Buying a GTS. What questions to ask seller ??

[JH23JOB]

I'm looking at a '96 GTS tomorrow ( Saturday afternoon ) and I would like to know what questions to specifically ask the seller. Please post all questions that you think I should ask, or things I should pay extra attention to. Thanks !!!

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Da foolie is back! Welcome back! Now seriously, this is an interesting topic. I've been on the other end of these questions all week as I've had my M5 on the market. My price has been right enough that I'm getting a lot of calls from exotic dealers. These are some of their questions that could benefit any type of buyer...
1.Are you the original owner?
2."Has the car ever had any kind of a repaint, anywhere?" The answer is very indicative of an accident but asked cleverly.
3."Does the car have ANY nicks, scrapes, road rash, curbed wheel scratches...if it does I just hate it when it's a surprise when I get off the airplane and I make it a policy to always walk away from the deal"..good way to put seller on notice to tell the truth.
4."Can you fax me the original window sticker?" Verifies that if you kept this and know where it is you are telling the truth about options and you are a "car guy" car guys keep the sticker and take care of the car.
5. "What are the break in instructions for the car, did you follow them." Very important for Vipers..Very rigid schedule of keeping rpm low for first 1000 miles. Change oil 300 miles and at 1000/1500 approx. If he had no clue, he didn't do it! Listen to this part.. if he says I ran it hard right away to seat the rings or any other nonsense..walk away.
6. Most important for Vipers of this vintage DID YOU BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, please fax me a copy me that. Good for 7 years.
7. If He didn't buy the warranty..run, don't walk to the nearest phone and call Bill Pemberton at Woodhouse, Chuck Tator at Tators, the guys at Roanoke or Buehler. Get prices on availability of the extended warranty, it can still be bought, Do not buy a car without it, buy a later model if you can't get it on this year. You don't want to know how much this engine costs to replace without warranty, And this warranty is one of the BEST. Very few objections, from DC even if racing and VCA officers are very helpful in dealing with any problems.
8. Do what I did when I started looking, call Bill Pemberton at Woodhouse, (click on the link on this site) I would estimate poor William spent 7-8 hours on the phone with me, EDUCATING me about Vipers without pressuring me to buy from him at all. And another 5 hours with my inability to make a decision between an RT10 and a GTS. Call him about a prospective purchase, He'll be glad to give an opinion the same way an appraiser will.

 

[Ron Hickey]

1996 is a great year -- classic blue and white GTS -- and the first year of coupe production. If you're buying the car from a private seller: Does the car have a transferable warranty? If he is the original owner and bought the car in 1996 and an extended warranty, then you've got one year left -- unless he burned up the mileage. Other than the warranty, common issues with that vintage car are oil leaks (could be timing chain cover, front or rear main seals), side window rubber gasket breaks at top rear corner, possible intake manifold gasket (definitely a problem with 97's, but Dodge's IM gaskets are crap and after 6 years may have deteriorated), and often the alarm. Ask if any of those items have required service. Check underneath for oil leak (lots of seepage); look at window gaskets. None of these are major and should not scare you away from the car, but without a warranty, repairing these things -- if they occur -- will be on your dime. Other than that, check for damage on side sills, especially the underside. If possible, put the car on a lift and look at the it from underneath. Verify no frame damage or repairs. If the car doesn't have scratches on the underside of the front fascia, suspect a repaint -- everyone scratches that up! If the car has original Pilot MXX3's, they're 6 years old, and if you buy the car, you may want to consider replacing them. If you plan to track the car, you will need to replace the wheels, as the 96 wheels are prone to failure under track conditions. (No concern for everyday street driving, however.)

Good luck!

 

[MiamiJeff]

Don't forget to get the VIN in order to run a Carfax report.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Take it to a dealer that is recommended by you local VCA. Have the service history printed out and have it inspected by the dealers Viper Tech.

Good Luck!

 

[SUN RA KAT]

If buying from a reputable dealer - Bill Pemberton at Woodhouse, Chuck Tator at Tators, the guys at Roanoke or Buehler, for example, would you still want to check everything out on your own or would you be able to trust them to give you a straight report?

 

[Ron Hickey]

No matter whom you're buying from, it is always best to check the car out for yourself. You're spending $40,000 or more; you need to be sure you're making the right decision. Your definition of "nice" or "clean" may differ someone else's. If you look at the car and decide to buy it, you have only yourself to blame if later you find something you missed. If you buy it sight unseen, you're leaving a lot to chance. And that can result in a lot of ill will and misunderstanding if you take delivery and find something you don't like. This is especially pertinent if you're meticulous about every little detail in your car or anal about any little flaw; if you meet that description (and a lot of us Viper owners do), don't buy a used car sight unseen.

There are times when going to look at the car before buying is just impossible; in those circumstances, you want to be dealing with someone who will give you the straight scoop on the car. The dealers you mention are not going to intentionally misrepresent the car.

This topic is particularly timely for me. A friend just purchased a used Viper sight unseen from the other side of the country, and he's not too happy about the car. Giving the seller the benefit of the doubt, I don't think he intentionally misrepresented the car to my friend. But we've discovered some issues of which the seller was unaware, which make the car unacceptable to my friend. (He definitely fits the meticulous owner description above.) My friend did his homework; he looked at lots of pictures, shipping defect sheets, Carfax, etc. Shipping the car back to the seller for a full refund is not a viable option, as the money paid to the shipper for the initial delivery is gone, and someone has to pay for the return shipping. So here we have a deal where both parties dealt in good faith, but the buyer ends up with a car he doesn't want. And all this could have been avoided if my friend had traveled out and looked at the car before buying.

Buying a car out of state is a hassle. You've got to travel to look at the car, and if you don't like it, you're out the travel expense. And now you start over with another car. If you decide to buy the car, you've got to arrange shipping, etc. In my opinion, if you can find a car nearby to buy, it's worth paying $2,000-3,000 more just to eliminate the hassle.

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

It's a 96, ask him if he's had any problems with the fuel pump. We've already had ours replaced ONCE and they are not fun to get changed. They have to take apart the cargo area and it takes about a day to do. Not fun.

You've had some musclecars so I'm sure you'll know what you're doing.

Craig

 

[Jason-Middle Tennessee]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by kungfool:
Ask if it's fast.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

[Kurt 97 GTS]

Two more things to consider.

1. 96 GTS have had issues with the window rattling. Check for this.

2. Look at the brake calipers. If there yellowish (should be white), could be an indication that the car has been tracked.

Good luck....Kurt