No more ACRs

[GerryWoodViper]

Honestly, I have nothing personal against Gerry Wood Dodge or FCA, but I do think the situation is a little shady. I've talked to dealers, and this situation was not well communicated. If FCA had notified all the dealers that an interested party was about to snatch up all the remaining production capacity, and told the dealers that they had X amount of time to contact their customers and get their orders in, that would have been the right thing to do. There were a lot of people out there going through the back-and-forth one-of-one process of getting color chips, approving them, etc. Many of those orders got cancelled - and that is shitty to say the least. These customers and dealers were playing by the rules - "sold order" cars, following the somewhat complicated and time consuming one-of-one process as mandated by FCA, and they got hosed.

From what I'm hearing from several sources, the GW deal was not communicated to the dealers - they all got blindsided by it. That put them in a bad situation - they now have pissed off customers, and the customers have to go to an unfamiliar non-local dealer to do a deal.

Sure, everyone "should have seen the writing on the wall" but that really isn't realistic. We've all seen rumors of "the end of the world" so many times that we take it with a grain of salt. If FCA had sent an official and strongly worded notice to the dealers of what was about to happen, and given them time to contact customers, this whole mess could have been avoided. It was just horribly mis-managed - and that is sad since it sends the Viper out on a bad note.

Just want to be clear that we didn't "scoop up the remainder of production". We placed these orders starting August 1 through Sept 28. That's a two month period where everyone had a chance to order cars. We did not ask to "order all the Vipers". We didn't "corner the market". We simply took a temperature of what the market was doing and over nearly 60 days were ordering cars for inventory that we thought we could sell.

Again, people love conspiracy theories and want to watch train wrecks. Unfortunately this story is neither. It's just a Dodge dealer ordering cars for sale, which at the end turned out to be a big story.

Once we realized we were "pot committed" we then decided it's time to get proactive in selling cars and did the Press Release.

I will tell you this, the orders WERE NOT coming in (legit, deposit orders). Lots of tongue wagging and talk, but not much in the way of orders.

That's the acid test folks.

[drivingdutchman]

100% with you.

Agreed also. The whole situation is ridiculous.

[Murpowa]

Really not looking to be the bully, but...

Just want to be clear that we didn't "scoop up the remainder of production".

Your orders depleted the FCA's inventory of parts, not to be replenished by the suppliers, so in essence, you scooped up the remainder of production.

I will tell you this, the orders WERE NOT coming in (legit, deposit orders). Lots of tongue wagging and talk, but not much in the way of orders. .

So shelling out 10+ million dollars for 135 ACRs, none of which the customer optioned themselves, seemed like a good idea?

[46hemi]

I am shocked to hear that this is not part of a larger buy...so you just went out and one by one placed plain old ordinary orders for 15mil worth of product without negotiating it as part of a larger "deal'? Wow. I would get fired if I did that at my job

[GerryWoodViper]

I am shocked to hear that this is not part of a larger buy...so you just went out and one by one placed plain old ordinary orders for 15mil worth of product without negotiating it as part of a larger "deal'? Wow. I would get fired if I did that at my job

Yah, I did just that. I won't fire myself though, seems like a bad career move to be honest. My intentions were genuine. No malice, intent to harm, or "mark up cars to gouge the customers". This was supposed to be fun, and in the spirit of getting every Viper built that could be.

NONE OF THE OTHER DEALERS WERE ORDERING CARS. CUSTOMERS WERE NOT. LOT'S OF TALKIN' THOUGH!

Perhaps a headline of "Viper plant shuts down with 200 available orders not filled as prospective buyers wait too long" would be some good FCA bashing fodder??????

Again "train wrecks and conspiracy theories". You want so badly to believe in them and watch them. This just isn't one. Sorry mate. No "larger buy" (what does that mean anyway, I got all the Dodge Darts I wanted!??! LOL)

We did in fact place each order, one by one, with careful consideration, over a long period of time (2 months to be exact - the same 2 months all the upset people had to order their Viper). We literally sat in a room and tried very hard to create them as people would want them, more or less. The colors that have been selected - when viewed in person - are going to be stunning! We have Viper people pick them, not some calculator in pocket-protector accountant.

"train wrecks and conspiracy theories", have I mentioned that yet?

[ACRucrazy]

"train wrecks and conspiracy theories", have I mentioned that yet?

Welcome to VOA.

[46hemi]

No malice or conspiracy theory intended just a reasonable question I would imagine. Good for you and I wish you well, I have no horse in the race either way. I am involved in hardware purchases for a very large company. Often times we either approach a vendor (or get approached by a vendor) to take on additional hardware above and beyond our normal run rates. In exchange for this, we get incentives to do so (rightly so because we have inventory,warehouse, etc costs associated with the excess inventory). Usually this results in lowered terms (money) or in pricing or in times both. If I went out and placed an order with a vendor for X times our normal run rate without a change in one of the above there would be serious repercussions especially if the hardware was end of life. Again I have no horse in the race mate. I could care less either way.

[jkviper]

I give you guys a lot of credit for building up your inventory knowing that this is the end of the Viper run. Looks like you will have plenty of nice cars for people to choose from when they are ready to purchase. and those buyers will be very glad to get a new one as production comes to an end.

Good luck with the sales!

[GerryWoodViper]

Thanks for the well wishes. I wish I could say I negotiated special discounts (against the franchise laws I'm afraid), fee advertising, free marketing, free celebrity showing, even a free t-shirt. Nothing. Just the ability to have a great time and to fill garages or car lovers with some amazing automobiles.

I do suggest having a horse in the race! We can help ;-)

[46hemi]

I wish you well like I said...I love all Mopars but mostly pre 72, although my 01 ACR will be with me forever..No AC and all.

[ViperJon]

Let's just hope FCA has stockpiled a shitload of replacement motors for all the cars out now and to come.
The powertrain warranties will run through 2022.....

[Dman]

Yah, I did just that. I won't fire myself though, seems like a bad career move to be honest. My intentions were genuine. No malice, intent to harm, or "mark up cars to gouge the customers". This was supposed to be fun, and in the spirit of getting every Viper built that could be.

NONE OF THE OTHER DEALERS WERE ORDERING CARS. CUSTOMERS WERE NOT. LOT'S OF TALKIN' THOUGH!

Perhaps a headline of "Viper plant shuts down with 200 available orders not filled as prospective buyers wait too long" would be some good FCA bashing fodder??????

Again "train wrecks and conspiracy theories". You want so badly to believe in them and watch them. This just isn't one. Sorry mate. No "larger buy" (what does that mean anyway, I got all the Dodge Darts I wanted!??! LOL)

We did in fact place each order, one by one, with careful consideration, over a long period of time (2 months to be exact - the same 2 months all the upset people had to order their Viper). We literally sat in a room and tried very hard to create them as people would want them, more or less. The colors that have been selected - when viewed in person - are going to be stunning! We have Viper people pick them, not some calculator in pocket-protector accountant.

"train wrecks and conspiracy theories", have I mentioned that yet?

Well, I'll chime in with a well wish. This is a dramatic event and big news in the viper community, so some are really shocked and so mixed reactions. I give you major props for posting, and clarifying your motives and intentions, you sure didn't need to do that, and frankly on these interweb forums it can be dangerous to just say hi, so I say, well done and hope you make a viper dream come true for a lot of folks out there who may have not gotten a car because it wouldn't have been built before a shutdown.

After 17 yrs of viper ownership and owning nearly every gen, I've been holding on my next gen5 for news about the spun bearing issue not being in the '17s. I'm not a cry wolf kinda guy, it just determines my strategy. If I knew they have the engines now as clean and solid as gen4s in the '17s, I'd buy a new one and just do a few bolt ones next year. If it's not the case, then i'll regret selling my '13, but will go for a discounted 'lowly' model gen5 and plan on a major motor project of bottom end and FI and go big reliable power affording it via a cheaper older GT or whatever. Otherwise, I'd have ordered my ACR back in Aug, but that's when this whole engine thing came to be an obvious issue and I got stumped. So, I'm still in limbo and I say again, props to you for having inventory for potential guys like me who hopefully will buy one as we get some good news on the '17 blocks.

Although, I do wish you had gone with more silver ones, lol, my fav Viper color.

[swexlin]

Thanks for the well wishes. I wish I could say I negotiated special discounts (against the franchise laws I'm afraid), fee advertising, free marketing, free celebrity showing, even a free t-shirt. Nothing. Just the ability to have a great time and to fill garages or car lovers with some amazing automobiles.

I do suggest having a horse in the race! We can help ;-)

You're famous now. All-Chrysler Nats just re-posted the Jalopnik article in their Facebook feed.

[Stealth]

Yah, I did just that. I won't fire myself though, seems like a bad career move to be honest. My intentions were genuine. No malice, intent to harm, or "mark up cars to gouge the customers". This was supposed to be fun, and in the spirit of getting every Viper built that could be.

NONE OF THE OTHER DEALERS WERE ORDERING CARS. CUSTOMERS WERE NOT. LOT'S OF TALKIN' THOUGH!

Perhaps a headline of "Viper plant shuts down with 200 available orders not filled as prospective buyers wait too long" would be some good FCA bashing fodder??????

Again "train wrecks and conspiracy theories". You want so badly to believe in them and watch them. This just isn't one. Sorry mate. No "larger buy" (what does that mean anyway, I got all the Dodge Darts I wanted!??! LOL)

We did in fact place each order, one by one, with careful consideration, over a long period of time (2 months to be exact - the same 2 months all the upset people had to order their Viper). We literally sat in a room and tried very hard to create them as people would want them, more or less. The colors that have been selected - when viewed in person - are going to be stunning! We have Viper people pick them, not some calculator in pocket-protector accountant.

"train wrecks and conspiracy theories", have I mentioned that yet?

Another excellent post and excellent and bold move with the ordering, purchase and sales plans. Frankly, I would have thought that you qualified for a volume discount and would respect your right to reserve pricing decisions for the future on a case-by-case basis. Your actions will certainly help assure that all Gen V Vipers are actually produced and available. I have little sympathy for those who waited; that was simply not reasonable under the circumstances. FCA has been in need of actual orders from the inception of the Gen V and not enough people stepped up. I have my Gen V and love it! The good news is that people can still buy an ACR or other Viper which has been ordered by your dealership or is even already on the ground at another dealership. Heck, they can still configure Vipers through you that are not ACRs. So step up buyers and get on the road and track!

Good job GerryWoodDodge!

[sadil]

Its about time we bury this one.

tombstone (1).jpg

[Chorps]

I am surprised FCA didn't require you to take non ACRs along with the big order. Good luck with the bold maneuver.

[Special Ed]

Yes, as others have previously stated, who would have known that orders would have been opened and closed in less than a few months. Typically, you think you'd be able to order through 2017...

Well that's what you get for thinking, or assuming.

[Special Ed]

Thanks for the well wishes. I wish I could say I negotiated special discounts (against the franchise laws I'm afraid), fee advertising, free marketing, free celebrity showing, even a free t-shirt. Nothing. Just the ability to have a great time and to fill garages or car lovers with some amazing automobiles.

I do suggest having a horse in the race! We can help ;-)

Good luck Brad I wish you all the best. I was impressed with your down to earth attitude when I met and chatted with you at CMP about four months ago. I was tracking my TA2 for the first time and you were giving me quite a bit of heloful advice. Thanks.

[One Viper Bite]

I respect the dealerships open communication with the VOA surrounding this situation since it hit the fan.

However, my biggest issue with this entire situation is the fact that the 1 of 1 program was designed for the customer, not dealers. If this would have happened with Ferrari or Porsche, do you think their communities would be applauding it?

Look, not everyone has the ability to spend $130,000 at the snap of 2 fingers. Some of us (and I'm using my situation as just one example) are dealing with different circumstances. I have spent the last 6 months dealing with issues on my Gen V that has resulted in FCA lemoning my vehicle. This process doesn't happen over night. I have been waiting for the paper work and settlement to be complete before placing my order for a 2017. I want to make sure that my current vehicle is completely out of my hands and liability before committing to another Gen V.

Lastly, I am with others when they say, 3 months away from 2017 is not too late in my opinion. As a courtesy to the community, this move could have been made later in the game. Who actually has accurate metrics on the orders over the course of the last year? Unless orders have been consistent every single month to date and suddenly the month of September or August showed a significant drop off, how could anyone make a judgement call on the remaining allocation?

Just my 2 cents.

[ACRucrazy]

I am surprised FCA didn't require you to take non ACRs along with the big order. Good luck with the bold maneuver.

Dodge shut down SRT/TA/GT orders well over a month ago. That alone should have told anyone remotely serious about getting an ACR to pull the trigger.

[v10viperbox]

Thanks for the well wishes. I wish I could say I negotiated special discounts (against the franchise laws I'm afraid), fee advertising, free marketing, free celebrity showing, even a free t-shirt. Nothing. Just the ability to have a great time and to fill garages or car lovers with some amazing automobiles.

I do suggest having a horse in the race! We can help ;-)

Any chance we can get a list of what was ordered in what color. Say if someone wanted a White/Black/Red ACR-E for instance.

[GerryWoodViper]

I am surprised FCA didn't require you to take non ACRs along with the big order. Good luck with the bold maneuver.

They didn't ask or expect us to. However we do see demand for that car as well as there is a tremendous value in that trim. Therefore we did order 10 GTS models in the standard form with basic options, as well as 14 GTC in GTS trim as part of our ADVANCED AERO SOLID Edition cars.

www.GerryWoodViper.com will show the units we have coming.

Note: The special edition cars are Custom Paint. For that reason the colors we could get closest with on the configurator are not close to the color in physical form. We have painted 4" x 6" cards from the factory that we send to prospective buyers, to get their final approval.

[GerryWoodViper]

Any chance we can get a list of what was ordered in what color. Say if someone wanted a White/Black/Red ACR-E for instance.

Do you mean something like this; http://www.gerrywood-dodge.com/new-S...BDECZ1HV500109

Here are all the white Vipers we have coming in. http://www.gerrywood-dodge.com/viper...e&st=Price+asc

[GerryWoodViper]

Good luck Brad I wish you all the best. I was impressed with your down to earth attitude when I met and chatted with you at CMP about four months ago. I was tracking my TA2 for the first time and you were giving me quite a bit of heloful advice. Thanks.

That was a great talk we had, and I have a special affinity for your car. It was great to talk with you! A blue T/A2.0 like yours is the car I drove in the Grassroots Motorsports Magazine UTCC at VIR last year against the new and just released ACR-E. Even with a 2:00 flat at VIR, the ACR-E had nearly 3 seconds on me with the factory driver. That T/A is something special, for sure!

Special Ed, come down to CMP on November 4th. We have a track day with NASA-SE and are running our ACR-E.

[donb]

Do you mean something like this; http://www.gerrywood-dodge.com/new-S...BDECZ1HV500109

Here are all the white Vipers we have coming in. http://www.gerrywood-dodge.com/viper...e&st=Price+asc

Hi,

I saw the heritage colored ACR: http://www.gerrywood-dodge.com/new-S...BDEDZ5HV500368

..what was the story behind that being picked?

I think the blue looks great and am currently looking at a color very close to that for a GTC.