JBS,
You know, I hang out at a lot of Vette events, and I have heard the same thing from people "oh, my buddy had a Viper and had nothing but problems". But I know MOST of the Viper people in my area, and I have never heard of anyone saying these things - I think one guy says it, and all the Vette guys want to believe it, so they all spread the word
I had a '98 that I put 25k miles on. Only problem really was the window regulator blew on the 2nd day I had the car - warranty fix. Overall I had very few problems - everything was minor stuff, nothing that affected the drivability of the car.
As for the Vette guys chiming in about their cars - bear in mind that they are comparing highly modified cars against stock cars. I dunno... I had a very fast Vette in the past, and I could beat anything from 911 Turbos, to Vipers, to Ferraris - you name it. I never felt my car was "better" then theirs though, even though it was a lot quicker. I definitely had the attitude "you spent more than me, haha", but when those $10k Mustangs beat up on my Vette, I didn't think they were better, so I guess that attitude only goes one way.
Get the Viper. People will love the car, most of all you. You won't see 100 people driving the same thing on a weekend out. If you get a newer one, you can get a great price. Go for a '98 if you want the "best" year from an upgradability standpoint. 2001 is the best for creature comforts and ease of driving.