[PaulChristian]

Hello, brand new member here. First post. Looking for some help but more so looking for some peace of mind on the subject. I have always been in love with the Gen III and Gen IV Vipers. I've wanted one for the longest time and I with just 1 year left before I can retire from military service, I am ready to pull the trigger on one.

My question is, how is aftermarket support for these cars? I am pretty sure I already know the answer but wanted to come here to ask actual owners with experience. My concern is, since Vipers are no longer being produced, will that make long term ownership of these cars more complicated with respect to finding aftermarket repair parts? I typically keep my cars a VERY long time and just do not want to have headaches when repairs are needed. I assume aftermarket parts (mechanical and cosmetic) are abundant and readily available?

Also, I am shopping gen III and IV Vipers and keep reading about how many mechanical improvements were made to the gen IV cars. I also notice they come at a pretty significant premium over the gen III cars. Any reason to avoid a gen III car if I find a great deal on one or should I absolutely focus on finding a gen IV.

Thank you all so much for your time, would love to hear your thoughts/suggestions, etc.

 

[CEJohnson8300]

Only reason to avoid a gen 3 car is if you've sat in a gen 4 or 5 and will know much the shifter and interior in case of gen 5 was improved, or you are bothered by knowing the gen 4 and 5 cars have more powerband use less gas doing it (having your cake and eating it) lol. Otherwise heck no, go for it! I've read that some people actually prefer the throttle response of the 3rd gen with the cable throttles. And you can probably make a gen 4 clone for more or less the premium of an actual gen 4 (hood, tr6060 swap and exhaust/tune).

 

[CEJohnson8300]

Parts might be hit and miss though... don't get in a fender bender... I thought I needed a PS pump and those are scarce or $400... Vendors going out of business too.

 

[PaulChristian]

Parts might be hit and miss though... don't get in a fender bender... I thought I needed a PS pump and those are scarce or $400... Vendors going out of business too.

Damn, I did not want to hear that…I thought there would be plenty aftermarket support. I don’t want to be hunting for parts or my mechanic shop telling me they can’t get the part. That would just kill the ownership experience.

 

[nautoncall]

It doest matter which car you buy…Ford GT, Viper , Chevrolet SSR, Dodge prowler…. Small production cars (less than 25000) are all with limited parts if older than 10-15 years old. I just bought a manual SSR and they made 25k 03-06 and all basically the same BUT parts are scarce and pricey!! I need a tail light for my SSR and they are going from 350-400 each!! The only car that had tons of production and parts is probably the Corvette.


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[PaulChristian]

It doest matter which car you buy…Ford GT, Viper , Chevrolet SSR, Dodge prowler…. Small production cars (less than 25000) are all with limited parts if older than 10-15 years old. I just bought a manual SSR and they made 25k 03-06 and all basically the same BUT parts are scarce and pricey!! I need a tail light for my SSR and they are going from 350-400 each!! The only car that had tons of production and parts is probably the Corvette.


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I understand, I knew aftermarket support would not rival Corvette, but I thought it would be sufficient to not make repairs difficult. I think I see the writing on the wall. Probably best to not go down this road.

 

[nautoncall]

Just for what it’s worth… I bought a manual SSR…been quite impressed how fun it is!! I still think they are kinda ugly but rare, 400hp, top down experience, can supercharge ls2 if wanted, moderate amount of aftermarket stuff, great forum, very smooth and fun trans, and not much money to get into!!


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[PaulChristian]

Just for what it’s worth… I bought a manual SSR…been quite impressed how fun it is!! I still think they are kinda ugly but rare, 400hp, top down experience, can supercharge ls2 if wanted, moderate amount of aftermarket stuff, great forum, very smooth and fun trans, and not much money to get into!!


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Not my style but glad you are having fun with it.

 

[CEJohnson8300]

For the kinds of parts that tend to fail, it's not that hard to find stuff, like sensors and the aftermarket support is decent but not cheap. Mine ended up not needing the PS pump; it was a leaky hose and there's decent, upgraded, aftermarket parts. Clutches, hoses, mounts, bushings and typical wear items are not unobtanium. Just trying to warn that there is the potential for surprises. (Maybe I'm misusing the expression "hit and miss"?)

 

[PaulChristian]

For the kinds of parts that tend to fail, it's not that hard to find stuff, like sensors and the aftermarket support is decent but not cheap. Mine ended up not needing the PS pump; it was a leaky hose and there's decent, upgraded, aftermarket parts. Clutches, hoses, mounts, bushings and typical wear items are not unobtanium. Just trying to warn that there is the potential for surprises. (Maybe I'm misusing the expression "hit and miss"?)

Copy, that does help, thanks. I don’t mind paying a little more, I just want to be able to find it when needed.

 

[Brickhead]

It doest matter which car you buy…Ford GT, Viper , Chevrolet SSR, Dodge prowler…. Small production cars (less than 25000) are all with limited parts if older than 10-15 years old. I just bought a manual SSR and they made 25k 03-06 and all basically the same BUT parts are scarce and pricey!! I need a tail light for my SSR and they are going from 350-400 each!! The only car that had tons of production and parts is probably the Corvette.


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Wait a minute here. That tailgate is the same in every Chevrolet from the ‘74 Vega forward including Camaro & Corvette! Ha

 

[GTS Dean]

PartsRack has scads of body parts for the Gen3/4 cars - many are already factory painted.

 

[BBarr07]

I've had zero issues finding stuff for my Gen 3 and mine is supercharged. Certain Gen 1/2 stuff that goes out with normal wear and tear (stanchions) are very hard to find. But with Gen 3/4 its not like normal wear and tear items will be impossible to find.

 

[PaulChristian]

PartsRack has scads of body parts for the Gen3/4 cars - many are already factory painted.

I've had zero issues finding stuff for my Gen 3 and mine is supercharged. Certain Gen 1/2 stuff that goes out with normal wear and tear (stanchions) are very hard to find. But with Gen 3/4 its not like normal wear and tear items will be impossible to find.

Thank you. Before asking my question here, I did my own research online and was able to see a decent amount of aftermarket support, so I didnt think it would be an issue for this car. I just wanted to come here and ask for confirmation from owners. Thank you again.

 

[PaulChristian]

another question….is there any GEN 3 cars (particular production years) to stay away from? I say this I think I will be ending up with a GEN 3 as GEN 4 cars are impossible to find at good deals.

 

[BBarr07]

another question….is there any GEN 3 cars (particular production years) to stay away from? I say this I think I will be ending up with a GEN 3 as GEN 4 cars are impossible to find at good deals.

I’ve seen a couple people comment previously saying stay away from 03’s but for the life of me I can’t remember why.

 

[PaulChristian]

I’ve seen a couple people comment previously saying stay away from 03’s but for the life of me I can’t remember why.

I would have thought 2003 as well but the consensus online seems to be to stay away from the 2004s…doesn’t make sense but I will avoid both.

 

[BBarr07]

I would have thought 2003 as well but the consensus online seems to be to stay away from the 2004s…doesn’t make sense but I will avoid both.

I’ve actually never heard that one before and I have an 04 😂

 

[RobV]

Best year is 2007. No issues at all on them.

 

[PaulChristian]

Best year is 2007. No issues at all on them.

thanks for the useless comment, canada.