Cheapest Gen III Viper: Everything Wrong

[@InTheZone85]

instead of pressing down the hood let it fall from a foot. If you need to raise it more for it to secure then slowly raise up and try again until it successfully closes. This is what's recommended on the long aluminum s2000 hoods.

[@patrickd1805]

exactly what by body guy told me

[@benlindsey8082]

The biggest thing that is catching my attention is the gen 1&2 "Sneaky Pete" emblem above the SRT/10 badges. Other than that, Congrats on Viper ownership!

[@mydadvice]

Thanks! Love it so far!

[@scottbrown8359]

hey man, i will follow you on this journey. i'm looking to get into a viper within the next month or so. The thought of spending this kind of money on a car makes me sick to my stomach but like you said, dream car. Thanks for sharing it with us man.

[@mydadvice]

Go for it! It was absolutely gut-wrenching and terrifying for sure to spend this much on a car, but it's truly special every time you drive it! The depreciation curve is pretty much bottomed out at this point - that should help with the financial justification.

[@beartodrift5345]

I’m in the same boat. I want to buy one of these vipers, a cheap one in the next year or 2. I might’ve missed it. How much did this one cost?

[@mydadvice]

@@beartodrift5345 I paid $35k for mine, but that was a few years back at this point. They've gone up substantially since then.

[@chrisej5987]

@@mydadvice probably a $42k car by now.

[@GolfInHawaii69]

All I see now is 55-60k. Yea u got it for half the price lucky af.

[@adventures223]

Car is raw love the hood it will pop once you get the paint correction done beautiful car

[@charlesharper2317]

No real information about the viper itself, but instead you just talk about your car.

[@chrisej5987]

I've seen people at car shows... I can tell you exactly how that paint got like that 😮‍💨 One spec of dust and he probably went ham with a microfiber towel and minimal quick detailer... repeatedly throughout the morning. Would explain the swirls and random defects.

[@243wayne1]

Micro fiber towels don't scratch. Neither does quick detailer. UNLESS there was already a 1/16 inch of dirt and contaminants on the paint.

[@Sumdumdad]

I'm thinking of trading my 2018 Ram 2500 Cummins for a Viper. I'd rather tie my money up in something that won't depreciate as much.

[@zacht9447]

I'll be honest with you the paint issue are not an issue but that's just me I care more about driving the car than if the paint looks like it was washed with tap water. The scratches maybe but so what it's about the driving experience.

[@mydadvice]

Agreed - I wanted a solid driver so that I could rack up miles without worrying. Just trying to let people know what they can expect at this price point.

[@mikeisaacs2314]

Never seen 6 lugs on a car that crazy

[@kickwagon]

These cars are straight junk for the money they go for. They’re my dream car but even I’m not dumb enough to blow the money they’re going for today on them. Looking at C6 Z06’s for way less and they’ll blow the doors off of these cars.

[@mydadvice]

Gen1/2 Vipers are definitely lower quality, but the Gen3+ are solid cars. I agree that current market rate is ridiculous . I'm working on a video now that discusses what other cars I considered and the C6Z was high on the list. They're a much better bargain, but absolutely don't blow the doors off a Gen3 Viper. Completely a driver's race between the C6Z and Gen3+.

[@kickwagon]

@@mydadvice “Junk” was too harsh, but the money they are commanding right now is nuts. Don’t blame anyone though. I had my chance a couple of years ago to get a ‘97 B/W GTS and I didn’t. “Blow the doors off” was a bit of a reach as well, though on paper the Vette does run the gen 3 Viper down, have to agree that it’s tight enough to make it a driver’s race like you said. Don’t mind me. I’m just mad I let my dream car slip from me 😩

[@rayreggie03]

@@kickwagon plus keep in mind that there were more corvettes produced in 1 year than total viper numbers. Prices are stupid though. I got a great deal on a gen 3, but saw another gen 3 for like 30k more. It's dumb.....

[@gigatron2008]

Wow great buy. I'm looking to sell my s2k for a gen 3 Viper like this one. Even if it has higher mileage around 60k. I hear these things are mechanically pretty reliable. How is finding parts? Originally was looking at Gen 2s but worried about finding OEM parts in the future. Thanks!

[@mydadvice]

Normal consumables are not too bad to find (brakes, plugs, oil filters, etc) and reliability was flawless for me. Body panels are discontinued though and mine was just totaled for needing a fender. Don't crash and you'll love it!

[@gigatron2008]

@@mydadvice got it! No aftermarket either? Interesting. S2ks are pretty much in the same boat.

[@mydadvice]

@@gigatron2008 there's a few warehouses with leftover OEMs or aftermarkets. Most insurance companies refuse to buy through them due to price though

[@gigatron2008]

@@mydadvice got it thanks again appreciate the help! I feel pretty confident buying one. 😁

[@Unclean_Official]

That’s from taking it to a car wash. 😢

[@mbdulka]

Sounds like it is a rescue car, a douche owned it and beat it to death ... that engine is bulletproof though, so service is good and you'll be good.

[@jasonvogel4100]

To find out the age of a tire, look for a two digit # inside of an oval/ or circle on the sidewall..[ex.........(12)-----2012]

[@mydadvice]

Yeah, I already filmed a video about the tires being older than what the previous owner advertised. Haven't had time to edit/upload it yet.

[@chrisej5987]

Ngl kinda eats at me that the gen 4 has 100 more peak power yet gets 3+mpg better. Win win if you have $60g min to spend. I didn't 😅 love the thing to death, but probably not a forever car if the right gen4 pops up 😉

[@mydadvice]

4th Gen ACR is the ultimate goal. Maybe one day, but that's a few years away easily.

[@westsidecamper]

not knockin the 4th but it has fly by wire throttle. that kept me away.

[@InTheZone85]

going to bed, will finish later. Hopefully you didn't pay more than $20k for it. Get that fresh paint job, new wheels and tires, and fix the incorrect badge on each fender. And I'm sure even the word Viper underneath the Gen1/2 snake emblem on the fender is also a cheap decal rather than the proper factory badge.

[@mydadvice]

The salvage ones still go for almost $30k. I paid a lot more than 20k but still much lower than market. Wheels are salvageable; new Viper emblems were $200ish for the set- I'm going with the debadged look anyhow though.

[@Topofthelinetommy]

I think it needs to be repainted.

[@mydadvice]

You'd be surprised. I'll post the paint correction once I'm done editing it - came out incredible!

[@manfredwhite9418]

Smoken Deal!!

[@renaissanceman5847]

Good luck finding OEM parts for that thing, aftermarket is even worse... your best bet would have been to go with a C6 Vette ZO6 (not now thanks to the used car apocalypse) ... tons of after market support and no custom wheel/tire problems plus better interior comfort and all around daily. those older Vipers are track day money pits

[@mydadvice]

Parts have def been a problem to source but I've found a few reliable suppliers. C6Z was high on my list for sure! Drove one and really like it. The Viper just has a special place in my heart.

[@renaissanceman5847]

@@mydadvice the viper was one of those cars that I wanted to show up to in High school in the late 90s... I grew up poor. all the in crowd had their own cars and customized trucks. If you have the money and can stomach the difficulty have at it. I saw a RT10 sitting in a scrap yard missing all sorts of things... talked to the yard owner and he told me it sits because the parts to restore are near impossible to source or extremely overpriced, and yet he wont let it go.

[@732Mopars]

@@mydadvice hey I'm picking up a Paxton '04 tomorrow and was wondering what are some good places for shopping the typical maintenance parts and stuff along those lines. Definitely gonna be a big change coming from a challenger where I can find parts at every street corner

[@mydadvice]

@@732Mopars I used theviperstore.com for my rotors and either roeracing.com or shopebcbrakes.com for the pads. It's easy enough to shop around for parts online and you'll find someone who has what you need! Enjoy the Paxton!

[@rayreggie03]

The rarity is part of the charm. Get something cool rarely seen, or something you see all the time on roads or parked in driveways......

[@jonathancholak7082]

Seems like all your complaints are cosmetic, honestly get over it

[@mydadvice]

I'm so over it I totaled the car just for you.