Viper vs. Corvette question

[2tapshooter]

In the near future, I'am going to purchase a Viper. One question I'm always asked when questioned, "why do I want a Viper, rather then a Corvette?" That's a great question since there was a record sales of a 1967 L88 Corvette, at $3.2 million. My question as a future Viper owner is, " why haven't Vipers, kept up with Corvettes, at auctions, and sales?"
Can anyone help me?

[Newport Viper]

Corvettes started in what 1953?

Vipers in 1992....

Common sense...

[2tapshooter]

Well I guess to ask a valid question, only means someone will always be a smart ass.

[KickinAssphault]

Maybe because in 1967, Vipers didn't exist. You're comparing apples to oranges if you try comparing a car produced 46 years ago with a production run of 20 versus a modern car with production numbers in the thousands. Also, many people buy cars today for the sole purpose of keeping them pristine in the hopes of a valuable collectible some day; yet that is counter productive when a lot of people do that. I'm pretty sure there weren't very many people at all thinking in 1967, "wow this car will one day be worth $3.2 million." Sure, there are a lot of other factors involved, but it's really not that big of a stretch to get this, right?

[johniew398]

If your reasoning for buy a Viper is for a future investment, I wouldn't buy one. Then again, unless you buy a Vette that is already a collectible I wouldn't buy a Vette either.

I switched to Vipers after owning Vettes for 27 years because Vettes are everywhere. You will see a Vette just about anytime you go for a drive where I live but there are only five Vipers in this region and in 15 years I can count the # of times I've seen another Viper here on one hand. Not to mention they are just a bad-ass car, not for the masses.

[2tapshooter]

Yeah. I guess. My real question should of been, given Corvettes in 1993 and Vipers of the same age and production years of Corvettes and Vipers, do they run neck and neck as far as value, or does one hold its value more then the other?

[2tapshooter]

No not at all, I'm not buying a Viper based on resale alone, it was just a question. Like you, I'm tired of seeing Corvettes. Like original Cobras, to own a Viper places you in a class by itself. I have always loved everything about Vipers. And I'm sure that one day, owning a Viper will be even more of an exclusive club.

[2tapshooter]

I'am trying to do my home work as far as buy a Viper. I was told that there are years that a person should stay away from. Can anyone tell me what years or models that it?

[KickinAssphault]

No car today is going to go up in value. Few cars are going to hold their value. This is especially true if you plan on putting miles on the car. Unless you've got #1-5 of a short production run year, and you keep it garaged 100% of the time with no miles on it; then you're going to see a decline in value. Saying that; what does it really matter? Do you plan on driving and enjoying your car? Are you going to track it? Take it on cruises? Do you plan on any mods? If you answer yes to any of these, expect anything you buy to decrease in value. Any mods you do will yield a horrible return when you try to sell; so that certainly doesn't matter.

What's the point in buying such an aggressive car that is meant to be driven; hard, if you're worried about future value. Drive it like you stole it. If you're worried about resale; and getting back out of it what you put in it; it's probably too big of an investment and isn't the right car for you. I'm not saying that to be rude. I'm saying that because there's truth to it. Good luck.

EDIT: Now that I see you other posts, I understand you're not worried about resale exclusively, but I think my post still sums it up pretty well.

[2tapshooter]

What about the years to stay away from?

[Ohiotj]

I don't know of any years to really stay away from. Just need to look at what you price range is and go from there.

[Schen]

I've been told yellow Vipers are slower. I've been in a few, haven't really seen a difference.

--RS

[2tapshooter]

Kickin, do you know of any years to stay away from ?

[Coloviper]

I think you answered your own question. If you are tired of seeing corvettes everywhere, you will tire of seeing it in your garage as well. Vipers in great original shape have held in depreciation at a much better rate overall that most Corvettes of the same vintage.

Out the gate, the Viper drops more, but after a few years they are the same, add on a few more years and the Viper has a better rate.

As far as ones to stay away from 2007, 2011 and 2012 were really bad years.

[Schen]

But seriously, Vipers are a limited production hand built car, Corvette's are not no matter how you slice it. A 93' C4 isn't going to sell for the same price as a 92' RT/10. Vipers can be had for as low as $30k but a C4 could be had under or around $10k. Unless it's a ZR1, I wouldn't hold your breath.

--RS

[Coloviper]

Seriously, there have been no bad years.......I mean bad enough to stay away from. Comes down to what you want. In reality if you want a future collectible, right now it is pretty much known that all 1992s and the 1998 GT2 LeMans tribute car are collectible and always will be.

[2tapshooter]

That's good. Are their Vipers that have more HP or Torque then others?

[2tapshooter]

I want a Viper that has great HP and Torque. But let me ask, with all the weight in the front of the car, how do they handle?

[KickinAssphault]

It really just depends on what you want to do with the car. Are you going to keep your car stock and make it a daily driver(ish), or do you want to eventually make gobs of HP and torque; like in the 1000+ HP range? If you're looking at the Gen II's (1996-2002), then if you want to supercharge/turbocharge/NOS you'll want to stay with the 1996-1999 as they had forged pistons which will allow much more HP before you have to start beefing up a lot of stuff. But if you like the idea of anti-lock brakes, then that's a 2001-2002 option, but you lose the forged pistons and some other stuff.

You're asking a complex question, and it's good that you're thinking about it and asking; but it would simply be easier if you told us why you're buying a viper, what you're going to do to it, and do with it. Also, what's your price range? Do you have enough disposable income to properly upkeep a Viper as again I think that might make a huge difference in which ones to stay away from.

This is a very simplified answer and there are others here far more qualified to speak of certain year models than me. I have a 97 GTS. I have the Blue/White which is much faster than the other colors. I get an extra 50 HP from the white stripes. But if you'll specify more what your goals are, and what you plan on doing with it (driving style), others will chime in, I'm sure.

[2tapshooter]

I owe you an apology. I took your response wrong.

[Coloviper]

92-95 are 400 hp
96 RT/10 are 415 hp
96-02 GTS and 97-02 RT/10 are 450 hp
98 GT2 and 99-02 ACR are 460 hp
03-06 all are 505 hp
08-10 all are 600 hp
13-14 (present) are 640 hp

Torque has gone up accordingly from mid 400s to 600 over those years as well. Any year has more than enough torque to have fun.just compare torque figures to Corvette during this time. Should make it easier to take off the bow tie!

[Bitten]

I'am trying to do my home work as far as buy a Viper. I was told that there are years that a person should stay away from. Can anyone tell me what years or models that it?

That is a question that every Viper and Vette owner will answer differently, based on their likes, dislikes and experiences. Don't buy any car for investment purposes. They always depreciate and in a bad economy even the most pristine car looses value like a rock.

Corvette has a huge number of production cars per year, therefore there is a huge fan base. They also have a large museum with lots of events per year and it is across the street from the factory, which you can tour. So Corvette has a long history and huge fan base.

Viper hasn't been around long. They have very low production numbers per year and so the fan base is smaller. No museum and a limited number of scheduled events through a single organization until this year.

I have owned 2 Corvettes and 3 Vipers, if you go out and buy a new ZR1 or Z06 it looks just like the base model Corvette to the average person. So most people don'tknow that you spent 100k on the ZR1. The Viper on the other hand is like driving a space ship. People loose their minds. They quit thinking about what the are doing, take pictures of you, get in accidents because they are distracted looking at your car. Yes all this has happened to me while driving the Vipers and NEVER in my Z06. The Vipers don't have very visible badging, so when your on the road, other drivers are trying to figure out what your driving. I have even had men ask if I would marry them.

Then lets look at the performance. The Viper Gen 3 and 4 cars are absolutely dangerous. They will kill you in a heartbeat. So much power and no traction control equals a freakin hairy ride. You will never get that in a Corvette. The Corvettes in the same genre have traction control and are very tame compared to the same year Vipers. The new Viper has all the nannies, but you can still tell its a Viper.

I tell people that I could set my Corvette on fire in the mall parking lot and the Viper will still get more attention. Some times the attention is actually scary. If you want a great car with great performance that a lot of people in your town also own, then get a Corvette. If you want a car that makes people stop in their tracks and turn their heads, that is also a great performance car. A car that requires a skilled driver because the car is so edgy that will kill you if you don't pay attention, then buy a Viper.

I sold my Z06, 2 Gen 3 Vipers and a Mustang GT to buy my new Gen 5 Viper. I won't ever go back. This car has every thing that performance enthusiast and car nut could ever want.

Hope this answers your question. If you really want an amazing car, then buy a Viper. That said, I still have plenty of Corvette friends and I am a member of the Corvette Museum. I also wouldn't rule out a 427 Corvette Vert in the future as an addition because it is a beautiful car.

[2tapshooter]

I would like to get a Viper that I can drive around town, take to Car Shows, and then again take my wife a go on a road trip. I think to have a car like this, it would be great to take everywhere. But I do like to keep my cars and trucks in great shape mechanically, and spotless.

[ACRucrazy]

One day in the future, 90s and 2000s Vipers will bring more money than 90s and 2000s Vettes at the auction. It's bound to happen. The Viper has the makings of a classic from day 1.

[2tapshooter]

Thank you very much for that information. Pretty much what I thought and what I was looking for. Everything you said, fits my wants completely.