Nobody calls the Dodge Viper’s passenger compartment its “Asp Hole,” but people should start doing so. Today’s Nice Price or No Dice SRT-10 doesn’t feature the model’s most flattering color, but could its price make us stand up and take notice?
Older folks, as succinctly parodied by Grandpa on The Simpsons, often bemoan present-day situations, claiming things were better “back in their day.” It would be far more unexpected for any oldster to proclaim that, in their youth, everything sucked great sweaty donkey balls and life is vastly better in the here and now. Eating dinner anytime after 7:00 p.m. would be even more fantastical.
Now that I’ve reinforced that questionable stereotype, I’d like to argue that the 1972 Mercedes-Benz 150 2.8 we considered yesterday was better built and will last longer than any of its modern counterparts. Oh sure, any of today’s Mercedes models will run rings around that ’70s beauty in terms of safety, comfort, and efficiency, but for how long? Our car has the potential to be the last car anyone would ever need, and at $8,000, it offered that eternity at a bargain basement price. That wasn’t lost on the vast majority of you who gave the stately Benz an appreciative 76% ‘Nice Price’ win.
Snake bite
When Chrysler debuted the production Dodge Viper in late 1991 to a gob-smacked car-buying public, little of the car’s remarkable development was known outside the company’s corporate halls. In fact, that original Viper’s amazingly fast development was purposefully kept on the down-low from the get-go, so not even everyone in the company (cough, the accountants, cough) knew what was brewing.
When the time came to make a sequel, the Viper had earned its place at the top of the Dodge lineup as the brand’s halo car, meaning that more resources could go into the development of the next generation. That made the follow-up more livable on the day to day, but also sanded down some of the rough edges from the OG model. Where that first model had been unabashedly basic, featuring side curtains and a surrey top and lacking standard safety equipment such as airbags or anti-lock brakes, the follow-up was designed from the get-go with a full convertible top, driver and passenger airbags, and even ABS. To make up for these concessions to comfort and safety, the revamped Viper also featured a stiffer, lighter chassis and a larger-displacement V10 engine that produced 50 more horsepower than the outgoing model. That should be considered an equitable trade in anyone’s book.
No replacement for displacement
This 2003 Dodge Viper SRT-10 is powered by an 8.3-liter all-alloy V10 engine that makes 505 horsepower and 525 pound-feet of torque. Later models received a small bump in both capacity and power, but honestly, this car’s numbers are probably more than enough for the average bear.
Backing the big V10 is a Tremec T56 six-speed manual gearbox as decreed by Dodge and the ancient overlords. Even though this is a more civilized and refined version of the original Viper recipe, it’s still satisfyingly quick, with the ability to hit sixty from a standstill in a claimed 3.8 seconds and to break the fat rear tires loose just by looking at them funny.
The ad says the car has 65,506 miles under its belt, which honestly seems like a sizable number for any car as noisy, brutal, and consumptive as this. Good on the three-plus past owners for letting it have its exercise. According to the seller, the Viper “Runs strong and delivers the raw V10 power these cars are known for.” A couple of undercarriage shots are shown in the ad, and neither shows any drips, cracks, or other malfeasance.
Great shape, not so great color
Overall, the ad claims the car is in “great shape for the year and has been cared for properly.” That being said, it could be in a more exciting color combination. The car’s somewhat mundane silver over a black top and cabin is livened up a bit by some carbon fiber trim on the dash and console. Plus, no one will be able to see either paint or interior when the car is engulfed in a cloud of tire smoke from impulsive parking-lot donuts. Based on the pictures, the car under that paint appears to be in solid shape.
The only outlier seems to be the exterior door handles—little flaps on the tops of the doors that look to have had one too many fingers flipping them. No other issues appear in the cabin, where the factory stereo has been replaced with a more modern Bluetooth-capable unit. That’s a funny upgrade since a stereo in a Viper is about as useful as a turn signal stalk in a BMW. Another notable update: the exhaust is claimed to be from Borla, though the seller doesn’t specify how far up that goes.
A Viper victory?
A clean title is another of the car’s pluses, while the ad’s note that “Money is still owed on this car” is a bit of a red flag, indicating that some hoops might need to be jumped through to take possession of that title.
What we now have to decide is whether the car’s $40,000 asking price (or best offer) is enticing enough to make such an effort worth anyone’s while. What’s your take on this Gen 2 Viper and that $40K price? That’s low for the model, but is it low enough for the common man’s color palette and possible lien issue? Or is that too much of a hassle even for a car that’s less of a pain to live with than its predecessor?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Facebook Marketplace out of Matawan, New Jersey, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Amber DaSilva for the hookup!
Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Contact me at [email protected] and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle.
