The Dodge Viper is one of those cars with an appeal that far exceeds its shoddy build quality and boorishness. Or maybe those things are just part of what makes it so freaking awesome. These days, you can get one for incredibly cheap. But should you?
In this video from YouTube’s superspeedersRob, who showed us what a cheap Las Vegas rental Ferrari really looks like, gives us a quick tour of his friend Vinny’s new-to-him 2001 Dodge Viper which he calls a “convertible.” Really, it’s more like a targa.
The car apparently cost $10,000, and our host estimates a “nice” version of the same would be between $30,000 to $35,000. That gives Vinny a decent amount of headroom to financially justify his project car, especially since it sounds like he’s doing all his own wrench work.
As you can see, the Viper’s body is straight but the paint is absolutely ravaged. Interior is even rattier. The chrome rims and wing are not really my thing, but the structural condition of the whole package looks pretty sound.
It seems as though the car runs and drives, though a quick compression test reveals that the car’s down four cylinders. Still putting down more horsepower than an FR-S, amirite?
With the car obviously neglected as much as this one’s been, I’d be pretty concerned about basic stuff like how long all the car’s fluids have been heat-cycling under the Florida sun. Would you trust a person that apparently used a screwdriver to regularly open their convertible top with performing basic routine maintenance?
I’m excited to follow along with this project. Even though I probably won’t have the money or skills to pull it off myself, I really like the idea of a Dodge Viper that costs less than a Mazda3.