Looking at purchasing '97 GTS

[axe]

Hello all,

I just started last week to look for a blue/white Viper GTS, 97 or later.

A local dealership has a blue/white '97 Viper GTS with about 33K miles and they are asking 59K. Is this a reasonable price? Just wondering what other people around the country are paying. I'm in San Jose, CA. Is Kelley Blue Book accurate for Vipers?

Also, what's the highest mileage viper out there? 33K miles seems kind of high compared to many of the ones I've seen in online classifieds.

The dealership let me test drive it and it was exhilarating!! Without a doubt by far the quickest vehicle I've driven. They dropped it off at a Dodge dealership to get the 30K service so I haven't been able to move forward with looking at the car again during the day since I went at night when I first saw it.

Oh, I did a Carfax on it and it was registered first in Chino, CA. Has personalized plate BLESTT on it.

Is anyone familiar with this car?

Thanks!

[Venom Lover]

First of all, the blue/white GTS was produced only in '96 and '97, not later.

$59K is high for a '97 with 33K mi. $59K might be reasonable now for a '97 GTS with <5000 miles. Not to say that there is an issue with reliability on a 33K mi Viper, but the price should really be more in the low $50's. I think being in Silicon Valley is working against you in this case.

Your best bet is to go through the classifieds on this web site, or to call a dealer like Woodhouse Dodge (their number can be found on this web site).

Good luck in your purchase, and give yourself time to find the right car.

[Gary Lashinsky]

I have a 1997 Red GTS Coupe for sale at $48,700 with 5300 miles. Lots of upgrades and set up with a Venom 500 package. Call me at 407-366-0366 M-F at my office.

[jcaspar1]

Axe,
That is pretty high for a private sale price but I am not sure how much premium a dealer gets for a used Viper. I bought a 97 GTS in blue and white 6 months ago with 11k for 54k in Dublin. This was actually a bit more then the going rate but it was so close to home (I live in Sacramento) and still under factory warrenty. 33k is not a problem reliability wise but Vipers drop off in price significantly with higher mileage and this one is over-priced. I found the Kelly Blue book pretty acurate for Vipers but Edmunds seems very low.

[Ron Hickey]

$59K is at least $10K too high for a 97 Blue/White with 33K miles. While 33K doesn't seem like a lot of miles for a 4 year old car, you must consider that the average 97 Viper out there probably has less than 15K miles, and there are a lot of them out there with less than 10K miles. Let's face it: most Viper owners don't drive these cars much, and that drives resale value down considerably on cars with any kind of mileage. I know of a used 97 with 7K miles in excellent condition and with a warranty purchased recently here in the Washington DC area for under $55K. I would consider $50-53K a fair price for a blue/white 96 or 97 with <15K miles, providing the car has an extended warranty and is in very good to excellent condition. Prices may be higher out there in sunny CA, but I'd suggest you look around some more or hammer the dealer down $10K (good luck!).

[Luetic]

Ahhh, buy it. After they stop making the GenII and start making the Vipermarrow next year, the price of the 97 Blue/White will go up. It is The quintessential Viper. Its not like they're gonna make some more. What are there, 700 unrecked blue/white out there?

[axe]

Thanks for all the tips!

My sight is now set on the '96 or '97 blue/white GTS.

Are the '96 and '97 exactly the same?

[FrankBarba]

here are the numbers... a dealer will trade low & sell high. a private party will try to be somewhat lower. the average price for a private party selling a 1996 gts is $55k. the average price for a private party selling a 1997 gts is $59k. the only dealer 97 i found was yours & another selling for higher. i have spoke with several dealers about taking my 00 rt/10 in trade. i am getting numbers of $52 - 58k, which if done they will turn around and sell the car for $66k

[Gerald]

59k for a 96 GTS? Way too High.. So is 55k or so. If you shop around you'll find 53k to 52k a more believable number.
I JUST bought a 1998 GTS for 55k, immaculate and 5k miles.

Good Luck!

Gerald

p.s.

[axe]

Are there '96 and '97 exactly the same inside and outside? No different options?

I found another '97 GTS blue/white with 8700 miles, 57K. That sounds better!

[BWoodbury]

Not much difference between a '96 and a '97 GTS. Give JonB a call if you really want to know the details. Biggest difference I know of is that the stripes do not go through the rear license plate area on a '97.

BTW I only paid $52K for my '96 with 15,000 last summer.

[Viablo]

I just bought a 1997 gts with 412 miles on it. it looks like it just rolled off the line. anyway i paid 59,000 for it including the cover. no mods. all i need to do is get it to NY from Florida. I'm going to post another message but if anyone know where i can rent an enclosed trailer for 48 hrs I would greatly appreciate it.

[axe]

Well, I went to look at the '97 GTS again tonight after it had its 30K mile service. Drove it again, it felt the same. It idled pretty low, around 500 rpms. The shifter vibrated a lot, too. Is this normal?

The lowest they were willing to let it go for tonight was 52K. I think I'm going to look for one with lower miles, so the search continues.

In the trunk, there was this box mounted to the left above the spare tire. What purpose does that serve? Kind of looked like an amp. Is that stock?

Thanks!

[Brad Manhattan Beach]

Hey Axe:

Why don't you contact someone in the NorCal VCA to let you establish a baseline to compare with everything you are shopping for? I'm sure that they would spend some time with you and let you check things out.

The idle isn't abnormal, and the rough idle is the sound of a sweet high lift cam. The box in the rear storage is an amplifier. If you are ever in LA, I would be happy to take you out in my '96. Email me if you are in the neighborhood.

As far as price, you can probably find better (especially if Nasdaq continues its plunge).

Good luck.

Brad

[Joseph Houss]

Here's some answers:


"....It idled pretty low, around 500 rpms. The shifter vibrated a lot, too. Is this normal?"

yes, and there's also a phrase associated with the noise from the vibration...it's called NGR (neutral gear rattle). The "pre-2000" Snakes were engineered with this feature...all for maximizing the performance and durability of the car.

".....The lowest they were willing to let it go for tonight was 52K. I think I'm going to look for one with lower miles, so the search continues."

good move, that type of mileage usually equates to a much lower price

"...In the trunk, there was this box mounted to the left above the spare tire. What purpose does that serve? Kind of looked like an amp. Is that stock?"

yes, that's the stock amp.