1 Bad Mirada

Where are you getting this engine volume increase of 0.4? The viper hasnt carried an 8.0L since the change to the new body style.

Warranty information as gathered from Dodge.com. They allow you to compare certain vehicles to others, and it just so happens that the Viper can be compared to the Z06.

2006 Dodge Viper
SRT-10 2dr Coupe (8.3L 10cyl 6M)
Warranty:
Basic 3 yr. / 36000 mi.
Drivetrain 3 yr. / 36000 mi.
Roadside 3 yr. / 36000 mi.
Rust 5 yr. / 100000 mi.

2006 Chevrolet Corvette
Z06 2dr Hatchback (7.0L 8cyl 6M)
Warranty:
Basic 3 yr. / 36000 mi.
Drivetrain 3 yr. / 36000 mi.
Roadside 3 yr. / 36000 mi.
Rust 6 yr. / 100000 mi.

So, I would have to disagree that the lack of a warranty is why the viper doesnt sell well.

I have attatched a screenshot of the warranty information.


[IMG]local://upfiles/4/72B39B47FC394B5CB3F42C751E05683F.jpg[/IMG]

RLSH700

The warranty isn't the issue. There are a few likely issues. For one, around $85,000 is a lot of money and the price for insuring one is also very expensive. From what journalists have said for years when they compared a Viper to a Corvette, they have always said that the Viper is even difficult for them to drive and they are paid to be able to do this stuff. The Viper is noted for not being as comfortable as the Vette. The fuel mileage is better on the Vette. The Vette already has a loyal customer base.

Frankly, I have never considered the two cars to be in the same class in the first place. The Vette is a heritage muscle/sports car that has been around for years. The Viper in my eyes is a poor man's supercar to rival the performance of Lambos and Ferraris (minus having a mid-engine). The Viper is more exclusive to just performance by having an only manual option (which I guarantee alienates some customers). For around the same price, many people can afford a Mercedes or BMW coupe, which athough are not as fast, they are way more refined and luxurious which appeals to the rich a lot more since many of them are spoiled with having all the luxuries in their cars. These cars are easier to drive and the mentality also gets them. What is more impressive for me to say? To say I have a BMW, Mercedes, or a Dodge? Anyone who answers with Dodge has a worse case of bias than even I have (which is sad). Although these BMWs and Mercedes are no more comfortable, they are more liveable on a daily basis because of the luxuries.

All in all, the Viper's problem is the crowd that wants to have one (the middle class) can't afford one because the Viper is so expensive to build. The only ideas I have that could fix this problem is if they would either A. offer a powerful small-block HEMI (say a 392) as the base model to appeal to those who just want the car for the looks that isn't as expensive but doesn't damage the Viper's supercar image, then offer an update on the power for the V10, or they get rid of the LA/Magnum based V10 and make one out of the current, less expensive to build small block HEMI. Even that wouldn't help that much. Even if the Viper is being made at a loss, it is important to hold on to it because it improves the value image of the Dodge badge.

freehemi

I've had 2 Vipers. My 2nd was a '96 Roadster(White/Blue Stripes) which I bought in late '99. Full coverage insurance thru Allstate $68/month in Philadelphia area. I was told they insure them like classics/weekend drives as along as you put less than 7000 miles/yr. Beemers and Benz's are a dime a dozen. Viper is 1 of a kind. If someone asked I wouldn't say I drive 'a Dodge', I'd say 'I drive a Viper'. Semantics, I know, BUT it's a VIPER! Just like somebody who drives a Cobalt drives a Chevy, but if you drive a Vette, you drive a Vette.

kelly

Porsche was faced with this dilemma when the question was brought up of turbocharging the Boxster. It was quickly dismissed soley becuase of one thing: Exclusivity! Imagine this: Paying 150K for a (then 996) Twin, or paying 75K for a Turbo 986 that would perform just as well for half the price. That doesn't make financial sense for Porsche.

Dr. Z and his boys have a similar dilemma, but lack a lot of the fundamental premises that Porsche was faced with. The Viper, a contender for the Turbo 997, F430, and the Z06 Corvette, does have the same exclusive buyer as it competition. The 500 horsepower Challenger, is a different story. The Challenger will probably appeal to a broader market, because this car is going to tug on a lot more heartstrings, because this is the Challenger people remember (seriously, when was the last time you heard someone say, "Oh, the '71 Deputy. Great Gas Mileage!"), stripes, scoops, and a snarling, brawny V-8.

Moparites like us will go for either, we like going fast, and the Viper's exotic panache means nothing to us. We don't want something to run with the boys on Mulholland, we want something to dominate on Colorado!

Back to Porsche. The Box or the 911 doesn't have the memories on a broader demographic that the Challenger does, so they have to worry about the marketing strategms to make an effective sale. Of course, then again, they don't have Calibers, Strati, or Rams to stay afloat with!

HEMI04

saying .4 more liters sounded better than saying .1 (8.4L as you stated earlier) more liters is actually going to do anything. Why are you so worried about liters and not concerned that they should work with what they have. 60hp per liter doesn't sound impressive in my head from a v10. Maybe sales are doing so poorly because a z06 is more appealing with, two less cylinders, "1.3L smaller" 400 pounds less and 72hp per liter. plus your paying for history.. in the sports car class the viper is a puppy when compared to a vette. If dodge was so concerned about the vipers poor sales they'd man up and do something about it rather than hiding possible new cars infear of it outselling them in a seperate class in itself.

1 Bad Mirada

the Z06 is the better car, but that only explains the recent poor sales of the viper...sales were bad prior to the C6 even being introduced.

Im not "worried about liters"...you mad esome comments which didnt make sense (like the warranty issues) and I corrected them.

The Z06 is one of the more impressive american cars ever built, but the viper had problems selling long before that, and GM just highlighted the problem by offering a better car for a much lower price.

HEMI04

1 Bad Mirada

are you even reading my posts?

first of all, the warranty information which i provided above states that the viper comes with a 3 year 36000 mile drivetrain warranty. the engine is part of the drivetrain, is it not?

as for the Super stock trim challenger...its a joke, and if it was offered for sale, they would have to have the same limitations that they imposed on the hemi super stock darts and a-body cudas, which prohibits registering them for highway use. as shown, its got wheelie bars, slicks, a roll cage, and is carbureted...so even if it was marketed to the public, it would probably require a professional drivers license, much like was required for purchasing the 1995 and 2000 Cobra R. so if they did market that car, the only people who would be interested in it would be those who want a drag car straight out of the box, and with the challenger specs, it would be a very slow drag car straight out of the box. but ive already explained that in another post....that the comments of it being a "high 9 or low 10 second car" are a complete joke.

RLSH700

Good points freehemi and kelly. The Viper is pretty unique and as I have said before doesn't really compete against the Corvette. I just think that they will have to do one of three things. A. find a way to offer a less expensive model without losing the preformance or exclusiveness of the Viper (the best small-block HEMI available with more power than the 8.3L currently produces) and upgrade the V10 significantly in power. B. cut down on production numbers. Or C. except the Viper as a car that will bring in a loss. I'm more in favor of A personally.

Jeremiah 29:11

I have heard that Viper may have over 600HP and if that is the case then then it would be easy to have a 500HP Challenger without a marketing conflict.

Here is a interesting Canadian article:

October 31, 2006
2006 Dodge Viper gets a near-$30,000 price drop
by Auto123.com,


2006 Dodge Viper SRT10

We recently noticed that the 2006 Viper has received a substantial reduction in price.

The Viper SRT10 Roadster's price has plummeted from $127,000 to $98,400. That's a difference of $28,400, or roughly the price of a new Dodge Charger.

The Viper SRT10 Coupe's new price is $99,900, down from $128,500. The $28,600 price drop is roughly the equivalent of a Dodge Magnum.


2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)
We don't know if the 2007 Viper will keep that lower price, but if you're in the market for a Dodge's king snake, now may very well be the best time ever to get one.