[nycice]

Several years ago I purchased my first BMW, a 2003 alpine white 330Ci 5spd manual. Since then this car has served me extremely well and I LOVE my car but... I just hit 100K on it and I am playing with the idea of selling my 330Ci and buying a first gen Dodge Viper RT/10. Does anyone know anyone with a first gen Viper RT/10? My father owns a E92 335i 6spd manual (also alpine white) and I really like that car too but anways... I was talking to him about the idea and he says I'm spoiled by the way my 3 series handles and rides and he says a first gen viper wont compare. Obviously comfort wise he is probably right, but I also live in Orlando Florida now where its rather flat and not too bumpy. Performance wise its quite obvious a 7.9L V10 makes a lot more power than a 3.0L inline 6. Although I may be sacrificing handling characteristics for a more exotic sports car with a higher performing engine I am partially torn with this idea... Its either keep my 330 for a while longer, trade it for a E92 335i, or sell it and buy a Viper. Below is a picture of my 330Ci. Opinions please?

 

[WBVenom]

You will be trading detailed refinement for plastic power. It will no longer feel like a well-thought-out luxury vehicle. Faster, certainly. I wouldn't make such a move, were I you.

 

[nycice]

Yeah, see that's the thing I do like the characteristics of BMW's but I'm starting to get bored with mine.

 

[e46techtuner]

I would think about the pros and cons of each vehicle before making a decision. Any car can be fun to drive with a few mods.

 

[Endless Money Pits]

Yeah, see that's the thing I do like the characteristics of BMW's but I'm starting to get bored with mine.

Get a faster Bimmer. Its the only way you'll be happy. Plus, you won't feel like such a pretentious ass everywhere you go.

 

[kermitthefloer]

Get the 335i, or get an E46 M3 and HPF Supercharger if you want more power. If you insist on american muscle get a Z06, they are pretty cheap on their forums, 25k for a good one.

 

[nowerelsetoroam]

get a gt 500! or cobra!

 

[daverous]

I picked up a used first gen about three years ago for a steal, and it was a really fun car. The problem being it really wasn't something you could drive every day and be comfortable and practical, it was never meant to be. a lot of the replacement parts cost a ton on the viper and the gas mileage was...bad. If you're going to have one you would almost certainly want something else to daily drive. That being said, the only reason mine is gone is because it made absolutely no sense to own where I live and served no real purpose other than looking cool to the ladies. I got a cclb f350 and a LS1 T/A for it, which gave me a little of everything. Then again I still ended up with my 328 for the gas mileage and comfort on my daily trips (Plus it was cheap ). All comes down to what you need your car to do, but I would buy one again if I found a good deal...Then sell it in six months when I came to the same conclusion I did the first time around.

 

[LHB]

I know a few "old skool" Viper fanatics, and not one would even dream of using the car as a daily driver. On the other hand, you see young women in my area carting groceries around in Z06's all the time. If you've gotta have muscle, I would get more practical muscle, unless I had a bottomless wallet.

 

[BoogetyBoogety]

My friend with the Viper sold it after less than a year. Not only was it like riding in a very fast toaster (his pet name for it, because the side exhausts would radiate heat like my Dualit), with lousy gas mileage... but people actually made fun of it to his face at social gatherings. Let's face it: A Viper is not a day-to-day car; it's a track toy, or a dragstrip toy, or a let's-go-to-the-Ghost-bar-and-impress-the-valets toy. Women don't like it (they can't get in or out of it gracefully), men think it's obnoxious, it's loud, rough-riding... and draws more attention from the heat than a Bin Laden impersonator walking in the Easter parade wearing a bulky vest and a spring-loaded wired clip in his hand. :yikes:

A BMW says, I admire fine machinery (you wear a real Rolex). A Viper says, I'm overcompensating for my shortcomings (you wear a diamond-studded, gold-nugget-band fake Rolex). :evil:

Viper... It's a fine fun toy. It's faster than 99% of the cars out there, but big whoop. It's a cartoon car. It's expensive to drive (wait 'til you get your insurance bill). It's NOT a car you'll enjoy long-term... :thumbdwn:

 

[kydspd]

yes get the 335i and leave the clown car alone. even getting a gts as dd would be loony but an rt10, its crazy.. dont they not even have a roof/top come standard?

 

[e36-2.0]

The viper is a COOL car.
The interior is lacking cause its american but its got loads of power and cant handle all that bad compared to your 330. Im not sure what its like down there but I see vettes 30:1 compared to vipers and i cant help but to droool everytime.

 

[cdford]

BMW BMW BMW BMW Don't buy a cheap plastic want to be car.

 

[gamberroski]

ask this question on a DodgeFanatics forum

 

[Grande D]

The Viper is one of the most awful cars ever built imo. Just go watch top gear. I wouldn't trade any 3 series of any generation for a viper. :dennis:

 

[BimmerFerret]

Here is the thing, Vipers are cool, but I'm assuming you will not be DD'ing the car...right?

You know that the Viper is one of the most expensive cars in the US to insure? I think it actually is #1.

I'm sure you also know that the maintenance costs on anything that breaks on that car will be quite a bit of money, because the Viper was sold in such small numbers in comparisons to an E46. So the costs couldn't be driven down that much.

I've heard sideskirts costs in the thousands, and mods are insanely expensive.

However, with all that being said, a Viper will turn heads like a mother f'er and hey... it is a Viper! Lots of speed and no electronics (seriously, almost nothing on the early ones) to hold you back. If I was to purchase one I'd make sure all my i's were dotted and t's crossed.

My money? E46 M3 and send it to HPF for a Stage 2 or 2.5 kit. You will wax almost any generation of Viper after that and it will still be cheaper to maintain!!

 

[scott944]

Seems like a big step backwards in every category except accelleration and "look at me". Hot cockpit with marginal AC, no proper top (on the early cars), expensive parts, service, tires... A C5 Corvette is a better car if you want something similar. Staying German, you could buy a very nice 951 (944 turbo) or even a 968 or 911 SC/3.2 Carrera for the same money.

 

[330ciandr6]

where the hell in orlando are the roads flat...when i lived there for 4 years, all the roads were crap except for like 528 which was always smooth

 

[ryanwhite74115]

You know. I'm going to have to say get the Viper. Everyone keeps talking about how our 3-series handles better. Maybe that's true...in the parking lot. Get it on a cloverleaf and that car will wipe our asses in 2 seconds flat. I think the car is gorgeous. It sounds like a dream. Exterior wise, it is a great design. And yes, I DO like the side exhausts, not many cars can pull it off, but the Viper was made for it.

Second, I have a hard time believing that it is more expensive to insure a Viper than any of the other sports cars (Saleen S7, Ferrari, Lambo, McLaren, Nissan Skyline (take your pick on the gen), Corvette ZR1, Bentley, RR). Am I saying the insurance will be cheap...hellz no. And you had better get comprehensive and collision or so help me I'll drive down there myself and smash your car.

What I have heard that are negatives to the car: "The gas tank acts like someone jammed a screwdriver into it and it goes through tires like a baby with diapers". Can't remember where I saw that, but I think it's relatively accurate. Plus unless you are a DIY, it will cost quite a bit to maintain.

Vipers depreciate so quickly (like most other sports cars) because they are impractical, have high maintenance costs and are more dangerous. So even if the car ITSELF is cheap to purchase (let's say $20-30k)...you had better remember this was a $100k car at the time it was sold and the PARTS AND LABOR WILL REFLECT THAT!!!!!

I'd say do it though, assuming you keep your current car as the DD.

 

[Lusticles]

Viper would be nice driving down the strip on a Saturday night, not so much during your daily commute to work, shopping, etc.