This 1996 Dodge Viper GTS is perhaps the best way to get into one of these iconic supercars, as a hardtop coupe in blue with white stripes is exactly how most enthusiasts picture a Viper when they think of the ideal. I realize the other option would be the first generation RT/10 in red if you’re seeking the poster child version of the iconic American muscle car, but a GTS gets my vote as the one to put in your garage. This example has under 12,000 original miles and comes with extensive documentation and some recent maintenance performed that makes this GTS pretty much turnkey. Find it here on eBay for $89,500.
This Viper GTS is clearly not the seller’s first rodeo, with a nice collection of muscle cars including a red GTS coupe and Stingray Corvette. If it were me, I’d let the red GTS go, as the fixed roof GTS should prove a bit more rigid. However, based on the fine print in the listing, both cars are for sale, and the seller claims he is holding onto one of the two based on which car sells first. The blue GTS does have an outstanding loan on it which will have to be paid off before the car changes hands. Actual mileage on the GTS is 11,600, which has to make this one of the freshest ones left on the market today not in the hands of a dealer.
The interior is in excellent condition, with factory floor mats still in place. The Viper GTS will come with the OEM service manuals, sale brochure, window sticker, and one factory key. While some Vipers are set up for track use or otherwise used for competitive driving events, this one has been left untouched. We see plenty of RT/10s that haven’t been given the white glove treatment, but the original GTS coupe seems to have stayed above the fray as it relates to being kept as a collector’s item. And unlike other performance cars that have either lost value or stayed flat, the original GTS coupe seems to be a smart investment based on the selling price for examples in this sort of condition.
The seller reports that he has undertaken some key maintenance items while the Viper has been in his care, including new engine and transmission mounts. If I’m reading the description correctly, he’s purchased a few other items that remain uninstalled but are included with the sale, including a billet power steering pully and bracket, correct spark plugs, upgraded plug wires, and K&N air filters. The Viper GTS presents like a new car and is the kind of supercar you can still buy for $100,000 and enjoy scorching performance right out of the box – without worrying about the value plummeting a year later. Would you buy a GTS like this or an RT/10?
The ad was taken down and the car has now been relisted for $99,000.
If people like this one, they should check out the 2 Vipers Dennis Collins recently bought from the estate of an owner of a Dodge dealership. Those were much lower mileage. He documented them on his YouTube channel within the last couple of months.
Steve R
You have to remember that the 1996 Viper GTS was the pace car for the Indy 500 in 1996. Since 1996 was the first year for the coupe, I would keep the blue one.
Very good taste in cars.I wouldn’t mind if my garage looked liked that if I could afford it.
I’ve got a Viper identical to this one….unfortunately, though, it’s only 1:24 scale; at least I could afford it! LOL!! :-)
Are you saving up and dreaming of a 1/18?
Let me preface this by saying, these are great cars and that I could never afford one. But it seems that everyone that has owned one, and I have had personal contact with is a “Ricardo “, that’s short for Richard. I had a pompous, jackass of a boss who drove from Tucson to Sturgis, in an unbelievable time (he probably embellished), and his car was covered in smashed bugs. He tossed us the keys and told us to wash it. I was the new guy and I told him to pound sand. Nobody had ever stood up to him, I told him buy me a steak dinner and get get me hammered and even then maybe. It really caught him off guard, but he laughed and said ok. We all got lit, had a great steak, and I met Flip Wilson. You have to go to bike week in Sturgis, its really unbelievable.
Why would you need to replace the motor and transmission mounts at 12000 miles?
They are rubber and 25 years old. As are all the other rubber, cork, and some varieties of plastic parts. They die of old age – even people who never did an honest day’s manual labor, or athletic endeavors, die, of old age, not wear and tear. My 2002 Audi A4 died because the timing belt was replaced, in 2019 with a NOS part which broke at 20,000 miles, more or less. The NOS shift boots in my ’69 Camaro lasted about a year each by the late 70’s when the original one failed. I finally made one out of leather and laced it together.
Ended: May 30, 2021 , 2:04PM
Selling Price: US $89,500.00
Item location:Cedarville, New Jersey
Sweet car,and great points Charlie!,people forget, miles often mean less than age,with proper care.