So Viper is done after 2017. I don't own one at the moment (I love my Corvettes), but I'm sad that they won't make the car anymore. Nothing like some healthy competition to make both sides better. Plus, the viper is a special kind of car. There really isn't anything like them being made now a days, for better and for worse. REPORT: The Death Of The Dodge Viper Is In The New FCA Union Contract
I love my 2013 Viper. It has turned into a nice driving car. The looks of the new Viper has been softened. I like to look of the older cars better but the newer cars drive better. Sad to hear this. Lee
Id be interested to know what the historical percentage of coupes to verts was as, I thought not having a vert was a terrible idea. Most Vipers I see are verts and Ive owned a Viper vert. Personally I think that was a big mistake. The other was too high a price point, though its too easy to armchair QB pricing without knowing what the costs and profit margins were. Maybe it had to be that high...
I owned two...one was the 2009 ACR raffle car......Viper did not move with the times...sat on its past successes; they had a great opportunity,but blew it.
Sad day for sure. I've owned 3 and still have my favorite a 97 GTS blue/white. Viper lost it's way unfortunately when Dave Lutz was forced to retire.
I used to have a GenII Viper, and although it felt very raw, it also felt very special. It was all about the driving experience, no high tech driver aids like on today's cars. It will be missed, but you never know, it might come back one day.
Sounds about right and even the new ACR is nothing new. The engine still has a lot of potential though but has packaging limits/issues.
The Viper was a very well built car with an Earth-shaking engine, probably the best of all modern muscle cars in the best sense of that tradition. The design was somewhat bulbous and stocky, never really took. The Corvette is sleak and svelte by comparison. Had the V10 in a three quarter ton Dodge RAM truck, best engine I've ever owned. Torque for days. This truck, a 1996, had 300 ft./lbs of torque and 300 bhp, it was unstoppable. In 4wd mode, ran it through the middle TN mountains on narrow dirt logging roads, steep grades, for miles and miles, with nary a hitch.The non Viper versions have iron block, much heavier than the Viper alloy. I'm sure the engine will live on in some form.
I agree with you. I have owned a 2009 and now a 2013 Viper. They will live on with collectors and enthusiasts. A great car, reliable and soon in the years to come, valuable. best Lee
Just not selling enough. I was looking at a 2013 Viper two years ago, and the salesperson said I have to act quickly, it will be gone within a week. That same Viper is still at the dealership, hasn't sold for two years, even though the price is quite attractive now. I would take a Viper over most other domestic sports cars, just not in the market for one at this time.
Not dead yet, ACR has 13 track records including Laguna SECA ( faster than Porsche 918) My 2010 Roadster is a beast!
Yes he is, but reality is the Viper just doesn't sell well enough to sustain itself. It is too bad, and the Viper guys always say F/C WANTS the car to be "exclusive". Well, they're right, it's "exclusive" because it doesn't sell. The GenV, which is probably the best Viper ever, just never caught the attention of the Viper faithful AND enough of the uninitiated to be viable. Jimmy PS. I liken the Viper to F1/DSG's in Ferraris. Tons of people complain about no 3 pedal Ferraris being made, but when they (manuals) were made along side F1's, very few manuals were ordered. Everyone talks about how cool Vipers are, but then they don't buy one! This tells the story: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/dodge-viper-sales-figures.html 563 cars sold through October this year.
That sounded low so (especially the torque), so I did a quick search- it seems the 8.0 liter V10 in the 1996 Ram had 300-310HP@4,100 and 450 ft/lb of torque @2,400...
Curious on people's opinion of the long-term values of the Viper family. I have read in the last week that the Viper is probably dead for a long time due to the ddifficulty with incorporating required airbags, and Fiat isn't interested in investing more money in a car that doesn't sell. In light of this, could it be in a year or two the Viper will be "discovered" as one of those great classics, not unlike the AC Cobra it has always been compared to since the '89 show car? I have to wonder, $30k will buy a GenI and just a little more will get a GenII, mid-30s will even find a GenIII. In a few years, will we look back and kick ourselves for not hoarding as many as we could find back in 2016 when Vipers were cheap? (I ask this as I am still lamenting not buying a 930 twenty years ago for $22k, same car today is probably $100k...)
The three cavets I would add is this. 1) If you are buying a car, buy the one you will enjoy driving and owning. If you buy the right one, over time you may get your money back or a slight profit. Pure investment means choosing a car/model with limited prod, that market suddenly wakes up to, and the timframe for market wakeup can be 1-20 years.. 2) Once the viper is gone, we are unlikely to see its kind again, therefore its prices could rise sooner rather than later. This will mean choosing the specific variants that have rarity and fall into favor. 3) Cars cost money even sitting static. Imo, most vipers are going to be used cars for many years to come. At some point like C2 vettes they will all be worth money, but the inexpensive one now may not appreciate that much for a long while. Somehting like the last generation, or certain really rare and special ones may have leggs simply because they are so rare, and once gone from prod odds are their type of machine will be gone forever. Imo the only viper that may have shorter term value growth is the current ACR because its an ultimate swansong, like a 997.2 GT3 Rs, but no way to tell now. So if you buy one, track it sparingly for a few years and put it away, that may be optimum return all around in terms of $$$ and entertainment. In other words back to point one, buy a car you will enjoy using, buy the right one and over a decade you will probably do Ok financialy. Buying to put away, yes you may hit the ford Gt, Bmw Z8 Gt3 Rs sweetspot on a new ACR, but are just as likely not to. One other point about the car market for these types of "extreme viceral" machines. From next year componant car manufacturers will be able to sell new certified cars with motors to the public. Its an new rule, that basicaly says replica manufacturers can sell under 300 cars per year, without having to go through DOT provided they have emisisons certified motors. That means cobras, Daytona coupes, and pretty much any older car you loved will soon be available prebuilt with warranty. This may affet the used market for vipers as the viper filled a niche in some ways, when cars got too modern bland and techy. The availability of new built old cars may also have an affect on some less expensive classics. You just know a C2 grandsport corvette is going to be on sale, with an new LS3 motor. Not mention Mustangs from the 60s with modern v8s..
