Hey Scotty,
What do you think is the most reliable Dodge Viper ever made?
There wasn't one.
Seriously, I work on these ALL THE TIME. They all have issues and underneath the glamour the fact that it is a Dodge really shows. That's why you see so many with low mileage. Most spend more time in the shop than on the road. Of course, collectors who have 2k miles on the car will swear it is the greatest thing ever. But anyone who actually drives them will tell you otherwise. And with the parts being Dodge-proprietary, the repair bills are eye watering.
Of them all, at least the last generation had a good interior and was "somewhat" comfortable. And I like Vipers. They look awesome IMO. But having been able to drive them all, in all flavors, more times than I can count, I wouldn't own one.
Thank you for giving me the heads up, I appreciate you saving me the time of researching these cars.
No problem. Happy to help.
@bclaud8977 I would listen to Mod_Man’s sage advice. He does all this for a living and knows his stuff. Get a daily driver that we recommended, and later get a weekend track toy.
Thanks @DayWalker. I appreciate that very much. These kinds of cars are just the bread and butter of my business. The issue is a lot of these are aging and so prices are coming down from the stratosphere into the $40k to $50k range where people can just stretch themselves enough to buy it. But they don't understand that the purchase is just a small part of what has to happen. The maintenance can be killer, and skipping maintenance on ANY performance car leads to problems. Manufacturers assume that if you are buying a car like this, you can afford the parts/repairs and they price things accordingly. So far I know the OP has looked at C5 Z06 Corvettes, these cars, and even a BMW M5 V10. While they all deliver performance, they are all astronomically expensive to maintain and not DIY-friendly (except the Z06 to an extent. You can work in the engine bay but exhaust work, etc. requires dropping the transmission which to me isn't DIY really). I get wanting a fast car, but being in school, headed to college on a budget, and considering insurance costs I would continue to recommend he go with an Accord, Camry, Civic, etc. that can eat miles, be maintained cheap, and is still a fun drive. Just my thoughts on it.
I will definitely, do regular maintenance and repair mechanic issues, but something like a heads up display I would probably let go since it is such an old car.
That was already answered here. Not sure what answer you are hoping to hear. We are giving you the truth.
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/reliable-v10-or-v12/#post-63817
Sorry, I had not seen that answer yet, I am fine hearing the truth though!
@bclaud8977 No worries. Just trying to help you make the best decision without breaking the bank over time.