Looking for my first Viper

[Breck]

Hello all,

As the title states, I am looking to possibly purchase my first Viper in the near future. I have a decent amount of experience with Mopar and I have longed for a Viper for a long time. I know a little bit about Vipers, but I have never driven one or even had the opportunity to ride in one. I am looking for a car with the following things;

• 1992-1995 Model Year
• Prefered color is Viper Red, but I am open to other options
• Mileage is not a big concern. I don't want a car with "collector-like" miles, I like to drive too much. I would even be willing to look at higher mileage examples.
• No or minimal modifications.
• Preferably maintenance records and documentation with the car. Once again, not a deal breaker, but prefered

I am just wondering if there is anything I should be cautious for and if there is anything I should know before I seriously start searching. Thanks for any input and advice,

Breck

[Steve-Indy]

Hello, and welcome, Breck !

My first suggestion is to take your time...don't fall for a glossy paint job, a long list of mods, or a bargain price.

Recently, Viper Quarterly has published a series of articles on buying a Viper. One can order these back issues from VOA HDQ via a link on this site. The Gen I Vipers were covered in Volume 15 Winter 2018. Next issue covered Gen "1.5"...and so on.

It is immensely valuable to hook up with owners in your area...usually via this site or through local Cars and Coffee gatherings. Get to know the quirks (and there are a few) of the various models within a given Generation.

ALWAYS do your homework...meaning run the VIN !! Get a Carfax/AutoCheck(or both) and compare it(them) to the limited info that you can get on that VIN from a friendly CJDR dealer...realizing that the dealer cannot provide names or addresses of prior owners. You are interested in service history (if any), recalls, TSB's, warranty repairs, etc. I always check for recall compliance on the Chrysler self serve site...noting that occasionally, one finds conflicting info that needs to be resolved.

Always inspect the Viper in question personally both on the ground and on a lift...preferably with the assistance of an experienced Viper Tech who KNOWS that particular Generation. A local Club Member (or two) with experience has been known to fill in for a "Tech void".

These are great cars...with lots of fun and bang for the buck...and, are fairly easy to maintain even by those with minimal mechanical experience once one is familiar with the Beast.

Finally, I always suggest that one plans on spending another $6,000.00 to $10,000.00 over the purchase price in order to make 20+ year old Viper "road reliable".

Best of luck with your hunt !!

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Gen 1 Vipers from 94-5 are a bit easier to source many parts for than 92-93.

All G1 Vipers will need to have head gaskets replaced by 40K miles or so, many were done much sooner. EZ to detect/diagnose replaced or failing gaskets...

If you find an Original example, rubber components are at end-of-life: 10 hoses, serpentine, tires, suspension and caliper boots/seals. Check the seat cushion resilience / foam may be hardening. Storage care matters.

Soft Top may be deteriorating unless cared for properly, Expensive. A hard top is a bonus, and less trouble. I would not avoid a soft-top-missing G1 IF it has a good hard top.

G 1 side curtain 'windows' are a nuisance too....will you drive on rain/cold in WI? {Im orig from New Lisbon}

Do you have decent driving skills? 400 HP; Huge Tq.... no ABS, stiff suspension.... a LOT of Viper newbees "lost it" in forst 90 days.... good tires are IMPORTANT

Good Luck. Call for more.... JonB

[99RT10]

Get up with Mitch, he is in WI and can give great help in your search for a Viper(VOA member). There is a steal of a deal for a 2000RT on the FB site. A Gen 2 might be more civil. Real windows..............

[Bill W]

Breck, you have some invaluable advice from three extremely knowledgeable forum members in the prior posts. Good luck with your hunt.

[Wilbs]

I have a 1994 RT10. $35 k Black.

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Breck made 1 post in Covid Week 3..and never said thanks or came back !

I hope he's OK...

[rwdtank8]

I need to save this post. Two more painful years of saving $. I can't wait. I was able to drive an 08 a couple months prior covid19. Although I didn't drive it fast, it was the best feeling in the world... Besides driving my mx5.

[Breck]

Not sure if anyone still follows this thread, but I did end up getting a Viper!

Between a promotion, moving, and of course, COVID-19, it was quite the year for me but back in September I sold my Boxster and ended up buying a 95' RT/10 less than 3 weeks later. Not a "perfect example" but just over 50,000 miles, very few mods (gen 2 wheels and a thermostat) finished in Viper Black. I put about 1,500 miles on it before putting it away for the wisconsin winter (I might still take it out if we get a nice day before the snow falls). I plan on getting a few small things sorted over winter, taking care of some maintenance items, and getting some new tires as they are getting low and almost every piece of advice I have heard regarding vipers is "HAVE GOOD TIRES".

To make the story even better, the guy I bought my viper from had two that he was selling. Mine, a black 95' RT/10, and a white/blue 96' RT/10. I drove mine over 300 miles back and after I had it I dropped it off with my dad and let him take it to work one day as he is also a lifelong mopar guy and I knew he was excited to drive it. About two weeks later, he went and got the 96!

We have went on some nice drives together it's awesome to share the experience with someone who loves vipers and mopar the same way I do. He's had a few new high horsepower mopars (10' Challenger SRT8 & 18' Durango SRT) and yet he still tells me he can't believe how fast the viper picks up speeds past 70.

[Bill W]

Cool story. Congrats to you and your dad! So nice to have those times together.

[SRT_BluByU]

has anyone told you to 'HAVE GOOD TIRES' yet?


Congratulations - youll never forget your first Viper (seeing it for the first time, hearing it turn on for the first time, driving it for the first time, etc). Even better you get to share the experience with your dad!

[Viperenvy]

Congrats to both of you.

Now it is time to become a members. Between the advice you received from VOA members, especially Steve-Indy and JonB to include 99RT10, membership will be cheap. Plus you will have a lot of fun at events!!

Enjoy dreaming during the snow, spring is on 5 months away!!

[RT SERPENT]

Congrats!
It's amazing when you get to share your passion with your family.
My car passion happens to be my Dad's fault too. lol!

[RCR88]

Congrats! Just got my Gen 1 a month or so before you. I also now get to just sit and stare at it over the winter....

[Devix]

Congrats!!!
I think I'm very close to my first Viper too

[Breck]

It's been about 11 days since I officially put mine away for winter and it's already driving me nuts that I can't drive it. On the bright side, I am going to use the next few months to get all of the regular maintenance done and few cosmetic items I would like to take care of (it needs a good detail very badly) so when spring hits it will be all ready to go!

[RT SERPENT]

You've definitely been "bit!"
Its a long winter but manageable with projects

[Breck]

While I considered making this it's own thread, I'm not sure if I have enough content to make it interesting. I have been working on the Viper every now and then over the course of this winter. I disassembled the whole interior for a deep cleaning. Despite all of the complaints I have heard about the "cheap" interior, it is a breeze to pull apart and I appreciate it's simplicity. While it was pulled apart I brought the driver's seat to get the bolster re-dyed as it was starting to wear down. I have the oil and filter ready for an oil change and I intend on flushing all the fluids in these following weeks. I got the hand brake fixed as it had seized up. It just needed a little WD-40 to start moving again. I am also looking into replacing some of the speaker as they are very rough. I am a tad bit of a snob when it comes to keeping things OEM, so I am not 100% sure what I am going to do about them. Last thing that will be more of a spring project will be the outside. The black paint needs a good buff and a few scratches need taken care of. And of course, most likely a set of tires as I intend to drive this thing as much as I can this summer; Car shows, drag strip, and possibly even a track day at Road America. I can't wait to drive it again!

Here is a picture of everything torn apart!

Viper Interior apart.jpg

[Evil v10]

Nice job ,keep up the good work and the pictures coming.

[Breck]

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I started this thread! We’ve had a few halfway decent days so far and I’ve gotten about 170 miles of driving so far this year. I removed my speaker covers to paint them over the winter and I unfortunately did not attach the top one very well and it departed the vehicle at high speeds so I am in hunt for a new one. Oil has been changed and now I’m on the hunt for tires. Here’s a few pics from this year so far
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[Viperenvy]

Call JonB at PartsRack- he'll get them shipped asap.

Support a long time VOA Vendor!

http://www.viperpartsrack.com/

[StrokerAce]

Good progress. I was not a fan of the early cars but as I age they are becoming more and more appealing.

Good on you for bringing the car back!

[Breck]

I took this past weekend to detail the exterior of the viper. It was due for a much needed buff, so I spent a few hours working got out the major swirling. It's not perfect by any means, but it is much better. I was very lucky to be able to recover my lost speaker cover. I was in shock when I found it alongside the road. I called and shopped around of a new one, and after having no luck, I want back to where I thought I may have lost it and found it almost immediately. I'll make sure it is super secured this time I also finally pulled the trigger on new tires: Continental ExtremeContact Sport's. I am excited as I can tell the old tires on it lack on grip all around. I'll make sure the rears are bald when I get them installed as well! Lastly, I crossed over 52,000 miles. I'm hoping to do another 3,000 this summer between drag strip passes, car shows, track days, and cruises.
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