Discussion
Keeping it friendly, what are they like, compared directly with TVR. (To be honest I dont know that much about Vipers, other than the fact that Ive always been sure I would enjoy one, re: looks/power/sound etc)
Reliability, engine size, is build quality good, performance in a straight line as well as around corners, handling, fun factor (imho is hard to topin the TVR raw ride fun factor... but I've never been for a ride in a viper, admitedly) and price.
Finally, are there any viper owners in East Sussex, keen to meet up for a beer sometime?
Are there any folk here who use them as daily drivers?
Reliability, engine size, is build quality good, performance in a straight line as well as around corners, handling, fun factor (imho is hard to topin the TVR raw ride fun factor... but I've never been for a ride in a viper, admitedly) and price.
Finally, are there any viper owners in East Sussex, keen to meet up for a beer sometime?
Are there any folk here who use them as daily drivers?
UKBob said:
Keeping it friendly, what are they like, compared directly with TVR. (To be honest I dont know that much about Vipers, other than the fact that Ive always been sure I would enjoy one, re: looks/power/sound etc)
Reliability, engine size, is build quality good, performance in a straight line as well as around corners, handling, fun factor (imho is hard to topin the TVR raw ride fun factor... but I've never been for a ride in a viper, admitedly) and price.
Finally, are there any viper owners in East Sussex, keen to meet up for a beer sometime?
Are there any folk here who use them as daily drivers?
Get back over to your own forum, or I'm telling on ya
Come on chaps, Im not asking you to speculate upon the unknown, and dont believe you're all starved for words either
:Shout: What are vipers really like? Ride, handling, reliability, do they need to be driven regularly (like TVR's) build quality, parts availablility, maintenance costs etc?
:Shout: What are vipers really like?
Ride, handling, reliability, do they need to be driven regularly (like TVR's) build quality, parts availablility, maintenance costs etc?Fairly stock vipers, my opinions/experience after owning since 96, the next person will post something entirely different: )
In a gen1 (upto 96) the ride is a lot firmer and stiffer, more of raw/brutal feeling in the earlier cars, which plenty of owners prefer. After 96 they seemed to have been softened making it a bit more comfortable, less harse and hence easier to drive. Although still much stiffer than the usual runabouts.
They handle pretty well around corners, although plenty of journalists will tell you the complete opposite, you just need plenty seat time to get the best out of it. Dont expect to jump and drive it fast, safely and close to the limits. 335 tyres supplies large amounts of grip.
Never broke down yet, always started, have left for upto nearly 4 months with a trickle charger and started first time. Havent heard of anyone breaking down on the side of the road in a stock car. You can leave them standing with no problems.
Build quality is much like any other modern production car, they are all hand built at a purpose built facility. Service parts are cheap and readily available from the US, you can also order parts from Chrysler at a cost, certain dealerships can perform services. Any other OE part is very expensive espicially if ordered in the UK, a set of wheels is £8K, x2 sills will lighten your wallet of £6K, a bonnet £13K !!! so a minor crash becomes a instant right off, insurance wise. There are plenty of aftermarket suppliers and breakers who can help for a fraction of the cost.
I've heard recently of a major service costing nearly £900 changing just about everything, diff oil, brake fluid, rad flush etc... But a standard service is normally around £250 at Chrysler
Borrowed a 350i once for around 5 months my only TVR experience, that was a fun car as well with a great sounding exhaust
>> Edited by Viper on Monday 25th April 13:11
In a gen1 (upto 96) the ride is a lot firmer and stiffer, more of raw/brutal feeling in the earlier cars, which plenty of owners prefer. After 96 they seemed to have been softened making it a bit more comfortable, less harse and hence easier to drive. Although still much stiffer than the usual runabouts.
They handle pretty well around corners, although plenty of journalists will tell you the complete opposite, you just need plenty seat time to get the best out of it. Dont expect to jump and drive it fast, safely and close to the limits. 335 tyres supplies large amounts of grip.
Never broke down yet, always started, have left for upto nearly 4 months with a trickle charger and started first time. Havent heard of anyone breaking down on the side of the road in a stock car. You can leave them standing with no problems.
Build quality is much like any other modern production car, they are all hand built at a purpose built facility. Service parts are cheap and readily available from the US, you can also order parts from Chrysler at a cost, certain dealerships can perform services. Any other OE part is very expensive espicially if ordered in the UK, a set of wheels is £8K, x2 sills will lighten your wallet of £6K, a bonnet £13K !!! so a minor crash becomes a instant right off, insurance wise. There are plenty of aftermarket suppliers and breakers who can help for a fraction of the cost.
I've heard recently of a major service costing nearly £900 changing just about everything, diff oil, brake fluid, rad flush etc... But a standard service is normally around £250 at Chrysler
Borrowed a 350i once for around 5 months my only TVR experience, that was a fun car as well with a great sounding exhaust
>> Edited by Viper on Monday 25th April 13:11
Had cerb 4.5 and now viper gts. Both different. Viper is more stunning to drive (not very technical, sorry). Once I had the Cerb, I was thinking when to sell on; with the Viper I am always thinking how much I want to keep it for ever.
Drive the car you want and enjoy what you have, come viper or cerb. Diversity is all.
Drive the car you want and enjoy what you have, come viper or cerb. Diversity is all.
Hi U.K BOB,me also had a Cerbera,a great car but one that always seemed to have things going wrong and cost me ££££.Had our Viper for 4 years now and would NEVER sell.It runs with much more power than standard,can be thrashed all day every day,1/4 miled and even taken to Le-Mans with room for Beer/Tent,gives good MPG in top 6th gear,handles better in the wet than my Cerbera,has a £200 service only every year,creates a massive stir everywhere,build quality better than Cerb,and sounds just a cool.
What would i change? The interior just hasn,t got the looks i would like and compaired to the spaceship interior of the TIV it takes a bit of getting used to.But put in a roll cage and some nice FIA comp seats with harness and it starts to look a bit better.Both cars are cool,take your pic!
What would i change? The interior just hasn,t got the looks i would like and compaired to the spaceship interior of the TIV it takes a bit of getting used to.But put in a roll cage and some nice FIA comp seats with harness and it starts to look a bit better.Both cars are cool,take your pic!
Okay, TVR's are generally made as second cars, and are made by a small volume producer. Nothing wrong with that, but they ideally need to be garaged, cared for etc. TVR don't have the experience in producing a long lasting product the same way as Dodge do.
Viper's are made by Dodge, to the same finish as ANY Chrysler - so can be left outside like any PT Cruiser, left for ages with no ill effects, and can be driven for long runs, or just down to the shops without complaint. Dispite it having a huge engine with enormous power, it's a great (almost) everyday car.
Still, quite like the sound of the TVR's V8 - so while the Viper is everything the TVR is and more, I still have my old TVR in the garage - but with a Viper too, I don't see the TVR coming out anytime soon.
Only problem with Viper is the LHD thing, mainly with overtaking - took me a while to work out a solution to this problem.
Viper's are made by Dodge, to the same finish as ANY Chrysler - so can be left outside like any PT Cruiser, left for ages with no ill effects, and can be driven for long runs, or just down to the shops without complaint. Dispite it having a huge engine with enormous power, it's a great (almost) everyday car.
Still, quite like the sound of the TVR's V8 - so while the Viper is everything the TVR is and more, I still have my old TVR in the garage - but with a Viper too, I don't see the TVR coming out anytime soon.
Only problem with Viper is the LHD thing, mainly with overtaking - took me a while to work out a solution to this problem.
Business is going well, and I already have my dream car... the 4.5 cerbera. Merely out of curiosity, I find myself wondering if I had money to buy another car (which, dont get me wrong, I dont money to play with... yet ) is there anything in existance which is in the same performance league and is actually more fun? I cant think of anything. My cerb is a very low miler, and the intention is to keep it forever. The exhaust is virtually straight through (its properly loud!!!) and the pops and bangs (plus insane power) make it my dream car. I wouldnt trade it for the world.
So, whilst wondering what else exists that is better, perhaps more fun, the viper seemed a possibility but admitedly I dont know much about them. Forget the £six £figure super cars, they're not within reach financially(!) and to be fair cant be used as daily hacks I wondered whether a viper might be as much fun as a daily driver, I suspect that it well might be.
All TVR's are different. Whlst I love TVR, I wouldnt really want anything other than the Cerb. With respect to the viper, in another life (one in which pops and bangs wernt of paramount importance
) the viper might have satisfied my every need. They are, afterall, fantastic cars Quite similar to the cerb in many ways.
What about prices chaps? I heard a new bonnet was 11k. Im just curious, thats all. They sound cheaper to run, but are more expensive to buy. And more expensive to repair?
Anyone locally in sussex able to meet up for a drink/hoon sometime this summer? Id love a ride
I tend to meet mostly TVR folk at meets, and you dont see many vipers on the roads.
) is there anything in existance which is in the same performance league and is actually more fun? I cant think of anything. My cerb is a very low miler, and the intention is to keep it forever. The exhaust is virtually straight through (its properly loud!!!) and the pops and bangs (plus insane power) make it my dream car. I wouldnt trade it for the world. So, whilst wondering what else exists that is better, perhaps more fun, the viper seemed a possibility but admitedly I dont know much about them. Forget the £six £figure super cars, they're not within reach financially(!) and to be fair cant be used as daily hacks
I wondered whether a viper might be as much fun as a daily driver, I suspect that it well might be. All TVR's are different. Whlst I love TVR, I wouldnt really want anything other than the Cerb. With respect to the viper, in another life (one in which pops and bangs wernt of paramount importance
) the viper might have satisfied my every need. They are, afterall, fantastic cars Quite similar to the cerb in many ways. What about prices chaps? I heard a new bonnet was 11k. Im just curious, thats all. They sound cheaper to run, but are more expensive to buy. And more expensive to repair?
Anyone locally in sussex able to meet up for a drink/hoon sometime this summer? Id love a ride
I tend to meet mostly TVR folk at meets, and you dont see many vipers on the roads. Hey, a Viper can give you as many pops and bangs as you want! Main problem I had with my TVR is that it didn't go around corners too well (once had a nasty turn in one following a Corvette), + they have become slightly common around here.
I liked the TVR noise, and I think for a lot of Viper people losing the standard exhaust is one of the first things done. I think of a Viper as an extreme TVR.
Remember, A Viper has twice the engine size of the Cerb, so a straight through exhaust is going to be loud, close on 130db (my TVR was 117db - which was just fine, but an unmuffled Viper is just somthing else) - had to change that though, can't imagine how far the noise must have travelled every time I put my foot down! Pass the ear plugs!
Viper's should be around the same price as TVR's - check out the prices on www.autotrader.com - and whatever price you see, add 30% to cover VAT/Duty, and £2000 for shipping/SVA test.
You can get a good Viper for $21,000 with under 10,000 miles (link below, if it works) - which is around £11,000 - so around £16,500 on the road in the UK.
Sounds like a bargain...
www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=182834997&dealer_id=56349601&car_year=1994&make=DODGE&distance=0&lang=en&max_price=30000&model=VIPER&end_year=2006&min_price=1&certified=&address=34668&search_type=both&advanced=&start_year=1981&isp=y&cardist=2502
I liked the TVR noise, and I think for a lot of Viper people losing the standard exhaust is one of the first things done. I think of a Viper as an extreme TVR.
Remember, A Viper has twice the engine size of the Cerb, so a straight through exhaust is going to be loud, close on 130db (my TVR was 117db - which was just fine, but an unmuffled Viper is just somthing else) - had to change that though, can't imagine how far the noise must have travelled every time I put my foot down! Pass the ear plugs!
Viper's should be around the same price as TVR's - check out the prices on www.autotrader.com - and whatever price you see, add 30% to cover VAT/Duty, and £2000 for shipping/SVA test.
You can get a good Viper for $21,000 with under 10,000 miles (link below, if it works) - which is around £11,000 - so around £16,500 on the road in the UK.
Sounds like a bargain...
www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=182834997&dealer_id=56349601&car_year=1994&make=DODGE&distance=0&lang=en&max_price=30000&model=VIPER&end_year=2006&min_price=1&certified=&address=34668&search_type=both&advanced=&start_year=1981&isp=y&cardist=2502
most have aftermarket sporty exhausts there are plenty of options, there isnt many club members left still running OE exhausts.
The GTS measured 130db's (full revs) at Pistonfest last year with a standard GT reading, with hi-flow cats, its a bit louder this year with the new tips (cheers Baz) remove the cats if you want really LOUD ! with even more pops and bangs.
The GTS measured 130db's (full revs) at Pistonfest last year with a standard GT reading, with hi-flow cats, its a bit louder this year with the new tips (cheers Baz) remove the cats if you want really LOUD ! with even more pops and bangs.
Pops and bangs seem to be rarer, but I've only recently got my Viper, so haven't really been seeking them.
RHD Vipers ARE made, but only for the Australian market - there is a Dodge approved factory that does all the conversion work, which is warranted and approved, so basically a genuine RHD factory Viper. So far as I can tell, they made a lot of RT10's and GTS's, but I haven't seen any details on the conversion for new SRT10's. Main reason is LHD cars are illegal in Australia, so they had to either make RHD or not have any Vipers - don't know if there any in England? I don't see any reason why they can't offer new RHD Vipers in the UK, would only add around £5000 to the already excessive price. But then more people would buy them, so don't really want that!
Total UK Viper population seems to be around 60-70 (which is about a month's TVR production!)
0-60 is around 4, 0-100 between 8-10 seconds depending on model, so similar to a TVR.
Petrol consumption is 20mpg cruising (so the same as a big engined 4x4), which drops to 10mpg with your foot on the floor!
RHD Vipers ARE made, but only for the Australian market - there is a Dodge approved factory that does all the conversion work, which is warranted and approved, so basically a genuine RHD factory Viper. So far as I can tell, they made a lot of RT10's and GTS's, but I haven't seen any details on the conversion for new SRT10's. Main reason is LHD cars are illegal in Australia, so they had to either make RHD or not have any Vipers - don't know if there any in England? I don't see any reason why they can't offer new RHD Vipers in the UK, would only add around £5000 to the already excessive price. But then more people would buy them, so don't really want that!
Total UK Viper population seems to be around 60-70 (which is about a month's TVR production!)
0-60 is around 4, 0-100 between 8-10 seconds depending on model, so similar to a TVR.
Petrol consumption is 20mpg cruising (so the same as a big engined 4x4), which drops to 10mpg with your foot on the floor!
unfortunately you wont get decent exhaust notes with a stock exhaust, the OE note is quite embrassing for a big engined car in my opinion, the last thing you want to do is start it up when there are a bunch of kids about
there have been 2 right hand drive vipers both brought in from Aus by the Chrysler MD. Sadly one was stolen then set on fire, the other has been crashed twice by Chrysler people and has since dissappeared, although repairable... The Aus conversion adds around £20K to the price by the time you have got it home. The conversion looks factory, a real neat identical but handed copy to the LHD, even down to the textures of the plastics, i'd take one !
We have 60 owners on the UK club list, probably at least another 40 or so if not more out there unknown to us
there have been 2 right hand drive vipers both brought in from Aus by the Chrysler MD. Sadly one was stolen then set on fire, the other has been crashed twice by Chrysler people and has since dissappeared, although repairable... The Aus conversion adds around £20K to the price by the time you have got it home. The conversion looks factory, a real neat identical but handed copy to the LHD, even down to the textures of the plastics, i'd take one !
We have 60 owners on the UK club list, probably at least another 40 or so if not more out there unknown to us
Hmmm, 20k for RHD - think most Viper driver's would stick to LHD at that price (I guess it's a more involved job than I thought), still you'd think RHD could be offered as an option, sure there are customers who would pay. First thing to go on my Viper was the exhaust - really awful thing! Drove the car on temp tags from St Louis to Miami via Houston for some extras, so I'm pretty happy with the volume level - not so loud you can't hear the stereo, but still pretty good when you floor it.
To convert to RH/D is a LOT of work,funny thing is I,ve been over to my friend who is currently doing a RT/10 and it,s no easy job,just so much has to be remade,bulk heads to pedal boxes,dash to steering rack and much more.Seen one of the Viperformance conversions and the car looked like a kit car,dash and underbonnet finish was very poor,in fact I,d say a converted car second hand would be worth less than an original.
Don,t think a Viper can ever sound like a Tiv,and our Cerb popped and bang in a way that could never be matched by our Venom.But the Viper is as close as you can get,in many way they are evenly matched.In the wet I,d take the Viper anyday over the Tiv.Our Cerb was a joke in the wet(on new factory tyres)and I had many "moments" on roundabouts,where the Viper is just sound,despite all this rubbish you hear in test reports of it being a car not to drive in the rain.(2 wet Le-Mans trips prove that....and everything stayed warm and dry!)Thats a point.......it,s got more boot room for Beer/Tent Le-Mans trips if thats your thing and with the Cerb we got "Looks" at Le-Mans...with the Viper.."everyone goes wild" at Le-Mans...could be your thing me thinks!(into year4 of ownership and its still not missed a beat and costs next to nothing to maintain!)
Don,t think a Viper can ever sound like a Tiv,and our Cerb popped and bang in a way that could never be matched by our Venom.But the Viper is as close as you can get,in many way they are evenly matched.In the wet I,d take the Viper anyday over the Tiv.Our Cerb was a joke in the wet(on new factory tyres)and I had many "moments" on roundabouts,where the Viper is just sound,despite all this rubbish you hear in test reports of it being a car not to drive in the rain.(2 wet Le-Mans trips prove that....and everything stayed warm and dry!)Thats a point.......it,s got more boot room for Beer/Tent Le-Mans trips if thats your thing and with the Cerb we got "Looks" at Le-Mans...with the Viper.."everyone goes wild" at Le-Mans...could be your thing me thinks!(into year4 of ownership and its still not missed a beat and costs next to nothing to maintain!)
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