Dodge Viper price cut

[Mallard]

I know a lot have criticized the price of a Viper compared to the Corvette, and it appears they are trying to fix that.

 

The 2015 Dodge Viper will have more horsepower, improved fuel economy and, perhaps best of all, a new starting price of $84,995, excluding destination charges and gas guzzler tax. The new sticker is $15,000 less than the 2014 model and is about the same as the original 1992 price of $50,700, adjusted for inflation.

 

The new Viper has 645 horsepower and gets up to 20 miles per gallon. Deliveries will begin in the first quarter of 2015.

 

In addition to lower pricing on the 2015 Viper, prices on all Vipers in dealer inventory have been discounted by $15,000. Current Generation 5 Viper owners will receive a $15,000 certificate that they can use toward the purchase of a new Dodge Viper. This is in addition to the $15,000 price reduction, so a buyer could save $30,000.

[Not Brian]

I thought it was going to come with like 800hp so it's not to be overshadowed by the hellcat?

[Jewtoys]

Getting closer...... A new Z is cheaper and the better car still....

[zeitgeist57]

I appreciate the measure to bolster sales, but this never looks good in the market.

 

I can't imagine any well-heeled Viper prospect would buy one now, unless they were doing some sort of lease for the next couple of years before the new one comes out with a bajillion HP...

[BloodRed]

Yes! I can finally afford one. $15K was just holding me back

[Stretch]

I thought it was going to come with like 800hp so it's not to be overshadowed by the hellcat?

 

I thought this too.

 

Wasn't somebody talking about a supercharged V10?

[Geeto67]

I can understand the price premium when the viper was new and competitive with the C4 zr1, having a competitive price to that model made it clear it was more than just a "dodge corvette" but something special (both cars were about $50k in 1992). It didn't hurt that the original viper was more uncompromising exotic toy (no hard windows, no auto trans, etc) and less daily driver than the vette was at the time.

 

But now? well it really has become a "dodge corvette". As per ChryCO CEO Rob Giles: "I want the new Viper to be a more forgiving car to drive and accessible to more people...". It just doesn't feel special anymore. It's still manual only, and it's still an un-driveable monster when pushed toward the edge, but it is no more or less uncompromising than the other, faster car in it's price market - the corvette ZR1/Stingray Z06. if you are going to steal customers from GM, you need to give them a reason to leave and buy dodge, and I don't think price is the compelling reason.

 

FWIW, I would totally buy a 1992-1995 first gen car. For $25K-$30K I can have all the curb appeal of a brand new one with the scare factor of a 90's car with dodge dakota suspension and no ABS/traction control. Who needs windows.

[LPFSTheFett]

I think the 15k price cut will help move a few additional units, but certainly isn't enough to fix the car. The Z06, that lets just "say" equals its performance, can be had with an auto, stick, hard top, convertible and for less money. Add to that most dodge dealerships are the worst. When I had my Viper, I HATED taking the car in. Complete idiots, couldn't even fix anything. Nightmare!

 

The fact it's a "Viper" only goes so far. Someone spending that much money on the car wants something out of it. It's not a well built car, it's not the fastest at anything like it was when it was first introduced, it's not a luxury car. It just doesn't deliver. Then you cant even modify the damn things because they have the computers locked down.

 

It really burns me up. I love the look of the Vipers and my old one with its issues was my favorite car. Let me buy one in an Auto and the ability to modify it and I would have it.

 

Herniated disc doesn't agree with stick shifts any more.

[TTQ B4U]

Herniated disc doesn't agree with stick shifts any more.

 

OT, you really need to get that fixed. Get it done and be done with it. Had mine done 19yrs ago and it was like being born again.

[Dr. Apex]

What would worry me is where did the $15k go?? What did they cut from the car? I'm sure they got suppliers to cut costs and such but $15k is a big chunk.

 

Still, always liked the Vipers and would love to own one someday. Not sure if I'd have the last gen ACR or the new TA, both are so sexy.

[Jewtoys]

What would worry me is where did the $15k go?? What did they cut from the car? I'm sure they got suppliers to cut costs and such but $15k is a big chunk.

 

Still, always liked the Vipers and would love to own one someday. Not sure if I'd have the last gen ACR or the new TA, both are so sexy.

 

I've actually been considering either a 01 acr or 08 acr for track duty, keep talking myself out of these mullet machines.

 

 

Try resisting this! (Price is 10+k too high)

 

http://www.motorcarsusa.com/Details/N0154/2001-dodge-viper-gts-acr

[Got-Boost?]

What would worry me is where did the $15k go?? What did they cut from the car? I'm sure they got suppliers to cut costs and such but $15k is a big chunk.

 

Still, always liked the Vipers and would love to own one someday. Not sure if I'd have the last gen ACR or the new TA, both are so sexy.

 

My guess, just goes to show how much profit they make on the car even at a low volume production. It really didn't cost them much updating from the previous Gen yet they bumped the price considerably. The upgrades they did do (which was mostly interior) they thought would bump them into the next market of buyers (911-TT, Aston, etc) and those buyers just didn't/don't cross shop Vipers!

 

The other thing that really hurts the car was the ECU being locked down. Someone is in the process of unlocking the Gen-V and only recently unlocked the Gen-IV. Before you were stuck with a stand-alone setup to even mod the car.

[Mallard]

The 15k didn't come out of any content, but they did add another model, the GT, to the mix in order to get the lower base price.

[Mallard]

I can understand the price premium when the viper was new and competitive with the C4 zr1, having a competitive price to that model made it clear it was more than just a "dodge corvette" but something special (both cars were about $50k in 1992). It didn't hurt that the original viper was more uncompromising exotic toy (no hard windows, no auto trans, etc) and less daily driver than the vette was at the time.

 

But now? well it really has become a "dodge corvette". As per ChryCO CEO Rob Giles: "I want the new Viper to be a more forgiving car to drive and accessible to more people...". It just doesn't feel special anymore. It's still manual only, and it's still an un-driveable monster when pushed toward the edge, but it is no more or less uncompromising than the other, faster car in it's price market - the corvette ZR1/Stingray Z06. if you are going to steal customers from GM, you need to give them a reason to leave and buy dodge, and I don't think price is the compelling reason.

 

FWIW, I would totally buy a 1992-1995 first gen car. For $25K-$30K I can have all the curb appeal of a brand new one with the scare factor of a 90's car with dodge dakota suspension and no ABS/traction control. Who needs windows.

FWIW, the Viper is faster than the C6 ZR1. Many have contested the results of the original Motor Trend article where even Randy Probst said the car scared him when trying to push it, but the TA has the Laguna Seca lap record and the most recent Lightning Lap had the Viper on top of the Vette. We'll see how the new Z06 stacks up, but there is no denying that it's a performance bargain.

However, the Viper is a much more exclusive car that you can have built to your specs. It's a hand built, hand painted low volume sports car. It's not like a Corvette that you can walk up to any Chevy lot and buy and you don't have the factory customization options.

 

There was a rumored s/c Viper on the web, but those rumors were being put to rest. On good authority there were engines built and delivered, but the funding for production isn't there. Just repeating what I read on the forums.

 

Also of interesting note: The current Viper chassis code is ZD, the precious was ZB. Supposedly, the SLS Mercedes is the ZC chassis; what was to be the Gen V Viper, but cancelled until the new owners revived it and re-engineered much of the chassis into the ZD.

[kirks5oh]

Still not interested. Car sounds like shit, isn't what it was when it first came out. I agree they are trying to make it more like a corvette.

[Mallard]

Still not interested. Car sounds like shit, isn't what it was when it first came out. I agree they are trying to make it more like a corvette.

I actually think it's the opposite; the Corvette has elevated its performance to the Vipers level, not that the Viper has been tamed.

 

Ralph may have said that he was trying to make it more livable, but it's still very much a drivers car that will bite you. Even Randy Probst said in his Motor Trend review that the car scared him when trying to push it. Others tell me he's not really a good driver and there's no way a stock ZR1 would beat a Viper (this was from people who have track driven both and don't work for Chrysler).

 

I think part of the problem with Viper is it used to be a single halo car, available in coupe and roadster. Now there are 4 Viper models (SRT, GT, GTS, TA) which probably doesn't support the low volume of each, and there's not even an ACR yet. Also, SRT tries to keep their cars easy to maintain for track days for the grassroots enthusiast. Because of this the new car didn't get things like carbon ceramic brakes, which I feel should be on a car of that price. That would elevate the performance and make it more exclusive, however, a large percentage of Vipers do see track time and I'm sure this is a probable reason for their decision.

 

Sergio mandated that every brand had to stand on its own and be profitable. Now that SRT is gone and absorbed by Dodge, they can afford slimmer margins on these cars and still keep the books balanced.

[Jewtoys]

http://www.autoextremist.com/

 

 

How it all went wrong for the Viper

 

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

 

Detroit. By now, most people who follow this industry know that FCA has chopped $15,000 from the Dodge Viper’s sticker price of $100,000, which translates into a stunning admission that the cult sports car is, for all intents and purposes, dead in the water.

 

How could this happen, you might ask? How could the vaunted Viper end up in the fire sale dustbin, a forlorn afterthought in this red-hot market?

 

I’m not going to regurgitate the car’s history because if you don’t know it by now, you can look it up elsewhere. I am going to talk about what happened to the Viper after Chrysler went bankrupt, and how the Viper went from nowhere, to reborn, to bust.

 

Back in 2010, when Chrysler was on the ropes and the Obama administration was forced to give the company to Sergio Marchionne and his espresso-swilling minions for a song, the Viper was officially mothballed. The company didn’t have the resources to support it, and it languished in the “what used to be” file at the now Italian-owned company.

 

But Ralph Gilles, Chrysler’s chief True Believer and one of the most committed – and talented – executives in the business, just wouldn’t let go of the idea of bringing the Viper back. His team was just as committed to the car as he was and they were all chomping at the bit to resurrect their pride and joy, and thus it was Gilles’ duty and calling to lobby Marchionne to return the Viper to the fray.

 

As anyone who reads this column knows, Marchionne is a prickly person to deal with. His ego defies gravity, he views the car company formerly known as Chrysler as a cash machine that exists to prop up the perpetually failing Fiat - one of the most miserable excuses for a car company extant - and he views the American car business as somewhat provincial and well, beneath him. Oh, he loves the money alright, and the gushing praise that the intermittently pathetic automotive media in this country seems to bestow on him at the drop of a hat, but beyond that he couldn't care less. And this was the guy that Ralph Gilles had to convince that the Viper was worthy of bringing back to life.

 

But there’s one more thing you need to know about Marchionne within the context of this story, and that is that he takes a dim view of American high-performance machines. He dismisses them as unsophisticated sledgehammers and completely devoid of the kind of passion that the Italians are known for when it comes to their idea of a high-performance machine, specifically Ferrari, unsurprisingly. Those Hellcat-powered machines that have the enthusiast community buzzing? If they make money, fine, but it’s nowhere near Marchionne’s cup of finely crafted espresso.

 

So into the breach went Ralph Gilles, lobbying and cajoling Marchionne to let him and his team bring the Viper back. And after a while, Marchionne agreed, but in classic Sergio fashion, he told Gilles he had to do it on the cheap, that whatever the number Ralph needed to pull it off he had to do it for less than that. Much less.

 

Which, as most suppliers dealing with Sergio and his minions have found out (the hard way, I might add), is standard operating procedure for the carpetbagging Italians ensconced in Auburn Hills. They want something for nothing, or they want to cut a supplier’s number in half before they’ll even negotiate (ask any major supplier doing business with FCA, especially the ones who said “no more” and walked away, and they all say the exact same thing too). In other words, they’re relentlessly cheap bastards, led by the cheapest bastard of them all.

 

So Ralph Gilles and Co. went to work on resuscitating the Viper, but in the euphoria of working on “their” car again, the painful reality set in: They couldn’t do what they wanted to do with the car. They couldn’t even come close, in fact. So what they were left with after all of that was a “new” fifth-generation Viper that in the harsh light of day didn’t look new at all.

 

In fact I was there at the unveiling of the “new” Viper at the New York Auto Show that spring and the response was muddled. They brought the old Viper back the crowd seemed to say, but where was the new one? Underwhelming, in other words.

 

Oh, the Viper-isti were happy that their car was back, but selling to Viper stalwarts wasn’t nearly enough to sustain the car in a market that was simply overflowing with hot new performance cars from Audi, BMW, Ford, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

 

So a not-so-new Viper was expected to compete in this hotly contested high-performance arena with dated clothes on. Yes, it was a Viper all right, but the newness wore off the moment they took the wraps off of it, and beyond the hardcore Viper fanatics, the car simply didn’t move the needle.

 

But the death knell for the new Viper came when they announced the prices for it. Yes, it was a Viper and it had gobs of serious horsepower, and it was cool and all of that, but $100,000? An instant nonstarter, especially when you can get a brand-spanking-new Corvette loaded up with decent options for $35,000 - $40,000 less, not to mention all the other serious high-performance machines out there that are in the same price range but that aren’t tagged with the “throwback” moniker or resembling a re-hashed execution, as in something everyone has seen before.

 

So now, here we are. A $15,000 slash on the sticker price for the Viper. And anyone who bought the new car will get a $15,000 certificate good for a new Viper purchase, although somehow I don’t think that’s going to fly with many people. Not to mention all the bad press associated with it, including just how dismal the sales numbers are for the car, as in 38 Vipers sold in August, total. Yeah, ouch.

 

Will that be enough? The short answer? No.

 

If the Viper is to survive, let alone thrive, Ralph Gilles and the True Believers out in Auburn Hills need a brand-new car, not one that is a re-hash of what has come before but an all-new car bristling with everything they know to be righteous and good, including the Hellcat engine. (Yeah, I know, Viper purists just fell to the ground suffering apoplectic fits, but get over it. If there’s a new Viper, that’s what it will be powered by.)

 

But then again, will there be a new Viper? How about no? Why? Because Sergio couldn’t care less. Take a look at what The Great Sergio is up to (see “On The Table”) vis-à-vis Ferrari and you’ll know why. He wants to get rid of Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo so he can get his hands on Ferrari and start dumbing down the brand with his endless schemes of platform sharing while pumping various nameplates up (Maserati, Alfa Romeo) with heretofore exclusive Ferrari technology and calling it good – and supremely profitable, by the way - which for Sergio is the only thing that matters.

 

Yeah, you heard me correctly. The Master Manipulator and consummate deal maker wants to take control of Ferrari, which, if you’ve been taking away anything from reading my columns over the years is nothing less than a giant pasta bowl of Not Good.

 

In fact it may be The End of The World for enthusiasts’ as we know it, because The Great Sergio will not stop until Ferrari is but a steaming hulk by the side of the road, a mere shadow of itself that has been brutalized and marginalized and left for dead.

 

I sense the chill of an early fall.

 

And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.

 

Editor's Note: As feared, it was announced today that Luca Cordero di Montezemelo will step down from his role as chairman of Ferrari effective October 13th. He will be replaced by FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne. Not Good doesn't even begin to cover it, as Peter would say. WG

[kirks5oh]

I actually think it's the opposite; the Corvette has elevated its performance to the Vipers level, not that the Viper has been tamed.

 

Ralph may have said that he was trying to make it more livable, but it's still very much a drivers car that will bite you. Even Randy Probst said in his Motor Trend review that the car scared him when trying to push it. Others tell me he's not really a good driver and there's no way a stock ZR1 would beat a Viper (this was from people who have track driven both and don't work for Chrysler).

 

I think part of the problem with Viper is it used to be a single halo car, available in coupe and roadster. Now there are 4 Viper models (SRT, GT, GTS, TA) which probably doesn't support the low volume of each, and there's not even an ACR yet. Also, SRT tries to keep their cars easy to maintain for track days for the grassroots enthusiast. Because of this the new car didn't get things like carbon ceramic brakes, which I feel should be on a car of that price. That would elevate the performance and make it more exclusive, however, a large percentage of Vipers do see track time and I'm sure this is a probable reason for their decision.

 

Sergio mandated that every brand had to stand on its own and be profitable. Now that SRT is gone and absorbed by Dodge, they can afford slimmer margins on these cars and still keep the books balanced.

 

chevy has a long track record of the incoming base model equaling the outgoing "special" model's performance. its nothing new.

 

base c5 roughly equals c4zr1

base c6 = c5z06

base c7 = c6z06

c7z06 = c6zr1

 

dodge decides to add traction control, abs, 'special' alcantara leather packages, etc====bitching out on a car that "anyone who's driven a viper hard has either spun it out at freeway speeds, or is lying, and hasn't really driven it hard"