Drove 7 hours each way yesterday to see that yellow Viper body damage need advices

[MuRCieLaGo]

Hi guys,

I went to see a yellow 1994 Viper yesterday. I was a bit upset by its condition. I would like to know your advices.

1. Crazy gap between hood and bumper, both sides.
2. Stupid black stripes, installed 2 years ago. I hope they can be removed without any harm.
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3. Keyed.
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4. Bubbles in paint on rocker panel.
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5. 4-5 cracks in paint.
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[MuRCieLaGo]

6. Teared window.
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Other than that, I'd like to say: by seeing pictures, I wasn't sure I wanted a yellow Viper... until I saw one in person. That yellow is simply GORGEOUS.

[plumcrazy]

depending on price assuming thats all the issues, not terrible IMO

[MuRCieLaGo]

I think it is, however I'm wondering how hard it would be to fix it all...

[ICPREY]

depending on price assuming thats all the issues, not terrible IMO

This^^ It's a 20yr old car that will have some issues. Window can be replaced, hood gap can be fixed, and paint will more than likely need a respray.

[dave6666]

Paint repair is paint repair. Any competent shop can fix paint.

A good auto upholstery shop can replace that torn window. Un-stitch the old one, stitch a new one in. It's just clear vinyl film.

The hood gap can be fixed. There is a technique to getting it right so it will one, be correct, and more importantly, stay put. That same thing that causes that to happen is the same thing that will quickly be ignored during the fix because yes, it takes a lot more time to fix that correctly than to get it so it looks good until you hit a few bumps.

[Matt Houston]

The gap isn't that bad. I've seen much worse.

[MH60M]

Yea, I saw "BODY DAMAGED VIPER" and this looks like most of the vipers out there that are actually driven. No biggy. I like the stripes. Buy and Drive! Should've brought a trailer!

[Geronimo]

Did you make an offer?

[ViperTim]

Honestly if those are all of the bad things, it's a pretty damn solid car.
If the price is right and you want it, go for it.

[Fatboy 18]

That paint on the side sill is most likely the Aluminium oxidising under the primer. It would need to be taken back to bare metal and a aluminium etch primer used before applying paint.

As others have said, it really depends on price. If the guy was selling the car at top dollar then walk away, but if its in a low price range then snap it up. You would need to offset the price of the works against the price of the car. If the guy is not willing to move, there are other cars out there. Even Fast Red ones

[dave6666]

The gap isn't that bad. I've seen much worse.

That's like saying she wasn't that fat.....................

[03evoIII]

Mine had little stuff similar to what you are seeing....paint bubbles near the rockers (I assume due to heat from the cats), a couple small cracks in paint. Not bad for a 20+ year old car. As for the bumper gaps...I am thinking this has to be from dragging the bumper out of driveways/curbs??? Causing the front to push closer to the front line of the hood and rear of bumper to pull away from the sides of the hood. I mean mine is so low that it's always drags a little. I imagine a little bumper adjustment would close that gap up. I agree with OP...the yellow looks awesome in person...just matches the craziness of the car IMO.

[Special Ed]

That's like saying she wasn't that fat.....................

You can always count on Dave6666. lol

[swexlin]

That's like saying she wasn't that fat.....................

Quote of the day!!

[MuRCieLaGo]

I'm surprised to see all these positive comments about the car.

I know keying can be buffed out, gap can be adjusted, stripes can be removed (and if there's a difference with the color afterwards it can be fixed with a good polishing).

But I can't find a replacement window, I wonder if they are expensive.

And those cracks are driving me crazy. I wonder if it can be fixed by a body shop. I don't feel like having the whole car painted already.

[Steve-Indy]

They made 3,083 Vipers in 1994...the highest number of any Viper production year EVER. So, this is not a rare model.

BUT, if this Viper suits YOU and your allotted budget, don't let the window issue derail your purchase. As noted, dave6666 has suggested a fix for the window.

Good luck !!

[Stretch]

That yellow is simply GORGEOUS.

This. I loved my Yellow 95. Great color and great car. Good luck with your search.

[Lemay88]

All depends on price,
Cosmetic blemishes can be fixed easily.
Since it is a gen 1, I would check and see if head gaskets were changed.
but again, everything is in the price.

Achetes la, tu regretteras pas l'experience...

[BrianACR]

Good choice in color
It's easy enough to call around to some body shops and paint places to get a few estimates.

[MuRCieLaGo]

They made 3,083 Vipers in 1994...the highest number of any Viper production year EVER!

Only 83 yellow Vipers were made in 1994 though...

All depends on price,
Cosmetic blemishes can be fixed easily.
Since it is a gen 1, I would check and see if head gaskets were changed.
but again, everything is in the price.

Achetes la, tu regretteras pas l'experience...

Merci!

Head gaskets have been changed preventively according to him. There is NOT a lot of Canadian cars around, I don't have many options...

Good choice in color
It's easy enough to call around to some body shops and paint places to get a few estimates.

Just went to a local body shop (had a car painted there years ago and I was satisfied) and showed him the pictures. He told me that it will be around USD $2,500 to fix the body, or USD $4,500 for a full paint. I think that's a lot.

[99RT10]

I'm surprised to see all these positive comments about the car.

I know keying can be buffed out, gap can be adjusted, stripes can be removed (and if there's a difference with the color afterwards it can be fixed with a good polishing).

But I can't find a replacement window, I wonder if they are expensive.

And those cracks are driving me crazy. I wonder if it can be fixed by a body shop. I don't feel like having the whole car painted already.

I have a real nice set of replacement windows if you need them.

[TheMadMachinist]

Only 83 yellow Vipers were made in 1994 though...



Merci!

Head gaskets have been changed preventively according to him. There is NOT a lot of Canadian cars around, I don't have many options...



Just went to a local body shop (had a car painted there years ago and I was satisfied) and showed him the pictures. He told me that it will be around USD $2,500 to fix the body, or USD $4,500 for a full paint. I think that's a lot.

$4.500.00 for a respray is dirt cheap if you are talking the whole car. I spent about that much a year ago just having the hood,top and rear hatch recleared on my 2013. just saying

[SlowPoke McGee]

A word of caution regarding the bubbling on side sill. This is certainly, as Fatboy mentioned, due to aluminum corrosion. Same thing happened on mine. If the bubbling is confined to this one area in your picture consider yourself lucky, but my guess is that if you were to pull the sills off the car, there would be considerably more corrosion at the top where the sills screw in. You see, the screws are steel and the sill is aluminum so those areas around the screws become very corroded due to dissimilar metal contact, and this corrosion spreads to surrounding surfaces like a cancer. You will have 2 choices: buy new sills or take to a body shop and have them completely refurbish them. There are some new ones on Ebay for $1300 each/US plus paint and the going rate to have them refurbished is approx $700-800 each Canadian.

As far as the cracks, are any of those in the hood? Could be a fiberglass crack in which case I recommend taking it to a good boat repair company as they deal with fiberglass repairs all the time as well as blending the paint. Should be lower cost than taking to autobody shop but still, it's time consuming and needs to be done by a pro.

Don't know what price he's asking but know that these little things can add up in cost. They seem small on the surface but to fix properly, they can start to cost more than what you think you're saving by buying the car cheap..

From just the pics you show, my guess is you would need to shell out $3500 to fix stuff up and that's a budget price. New side sills would raise that number to $6500 Canadian. This price assumes you fix the hood gap issue yourself.

P.S. Tire looks suspect in the one pic too. Are they due for replacement?

[MuRCieLaGo]

A word of caution regarding the bubbling on side sill. This is certainly, as Fatboy mentioned, due to aluminum corrosion. Same thing happened on mine. If the bubbling is confined to this one area in your picture consider yourself lucky, but my guess is that if you were to pull the sills off the car, there would be considerably more corrosion at the top where the sills screw in. You see, the screws are steel and the sill is aluminum so those areas around the screws become very corroded due to dissimilar metal contact, and this corrosion spreads to surrounding surfaces like a cancer. You will have 2 choices: buy new sills or take to a body shop and have them completely refurbish them. There are some new ones on Ebay for $1300 each/US plus paint and the going rate to have them refurbished is approx $700-800 each Canadian.

As far as the cracks, are any of those in the hood? Could be a fiberglass crack in which case I recommend taking it to a good boat repair company as they deal with fiberglass repairs all the time as well as blending the paint. Should be lower cost than taking to autobody shop but still, it's time consuming and needs to be done by a pro.

Don't know what price he's asking but know that these little things can add up in cost. They seem small on the surface but to fix properly, they can start to cost more than what you think you're saving by buying the car cheap..

From just the pics you show, my guess is you would need to shell out $3500 to fix stuff up and that's a budget price. New side sills would raise that number to $6500 Canadian. This price assumes you fix the hood gap issue yourself.

P.S. Tire looks suspect in the one pic too. Are they due for replacement?

I like your realistic answer. That cheap deal will become an expensive one after the repairs. Tires are due for replacement yes, but I know the price so that's why I didn't talk about it here. The car belongs to a 63 years old guy, so I thought it would be near perfect (and that's what he told me on the phone).

Your answer closes the subject. I won't go further with this car. I'm becoming really upset with the Canadian market. There's a few Americans for sale around but I don't like Americans seatbelts.