Gen IVs are now in the low to high 50s.
Back in October this dealership: http://www.earnhardtsgilbertdodge.com/index.htm
Had a Red W/Silver stripe '08 Coupe, from what I remember it had under 5,000 miles and had an internet price of $52k. The price at the dealership was 69k. They had it for sale at 52k for 3 months online, but the showroom price was 69k.
Some low budget dealership in Scottsdale bought it and hiked the sale price to $65k.

Anyways, I hope to get a Gen V, gonna be awhile but we all have goals!

[viper_eddie]

Back in October this dealership: http://www.earnhardtsgilbertdodge.com/index.htm
Had a Red W/Silver stripe '08 Coupe, from what I remember it had under 5,000 miles and had an internet price of $52k. The price at the dealership was 69k. They had it for sale at 52k for 3 months online, but the showroom price was 69k.
Some low budget dealership in Scottsdale bought it and hiked the sale price to $65k.

Anyways, I hope to get a Gen V, gonna be awhile but we all have goals!

I don't understand these dealers sometimes; I would be pissed as hell if I bought it locally then saw the internet price but I guess most people wouldn't catch that. I'm also surprised nobody bought it for 52k...

Good luck with your Gen V search/acquisition! If we didn't have goals and ambitions life would be quite boring.

[Canadian venom]

Congrats, fastest color lol

[Hamrhead]

Nice Viper.

I was watching your car on e-bay - You got one hell of a good deal!! Congrats!


Wish that car would've been for sale on my side of the country, but I'll keep searching.

[viper_eddie]

Nice Viper.

I was watching your car on e-bay - You got one hell of a good deal!! Congrats!


Wish that car would've been for sale on my side of the country, but I'll keep searching.

If you're in the market for a Gen IV PM me and I'll send you a few other cars that I had found in the low 50s. None of them are on your side of the country but they are clean cars. I kept telling myself I need to have patience and not dive into a car just because I want a Viper; I was honestly getting obsessed with searching, I would spend like 2-3 hours a day looking at the same websites to see if anything new popped up lol.

The unfortunate truth is that these cars are not really selling so you can use that to your advantage. A local forum member (Dman) just bought a Gen V and he has his black convertible up on eBay at a starting bid of 49k I believe; he's in Maryland so that's close to you. Not sure if you're looking for a convertible or coupe or both.

[mdelorenzo]

Wow that's a pretty great deal! My viper caught on fire and I should know soon if it is getting totaled. I didn't think a Gen IV could be within reach before seeing this.

[TitleMine]

Dag yo. Any other dealers that have 4-figure mileage Gen IV's for sale, get at me. I'd have flown out to Roy's from PA for a deal like that. The deal you got, that's SCREAMING. You might be in with a shout of having negotiated the best deal on a Gen IV of any non-dealer ever.

The insane thing is that Roy payed even less than you did. Man, I need to buy an old commercial space and apply for a dealer license.

[viper_eddie]

Dag yo. Any other dealers that have 4-figure mileage Gen IV's for sale, get at me. I'd have flown out to Roy's from PA for a deal like that. The deal you got, that's SCREAMING. You might be in with a shout of having negotiated the best deal on a Gen IV of any non-dealer ever.

The insane thing is that Roy payed even less than you did. Man, I need to buy an old commercial space and apply for a dealer license.

I've thought about doing that but the problem is I fall for the cars and find it hard to sell them...poor me lol

Roy told me the car came from the 2nd owner who had a collection of about 14-15 cars. He was a 72 year old guy and decided he couldn't drive them anymore so it's time to sell. It is crazy to think Roy paid even less but when you sell a big collection what's a few thousand here and there?

I think I got a killer deal yes, but I still feel the market for these cars to sell is 52 to 55k at the moment. Everything I've seen over doesn't really sell (ACR excluded).

[slowhatch]

You stole that car, congrats!

[PaulP]

Congrats , viper red all the way!

[SA Heat]

Well-bought....congratulations! Love the (solid) color. :icon_devil:

[GM_500]

Looks like you're about to make out very well on you car according to the current bid of your eBay listing. Very good buy, congrats!

[viper_eddie]

Looks like you're about to make out very well on you car according to the current bid of your eBay listing. Very good buy, congrats!

Actually I'm just breaking even which is where I set my reserve at (3k maintenance + taxes killed it). Those damn ACRs and Gen Vs got to me in person and I figured if I can unload the car at what I'm in it for then I'll do that and search for one of the above. I found a decent deal on a 2014 but I really want a special edition Viper because I plan on keeping it for a long time. So I'm leaning towards either an ACR or TA.

I get really annoyed at myself sometimes because I'm usually obsessed with having a "special" edition as if a Viper isn't special enough. When I found this red one I was elated because it was such a good deal and I figured it's a keeper...well that lasted so long.

Unfortunately the orange TA I found for 85k sold last week.

[ViperDC]

Yes sir! I didn't want to be too vocal about it because I know it's a sore spot with current Gen III/IV owners who are trying to sell but at the same time I felt that it's right for all members to know. At the end of the day the market has taken a significant hit because of Gen Vs. I followed about 6-7 Gen IVs for about 4 months and nobody even asked the sellers anything, let alone made an offer. There's still one on eBay which can be had for 53k and that was the lowest I had gotten someone to accept. Granted that one has 30k miles but that didn't scare me.

As I mentioned in my other ads, I was looking to get a great deal and I guess it took about 3 months to find which is pretty short. It was a complete coincidence that this one had low mileage. Even if it had 40k miles I would have still bought it. From what I saw Gen IVs are now in the low to high 50s.

This post is spot on. Well-bought car at a price that was fair for buyer and seller when you see what the gen V cars are bringing.

[GM_500]

Actually I'm just breaking even which is where I set my reserve at (3k maintenance + taxes killed it). Those damn ACRs and Gen Vs got to me in person

Unfortunately the orange TA I found for 85k sold last week.

The simple things like maintenance can def add up quick and the taxes are just killer, but luckily you were able to get out of it and now can search for what you really want.

I agree that once you see them in person its game over! It can be very temping to spend the extra money on something different, I have the same mindset