Question about srt viper sales

[SRTviper]

Is it my imagination or is the new viper not selling well? I hear some people constantly using the phrase "well if it doesn't sell well then....." and that only 300-400 units were built for 2013. I was wondering what is going on? This car is an incredible bargain at 97 and 120k so whats happening? What other performance car would people rather buy at that point for the same money?

 

[VENOM V]

SRT made the mistake of building hundreds of unsold cars and flooding the market with them, while making those of us that ordered our cars last November wait. Very dumb. Now the market is flooded with Vipers, and some are being sold below MSRP. Brilliant way to treat your customers- tell VCA members they get priority over all others, we order our cars first, they build them last. Bravo SRT, a job well done. My car was ordered the morning of the first day of ordering in November. Still not being built. But I can take my pick of several black ones (my other favorite color) at $10K off MSRP. There is even a blue GTS on Autotrader at $15K off MSRP. There are a bunch of black, yellow, and white cars that SRT built that no one ordered (yes, the dealerships ordered them, but with no customer's name on them) sitting in showrooms. Why they built those before the custom orders is beyond reason.

If they had built more of the custom orders earlier, then there would be less inventory on dealer lots, customers would be happier, and dealers would be making more money. There are so many blue/white LE's and red track pack cars on the market, it's just saturated.

I hope Ralph rectifies this situation. I will be meeting him personally at a Norcal event in about a month, I hope to get a chance to discuss this matter with him. Especially since I doubt my car will be built by then. Total BS.

They are building about 800 total for 2013 model year. They will be beginning 2014 production some time in July, if things go as planned.

 

[Nine Ball]

It isn't about Vipers. In these times, $100k+ toys aren't what most of our accountants suggest doing. People are buying fewer cars in the six figure range than they used to. Also, the Viper hasn't ever really commanded a long waiting list. Those of us that own them don't really care to ever see them become as common as a Corvette.

 

[ViperSmith]

Considering it is a brand new car, no one knows how it is selling yet. Seeing the delays, it is also questionable to what has been sold and produced. Judging the number available on autotrader, it doesn't seem many are sitting on dealer lots out of the 800 built - seemingly those built a large majority have been sold. But, who knows. Seemingly the only ones not moving off lots are those with insane markups.

 

[ViperSmith]

It isn't about Vipers. In these times, $100k+ toys aren't what most of our accountants suggest doing. People are buying fewer cars in the six figure range than they used to. Also, the Viper hasn't ever really commanded a long waiting list. Those of us that own them don't really care to ever see them become as common as a Corvette.

In addition, besides us loons, no one really knows the Viper is back.

The average person stopping by a dodge dealer isn't going to be in the market for a Viper, so it isn't quite the easy up sell. SRT is in a difficult spot and dealers haven't gotten with the times.

SRT big mistake was giving cars to dealers before individual orders. No one will learn the Viper is back with cars sitting on lots. Plenty will learn it is in the hands of guys like us who plan to drive the **** out of them. They missed a lot of free advertising.

 

[ViperSmith]

I mean, consider this. I went to two local dealers and put my name down to order. Not one ever called me back. We stopped in later after I ordered from Bernie and looked at cars for my wife.

Chatting I brought up the issue. Well, of course, they wanted to add on their ADM to the cost of the car.

So, how does SRT plan to sell custom ordered cars when dealers are filthy greedy? No one will preorder and pay some preposterous sum to idiot dealers.

So, now both dealers have unsold allotments.

Glad I went with Tomball instead of giving those slime balls a dime.

 

[SRTviper]

Hmmmm the first and last response makes sense. But as far as the economy I think regardless those with the means to buy this car and those who want this kind of car have the money and know about it. I mean I've never liked the viper ever, or even followed it and even I heard about it and now want one. Plus whether we want the car to be as popular as a corvette or not if it is a good deal it will become popular that is inevitable. So I'm wondering if maybe it is dealer greed (most likely) or perhaps people just don't like the viper and rather get the vette or a 911 which are really the only competition.

 

[ViperSmith]

Not one person I've talked to, who has the means (more than I) knew the car was back.

People simply don't know.

 

[09 Venom]

don't want to hijack the thread but after 2 weeks of ownership I can personally tell everyone here the Gen V is an amazing bargain. And I got the more expensive GTS. it is worth all 125k I paid for. I have finally been able to open her up and let me tell you, from 4,500 to 6,500 rpm the acceleration is just 'violent'. no other words to describe it. The older 'Viper faithful" will be happy with the look (read similar to Gen 2 GTS) but might be a little disappointed with the level of refinement.(GTS interior much better than base Viper) I ,however, am quite HAPPY with it. Like I said in a previous thread it still feels like a Viper on one hand then on the other hand it doesn't. Hard to explain. As far as not selling well and sitting on dealer lots, I think someone touched upon not building customer orders first. I think that has a lot to do with it. but once the word gets out about how fantastic this car is, it will start moving.

 

[PDCjonny]

Not one person I've talked to, who has the means (more than I) knew the car was back.

People simply don't know.

It's a niche car now, always was and always will be.
The question is how will they sell next year when the wow factor has faded some and they are not the new kid on the block.
And the 2013's are still sitting on dealer lots at discounted prices.

Kinda funny looking back after the reveal and how important it was that you get an order in NOW because these babies
are gonna sell out fast and you'll miss the boat.

 

[ViperSmith]

It's a niche car now, always was and always will be.
The question is how will they sell next year when the wow factor has faded some and they are not the new kid on the block.
And the 2013's are still sitting on dealer lots at discounted prices.

Without a doubt they will be. You are right, it is a niche car. I think with the upgrades to the interior and traction control it may get more mainstream acceptance - but only time will tell.

I think without paddle shifters, it will fall behind others. As much as die hards love the gear box, it isn't a huge main stream draw.

But what do I know, I am in software

 

[chorps]

Although I'd love to have the newest toy on the block, I'd rather they get the factory in order first, and if that means making a few hundred identical cars first to verify that the pipeline is working well, I guess that's what it takes. Too bad there were so many hiccups along the way though...

 

[DMan]

I would by a red SRT with track pack, the $108k car, for $15k under MSRP today.

 

[Paul Hawker]

These Gen V Vipers are more of a bespoke, hand built, personal statement than ever before. It used to be that you only got a couple color choices, but everything else was the same as for every other Viper owner.

Now you can totally personalize your Viper choice, direct from the factory. This makes it more challenging for the individual dealership, that may be only getting a few cars per year in allocation. They will find it difficult to predict precisely what accessories their buyer will accept. For this reason, it is to be expected that a showroom model may take some time to sell.

It is a pretty political position for SRT to be in. They want all the SRT dealerships to get some cars, but still need to provide allocation for those specialized Viper dealerships that tend to move lots more cars for their loyal customers.

Perhaps SRT would better serve the Viper Community by selling like Tesla. Bypassing the dealership network alltogether, and building to order with active internet bespoke production. They could also do this in a Hybrid configuration by selling at MSRP on internet, and letting a select groupl of experienced Viper friendly dealerships sell at market prices. Maybe the best of all worlds. SRT approved dealerships would make their money on service, but not need to deal with just a couple cars a year that they need to markup over MSRP to make financial sense for such low volume.

Most everybody I know wants a Gen V Viper, however the cost to trade up from their current car to a new one is pretty stout.

 

[SRTviper]

These Gen V Vipers are more of a bespoke, hand built, personal statement than ever before. It used to be that you only got a couple color choices, but everything else was the same as for every other Viper owner.

Now you can totally personalize your Viper choice, direct from the factory. This makes it more challenging for the individual dealership, that may be only getting a few cars per year in allocation. They will find it difficult to predict precisely what accessories their buyer will accept. For this reason, it is to be expected that a showroom model may take some time to sell.

It is a pretty political position for SRT to be in. They want all the SRT dealerships to get some cars, but still need to provide allocation for those specialized Viper dealerships that tend to move lots more cars for their loyal customers.

Perhaps SRT would better serve the Viper Community by selling like Tesla. Bypassing the dealership network alltogether, and building to order with active internet bespoke production. They could also do this in a Hybrid configuration by selling at MSRP on internet, and letting a select groupl of experienced Viper friendly dealerships sell at market prices. Maybe the best of all worlds. SRT approved dealerships would make their money on service, but not need to deal with just a couple cars a year that they need to markup over MSRP to make financial sense for such low volume.

Most everybody I know wants a Gen V Viper, however the cost to trade up from their current car to a new one is pretty stout.

Well the quality of the trade up is even more stout than the price difference lol. Maybe it is because it is a manual car only. I know lots of people prefer the dual clutch. I mean I prefer it too. Now for the right car like the viper I have no problem with a manual but shifting sometimes gets annoying especially when stuck in traffic. Plus then I always have to like stretch my leg after because my knee feels tight and I don't like that feeling either.

 

[I Bin Therbefor]

IMO, the Viper is the halo car for the SRT brand in a way the Viper was never the halo car for Dodge. Ralph has said he needs the Viper to launch the SRT brand properly. Getting the dealer organization organized and "shaken out" is a big step in establishing the SRT brand. That meant getting Vipers to the dealers who signed up and seeing which dealers are going to be in SRT for the long haul. Perhaps that resulted in some of the Viper community not getting their custom order cars immediately. Certainly it meant the Viper owners not getting first dibs at the production as previously. For me, seeing the Viper within the context of SRT brand has helped me understand what is happening. But then I don't have a car on order so I can be more understanding about the situation.

The dealer I recently visited in Franklin TN is a fast learner. He has the Vipers in a small separate building next door to the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram show room. I'll bet the next time I visit, he'll have other SRT cars immediately outside or perhaps some inside as space permits. He's getting the idea about segmenting the market for the SRT brand.

 

[VENOM V]

IMO, the Viper is the halo car for the SRT brand in a way the Viper was never the halo car for Dodge. Ralph has said he needs the Viper to launch the SRT brand properly. Getting the dealer organization organized and "shaken out" is a big step in establishing the SRT brand. That meant getting Vipers to the dealers who signed up and seeing which dealers are going to be in SRT for the long haul. Perhaps that resulted in some of the Viper community not getting their custom order cars immediately. Certainly it meant the Viper owners not getting first dibs at the production as previously. For me, seeing the Viper within the context of SRT brand has helped me understand what is happening. But then I don't have a car on order so I can be more understanding about the situation.

The dealer I recently visited in Franklin TN is a fast learner. He has the Vipers in a small separate building next door to the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram show room. I'll bet the next time I visit, he'll have other SRT cars immediately outside or perhaps some inside as space permits. He's getting the idea about segmenting the market for the SRT brand.

Not sure if I understand your point. When you say, "Getting the dealer organization organized and shaken out is a big step in establishing the SRT brand. That meant getting Vipers to the dealers who signed up and seeing which dealers are going to be in SRT for the long haul," I think the blue/white Launch Editions, red Track Pack cars, and red Dealer Demos fullfilled that need. They built and those 300 first. But immediately after that, they should have built already-sold custom orders before building unsold cars. I put my money down in November, I should get my car first.

When you say, "Perhaps that resulted in some of the Viper community not getting their custom order cars immediately. Certainly it meant the Viper owners not getting first dibs at the production as previously." Are you implying that's acceptable business practice, after SRT made a commitment to VCA members that they would get their cars first? That's a pretty serious broken commitment. Even if someone wasn't a VCA member, they should receive their ordered car before a similar unsold car is shipped to another dealer. An example of this- there are about 30+ black unsold GTS's on Autotrader, some of which have gunmetal stripes. MoparMan ordered his black/gunmetal GTS in November, why didn't they build and ship him his car first? I can somewhat understand some hick-ups for my car because of the difficulty to paint it, but I don't see why custom orders are built so damned late. And how about how the Canadian orders were treated? I don't even know if I want to open that can of worms, I would be pissed if I had ordered in Canada.

 

[Mamba52]

Drove into the city today (Atlanta) to see a movie. My passenger wiper was broken from having my go pro attached to the windshield. Stopped by Palmer Dodge to pick up a wiper blade and they had two red cars, one a GTS and one SRT. The GTS's passenger door was buffed almost too the point of no paint!!!!!! Asked the sales guy and he said the car arrived like that and it's going back to SRT

 

[2003 Viper]

Great post VENOM V!

 

[I Bin Therbefor]

Not sure if I understand your point. When you say, "Getting the dealer organization organized and shaken out is a big step in establishing the SRT brand. That meant getting Vipers to the dealers who signed up and seeing which dealers are going to be in SRT for the long haul," I think the blue/white Launch Editions, red Track Pack cars, and red Dealer Demos fullfilled that need. They built and those 300 first. But immediately after that, they should have built already-sold custom orders before building unsold cars. I put my money down in November, I should get my car first.

When you say, "Perhaps that resulted in some of the Viper community not getting their custom order cars immediately. Certainly it meant the Viper owners not getting first dibs at the production as previously." Are you implying that's acceptable business practice, after SRT made a commitment to VCA members that they would get their cars first? That's a pretty serious broken commitment. Even if someone wasn't a VCA member, they should receive their ordered car before a similar unsold car is shipped to another dealer. An example of this- there are about 30+ black unsold GTS's on Autotrader, some of which have gunmetal stripes. MoparMan ordered his black/gunmetal GTS in November, why didn't they build and ship him his car first? I can somewhat understand some hick-ups for my car because of the difficulty to paint it, but I don't see why custom orders are built so damned late. And how about how the Canadian orders were treated? I don't even know if I want to open that can of worms, I would be pissed if I had ordered in Canada.

Ralph has stated several times that there will be a natural shake out among those dealers who did initially sign up for the Viper and to be SRT dealers. I wish I could refer you to the specific interviews but I didn't make notes at the time. Apparently the idea was that those who are willing to make the investment are going to be given a chance and we'll see how it goes from there. I did not see anywhere that Ralph said the current Viper owners would get the same kind of preference as had happened in the past. As I recall, Ralph said something about consideration but was very careful about saying how that consideration would play out. Please note that certificates of preference were not mailed out to current owners. I don't know what impact the slow production start up caused by suppliers coming up to speed had on the ability to do custom orders, but it probably played a part. Lastly, the cars are being built to dealer order, so I'm guessing that balancing dealer orders has a great deal to do with where cars are shipped.

 

[Newport Viper]

You have to make any product "Hard to get but, easy to buy".

SRT has done just the opposite. (The Viper is easy to get as there are sitting on dealer lots. It is hard to buy because of dealer mark ups and @$#% ups.)

SRT needs to fire the marketing department and, hire real sales guys to run the distribution of the product at the corporate level..I am available

 

[Coloviper]

If an owner laid out money very, very early on for the fully load custom all that time to be left out of communication nor consideration, that is not a good business model. I Bin, your political answer made absolutely zero sense. To even defend that position, I don't know!

 

[wikkid]

Who really gives a **** about that babble, if guys laid out the money for the first cars, thats what should of been delivered first. **** the dealers.

Ralph has stated several times that there will be a natural shake out among those dealers who did initially sign up for the Viper and to be SRT dealers. I wish I could refer you to the specific interviews but I didn't make notes at the time. Apparently the idea was that those who are willing to make the investment are going to be given a chance and we'll see how it goes from there. I did not see anywhere that Ralph said the current Viper owners would get the same kind of preference as had happened in the past. As I recall, Ralph said something about consideration but was very careful about saying how that consideration would play out. Please note that certificates of preference were not mailed out to current owners. I don't know what impact the slow production start up caused by suppliers coming up to speed had on the ability to do custom orders, but it probably played a part. Lastly, the cars are being built to dealer order, so I'm guessing that balancing dealer orders has a great deal to do with where cars are shipped.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

Drove into the city today (Atlanta) to see a movie. My passenger wiper was broken from having my go pro attached to the windshield. Stopped by Palmer Dodge to pick up a wiper blade and they had two red cars, one a GTS and one SRT. The GTS's passenger door was buffed almost too the point of no paint!!!!!! Asked the sales guy and he said the car arrived like that and it's going back to SRT

WOW more paint issues. I thought that was resolved after the bad ones in the Gen 4. So much for their final inspection.

 

[BigDawg]

IMO, the Viper is the halo car for the SRT brand in a way the Viper was never the halo car for Dodge. Ralph has said he needs the Viper to launch the SRT brand properly. Getting the dealer organization organized and "shaken out" is a big step in establishing the SRT brand. That meant getting Vipers to the dealers who signed up and seeing which dealers are going to be in SRT for the long haul. Perhaps that resulted in some of the Viper community not getting their custom order cars immediately. Certainly it meant the Viper owners not getting first dibs at the production as previously. For me, seeing the Viper within the context of SRT brand has helped me understand what is happening. But then I don't have a car on order so I can be more understanding about the situation.

The dealer I recently visited in Franklin TN is a fast learner. He has the Vipers in a small separate building next door to the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram show room. I'll bet the next time I visit, he'll have other SRT cars immediately outside or perhaps some inside as space permits. He's getting the idea about segmenting the market for the SRT brand.

I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but many Chrysler execs credit the original Viper as the sole reason for getting Dodge back from the chopping block. The Viper was the ultimate Halo car for dodge, which is why they sold them for break even or maybe sometimes a loss.

 

[VENOM V]

To put my previous comments in perspective, you will not find a stronger supporter of SRT than me. I am passionate about cars, have been since birth, and nothing stirs my soul more than the Viper. It is a rolling work of art, a track dominator, an engineering masterpiece, a symbol of American perserverance through tough times. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Ralph, Graham, the whole team. To say that they are my heroes would not be an overstatement.

But I also try to see the world as it is, not how I would like it to be. SRT dropped the ball on this. First to order should be first to receive, not last. It is that simple. And I hope to get a chance to communicate this to them. I don't know if I would ever consider ordering another Viper in the future, unless they break silence and show us that they have corrected this broken process.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Have a real hard time believing a GTS was delivered to a Dealer with the issues you said you saw. The driver from Reliable would have to accept the car to load, and then it would be inspected upon arrival at the Dealership also. Why would they even accept it if it was so horrid. Sounds alot more like this occurred after delivery. The paint quality has been superb with the Gen V and with 20+ delivered, customers are raving about the differences and improvements. Those who have had the privilege to get a tour at Prefix are blown away with the quality and special systems set up to paint the new Snake. We have not seen any paint issues and to be blunt, the prior companies can not even hold a candle to the superb quality and color matching done by Prefix. Have to raise the BS flag on this one..................

 

[Killer33]

Have a real hard time believing a GTS was delivered to a Dealer with the issues you said you saw. The driver from Reliable would have to accept the car to load, and then it would be inspected upon arrival at the Dealership also. Why would they even accept it if it was so horrid. Sounds alot more like this occurred after delivery. The paint quality has been superb with the Gen V and with 20+ delivered, customers are raving about the differences and improvements. Those who have had the privilege to get a tour at Prefix are blown away with the quality and special systems set up to paint the new Snake. We have not seen any paint issues and to be blunt, the prior companies can not even hold a candle to the superb quality and color matching done by Prefix. Have to raise the BS flag on this one..................

I have to agree with Bill on this one. Even my 3M installer said this was one of the best paint jobs he's ever seen on a factory car. Something tells me someone had an oops, then tried to buff it out and that made it worse.

 

[ViperSmith]

Add me to the list, every Viper I've seen, the paint is simply unreal.

Sounds like dealer prepped and did a terrible job.

 

[PDCjonny]

Bill sidestepped the posts about dealers getting cars before paying customers...