Sample the viper, but keep in mind that its truly a toy. Expensive at that.

Wow? How much do you pay a month on the Z??

I'd get the Viper btw. Weekend car :tup: After you get it you can show me at the next cars n coffee :D

Go with a Viper, if you are going to get a viper (which i think you should) get the Gen 3 or Gen 4 engine.

As for the maintenance costs. On my SRT-10 Ram, it cost $150 for a oil change and $120 for spark plug change (thats just parts since i do my own work) Thats the only price quotes i can give you since those 2 things are pretty much the only thing that is the same on the car. If you talk to tony at JTSVP he can hook you up with parts if/when you get a Viper.

Have you sat in it? How tall are you? I'm 6'1" and can't find a good seating position in them. I'm either looking over top of the windshield (convertibles) or hunched over to look through the windshield, for that reason it would be a big no for me.

The interior is very low end, bad fit and finish, but if you're not worried about that, and if you want something that looks cool and goes like stink, I say go for it!

That is on the Gen 1 & 2 Vipers because of the "clam shell" type hood. Just the hood alone for those models is around 15k.

Hey OP, join Viper Club of America forum. Great guys in there and plenty of info. I would ask ?'s in there if you are truly serious. When I was about to buy a GTS, I went in there and found a guy in my area and was able to get a ride in his before I made a decision.

I would trade for a viper...

Just test drove the car today. For anyone that has a Z and never have actually driven the Viper, its not as easy as you would think to trade the 370z for. Of course, the Viper is ridiculously fast and looks great on the outside. The interior of the car sucks compared to the 370z and they have way less interior room. The plastic American cheap parts that make up the door panels and dash have an outdated feel to it. The manual gear shifter is so big and long (pause) that you feel like u are driving an 18 wheeler. Since the exhaust is on the side, you smell the gas fumes every time you get into the car. The road noise is horrendous and the stock exhaust is extremely loud and backfires a lot. I knew the Viper was rugged, but I do not know if I could trade in my 370z for it. If I needed to win a drag race, i would in a heartbeat. If I want the overall better car as far as comfort, looks (inside & outside), driveabilty, just in my opinion, the 370z is a better choice. Even with all that, I am still considering it BC of the 505hp V10 and it would be only a $20 more a month car payment. Still undecided at this point.

If after that and your undecided... Stick with the Z

Sounds like you need more refinement, imo. Stick with the Z.

I think the new Viper will be much more refined and per your liking of course it will have the new car price tag. I have never driven a Viper but have experienced a few rides. It is not an everyday car. It is not comfortable, feels way to wide and frankly if I was driving not a car I would be happy hooning in on a daily basis. On paper the #'s are fabulous but in the real world, I don't think I'd be happy with it. BTW OP I think you comments about the gearbox and its long throws are because the 04 Viper transmissions are actually truck transmissions, it was the only transmission Dodge had capable of handling all the torque the Viper puts out.

yuck!


'09 F.I. CBE/HFC-Stillen Gen3,Setrab +ModBod

If you want something different, I would just get a new base model corvette , you can get them for around $45k right now, its almost as fast as the viper and a lot more dependable and better made.

I used to be a big dodge fan in the 60's and 70's , but overall current product dodges have real reliabilty issue's, buying a used Viper might be a real money pit, and you have to wonder why the previous owner sold it.

If you decide to get it, at least get the vin # and have a dodge dealer run it through their dealer system to see if it has had any real issues with it or repairs etc.

Huh?? Truck transmission??? The Viper uses the Tremec T-56 tranny, same tranny used in-
* Chevrolet Corvette, 1997–2007
* Chevrolet Camaro, 1993-2002
* Ford Mustang Cobra, 2003–2004
* Ford Mustang Cobra R, 2000
* Ford Falcon XR6, XR6T, XR8
* FPV F6 Tornado/Typhoon, GT/GT-P 2004–2008
* General Motors GM F platform V8 cars, 1993–2002
* Holden Commodore 1998–2008
* Holden Monaro, 2001-2006
You are probably thinking of the engine. The only V-10 engine Chrysler had for the first design of the Viper was a truck engine... but it weighed upwards of 800 pounds. So it was redesigned with the help Lamborghini and was able to get it down to around 500lbs.

505hp V-10 would be fun but not enough for me to ever pull the trigger. The lack of value/quality would have me second guessing myself everyday after I bought and wishing I would have kept the Z. I think I'd be happier with an older used NSX. Just my $0.02

After initial depreciation, vipers hold value pretty well.

does gas consumption matter? i would think gas mileage for the viper has to be very low.

Not sure where it came from but the SRT-10 Ram RC uses the T-56. The QC uses the 48RE. So the question is, did the Ram come out with the tranny first, or did the Viper come with it first.

Borg and Warner came out with it first. It was specifically designed for.the Viper.

Not sure if your a modder but some of those refinement can be added...

If its not a daily driver, I think it might be ok, but one of my favorite threads at NSXprime was someone complaining about driving the Dodge every day while waiting for their NSX to be repaired. When someone asked why they didn't drive one of the exotic cars in their signature like the Viper, someone else pointed out that's the Dodge he was complainng about :D

You want 505hp get spend 7k on a turbo kit that will cost you an extra 20 a month.

My insurance quoted me an extra $1000/year. There are a few supercharged 03/04 cars at a very competitive price that make 600-700rwhp. Yeah, the interior sucks...that would be the first thing I'd change unless I can find a Mamba edition. As much as I've compared a C6 Z06 or even a brand new C6...I'm just not a "Corvette" guy. I like being unique and owing a Corvette would be hard to make it unique.

+1


A 370Z to a viper to me is in the unique zone :tup:

Other do the 370Z to Corvette/Mustang not so unique they just want POWER

But who cares about power when your dropping jaws!:driving::happydance::ughdance::bowrofl: :roflpuke2:

I say keep your Z man. You got a nice toy already that you know is fairly reliable. Just my .02

How much is the Viper? I'm confused? Alot of people along with yourself is talking about waiting for the New Viper. Thats all great but did we forget it will cost just a tick under 100k? More power to you if you can afford a new Viper and if you can why look at a used one with almost 40k on it?

The Viper is gonna be around 40k after TTL, luckily i have some equity in the Z and the trade in will help with the overall price. Pending the interest rate, my monthly car payments each month will only increase by 20-50 bucks. This is partly due to the fact that the Viper is $60 cheaper a month in insurance vs the 370z. Viper has been a dream car of mine. And No, if I could afford a 100k car, I probably wouldn't get the Viper. Its just that the price range of obtaining one is in my grasp at this point and for an extra $20-50 a month, its still up for debate.

Also I am going to have the car taken to the dodge dealership and inspected by a mechanic before any deals are set in stone. That is a huge factor in this whole deal. If there are any major mechanical issues, the idea for that Viper is out the door.