New Owner of a 2001 RT/10

AaronFL

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Hi Everyone,
I have been long obsessed with Vipers since I saw my first one when I was 6 years old. I had the folders in elementary school, the posters all over my room in middle school, and played Vipers in every video game I could in High school. Vipers have been a complete obsession of mine for a LONG time. I made a deal with myself that if I could get through school in one piece, I would buy myself one as a graduation present. I have saved and saved for years and decided that I could no longer wait. I will be graduating dental school in 2014 and the plan was to wait until then, but my current car (Chrysler Crossfire) started having some electrical issues and a new car was in sight.

Tom Sessions pointed me towards a car located in Jacksonville, FL. I talked with him on the phone a few times and he gave me the full run down. Tom is the Man!!! He was extremely helpful and I could not believe how much he remembered about this car. I went over and met the owners. They were very kind and definitely had Viper fever. The car was a previous track car and was fully outfitted for road racing. The owner, Nancy Stein, took me for a spin around the block in it. This was actually my first time riding in a Viper. I about had a heart attack. I was too tall for the racing seat, so I couldn't test drive it. I came back a week later and test drove it with the stock seat back in it and whoa! The clutch feel is totally different than my Crossfire! It was like learning to drive a manual all over again. My friend Rian, who works at Naples Dodge, looked over the car and I took it home.

What a drive! This car is incredible! The crackles and pops from the exhaust on deceleration are way cool. The driving position is awesome. I love the sinked-down cockpit feel. I am going to take it very easy for the next several weeks as I get acquainted with my new baby. I took it to Gainesville Dodge and the Viper tech, Mark, did an oil change and replaced my battery. He is a great guy and told me about some local car shows and cruises I could participate in. I still have to clean the car up a bit. A friend of mine who is a pro-detailer is helping me go over all the body-work with DA polishers to bring the shine back. I ordered the service manual to help me along with some of the maintenance.

I have owned her for a week now and it has been better than I ever dreamed it could be. I am going to have this car for a loooooong time. She is not going anywhere! My plans are to get into doing some track days to learn how to drive her. She is a beast and I need to learn her limits. I won't do this on public roads, and luckily Gainesville Raceway is just a few minutes away.

Here are the stats:

2001 Rt/10 19K miles
Striker Heads
708 Cam
Forged Internals
Fidanza flywheel
Belanger Headers
High-flow cats
Corsa 3" exhaust
Moton Suspension
Stoptech brakes
Autoform Rollbar
Teamtech harnesses
Roe Fan Unit
Aluminum P/S pulley/bracket
Edit: Quaife LSD thanks Tom :)

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Steve-Indy

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CONGRATS !! Welcome to the Viper Nation. Nancy is well known in the Viper ranks...long time driver and competitor!!
 

CEJ

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Glad you finally found your Viper, and welcome to the VCA! Your RT/10 looks and sounds great. Any other Vipers near you?
 
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AaronFL

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Thanks! Nancy was a charm. I am honored to own a Viper is so much history. From who I have spoke with, the VCA is pretty active with North Central Florida. With that being said, I have only seen two Vipers in the past three years of living here. I am hoping to meet up with some other Viper owners soon! I will be moving down to Naples, FL next year when I am done with school. I believe there are more Vipers down there.
 

Torquemonster06

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Congrats and welcome to the VCA. The ride looks and sounds awsome. Lots of great info to be had here. I guess I will be the first to say it, Be Carefull until you get used to it. It Will Bite. Be safe.
 

Tom Sessions

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Glad to hear you got to meet Mark and get the car looked at. It is a awesome ride. And should serve you well. Heck of car to have as your first viper. She makes good strong power with the Stryker heads and Belanger headers. You for got to mention it does have a quaffie rear diff also. Have fun with it.
 

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