Finally

[Luns]

Well I think the time has come that i can make a childhood dream come true and put myself in a viper. Everyone has their first time they saw their first viper. Mine was at a gas station when I was a boy, riding around town on my bike. It was a yellow rt/10 and from that point, I told myself I was going to have a viper one day!

I would like to ask for some help though, and I am far from a mechanic, I could build a house, but my mechanical skills do not really exist. So when you are looking for a viper, are there things that other then personal preference things, like color or mods do you look at? Obviously the history of the car is good to know and if there were any accidents or mechanical issues.The only thing at this point I know I want is a GEN II GTS. Color does not matter, mileage I would like to be less then 30K if possible, slight mods would be great!

I am planning on being around $40k-$45k, is that a fair assumption for a quality car?

I look forward to hopefully learning and getting into a car!

[Fatboy 18]

Welcome to the forums, Low milage cars are ok as long as they have been well maintained, What I mean by that is that it has not been stuck in a damp warehouse and stored dirty, leaving things to oxidise and rust, Suspension anti roll bar drop link boots may have cracked or perished, you can purchase replacement rubber boots rather than replacing the whole drop link. Don't rule out higher mileage cars, a well maintained loved car is just as good if not better!

Perform the usual checks

How old are the tires?
Check the Oil, is it clean?
Ask questions
When was the coolant changed? If its a Green coolant then that is the 3 yr coolant If its red than that is the later 5yr coolant.
There are other companies that supply different products so if you don't recognize what's in there, Ask.
Brake fluid, check its clear and not a dirty brown colour.
Check clutch fluid, if its a real dirty black that will require replacement.
How clean is the engine bay? Any Oil leaks
How does the underside of the car look? Oil pan look dry? Rear diff, any oil leaks?
Exhaust system? Headers or stock, heat shields still in place?
Cats still in? Stock system? Belanger cat back? Corsa? other?
Paperwork?
Depending on your location i would contact your regional club, they will be able to show you around a car and point out things to watch for.
There should be a build plate on the drivers door telling you Date Month Hour etc
http://www.theviperregistry.org/mdh.php
I purchased my car via the Viper forum classifieds, I also got a couple of Club members to to meet the owner and check the car over for me.
I also got a carfax, (not foolproof) but any extra information helps.

Service history?
Has the current owner wrenched on the car?
Some people have purchased cars through Ebay, but I'm not sure how that works because if you won the bidding you are supposed to complete the purchase?

Try, not to jump in with both feet, Research is key, but remember you are looking at a car that will be at least 16yrs old or older now.
Best of luck with your quest.
2001/2002 models were fitted with ABS
Small interior differences too over the years, Smooth dash on early Gen II cars then it changed to a textured pattern dash. Different window switches on later Gen II Vipers

Check that the Door hinges operate correctly and that the door rubbers do not have tears in them indicating that the rear of the door has dropped slightly causing rubbing.
HT leads, Old grey ones? Have they been replaced?
And I know it may sound daft but check windscreen Wipers (just another small sign of a maintained car).

Space saver tire, factory jack and lug nut wrench should all be in the boot with a material cover in place.
The seat backs tilt forward and there is a deep pocket behind each seat, sometimes you will find the owners manual hidden here.
Im sure others will chime in but that lot above should help you on your way
Cheers Mark
Independent Great Britain

[Atari_Prime]

Two thoughts. 1) Find one with proper working door hinges? I don't think they made that model. 2) Windshield wipers? 500 lbs of torque, 13" wide tired, no ABS or traction control...what could go wrong.

[Fatboy 18]

Two thoughts. 1) Find one with proper working door hinges? I don't think they made that model. 2) Windshield wipers? 500 lbs of torque, 13" wide tired, no ABS or traction control...what could go wrong.

Well the guy did say he had no idea what to look for

OK, doors do sag over time but you can adjust the hinges

What could go wrong? Think I mentioned Tires

[Luns]

Wow!

Lol, thanks for all the info fatboy! I guess I should add I'm not completely clueless, i owned a highly modified mustang and a 65' vette at one point so I am a car guy. I guess I just put the viper on such a pedestal that I am maybe nervous that there are things i would overlook or information on the viper that could be wrong that a normal car guy might not know about. For example, and this is made up, but lets say the 2001 had a bad batch of motors, again, just an example but something along those lines. Are there certain years to stay away from or it is more preference. I do like the idea of ABS, and even though I am in Ohio, i would like A/C.

[Fatboy 18]

2000 to 2002 the pistons and cam were changed in the car, the later cars had Hypereutectic pistons with a high silicone content.
Nothing wrong with this at all, however Some Viper owners like to go the Forced induction route (Superchargers, Paxton Turbos) and prefer the earlier 96/99 cars as they can go big on compression and had Forged Pistons. The cam in the earlier Gen IIs had a more lumpy profile which some people like

AC O rings are known to fail, but are fairly simple to change once the system has been de gassed.
Vipers also had a few recalls, so worth checking that too. 998 recall had two triangular plates added to support the steering rack. The triangular plates should be facing towards the front of the car, Not facing back towards the engine or you will not be able to remove the Oil filter!

Let's talk about Braking.
The stock brakes are 4 piston Brembo calipers front. The rear is (wait for it)......A Single Piston small caliper. Now the Brakes work fine but its easy to lock up the brakes causing front wheel skid (pre abs 1996-2000) it feels like 70% front braking and 30% rear.

Now there is a conversion that can be done which is fitting a 40mm piston to the rear calliper (this has to be done by a engineering shop) or buy exchange caliper from Vendors. this changes the braking feel to 60% front braking and 40% rear, this is a massive improvement and IMO how the car should have left the factory! (I have this option fitted and I love it).
there are other upgrades that people do too. Some fit Gen 3 calipers to the front and move the old front calipers to the rear with a fitting kit. (cutting of cast hub required). then there are various aftermarket brake options from Stoptech, BAER, GiroDisc etc

Wheels, Early Vipers had 17" rims, Some were Chrome plated alloy some were polished and lacquered. Later Gen II cars had 18" rims.

Reported problems:
Some 17" 5 Spoke chrome wheels began to see fracture cracks where the spokes met the rim.
Its something to be aware of, (it did not happen on every car).
17" Tires are becoming very hard to find!

18" Wheels, tires are still available and also better suited to brake upgrades.

I also recall there was a batch of porous oil pans but can't remember which year?
Early cars had a 8ltr oil pan, late Gen IIs (99 on) had a 10ltr Oil pan.


Right I'm off to bed now Gone midnight here

[BlknBlu]

Welcome to the VOA, There is lots of Data here in the GEN I II section. I would do your homework on a car before diving in, GEN II's are great cars and had few problems for the most part, but some parts are obsolete for these timeless machines. Find a fellow Viper owner in your neck of the woods to lean on.

Bruce

[Atari_Prime]

Anything over 30k miles is likely to have the need for a new clutch sometime soon. Always check the date codes on the tires, either they'll be worn out or they'll look great but be ancient and need replacement. Also look for bubbling at the edges of the hood between the lower door sill and the hood. There are different metals right there and sometimes they don't get along. It would show up as bubbling in the paint.

[Vprbite]

StopTechs on Gen IIs are money.

I had an 02 ans miss that car every day.

Also, clutches are fairly cheap to replace, all things considered. A good tech can do that for a grand or so. I wouldn't cosider it a big deal if it needs it. As long as people have kept up on their maintenence, that's the key IMO. Also, I had 3.55s in mine and loved em. Probably gonna do them in my current car. Otherwise, Fatboy gave you a lot of information. That's why we had him released from the insane asylum. Some of the voices in his head know what they are talking about.

[Luns]

Thanks for all the info guys. Vprbite, gears are one thing i had done to my mustang that truly made a difference, never really thought about that for the viper!

[Camfab]

Speaking of '01's they had a bad batch of water pumps that caused overheating issues. Likely most will have been replaced by now, particularly if the car has some miles on it. It's actually really helpful if you can meet with some local club members that have owned these cars for some time. You can get quite a bit of insight from an original or long time owner. 3:55 gears really do make the car feel more responsive on the street and sixth gear is actually usable on the freeway.

[Fatboy 18]

Speeds with stock gears (307), 70mph in 6th gear should be 1,500 revs
100 mph in 6th gear is 2000 revs.......Then drop it down into 3rd for a bit of fun (on a closed road course)

Red Vipers are fast too as Illustrated

[Vprbite]

my term for 3.55s in the Viper is "snappier." Now the torque comes on pretty fast in the Gen II anyway, as opposed to a little more gently in the Gen III I have now but I think gears is a great bang for the buck mod. I still did 170 in the 02 once so if youre worried about losing top speed, there is still more there than you will ever need. I also didn't find the slightly higher rpms an issue and still got 22 on the highway if takin it easy.

Personally, I think 6th is usable with the stock 3.07s there just isn't a lot of acceleration there. But opinions vary. Jon B of Partsrack (who I have gotten all my stuff from over the years and has been incredibly good to me) calls gears the "poor man's supercharger." Obviously we know it doesn't give you any additional power, but it dumps it on you a lot faster. So it feels like power. And maybe that's what really matters. I DONT recommend going 3.73s unless you go to a bigger wheel and tire but again, opinions vary. To me it seems like those with 3.73s are towing through gears too much, even on the street. 3.55s are still road-coursable. Oddly, one of the places I appreciated gears the most was not accelerating nor in 6th but in traffic or parking lots. It made it even easier to just ease the clutch out with all that torque coming on so fast.

Cam fab is correct, the 01s had a plastic impeller on the water pump and it would break so the spindle would spin but the impeller would just sit there, limp and ineffective. Something I of course know nothing about. But clearly, not moving your coolant is bad and it has almost certainly been fixed by now or is easy to check and be aware of/ready for. If you get an 01 with the original pump, just buy a new one from an 02 immediately so you are ready.

I was talking to a guy yesterday who was asking about looking for ultra low mileage vs ones with miles. Miles are nothing to be scared of on these cars, Especially if cared for. I will put my 30k mile car up against other people's 8k mile Camrys. Aside from being good to it and not abusing it (though I do occasionally track, etc) I am meticulous about maintenence and before NVE we did full fluid swap just to be smart/safe. You will find many people like that on here. In fact, owners here are a good source for cars because other owners can vouch for the vehicle. Also, our respected dealers around here are good. They may be a few grand more than Joe Schmo dealership but you are paying for peace of mind and not having to worry about a car being misrepresented or flying out to see it and finding out it's a bust. So IMO, it's a push. Are there good cars available at auction or some random corner lot? Of course! But be sure to get a good PPI. I found one car in Houston and I wanted it checked out by Viper Exchange and the dealership refused to take it there, on the same town, and said they would have their mechanic look at it. Huge red flag. So, especially for your first, probably a good idea to buy from a member or a respected dealership. Once you know the cars better, you will know what to look for. Be careful not to "fall in love" with the first one you see and that is in your price range and seems like you just have to buy it now. Most of us aren't still with our first girlfriend, are we? There is a reason for that. Just my $.01. (I have been told due to my long history of getting hit in the head, my $.02 cents is really only worth $.01)

Good luck. I hope you find one that makes you happy. Let us know if we can help further.

[ClayR]

I've got a red 98 with 6300 miles that is all original I am willing to part with.