Advise on buying first Viper

[GregM]

Looking for advise on buying a 1997 GTS. Loved that car since the day I first saw one. Found a blue one with white stripes with 10k in very nice condition. At 42.5k I don’t think I can go wrong. Here are my questions:

1. As to value, are these cars still depreciating or are they holding steady?
2. Is 42.5 k a fair price for an above average example?
3. What are the known problems, if any, with these cars?
4. Anyone know a Viper mechanic in the NY or NJ area who would be willing to inspect car?

Thanks

[BLRDViper]

Yes. 42.5K is a great price on a 97 BW with only 10K miles. This is assuming it does not have a salvage title or has been beat hard.
Maybe some members from your area can do a quick check on it for you or make a recommendation of who can inspect it.
You can always give a deposit and draw up a purchase agreement with the seller pending inspection.
As for depreciation, do not buy the car as an investment. It is a car.
If it all works out OK and you get it, you will be one lucky dog.
BLRD

[uvbnbit]

If tires are original, plan to replace those asap. As said, check with the local VOA. or the FB pages if you're on FB.

[Bill W]

Viper Quarterly 17 has a good article on Gen II Vipers: FEATURE STORIES Sergio Marchionne Gen II Viper Buyers Guide
It's not a tell all but some good information in my opinion.
http://shop.driveviper.com/viper-quarterly-17/

[high flier]

as far as known problems and basics; Motoiq did a pretty good project on one
https://motoiq.com/project-viper-gts...o-and-history/

[Bill Pemberton]

Often the problems are ones folks do not think about , since they are not visual. It would be interesting to know when all the fluids were changed or if they have been? It was always a surprise to me when we got in a 15 year old car, for instance, and just because the miles were low it had never had the rear end fluid , brake or transmission fluids ever changed. Check the boots on the control arms as often mechanics treated them like an old Ford tractor , seeing zercs they pumped the grease in there everytime the car was in for service and now they are all split. Sounds like a simple fix , but those parts are high and an 800 dollar bill is not uncommon. Check the hood springs, doors ( heavy and often out of adjustment) , rear window supports are often shot ( cheap fix here ), and have a Dealer look into whether the frame recall was done. If the frame recall was not done , drop me a note , as few places actually have done this , and many did it incorrectly causing issues with the oil filter. When you look at any 21 year old car, go in with the assurance things will need fixed , age will virtually guarantee this. I often recommend the car is put on a lift to look for other concerns, since who knows where it has traveled in over 2 decades? Good luck.

[GregM]

Thanks for the links and I will check them out.

I am not buying for investment but will have to let my 69 GTO go and that’s not depreciating, so had to ask...

Not original tires but they do come with the car.

I have the car fax and see no recall. A frame recall concerns me. All Gen II had them?

Guy has changed fluids religiously and converted all to Amtrol synthetics.

I can likely find a local lift for inspection but what am I looking for?

[Steve-Indy]

GregM, you are getting some great advice here...not the least of which is from Bill P who is one of the most experienced, most trusted persons in the business.

The recall mentioned is 998...Steering Rack and Differential...which applies to ALL 96-98 Vipers. As Bill noted, this recall has a long history of being botched. The parts are still available, and recall will be free. Just be sure that the tech has done SCORES of said recall...correctly.

Reaching out to your local club is more than helpful...as, there are usually several folks with long time experience...hands on type.

I usually suggest that buyers of Vipers of this age hold back $6,000-10,000 to get the beast road worthy and dependable.

There is an endless list of things to look for on, in, and under these cars...suggest you thoroughly inspect the car yourself with the help of a legacy Viper Tech or very experienced Gen II owner. There are a FEW people to whom I would comfortably sublet this process...Bill and the Woodhouse gang, John Gastman at Roanoke, Chuck Tator in New York, Tom Sessions in NC, and Dan Cragin in CA.

It is easier to find a great car then it is to rehab "a beater" for most of us.

[AviP]

Just that the chassis is straight and true. Look for rust all over. Check motor mounts if possible. Leaks in general, nothing specific. Rear glass hatch mount can become unglued. Door weatherstrip can be scuffed or damaged from door sag. Driver seat belt can be damaged at the buckle area as the driver sits in. If it has floor mats, the driver side is notorious for folding and locking up the accelerator. Look at the color of brake fluid. Check the gaps at the headlights and hood/bumper as they are indications of fender benders or at least some work that was done. Get all records and price accordingly. Chuck Tator is your Viper mechanic for the northeast as Steve said.

Good luck!

[GregM]

Great advise. How do I reach chuck tator? Where in NY is he? The car is on LI.

I see no recalls on Carfax though there is one frontal accident that had been repaired. Sellers been pretty forthcoming and is offering to let me talk to his body guy.

Did I mention it’s a 2 owner car? Have copies of window sticker and sales invoice and going to try locating original owner.

I will ask seller about frame recall. If anyone know how to reach chuck tator let me know.

[Steve-Indy]

Chuck is in South Salem, NY..." Tator's Garage"

914-763-3136

P.S. Follow link, put in full VIN to see Recalls...both complete and incomplete.

https://www.mopar.com/en-us/my-vehic...ls/search.html

[sonicbloo]

Great advise. How do I reach chuck tator? Where in NY is he? The car is on LI.

I see no recalls on Carfax though there is one frontal accident that had been repaired. Sellers been pretty forthcoming and is offering to let me talk to his body guy.

Did I mention it’s a 2 owner car? Have copies of window sticker and sales invoice and going to try locating original owner.

I will ask seller about frame recall. If anyone know how to reach chuck tator let me know.

Good luck in your quest, hope it turns out to be a good car

http://www.tatorsdodge.com/

[daveg]

How bad was the front end damage? Some frown on a car with history. Car sounds like a good deal if the front end accident wasn't bad.

[MacGyvers Mullet]

Great advise. How do I reach chuck tator? Where in NY is he? The car is on LI.

I see no recalls on Carfax though there is one frontal accident that had been repaired. Sellers been pretty forthcoming and is offering to let me talk to his body guy.

Did I mention it’s a 2 owner car? Have copies of window sticker and sales invoice and going to try locating original owner.

I will ask seller about frame recall. If anyone know how to reach chuck tator let me know.

I would not use the owner’s body guy in any circumstance. Definitely find your own, whom would have zero seller bias. If the sellers scoffs at this idea, walk away. These cars are worth having an expert give a full look over, especially when the price is a bit lower than normal.

Carfax is no longer tremendously trustworthy...I inspected a “clean” car and it wound up being two different cars that were welded together as one. The front of the car was the original silver and the rear of the car was from a different red car. Split in half and badly Frankensteined together.

[GregM]

Thanks again for all the input. The Viper community is tight knit and willing to help!

Chuck is da man. Called me and very giving of his time. His passion for the cars speaks volumes. Ran vin and the frame recall done in 03 and he knows of the dealer who performed it. He is likely no more than 1.5 hour to the car and would like to get it up on a rack for him to inspect if possible.

Just to be clear the repairs were done back in 2013 when current owner bought car. It presents as a real nice driver though I have not seen in person.

[uvbnbit]

Chuck is the Viper Wizard on here if you didn't know already. It'll be worth it to have him that close.
You'll love the car, AND 'most' of the owners in the community.

[Racngrn]

Just a note regarding the 998 recall. I recently had this done ( was never completed) by Chuck as part of a complete inspection and service of a 98 GTS new to me. Submitted full documentation ( photos, letter from Chuck, invoice, etc) to Dodge to be reimbursed for the work. Note: there was not a local Dodge dealer that would even consider it or be able to do it. After a couple months of waiting, I called Dodge to check in on the case and was told it was denied. Their reason, there is a 15 year limit on recalls and the meter on 998 began in 2002 ( likely maps to the change to Gen 3). While not very happy about trying to do the right thing and a sense of obligation Dodge should have regardless of such timeframes, I can at least understand that 15 years is a very long time to be obligated to owners who simply don't get the recalls addressed. I do not know if a Dodge dealer ( if one would even do it within hundreds of miles of me) would have accomplished this free of charge given this time limit, nor would I have the same confidence in the work done. I am primarily interested in having the work done correctly, which is of course the case at Chuck's shop. I still need to get Dodge to reflect that the recall was completed so that it does not continue to show up on future VIN searches - a separate bit of work to accomplish. So.... be aware of this little snag as you press on with this recall , if not already completed. If others have information that challenges what I was told by Dodge Customer Service, I'd love to hear from you but don't want to hijack this thread.

Good luck with this purchase. I sold a 70 AMX that was outstanding to buy my 98 GTS and I could not be happier with the car. I'm sure you will feel the same way. Steve

[Steve-Indy]

Steve, many thanks for the recall time limit info. Sorry you have had a hard time with this. Agree that you should contact Dodge for reconsideration since many warranty claims initially denied have been reversed. Hopefully, a recall would be given "more weight" than a other types of claims. Please keep us posted...and, good luck with this !!

[Bill Pemberton]

The frame recall was likely already done, but if not Chuck Tator is more than well qualified if he is close to you. The recall was instituted due to some issues with a couple of racing Vipers, and in all the 100s of ones we did at Woodhouse Dodge, I don't remember there ever being a problem. In fact, in talking to folks over the years, I do not know of a single crack in the steering box/frame area that popped up on the heavily raced Vipers. Ironically the only real concern we encountered were the incorrect installations of the bracing mandated for said recall. There was training done for Mechanics in the Midwest in Kansas City , and our Tech even assisted in the training seminar. Once completed the end result was that everyone just told their customers to send their car to Woodhouse, and we did a boatload of the relatively simple fix. Since this car likely has it done, I would not be too concerned at present, but if for some reason it has not been completed , the note to check on this was just a precaution. In fact if you send me the Vin , I can look it up and records will tell if it is still outstanding?

Sincerely,
Bill Pemberton
billpemberton@woodhouse.com
402-677-5864 cell

Send to the email above , not to the Forum , as I do not always have access here.

[daveg]

.... Ran vin and the frame recall done in 03 and he knows of the dealer who performed it.

Looks like it was done...

[Steve-Indy]

Just for the record...inspection of the Viper will be final answer to the questions as to completeness and correctness of said recall.
I know of incorrect/incomplete 998 recalls discovered upon inspection...let alone the cars owned by some "collectors" where the recall parts were given to the owner but never installed. In these cases, running the VIN shows he the recall is complete.

Data mining, mouse-clicking searches are no substitute for a hands on inspection.

[GregM]

Thanks again to all who took the time to post.

I gave seller a deposit today subject to inspection! I can’t believe I’m doing it especially since I’m going to have to let the GTO go. Marks a change in my preference towards late model muscle. Must be getting old. 😳 I am happy to hear others have as well and didn’t regret it.

Anyway trying to entice Chuck to make the 3 hr round trip and look at it for me. Otherwise will have do it myself with Chucks encouragement.

As a side note how go I post photos on this site?

[Steve-Indy]

Congrats, man...you're in great hands with The Wizard !!

[uvbnbit]

As a side note how go I post photos on this site?

From computer, I use Photo Bucket, pretty simple from your phone using the icons in "button" bar

[Bill W]

Thanks again to all who took the time to post.

I gave seller a deposit today subject to inspection! I can’t believe I’m doing it especially since I’m going to have to let the GTO go. Marks a change in my preference towards late model muscle. Must be getting old. �� I am happy to hear others have as well and didn’t regret it.

You're not alone. I sold my 2014 Harley-Davidson CVO Breakout so I could buy my Viper last October. I had a ton of upgrades into the bike. Lots of high performance engine work. Big change in my lifestyle but no regrets. Good luck with the car. Sounds like a nice deal.