The wrecked Hellcat from the other day was interesting, but this Dodge Viper could be perfect daily driver! It will provide that daily dose of adrenaline and you won’t even have to worry about parking lot dings. Sure, it has a salvage title and will need some buttoning up before it can be used, but what could be cooler than a V10-powered beater? It’s located in Okatie, South Carolina and is listed here on eBay where bidding is hovering right around $14k.
There’s only 29k miles showing on the odometer. Not that it matters much when everything is such a mess. The seller mentions that some work has been done, but that it still needs paint and a windshield. I’d install that glass quick and just leave the body alone. Think of all the smiles… and disgusted looks you’d get. It could be the perfect conversation starter… and avoider. Besides, the beat-up look may be more fitting for such a bruiser!
The Viper was a primitive beast when it was released in 1991. With a big V10 out front and a low sinister look, it was an instant poster car. You know, the kind that hangs on the wall of every young boy’s room. I was only 9 when Dodge announced this car and I still remember the first time I saw one blow by me on the street. It looked angry and I wanted one! The seller doesn’t mention if the 450 horsepower RT/10 engine even runs, but they do state that 90% of the parts needed to put it back together are included.
Little things like taillights and trim could add up quickly, so let’s hope they are right. This isn’t a project for someone on a tight budget though. Gas and insurance costs alone could cause havoc on most normal people. The Viper was never a car for normal people though. If you have some money to burn and want something different, make this thing roadworthy and start driving it everyday. Just be sure to let us know if you do so we can send you a Barn Finds sticker and congratulate you!
It’s not hard to find Vipers with less mileage and no apparent issues selling in the $30,000 range, often less. Why bother with one that’s a mess and has a salvage title. The possible low entry price seems enticing, but it still hasn’t reached reserve at $14,000+. It has the potential to be a money pit and there will be no clean way out, due to the title, when it comes time to sell.
Steve R
Seller could be bidding it up. Or the motivation could be to buy it for the parts. Buying it to fix does not make sense in the current market.
My thought on this, would be to put a rattle can paint job on it and play with it on the track.
This isn’t meant to detract from the Viper. I know that it is a real performer, but I have not been able to even fall in like with these cars. I can well imagine that someone that grew up in the era when these cars first hit the market would be wild about the Vipers. It is probably how I felt when I was a kid and the 54 and 55 Corvettes and Tbirds appeared in the magazines and the showrooms.
I hope it doesn’t become a money pit for someone, and that whoever does buy the car has fun with it.
Bob
Old Corvettes look attractive in that state of disrepair, but that just looks cheap and like a kit car.
Very fast, more in the style of the old Cobra’s which they were often compared to than the Corvette. Whether or not it was really faster than a 427 Cobra was unimportant to me back then, it would never, ever sound as good as that 427 Ford winding through the gears. Not even close.
Totally agree. Something strange about the sound of a V-10 no matter the RPM’s. Reminds me of a straight 6 that’s wound out and missing on a couple cylinders. I wouldn’t turn one down just for the experience but keep it quiet.
A 427 rowing through the gears though? Music to my ears!
Could you imagine that hellcat motor from the othe day in this baby….. Hold on
It could also be made into a “gasser”.
Steve R
Lights and trim could add up quickly? You do remember that the Viper was a parts-bin sports car. Bits like that are straight off the Dodge shelves.
Not for the Viper. It had unique headlights, taillights, and sidemarkers.
Those headlights aren’t off a Dodge Neon Todd…
I still remember the first Viper I ever saw in person – it was the most visceral reaction I’ve ever had to a car.
Does this one come with a full-face helmet?
Vipers don’t wreck very well!
Being old, I look at that photo and think “Hmmmmmmm…needs a Devin body!”
You’re right about that…most of the time the occupants are dead…its a very lightweight car and is a bit too much like a race car and not enough like a road car. I had one hit a small tree in front of my house at just over 100 mph. 8″ DIAMETER both driver and pass. dead. one of the front wheel assemblies about 1 00 yds away, Side view mirror at the top of my 2nd floor apt and carbon fibre and fibreglass everywhere.
@Paul Grumsha, so right! This was mine. So close to my own house I ended up in my own back yard, “Snake bit” in 2nd gear (nowhere near 100 though), little slide to the left, oops, here comes a pole. Cr@p….
You can see the flat side of the pole hit just behind the wheel, went past my toes to the engine block. 6 months out of work and my neck still hurts 15 years later. Still the cheapest car I ever owned though. Got insurance payout, did the math, cost me $70 / m for 4 years. Not bad really. 10/10 will own another one day.
Walking away from that, I would never spit in the wind without a full chassis.
Just throw the extra parts inside the car, we will pick them up later.
Is that the rare, limited-edition Psychobilly Viper?
Having seen the two Vipers that my brother owned, Coventrycat, even good ones look like kit cars.
Bob’s idea of turning it into a track car might be the best option, assuming the mechanicals are good to start with.
I’d paint it in Camo paint with a brush, add a bunch of LED lights on a rack and use it to chase coyotes
MT your suggestion is sick enough to get an upvote!😂
The early RT/10 was rated at 400hp. The second gen cars were 450hp.
Camo paint +1.
Seems like the reserve is at $17501 – why the “extra” 1 dollar? No idea. Why not a more detailed description about the car got to its current state or if it’s running – no idea. A lot in this eBay listing doesn’t make sense to me!
The question is; Why did someone go to all the trouble to put the basic car back together and then stop? I’ll tell you what I think happened; The repair shop discovered that the new body parts were not lining up correctly, and the new windshield didn’t fit. [On a viper, the windshield frame is black, not body color, so the windshield should have been installed at this point, to insure it fits before painting the body.]
Faced with additional “hidden” repair costs, the insurance company wrote it off.
Now they will sell it off to an unsuspecting buyer without disclosing any known problems, as the purchaser is buying a salvage title car. [As-is, where-is.]
Before bidding, I would insist on seeing copies of the paperwork covering the work already done, then call the repair shop and ask them if there are additional problems. If the insurance company won’t provide the info, that’s a good indication there are additional problems.
Some wheels and a cheap wrap. And run it
Use it as 1994 tv show VIPER offroad car.
Another view street type.
My first thought was, I would leave the paint job just the way it is! I think that it looks great! :-)
no track car – all engine, no handeling.
Greetings All,
Viper guys, question for you.
When these first came out the crank was an 8 plus 2 and a massive counterbalancing weight. The throws were NOT equally spaced. Somewhat lumpy at high revs.
This became problematic when they were testing and wanted to run LeMans.
They later changed crank to an equally spaced one from the 8 plus 2. They also decided that LeMans was worthwhile.
When did that change take place, what year?
If, and it’s a big IF the car can be made safely and reliably drivable it will be the most fun sports car you will ever drive. Here’s a photo of my old replica Cobra. Nobody ever asks if it’s a kit kar, even at Monterey during Pebble Beach Week sophisticated collectors stand back in awe.
Another view
Made it to $15,0000, reserve not met.
To be honest, both VW and BMW did the Harlequin effect much better…
The first Viper I ever saw in person was my senior year of high school 1997, in Portsmouth NH. It was a yellow roadster. Time stood still for a moment, I remember having the same feeling I would get when I saw a Ferrari or Lamborghini…
This one has been sitting behind a U-Haul dealership near me, flat tires, sinking into the ground, for over a year. Can’t ever get an answer as to what’s up with it.