Gen 2 GTS 30k

[DaveW]

Sounds fishy, so go fishing per Luis. May be the deal of a lifetime, but let your head guide your decision.

[SN95SNAKE]

I agree it does sound fishy.

He said that the car was slightly backed into the rear bumper and cracked the taillight while it was parked at his work. Hopefully I will be going to look at it on Sunday and we will see how it goes.

[Sybil TF]

BS Detector is pegged!

Some people change the color on these and with black being the hardest color to get perfect it just could be an owner preference. Now if it were white I could see your point...

[Luisv]

Assuming it is true and the owner wanted a black car... truth is there are plenty of Vipers out there with custom paint work done. Some added stripes, some had airbrush work, etc. It is not COMPLETELY impossible.

If it is the case... Then here look for a few things... cars with color changes tend to concern me. The reason is the way it is done. If good money was spent and the job was done well, then no problem. If it was a more basic job then there might be issues. Things that come to mind fast...

Quality of the paint - This is of particular concern with non-metallic cars. Not everything holds up as well when painted on composites. Primers etc. vary.
When was it done?
Coverage - Did they remove all the moldings, badges , glass, rubber, thresholds, fascia, etc. etc. etc.
Over spray on the frame and on parts that would not normally be painted on Vipers. For example, front wheel wells have composite pieces that are not painted.

[Bugman Jeff]

As long as you're not looking for a top dollar resale as a future collectable, there's nothing wrong with a repainted car. Even a car that's been in an accident, if properly repaired, isn't a big deal. It's a less than perfect car, but that is reflected in the price. It's still a Viper, and you'll still enjoy it.

[SN95SNAKE]

It doesn't particularly bother me for Top resale value. The only thing I would be looking for regarding that is that I would be able to sell it for roughly whatever I end up paying for it.

[Dajerseyviper]

I agree it does sound fishy.

He said that the car was slightly backed into the rear bumper and cracked the taillight while it was parked at his work. Hopefully I will be going to look at it on Sunday and we will see how it goes.

But before he said it was never in an accident...That is actually the definition of an accident.

[Bugman Jeff]

But before he said it was never in an accident...That is actually the definition of an accident.

You're right but "accident" can often be a rather loose term. A door ding that requires the door to be repainted is technically an accident. Bumping the nose on a curb and cracking the paint is too. When most people think accident, they mean "hit by another car while moving down the road." While they are all technically accidents, to most people accident means a crash with major damage, not a bump with minor cosmetic damage. I don't think the seller is being purposely dishonest here, I think he's just thinking in different terms than we are.

[Lemur]

Did you end up buying it?

[slitherv10]

Hes asking 30, you offer 26 and you meet around the 28 mark. At that price my friend, it doesn't matter if it was repainted or rebumpered, if there's such a word. Its 26,000! Go find a clean 17.5mile 97 GTS for that price. Impossible. So you get what you pay for. If your going to mod it and drive it like its your last ride, then this is the car for you.

[otterbeinjumper]

Hes asking 30, you offer 26 and you meet around the 28 mark. At that price my friend, it doesn't matter if it was repainted or rebumpered, if there's such a word. Its 26,000! Go find a clean 17.5mile 97 GTS for that price. Impossible. So you get what you pay for. If your going to mod it and drive it like its your last ride, then this is the car for you.

I think the car is for sale at Roanoke now? 98 with 30k miles painted black. Spoke with John about the car a few months ago. Seller drove in to collect a new gen 5. Seemed to be a solid car, but not what I was looking for. Asking price is higher.

[City]

FWIW, John and Roanoke are COMPLETELY trustworthy! If they will vouch for the car, then that's credible.