One of our retired officers has a frame-off restoration on a 1976 Fiat Spider. All the crappy Italian stuff has been replaced. $18,500. I think the boss is going top make me buy it as her retirement present.

Of the 2 I voted VIPER!!!!!

Corvettes are nice but a dime a dozen.
A Viper on the other hand. The neighbor rolled in the driveway in one last night and the truck or treating kids and adults flooded the driveway.

Put a big smile on my face as well.

I am still a fan of the original GTS hardtop Blue with White stripes.
At least I think GTS is the proper identification.

I've been considering one of the hot hatch's.
Ford Focus RS. Doesn't look like much, but fast and fun to drive.

I just don't like the styling of the new Honda's. Mainly the rear end.

Or maybe as someone else mentioned. Subaru WRX Sti.

quote:

Originally posted by bcereuss:
Don't laugh...2017 Civic Type R?

Quick, Fast, Reliable...and not too much dough...

Good luck in your quest AirmanJeff.

Been thinking about newer used Z51 Corvette myself next spring. I am 65 now and retired but Sugar Momma is still working for probably another six years.

Though this baby has caught my eye and me and the wife love the color.

https://www.cars.com/vehiclede.../717650779/overview/

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1:
Good luck in your quest AirmanJeff.

Been thinking about newer used Z51 Corvette myself next spring. I am 65 now and retired but Sugar Momma is still working for probably another six years.

Good luck to you as well!

So I went to look at the Viper today. I haven't driven one in years, but I fell in love all over again. I think today I made the decision - it's the Viper.

The bad thing is...this car was rough. At one point I bet it was quite the machine. I would love to get the history on it because the seller was pretty clueless. He knew work was done to the motor, but had no idea what and no receipts. The car was not well taken care of and everything chrome looked very tarnished.

THE GOOD:
- Beautiful and rare color
- 18k miles
- Very loud

THE BAD:
- Needs paintwork (door sills, decklid, front bumper, driver's side door)
- Chrome is tarnished (everywhere, and there's a lot of it)
- Tires original (yes, original)
- Not sure it would pass emissions, seller says the check engine light comes on (due to bad O2 sensors) after driving and you have to let the car cool down for 15 min before it will go off (if that doesn't make sense to you good because it didn't make sense to me either).
- Potentially raced at one point...front calipers weren't bright white. Seller denies
- Headlights very yellowed
- Unknown what work was done to the motor exactly (seller says a cam and custom intake, but has no documentation)

The car is legit fast. Scary fast. Seller claimed 600 crank HP and I don't doubt it. But the condition of the vehicle threw some red flags. Seller said the car has been sitting for "8 months" and he's selling for his dad who was scared to drive it. Seller was Romanian and didn't seem to know too much about the vehicle (kept saying it has a V-12).

I think I will pass on this one. I have a feeling this car has a hidden past and will end up being a money pit. Despite the 2 hour drive to go see it I am glad I did. It really helped me solidify the Viper as my choice.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Wgqqv1GWKesz4bxI3

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eefbNxIazsTmO7162

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5b3tqXgHaOkoMTlk1

https://photos.app.goo.gl/YlUunP89yfYA8NV73

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

I am still a fan of the original GTS hardtop Blue with White stripes.
At least I think GTS is the proper identification.

Yes that's correct. I would love the blue with white but they command a premium which usually puts them out of my price range.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Of the 2 I voted VIPER!!!!!

Corvettes are nice but a dime a dozen.
A Viper on the other hand. The neighbor rolled in the driveway in one last night and the truck or treating kids and adults flooded the driveway.

Put a big smile on my face as well.

I am still a fan of the original GTS hardtop Blue with White stripes.
At least I think GTS is the proper identification.

Yes, get the Viper.

The GTS of the era you mention is legendary.

`17 Camaro SS driver here, there are few cars on the road that make me jealous. Viper coupes are one of them.

What a shame, that car looked so good in the first photo. Now you’re making me want a viper.

quote:

Originally posted by JJexp:
What a shame, that car looked so good in the first photo. Now you’re making me want a viper.

The car has potential. I am just not interested in buying something that needs at least $2000 worth of work. And I wasn't getting the warm and fuzzies from the seller either. It's really a shame they let it deteriorate like that. All of the chrome was in bad shape and the interior was dirty. Every car I have ever sold in my life I have gotten professionally detailed before I listed it. This car needed that and more.

I'm still not sure what the stuff was on the door. I was thinking road tar but it was the same color as the car. I suspect maybe a bad repaint due to an accident, not sure. But the driver's side door and sill were in rough shape. I have a feeling I wasn't getting the whole story on the car. I forgot to mention the driver's side window motor is shot as well, the window only would go down 2 inches which the seller told me was by design since it is a race car (lol). I'd be willing to bet there was an accident on that side of the car at some point.

And if you think you want one now...find one to take out for a spin!

quote:

Originally posted by AirmanJeff:

I'm still not sure what the stuff was on the door. I was thinking road tar but it was the same color as the car. I suspect maybe a bad repaint due to an accident, not sure.

That’s exactly what it looks like. Fisheye from a poorly done Maaco job. That thing has hard pass written all over it.

Black 2000 GTS, 3,700 miles, asking $49,995

I no nothing about these cars.

quote:

Originally posted by JJexp:

quote:

Originally posted by AirmanJeff:

I'm still not sure what the stuff was on the door. I was thinking road tar but it was the same color as the car. I suspect maybe a bad repaint due to an accident, not sure.

That’s exactly what it looks like. Fisheye from a poorly done Maaco job. That thing has hard pass written all over it.

Yup. It's really a shame because I wanted to like it. I love the color (which is super rare and unique to that model year) and at some point someone did a lot of work to that motor. It sounds incredible and it's so fast, but I am not buying someone else's money pit. Plus I definitely wasn't getting the whole story. The guy told me all of that wear on the rockers/door sills was from the previous owner wearing "nice shoes" that rubbed off all of the paint. Uh yea...sure buddy.

quote:

Originally posted by AirmanJeff:

quote:

Originally posted by JJexp:

quote:

Originally posted by AirmanJeff:

I'm still not sure what the stuff was on the door. I was thinking road tar but it was the same color as the car. I suspect maybe a bad repaint due to an accident, not sure.

That’s exactly what it looks like. Fisheye from a poorly done Maaco job. That thing has hard pass written all over it.

Yup. It's really a shame because I wanted to like it. I love the color (which is super rare and unique to that model year) and at some point someone did a lot of work to that motor. It sounds incredible and it's so fast, but I am not buying someone else's money pit. Plus I definitely wasn't getting the whole story. The guy told me all of that wear on the rockers/door sills was from the previous owner wearing "nice shoes" that rubbed off all of the paint. Uh yea...sure buddy.

Yeah, no kidding. I took a bath on a 76 Stingray a few years back that had “engine work” done to it, with no records and no receipts. Turned out that engine work lead to a dropped valve and a cam that wasn’t timed properly.

Now, my rule with used sports cars is to pass if it wasn’t babied. I don’t know if I’ll ever sell my 16 Stingray, but if I do, the new owner will be getting every shread of paper, from the build sheet to the final recall notice. I’ve even saved the shipping covers from the factory. Fortunately for you, those cars are out there and they don’t command a premium over the going rate. The longer you hold out, the happier you’ll be in the end.

quote:

Originally posted by JJexp:

quote:

Originally posted by AirmanJeff:

quote:

Originally posted by JJexp:

quote:

Originally posted by AirmanJeff:

I'm still not sure what the stuff was on the door. I was thinking road tar but it was the same color as the car. I suspect maybe a bad repaint due to an accident, not sure.

That’s exactly what it looks like. Fisheye from a poorly done Maaco job. That thing has hard pass written all over it.

Yup. It's really a shame because I wanted to like it. I love the color (which is super rare and unique to that model year) and at some point someone did a lot of work to that motor. It sounds incredible and it's so fast, but I am not buying someone else's money pit. Plus I definitely wasn't getting the whole story. The guy told me all of that wear on the rockers/door sills was from the previous owner wearing "nice shoes" that rubbed off all of the paint. Uh yea...sure buddy.

Yeah, no kidding. I took a bath on a 76 Stingray a few years back that had “engine work” done to it, with no records and no receipts. Turned out that engine work lead to a dropped valve and a cam that wasn’t timed properly.

Now, my rule with used sports cars is to pass if it wasn’t babied. I don’t know if I’ll ever sell my 16 Stingray, but if I do, the new owner will be getting every shread of paper, from the build sheet to the final recall notice. I’ve even saved the shipping covers from the factory. Fortunately for you, those cars are out there and they don’t command a premium over the going rate. The longer you hold out, the happier you’ll be in the end.

When he told me the car gets so hot that it set off a check engine light and had to be shut down for 15 minutes...the alarm was definitely going off in my head. I knew at that point I had no interest in buying it. And he said the engine work was done in Arizona but he had no idea what shop did it and had no paperwork. I can almost guarantee you there are more than just cosmetic issues with that car. It drove good for the 5 miles I had it but that doesn't mean a lot.

And I have the same rules - I want something babied. I want to buy from an enthusiast who knows everything about the car, fixes the known problems, and is just selling because he wants to move on to something else for whatever reason. Maintenance is huge to me and I would never buy a car with NO maintenance records. Hell I've been in aircraft maintenance for a long time, it's in my blood. I want documentation. This guy had NOTHING. A bunch of stories and he knew zilch about the car (who doesn't know that the Viper is a 10 cylinder?) Plus he was a gypsy asphalt guy (not sure about other parts of the country but in the Northeast they are prevalent). Lord only knows the true history.

Well onto the next one. There's one in NC right now in my price range but it's red (meh) and again, no maintenance records outside of Carfax stuff. I just don't understand why it's so hard for people to save receipts in the glove box (at a minimum).

It could've been a Hennessy car. I think Hennessy is out in AZ. But I too would pass given what you described..... I'm going to give you some advice......even if you have to spend a little outside of your budget, get EXACTLY what you want......not close......get a clean car in the exact color combination you want.....even if you have to spend a few thousand more.

IMO Blue with the white stripes......or red are the only 2 colors to have a GTS in.

Jimmy - you are right. I might have to hold out a little longer because it seems the well maintained cars that fit what I want are running between 40 and 45. At this point I might just wait until I can afford that range because I don't want to buy just to buy, and it seems like the 35-40 grand cars are questionable.

Eastern European, selling a rare car for someone else, he knows nothing about, with ZERO paperwork on such a rare car that appears heavily modified, from a storage unit.

Nope, Nope, Nope, and HELL NOPE!!!!

You may want to consider joining or asking local/national Viper club or whatever car your interested in. Club members tend to be very involved with their cars and keep records.

Blueye makes an excellent point. Joining a forum for Vipers or whatever rare car you want is probably one of the best ways to find a good example for sale.

I am into a very rare Honda motorcycle and have been considering buying another one for a few years. When I joined a forum for that bike I managed to not only find a few examples for sale but rare examples of an already rare bike. Internet forums are an INCREDIBLE source for info and many have a classified section that should be quite helpful.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
It could've been a Hennessy car. I think Hennessy is out in AZ. But I too would pass given what you described..... I'm going to give you some advice......even if you have to spend a little outside of your budget, get EXACTLY what you want......not close......get a clean car in the exact color combination you want.....even if you have to spend a few thousand more.

IMO Blue with the white stripes......or red are the only 2 colors to have a GTS in.

Haha, if it was a Hennessy car I would be even more worried.