Be very careful trying to buy Vipers guys.

[ICPREY]

To everyone buying cars out of state--- ALWAYS ask the seller to take the car to a local dealership
(for Viper a dealership with a VIPER TECH) in his area for a PRE SALE INSPECTION. You choose the dealership not him/her
The cost for the inspection will be on you to pay
As far as CARFAX- not always accurate but something to go by, if they want you to pay for it tell them you want them to
deduct that price from the sale of the car(sellers should provide this) fair is fair

Maybe in a perfect world, but realistically there are only a handful of competent Viper techs (with gen1/2 exp) that actually know what they are doing/inspecting.

[drewsss]

LOL. That's kind of like being the least desirable Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition model.

[f80m3driver]

I would still take the least desirable SI model out, for what it's worth.

[2000acr]

But I do know how you feel. Same thing happened to me but it was an honest mistake on the seller's part. It made me back out on the deal, because I wondered what else they weren't disclosing. I don't know....there are always going to be good deals out there. A person just needs to be patient which is often the hardest part...
There's currently a 99gts supercharged near me for mid $20's...and the seller is NOT trying hard to sell it, that's for sure. He gives one or two word responses to emailed questions lol. If a person is selling cheap, does it matter though? I don't need him to wine and dine me if you know what I mean.

This- I didn't buy it because it was shady, and there was no way to know what else was also untrue. If he would have just disclosed the condition up front I would have bought it. Worse of all just during the process of discussing he felt the need to run his mouth and talk crap. Right then and there I would not do business with him at any price.

[v10enomous]

The early cars are all between 15 and 25 years old now. The vast majority of them will have some issues regardless of how much they were driven or not driven for that matter. The honest and integrity of sellers is going to vary.

[BFoster]

LOL. That's kind of like being the least desirable Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition model.

Hahaha, agreed!!!

[plumcrazy]

Maybe in a perfect world, but realistically there are only a handful of competent Viper techs (with gen1/2 exp) that actually know what they are doing/inspecting.

what he said ! do not trust any "viper tech" make sure hes legit. check this site to confirm

[Taximan1]

when your looking at cars at the bottom price point ($30-35k or so) EXPECT to get cars that will need work. These Gen2s are getting old.

[Bill Pemberton]

Taximan , Plumcrazy and V10emous all hit valid points. The cars are getting old and there as some very common issues with many of them, that though appearing minor are costly to repair to due the availability of parts. Old ACRs almost always needs shocks , as the Dynamic Suspension models were highly prone to leak. Have that problem and bingo you will be spending around 4K just for a reasonable fix. If this was an early 2000 it might have the Konis, which is actually a good situation. Amazingly folks often ask plenty of questions but seem to often forget about tires, or only look at the tread depth. Chatted with a guy the other day that said the seller guaranteed him absolutely nothing had to be done on the car , as it only had 2800 miles. Interestingly when I counseled him to ask if he had new tires ( it did not ) , or when the last time he changed fluids other than the oil ( coolant, clutch , brake, rear end, tranny, power steering, etc. ) , he was told that it didn't need it since the miles were so low. Hmmm................13 year old car, I would say he was wrong in all those areas at a minimum. Funny part when I also checked the vin for the guy it had never had any TSBs or recalls done -- three outstanding.

Do your due diligence as noted by many current Viper owners and keep in mind , regardless of how reliable the Viper is, it is getting old with many of the purchases folks are considering.

[high flier]

I looked for 2-3
years. Sometimes the car wasn't quite right, sometimes the seller seemed off, sometimes I think maybe I wasn't ready to pull the trigger. Ran across my 2000 GTS at Roanoke. John made it to where I almost couldn't NOT buy it. I probably paid more (approx 40k for 13k car) than thru a private sale but the dealer showed almost $1200 worth of mtc done to it before the sale. All fluids, plugs, door adjustments, recall etc. Worked with me to get it delivered and car was as advertised down to the one very small chip on the hood that John had sent me a closeup of. (along with 60-70 other pics) I bought it back in Nov 2015, now almost 16k on it and i have had to fix the wires in the door (3) and have the ac vacuumed, leak tested and charged. I also have changed the stereo to a modern head unit and lined the floor boards with dynamat. No complaints and appreciate all the info I have found thru the forums here! I guess moral of the story is that things can work out without getting screwed.. but you have to find the right people to deal with and be willing to maybe pay a little more for their services. (if not obvious, I purchased this car sight unseen btw) If its all about getting the "deal" the potential to ignore the red flags being flown in your face becomes higher.

[J TNT]

Like everything else in Life "Caveat Emptor"

[Fatboy 18]

First Viper I bought, I found out it had a salvage Certificate AND a certificate of Destruction! Car looked fine and drove ok. It turned out it had been shipped over to the UK then rebuilt by someone, the car dealership had a very bad reputation on the internet forums I later found out. I ended up getting my monies back, there was no details of the rebuild and the dealer would not give my my monies back so I got the Police involved and the Credit card company.
I finally got all of my monies back. This was the first car I had ever bought from a Dealer. It left me with a very bitter taste towards UK Dealers.

[v10enomous]

I actually lost a $500 deposit plus $150 for an inspection on the first Viper I tried to buy. It was a 2000 Steel Gray silver stripes ACR with 7,000 miles which supposedly had a salvage title from some minor cosmetic damage which was professionally repaired to perfection. It was so bad that the guy who inspected it told me that it could have been two cars put together to make one. The seller was refused to return my deposit.

[ACRucrazy]

I actually lost a $500 deposit plus $150 for an inspection on the first Viper I tried to buy. It was a 2000 Steel Gray silver stripes ACR with 7,000 miles which supposedly had a salvage title from some minor cosmetic damage which was professionally repaired to perfection. It was so bad that the guy who inspected it told me that it could have been two cars put together to make one. The seller was refused to return my deposit.

Money well spent IMO

[Terminator02]

Yup live and learn guys. I think we all have made mistakes or lost money at times and it's a learning experience. To the point of the ACR I would have personally put emotions aside and bought the car. The seller could just be as unhappy that he has to keep lowering the price to sell for a reason that he wouldn't normally want to sell the car. Its all conjecture. If the price is right and it's a car you want then I would have continued on despite a rude seller. I had to let my 2000 Acr go for about that price.

Bill is right, these cars need work and money. I think one problem is that people that couldn't really afford the car properly have been able to squeak into them in the past 9 years or so. It comes at the expense of proper maintenance unfortunately. My ACR 2000 needed so much work I felt I was just dumping money into an endless pit. After I put fresh brakes and rotors and after 6.5 years of ownership I moved up into a gen V. I dont think the gen V or gen IV cars will run into the problems many gen 2 cars are facing with people not properly caring for them so I expect the used market on these to be a bit cleaner for the foreseeable future.

Whoever gets that 2000 ACR is probably getting a car that will need a few thousand in upfront work to make her right. However at that price... It may be worth it. Remember, the 2000 model year ran the fastest 1/4 times, plus it's an acr. Too many people mistakenly think only negatives exist for 2000 but it's not entirely true.

[Viper 95 Kim]

I have a one owner 99 acr for sale, $46K, 17k miles, 630.774.6734, very very nice, no exception.

[drewsss]

Man...these stories are scary, and I can definitely relate. Turns out that one of the ones I "almost" bought recently was advertised as "clear title, accident free, perfect", blah-blah, and I came close to plunking down a pretty sizable deposit on it. Fortunately, on the way to the dealer, I called my Viper tech (Eddie Martin, one of the best in the country, IMO), and he knew the car and told me that it had been severely wrecked. It had made its way through Canada and somehow came back with a cleared title. If not for that phone call, I would have probably gone through with the sale.

The one I now have (2001 ACR) was purchased through a private seller on eBay, sight unseen, with only pics to go by. The price was right, miles were low, so I jumped on it, put down a deposit, then drove next door to California with my mechanic brother-in-law to close the deal and everything checked out, fortunately. I was way too trusting in that deal, and probably would never do it that way again, but fortunately it all worked out.

[ViperRT98]

In my opinion, this is exactly what you pay for when going through our respected dealers. As you said you spent money on tickets, planned for time off, etc and the deal fell through. Aside from the money of tickets, what's your time, effort, and headaches worth? Sure you pay about 3 grand more. But you know you are getting a good car and no hassles. If nothing else, you are paying for peace of mind.

My first Viper I bought through Marv Rose for this very reason. I honestly think we are lucky to have some good sponsoring dealerships who you know you will get a good car from and will back up their product.

Sorry to hear about the bad luck. Most of the people in the community and on here are good people and straight shooters. I hope you don't judge the community by the people you dealt with recently. (Going by your name you may not be new to the community but I wasn't sure.)

I hope you have better luck going forward. Anything in the classifieds here that is what you are looking for?

We will always disagree on this topic... However it can give a first time buyer more piece of mind buying through certain dealerships....

However just because a Viper is at one of these Dealership does not mean it will be trouble free, it just means that they have looked over it and to their best of knowledge it is as advertised....

I may never say my Viper... But if I do it will be sold with confidence that it is what it is advertising for.... If it has issues it will be noted but not all people will be honest.... If I take a deposit on my car and the e deal fell through I will give back money their no reason for any person to keep it... Only low life individuals will do this IMO....

Like everyone has said we need to really inspect the car and make sure it is what it is advertising for... Parts are hard to come by so buying the right Viper is difficult and it took me some time to find mine....

[ClayR]

I have a near perfect 98' for sale. it is immaculate. I would stake my rep on the quality of this car.

[2000acr]

So a little update. I bought a PERFECT shape 01 ACR with factory stripes, non modified from an honest, ORIGINAL owner. I paid more, but also got a LOT more. The honest owner and his wife were perfect to work with, and filled the car with Viper memorabilia as a bonus.

In the end all the shady sellers get the Karma they deserve. Lying their way through life gets them nothing.

[plumcrazy]

congrats and enjoy it.

[v10enomous]

Congratulations !

Need pics...

So a little update. I bought a PERFECT shape 01 ACR with factory stripes, non modified from an honest, ORIGINAL owner. I paid more, but also got a LOT more. The honest owner and his wife were perfect to work with, and filled the car with Viper memorabilia as a bonus.

In the end all the shady sellers get the Karma they deserve. Lying their way through life gets them nothing.

[Fatboy 18]

Brilliant, congratulations,

Now we need to see proof.......Pics please

[2000acr]

Its pretty.

[Black Adder]

Is that the one in North Bend WA? You beat me to it :-( Great buy