My First Drive (Long with pics)

[Kurt]

Short Story: I finally had the opportunity to drive my dream car, a Viper GTS.

Long Story: First, let me introduce myself. I'm a 22 year old dental student, and I've loved Vipers since I was 12. I've been a member here since 2001, and rarely post. However, I've soaked up so much information from all of the members here, and have learned a lot in the past few years. I remember when I bought my first Matchbox Viper when I was 10. I still have it, along with what must be hundreds of other scale models, ranging from 1:87 up to 1:12. I subscribe to Viper magazine, and have every issue since 2001. I have all kinds other other Viper items too, such as emblems, posters, and just about anything I could get my hands on that has a picture of a Viper on it. In my 8th grade yearbook, the last sentence of the caption next to my photo says "and hopes to someday own a Dodge Viper". Yes, you an certainly say that I'm obsessed (excessively).

Where I live, there aren't any Vipers. To fuel my passion, I go to the Chryslers at Carlisle show just about every year, and stop by dealerships when I think there is potential for a Viper inside. So this year, while planning a vacation to Las Vegas, the first thing that came to mind was a Viper rental. I looked online, and came across DreamCar rentals. Their prices were reasonable, and they had GTS available. Needless to say, a month before leaving, the car was booked.

Fast forward a month. I could hardly sleep the day before getting the car. I woke up early, and the hours painstakingly passed by until 1 (when the rental was scheduled). Finally, I arrived at the rental office, where a Lamborghini and Ferrari were parked outside. I waited for the employees to bring the Viper. When I heard the car coming, I could no longer hide my excitement. The driver pulled the car into the parking lot, and I walked outside and snapped a quick picture:



I was given a quick walkaround, and was handed the keys. My heart was pounding, and I couldn't believe I was finally about to drive a Viper. I opened the door and sat down, and I was off. I drove to Red Rock Canyon, about 15 miles from Las Vegas to check out the scenery and drive on some back roads. The car was amazing, and I was loving every second. The rumble at idle, the sound of the Belanger exhaust, everything was perfect. On the way to Red Rock, I stopped and filled the tank. Never had I been happier to pay for premium gas:



And did I mention they disconnect the airconditioning in the Vipers and Ferraris to prevent overheating? It was about 105 degrees that day, and I didn't care at all. I rolled the windows down and enjoyed the sounds of the V10.

When I got to Red Rock, I took the "Scenic Drive", and snapped a couple pictures. Here's my favorite:



The scenery was beautiful, but the drive was even better. After driving the 15 mile route, I headed back to the strip and stopped for a quick picture at my hotel, the Mandalay Bay:



Since I had a few hours left on the rental, I decided to drive down the highway (Route 15) to stretch the Vipers legs. The power and acceleration of the car was unbelievable, and the attention I was getting was fun too. Kids were taking pictures, and almost everyone turned their head as I drove by. I had to take a picture while in the cockpit:



When I reached the California border, I decided to head back. After 5 hours and 125 miles in my dream car, I would recommend this to anyone. I had a great time, and would love to do it again. I was sweating the whole time, and could have cared less. The smile on my face remained for days after, and the memories will last forever. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to getting one sometime in the future so I can have the same feelings every day.

Whew, that was long. I hope you enjoyed reading, as I have thoroughly enjoyed so much the members here have written, and the pictures of all the gorgeous cars.

[OPENRUP]

Sounds like you had a great time....except for no A/C!! There really is nothing like taking that first drive behind the wheel of a Viper. Stories like yours remind me how lucky I am to have my own Viper in the garage.

[ViperJon]

That's a great story, Kurt. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are to own such a unique and insanely fun car. Thanks for the reminder.
I sincerely hope you get to own one some day.

[JonB - PartsRack]

I felt the same way when I drove my First VIper on Memorial Day weekend 1993. You were 7.
The feeling has not diminished much..I am still excited to peek in my garage anticipating a track day.

There is a guy who hangs here that actually TRADED a rare matchbox car (VW?) for his first VIPER !
He was as excited as you back then, must have sent me 100+ emails before/after.

Email me your address, and Ill send you a Viper doo-dad to focus on til you BUY a Viper.

You seem worthy of ownership!

JonB@PartsRack.com

[97GTS]

I can assure you that there is ONE drive that you will cherish even more: The first drive in YOUR Viper! Can't imagine any dentist without one!!

Ron

[2snakes4us]

the venom is in your veins and will never leave you. I had almost given up ever having one at one time and now i have 2. So keep the dream alive...some day your dream car will come to you.

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Great story! I can remember trying to rent one before I bought a Viper, but I was always told I was too young by the rental places. Glad you got to drive one and being in Vegas, makes it even cooler! I do have one question. What happened in this photo? That needle is nowhere near 180mph!

[ViperJay]

BITTEN!

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by JonB - PartsRack

I felt the same way when I drove my First VIper on Memorial Day weekend 1993. You were 7.
The feeling has not diminished much..I am still excited to peek in my garage anticipating a track day.

There is a guy who hangs here that actually TRADED a rare matchbox car (VW?) for his first VIPER !
He was as excited as you back then, must have sent me 100+ emails before/after.

Email me your address, and Ill send you a Viper doo-dad to focus on til you BUY a Viper.

You seem worthy of ownership!

JonB@PartsRack.com

Thanks a lot Jon, I really appreciate it! E-mail sent. Can't wait to make the first phone call to you, and I promise it won't be on a Monday!

Originally Posted by V10SpeedLuvr

Great story! I can remember trying to rent one before I bought a Viper, but I was always told I was too young by the rental places. Glad you got to drive one and being in Vegas, makes it even cooler! I do have one question. What happened in this photo? That needle is nowhere near 180mph!

Haha, that's because I had to hold the steering wheel with two hands when I was at 180! This is on the deceleration!
I was slightly surprised that I was able to rent the car. I did have to pay $30 extra for an "Underage driver" fee (under 25, over 21), but it was well worth it!

Thanks for the responses and well wishes everyone!

[pingi3]

Hey great story, I just purchased my first gts today and can not wait to go pick her up next week. But one piece of advice, and I know this is not the first for you, but stay and finish up dental school. My sister in law is a pediatric dentist and stright out of grad school was making 300K working 3 1/2 days a week. You will be able to buy a whole fleet

[Stretch]

Congrats dude that is an awesome story! I'm in a similar boat with being obsessed at a young age and keeping the dream alive to one day own one. Funny you mention the AC though because that was the first thing I thought when you mentioned Vegas. A few years back my parents went there in July for their 25th anniversary. My sister and I figured we should do something really nice for them, so I made arrangements to rent them a Viper for a half a day. The place was very cool about me being under 21 and renting because I promised I wouldn't even be in the same state at the time, but no mention of the AC. My parents get there, sign the paperwork and see a sign about the AC being disconnected in the Ferrari's and Vipers. They call me freaking out because it was 110+ and they were afraid to be in that much heat. So much to my disappointment, they traded the Viper for a Vette. Don't get me wrong, I like both cars, but I love the Viper and I have never let them forget what they did that day.

So, congrats to you for braving the heat and taking the Viper!

[Adam & Angela]

Very cool story, Kurt. Thanks for sharing it along with your pictures!

Angela

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by pingi3

Hey great story, I just purchased my first gts today and can not wait to go pick her up next week. But one piece of advice, and I know this is not the first for you, but stay and finish up dental school. My sister in law is a pediatric dentist and stright out of grad school was making 300K working 3 1/2 days a week. You will be able to buy a whole fleet

Congratulations on the purchase, it must be a great feeling! I can imagine how excited you are.

Originally Posted by Stretch

Congrats dude that is an awesome story! I'm in a similar boat with being obsessed at a young age and keeping the dream alive to one day own one. Funny you mention the AC though because that was the first thing I thought when you mentioned Vegas. A few years back my parents went there in July for their 25th anniversary. My sister and I figured we should do something really nice for them, so I made arrangements to rent them a Viper for a half a day. The place was very cool about me being under 21 and renting because I promised I wouldn't even be in the same state at the time, but no mention of the AC. My parents get there, sign the paperwork and see a sign about the AC being disconnected in the Ferrari's and Vipers. They call me freaking out because it was 110+ and they were afraid to be in that much heat. So much to my disappointment, they traded the Viper for a Vette. Don't get me wrong, I like both cars, but I love the Viper and I have never let them forget what they did that day.

So, congrats to you for braving the heat and taking the Viper!

That's a funny story. I didn't know until I got there either, but I was set on driving a GTS. I can definitely sympathize with your parents though, as it was extremely hot. I did have to make a few stops at gas stations for a cold drink.

Originally Posted by Adam & Angela

Very cool story, Kurt. Thanks for sharing it along with your pictures!

Angela

Thanks Angela, I'm glad you enjoyed!

[BOTTLEFED]

Thanks for sharing your story. It helps me remeber how special it is to own a Viper and the joy I get from driving it.
It is easy to start taking the car for granted. Especially now that I'm doing a lot of street tuning - it feels like a chore to have to take it out every day to run it. I usually don't even get to enjoy the 3rd gear WOT pulls because I'm watching the a/f gauge or tach.

Thank you for renewing the passion.
You are definitely worthy on one of these cars and I know you'll have one soon.

-Tim

[Fatboy 18]

Great story, love the pics
It took me a while to get my Viper, but well worth the wait But the no AC in the GTS That must have been hot!!!!!!!! Still i cant think of a better way to loose a few pounds