Chasing dream cars

Which is why this all really end with the OP's opinion. He has to live with and justify the decision. If all his ducks* are in order and he can afford it. Go for it.

Even if his ducks* AREN'T in order and he can afford it...I guess go for it but just be mindful of the decision lol

*Ducks: whatever OP decides are his priorities lol

Sheesh. This blew up. I saw this thread drop from the front page a week ago, life got in the way, and now here we are. I don't want to clutter up the thread with more multi quotes but I've enjoyed and appreciated all the feedback so far. You guys have mentioned a lot of great points and experiences.

I haven't bought anything. I'm pretty slow moving with big decisions so it will still be a while before that is a possibility. I can say with full confidence that this isn't just about scratching a speed itch. If it was, I'll be one of the first to admit that there are several more $$$ efficient ways of doing that. The "practical" side of my brain would make me pick up a H/C/I C6Z and call it a day. I'll save a lot of money doing so but that isn't the car that was the poster on my wall as a kid. This is as much a representation of finally accomplishing a 26 year long goal. No other car is going to do that for me. I don't care how often I'm "seen in it". I don't care if anyone outside of my fiancée and small car friend group even know I have it in the garage. It would be entirely for me so I can finally get that "Viper dream" monkey off my back. If I go for it and it isn't everything I thought it would be, then I sell it for what I paid and move on with my life. I think my financial ducks are in a row. I don't know if my life ducks are but at some point I guess you just nut up and take a risk, right?

I'm not entirely married to the idea of a Gen V for price reasons alone. The Gen II, III, and IV coupes are all bucket list cars for me. I know many rightfully hold the Gen V as the end all be all of Vipers, but the thought of spending 100K on a car regardless of
financial situation is just hard for me to wrap my head around considering the most expensive car I've ever bought was a 22K Mustang. The decision between the different gens is another conversation though...

smitty2919 said:

OK, you made me look up "GT500 CFTP".
My response: dafaq
No, nope, nu uh, not for a Mustang.

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I was laughing my ass of when I saw this, 2021, and Ford still sells a mustang with an LCD from early 2000, even if it is a base model.

Corbic said:

It's a hierarchy.

Some guys want the latest most baddass Mustang.

They got $100k to spend and are going to spend it.

Sure it could buy a base Viper V or 911, but then you have the bottom rung car of those families, not the top end all - be all.

You can go into circles arguing about this stuff.

New vs Used, Modified vs Stock, Built vs Bought,

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Certainly can, not kocking the opposite mindset. Just personally I can't have nice things because they get beat up in my ownership.

Holy thread resurrection, Batman! Time for a one year update. I stepped away from the car thing for most of 2021 and focused on other things in life. Ran away to Alberta and got married, caught COVID and worked on growing my career.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago when I had a pretty intense surgery that kept me off my feet and on pain killers for a week. Had a lot of time to think about what I wanted this year to look like for me and I remembered this thread so I gave it another read through. Maybe it was pain killers, but something clicked this time. A few phone calls and a road trip later, I now call this mine...



2009 Gen IV Viper. 1 of 7 in this spec. 15k miles. Belanger headers & catback, Mopar PCM, and MCS adjustable coilovers.

The car is in incredible condition and pulls hard. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic.

Congrats on working hard and making your dream a reality. Car looks great

Nice color combo.

Congrats! Vipers are timeless

You've been through and experienced a lot over the last year. Hope you're doing MUCH better health wise. So congratulations on buying that really good looking 3009 Viper. Beautiful car. Great color. As @JD03Cobra said, they're timeless!

Rocket254 said:

Holy thread resurrection, Batman! Time for a one year update. I stepped away from the car thing for most of 2021 and focused on other things in life. Ran away to Alberta and got married, caught COVID and worked on growing my career.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago when I had a pretty intense surgery that kept me off my feet and on pain killers for a week. Had a lot of time to think about what I wanted this year to look like for me and I remembered this thread so I gave it another read through. Maybe it was pain killers, but something clicked this time. A few phone calls and a road trip later, I now call this mine...

View attachment 1741244View attachment 1741245View attachment 1741246

2009 Gen IV Viper. 1 of 7 in this spec. 15k miles. Belanger headers & catback, Mopar PCM, and MCS adjustable coilovers.

The car is in incredible condition and pulls hard. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic.

Click to expand...

Alright. Here's some must dos.

3.55 rear end. Save some money and headache, and rather than buying a gear set, find a used 2013+ complete rear diff.

TKO Max Throttle kit. The DBW is terrible. Once you get the kit installed you'll see what I mean.

Sent from my Potato

Congrats! Enjoy in good health.

CobraBob said:

You've been through and experienced a lot over the last year. Hope you're doing MUCH better health wise. So congratulations on buying that really good looking 3009 Viper. Beautiful car. Great color. As @JD03Cobra said, they're timeless!

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Thank you. It was a very busy year but now that I'm on the other side of the wedding, the car purchase, and (hopefully) health issues, I'm ready for life to slow down and bit and to have some fun.

that's one hell of a way to jump back in, congrats!

13COBRA said:

Alright. Here's some must dos.

3.55 rear end. Save some money and headache, and rather than buying a gear set, find a used 2013+ complete rear diff.

TKO Max Throttle kit. The DBW is terrible. Once you get the kit installed you'll see what I mean.

Sent from my Potato

Click to expand...

I forgot that the Gen V cars had 3.55s from the factory. That's not a bad idea at all. Thanks.

I'll look into the TKO kit. I don't have a gen 4 on the stock ECU to compare with, but the seller noted that the Mopar PCM with an Arrow reflash) was a noticeable improvement.

DSG2003Mach1 said:

that's one hell of a way to jump back in, congrats!

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Heh. No kidding. Hopefully I didn't jump too far into the deep end of the pool. I'm coming from a 2008 GT/CS so it's going to take more than a minute to get used to the performance difference.

Rocket254 said:

I forgot that the Gen V cars had 3.55s from the factory. That's not a bad idea at all. Thanks.

I'll look into the TKO kit. I don't have a gen 4 on the stock ECU to compare with, but the seller noted that the Mopar PCM with an Arrow reflash) was a noticeable improvement.

Click to expand...

The stub axles are almost impossible to remove from a Gen IV diff, easier to swap.

Yeah I know they say that. I went from stock, to Mopar PCM, to the TKO kit. I'd say the PCM was a 5-10% improvement and the TKO unit was 50%. And it's adjustable.

Sent from my Potato

Congratulations man. Great looking Gen IV. Now I'd turn that Mustang into a track-focused car and do a few track days with it

****ing nice! Congrats.

Congrats! Hold on to it because this kinda stuff is coming to an end.


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