Anyone owned a Viper?

[zerocool84]

I drove one at an SRT Track Event and it was awesome. Also got to ride in one shotgun at an Auto-X day. It's definitely a rough and unforgiving car. You really need to know what you're doing. It doesn't have all the gadgets that the other cars do to save you. All it has is wide ass tires and your right foot. It's great looking and sounds awesome. I would definitely not want to drive one daily but it'd be an awesome weekend car.

 

[Viper GTS]

I've been doing some research the last couple months, the prices have come down so much thanks to the financial meltdown. Very nice Gen 2's (the original GTS) can be had for mid 30's. Of course it's a 10 year old car but those are still the most desirable ones (forged pistons plus the timeless look of the GTS).

The more I read about them the less inclined I am to actually buy one. There just seems to be lots of maintenance issues and gotchas ("oh by the way don't do that or you'll break your $20,000 clamshell hood"). Then of course you have stories like this:

http://www.theacorn.com/news/2...and_Highway_crash.html

And that's an adult with his teenage daughter in the car, how much more likely am I (a young single guy) to have a momentary lapse of sanity that kills me? I love the cars but the Z06 seems like the far more livable machine.

Viper GTS

 

[fstime]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Unbelievable how fast these cars depreciate - but they turn heads like no other.

$30K discount for a car 1 yr old and 1K miles.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ks?hash=item19b74c93e6

Nothing says broke-ass poseur like buying a used Viper, though, for realZ.

Nothing says idiot or more money than you can spend than not getting a 1 yr old mint car with $30k savings rather than buying it new to worry about status.
😉

 

[IcePickFreak]

Only experience I had is when one came through the shop, the owner caught a pole with the passenger side quarter, behind the tires. This was an RT-10, the original early 90s roadsters. The back end was trashed pretty good, the whole back tray had to be replaced. I didn't get to really drive it other than moving it around the shop/lot, but to be honest after doing that I wouldn't really want to. The pedals were all offset to the right a bit due to the crazy door design, and all three were squeezed in about a foot of area. Add ridiculous amounts of torque at low rpms and I see why he slammed the back into a pole and I think they're fairly well-known for being tail happy in general. Just something to consider/check out before committing.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: theApp
Off-topic, but the ZX-6R is the 636cc version, the ZX-6RR is the 599cc version. It can be referred to as a ZX-6R.

Edit: Also, no experience with a Viper. Jealous though, it's a car I've always wanted to own 🙂 Good luck!

Originally posted by: Saga
You might want to start by gifting yourself the ability to understand it's a ZX636. Not whatever the hell you put in your sig.

Except that the capacity hike was limited to 2003-2006, before that the ZX-6R was 599cc, and currently it is back to 599cc.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: SpatiallyAware

Originally posted by: Saga

Originally posted by: theApp
Off-topic, but the ZX-6R is the 636cc version, the ZX-6RR is the 599cc version. It can be referred to as a ZX-6R.

The (modern) ZX6R and ZX6RR use the same 599cc engine. The ZX636 was the 636cc engine utilized in ZX6R models between the years 2003 and 2006. Because the 2007 and beyond ZX6R went back to the 599cc inline 4, the proper way to identify the bikes has been to refer to the ZX6R as any 599cc model and the 636cc model as ZX636. This is subsequently the naming convention utilized in most parts magazines I've seen.

Is it official? Probably not. But my observations show they clearly utilize 3 different model names to separate the 3 different bikes.

I totally disagree, I owned an 05 (put 20k on it in the first year) and am a regular on many bike forums - kawiforums included. IMHO to say ZX6R 636 is fine, and you must get off on being a d-bag.


🙂

I would agree with ZX-6R 636 being fine, since they are the logos on the bike 😉

I had a tidy up recently, but I will see if I can find a UK mag from 2003-2006 with a 636 in it...

 

[ponyo]

My cousin had the last year of the 2nd gen GTS. 2002 bumblebee His put down ~600rwhp and torque with Roe supercharger, headers and full exhaust. He also added the big brake kit and rotors and wider wheels and tires.

Viper is crude and unrefined. Fit and finish isn't very good but you have to remember it's basically a street legal race car. It looks so good when you see it coming up behind you. Car is low and looks so aggressive. Stock Gen 2 is still a decent performer but stock brakes suck. I don't think Viper got ABS til 2001. I think 1997 was the last year of the forged pistons. That will help if you decide to go twin turbo.

You have to remember the car has no fancy electronic safety net to save you if you screw up. So you have to pay attention and know how to drive. Inside the car I felt claustrophobic. Everything feels enclosed in even though there's plenty of room. A/C doesn't really blow cold.

Maintenance isn't really expensive. Certain parts like the hood can cost quite a bit but that's due to the rarity and low production #. Mods are little pricey but again that's due to the low production #.

You'll get lot of attention in a Viper if that's your thing. People will stare and some crazies will even follow you.

My cousin asked me to buy his Viper for cheap but I turned it down because I would've killed myself. I was never comfortable behind the wheel of that beast and couldn't get over the claustrophobic feeling inside the car. His car had crazy torque. I think it hit close to 600lb torque at around 2500-3000 rpm. The car would go sideways if you weren't careful.

 

[BZeto]

I still amazes me how few Vipers I see on the streets. Here in Vegas I'll see countless Vettes, Ferrari's, Lambo's, Porche's, high end BMW's and hardly ever a Viper. Get one!
96' GTS is my dream car.