2005 Dodge Viper: A Personal Review

[Boostin1657615274]

This past weekend I took a trip with my dad and a family friend to Vegas. My dad and I decided to rent a Dodge Viper from Exotic Rentals for 24 hours to see what this car was like.

 

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2115.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2109.jpg

 

My review of this car:

 

The Dodge Viper has been my sub-$100k dream car for a long time now. 500hp. 8.3L Pushrod V-10. Stunning looks. I have always wished I could have the opportunity to drive this icon of American Muscle. Unfortunately, the dream of driving one is better than the reality.

 

Now, granted, this was a rental car in Vegas, so in its 16,000 miles of life, it has probably been ragged on to no end. We were lucky enough to have the A/C compressor seize within 20 miles of driving this beast in 110 degree weather. The lack of cold air and the smell of belt smoke confirmed this. 'Sweating' would be an understatement for the amount of perspiration that occurred in the 150 miles we were given to drive this Black on Black heat sink. But my father and I were willing to tempt heat stroke to get our money's worth out of this fine automobile.

 

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2091.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2112.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2107.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2108.jpg

 

The simplest way for me to describe this car is with a list of Pros and Cons, accompanied by a few pictures.

 

Pros:

• Great acceleration, especially at high speeds.
  http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2094.jpg
  This may have helped.
  
• Smooth transmission
  
• Extremely easy to break it sideways in a turn. I made sure to confirm this multiple times.
  
• Incredible looks
  http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2113.jpg
  Oh Yeah.
  
• Exceptional braking. This car decelerated from 130 to 60 in about 3-4 seconds.
  http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2097.jpg
  Brembos are for pussies.
  
• Nice, supportive seats
  http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2106.jpg
  (With sweat-your-ass-off leather)
  

 

Cons:

• The gearing in this car is irrationally tall. 1st goes to 60 mph, 2nd to almost 90. 5th and 6th are useless unless you are on the Bonneville Salt Flats. I was comparing the low end acceleration to a 2007 Shelby GT500 I test drove, and the torque didnt even compare in the Viper because the gearing just bogged it down. If you want to accelerate on the highway, you have to drop it to 2nd. Let me repeat that. The car has 6 gears, you have to drop it to 2nd. I tried putting it in 6th on the highway at 90 mph, and it was turning 1200 RPM.
  
• To operate the manual softtop, you have to pop the trunk. There is no trunk release in the car, so you have to take the key out and pop it from the keyless remote. Then to get the softtop to lock in place is a royal pain.
  
• The interior. The factory gauges look like they were made by Sunpro. The center console has visible allen bolts, and a radio that appears to have been stolen from a Geo Metro. And that black interior gets HOT. I mean second degree burns hot. The engine heat from this car soaks in to the car whether it is hot outside or not. We cruised Las Vegas Blvd at night in 75 degree weather, and we were still roasting.
  http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2105.jpg
  I didn't know they made a Neon SRT-10....
  http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2104.jpg
  
• The exhaust. For factory exhaust, this is by far the loudest I have ever heard. It is louder than my LGT with 3" DP and full 3" Agency Power Exhaust. And this thing drones at low RPMs fiercely. Also, as much as I love the look of side exhaust, it is unbelieveably impractical. It turns the side skirts into branding irons.
  http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Vegas%20Trip%202010/DSCF2098.jpg
  Very sexy branding irons.
  
• I have never had more trouble getting in and out of a car. You have to do some sort of Neo-in-the-Matrix type of pose to get in without burning the shit out of your calfs. I say this with full experience getting in and out of a 1994 RX-7 with a triple gauge pod on the pillar. That is like entering a Cadillac compared to the Viper.
  
• Gas mileage. I know, I know, this was expected. But not this bad. We killed 3/4 of a tank in 100 miles. I guess the multiple runs to over 100 mph didnt exactly help.
  
• High speed stability. This car felt like it was getting a little lift at 120 mph. Never felt this in a 1994 RX-7 or a 2002 Z06.
  
• The throttle pedal. You have to bury this pedal to get anything to happen. The first 50-60% of throttle gain you no acceleration. You dont feel the balls of this car unless you are in the right RPM range with the throttle touching the floor.
  

Now dont get me wrong, it was still fun to drive and rev it up for people on the strip. But my dad is considering getting a second sports car that was better than the FD for reliability and practicality, and this car definitely does not fit the bill (although I may have him convinced to try out a C6 Z06). This car bone stock felt like most cars after they are heavily modified. But in the bad way. Let me leave this on a positive note of me revving this beast at idle (it does sounds hellishly good).

 

Vegas Trip 2010 :: DSCF2127.mp4 video by jrroszko - Photobucket

[NJLGT]

way to do it right in vegas. cool review, I have always loved this car.

[05GT Guru]

The viper gearing is long, and the t-56 transmission has 5th and 6th gearing set as overdrive gears which is why you dont get any power in them and the rpms are so low. I always thought vipers were some badass looking cars. But they are usually out performed by cheaper cars. And I was never impressed with 500crank hp out of a 8.3 v10. Nice review

[Tracer-X]

How much did it cost to rent?

[Bolksey85]

The viper gearing is long, and the t-56 transmission has 5th and 6th gearing set as overdrive gears which is why you dont get any power in them and the rpms are so low. I always thought vipers were some badass looking cars. But they are usually out performed by cheaper cars. And I was never impressed with 500crank hp out of a 8.3 v10. Nice review

I think the cheaper cars performing better could be due to a couple things. 1, not many can handle a Viper and handle it well. More than a lot have been smashed badly over the years. 2, I'm willing to bet Dode held back quite a few HP to try and keep the Viper somewhat driveable. 600HP should be no issue from the factory with that kind of displacement. It would mean even more cars smashed up.

[John M]

The 08+ models are 600hp. The older models simply have displacement and no real technology behind them. I'll bet the throttle response issue is nothing a quick handheld programmer couldn't cure.

 

I always thought I'd want one but the prices continue to turn me off. A car that cost $56k 15 years ago is simply not worth $30k today. Some have more reasonable prices but many think theirs is worth $35-40k because it's got low miles. Nice car, but not $40k-after-two-decades nice.

[Boostin1657615274]

How much did it cost to rent?

 

It was $425 for 24 hours. We opted for a full day because 4 hours was $350. There is a mileage cap of 100 miles with $1.50 per additional mile, but they delivered the car 30 minutes late to us, and we bargained for an extra 50 miles.

[speeding_gaijin]

It was $425 for 24 hours. We opted for a full day because 4 hours was $350. There is a mileage cap of 100 miles with $1.50 per additional mile, but they delivered the car 30 minutes late to us, and we bargained for an extra 50 miles.

 

 

considering you can rent a vette with optional exhaust from hertz for about 130 bux (excluding fees and insurance) it's not even worth it.

[Boostin1657615274]

If you think that's bad, you should see the rates for Ferrari's and Lamborghini's. Typically a G a day minimum.

[CCType-S]

what? Only one cup holder.

[GTTuner]

The Viper was not intended to be a long haul comfortable car. So take those complaints and chuck them out the window.

 

It's meant to be a sledge hammer, no compromise bad ass car. You can easily get into trouble with this car cornering. Massive torque and lack of sophisticated ESP and stability programs allows it to be a driver car. Real race cars don't have stability programs. FWIW, the Viper is one of the most reliable cars in it's segment. I have been a Viper tech since 1992. I've worked on cars ranging from stock to Twin turbo-nitrous 1000whp models. I've seen a few clutches, one rear end (blown from massive burnouts in 2nd gear).

 

It is what it is; a brutal, massive torque, knife in the back handling (if your not experienced) sledge hammer with side pipes that make the car sound like King Kong when jumping on it. Certainly not a daily driver but delivers awesome performance and never fails to draw a crowd where you go.

 

Hats off to Dodge to produce something so "in your face" for a production car. Sure there are better choices in this price range, but I'll take the "angry snake" and its quirky, rude manner over almost anything today.

 

Did you know the chassis take 8 to 10 hours to set up properly? Caster, camber and toe on ALL 4 wheels, steering rack needs to be shimmed to set toe change throughout the suspension travel. The rear wheels also need to be set for toe change. Chances are since it is a rental the thing has hit a few curbs in it's life and the alignment is whacked.

 

Oh, FYI.......sixth gear and skip shift added 1-2 mpg on the highway and 1 mpg in the city to try and satisfy tree huggers, but it still get a guzzler tax.

 

Nice review though.

[Boostin1657615274]

The Viper was not intended to be a long haul comfortable car. So take those complaints and chuck them out the window.

 

It's meant to be a sledge hammer, no compromise bad ass car.

 

We had this car for 150 miles, and drove it three times (2 hours Sunday afternoon, 1 hour Sunday night, 1 hour Monday afternoon). I would hardly define this as 'long haul.' I guess I was disappointed because I was doing a direct comparison with my dad's modded 94 RX-7 TT. The RX-7 is a balls-to-the-wall go-kart weekend racer with heating problems and more quircks than any car I've ever experienced. I didn't expect the Viper to match it in terms of impracticality, but it definitely did. This car felt all too familiar to the FD, it just had double the torque and more weight, but less maneverability.

 

It is what it is; a brutal, massive torque, knife in the back handling (if your not experienced) sledge hammer with side pipes that make the car sound like King Kong when jumping on it. Certainly not a daily driver but delivers awesome performance and never fails to draw a crowd where you go.

 

Hats off to Dodge to produce something so "in your face" for a production car. Sure there are better choices in this price range, but I'll take the "angry snake" and its quirky, rude manner over almost anything today.

 

It's definitely an 'in your face' car. But I feel like you have to sacrifice yourself too much for this car. The burns, the heat, the cheap interior, the crappy creature comforts should not be in the equation of an $80,000 car. Jeremy Clarkson did a review a few years back on his childhood dream car, the Lamborghini Countach, and his complaints about that car pretty well match what I pointed out about this car. I just feel like some of these 'dream' cars aren't all fairy tales.

[Tracer-X]

considering you can rent a vette with optional exhaust from hertz for about 130 bux (excluding fees and insurance) it's not even worth it.

 

But it was his dream to drive one. I say it wasn't too expansive for a once in a lifetime drive.

[GTTuner]

We had this car for 150 miles, and drove it three times (2 hours Sunday afternoon, 1 hour Sunday night, 1 hour Monday afternoon). I would hardly define this as 'long haul.' I guess I was disappointed because I was doing a direct comparison with my dad's modded 94 RX-7 TT. The RX-7 is a balls-to-the-wall go-kart weekend racer with heating problems and more quircks than any car I've ever experienced. I didn't expect the Viper to match it in terms of impracticality, but it definitely did. This car felt all too familiar to the FD, it just had double the torque and more weight, but less maneverability.

 

 

 

It's definitely an 'in your face' car. But I feel like you have to sacrifice yourself too much for this car. The burns, the heat, the cheap interior, the crappy creature comforts should not be in the equation of an $80,000 car. Jeremy Clarkson did a review a few years back on his childhood dream car, the Lamborghini Countach, and his complaints about that car pretty well match what I pointed out about this car. I just feel like some of these 'dream' cars aren't all fairy tales.

 

Oh, I agree with your perceptions. I remember Jeremy on the track with a red coupe and said this; "This car is like a good friend that once in a while might kill someone just for the hell of it".

He goes on to say what a sledge hammer it is but "I bloody love it" he states.

The video is on you tube. Go see it, it's funny.

[Boostin1657615274]

But it was his dream to drive one. I say it wasn't too expansive for a once in a lifetime drive.

 

Exactly. Plus, I could drive a Vette anytime I want by just going to the dealer. The lots around here are crowded with Vette's because they arent selling that well. But how many Dodge dealers have even ONE Viper sitting around?

[05GT Guru]

Exactly. Plus, I could drive a Vette anytime I want by just going to the dealer. The lots around here are crowded with Vette's because they arent selling that well. But how many Dodge dealers have even ONE Viper sitting around?

 

A vette yes, but a zr1 NO

[Laverne]

I wouldnt be surprised if the throttle wasnt a result of a "babysitter" installed by the rental company

[MikeNH]

I wouldnt be surprised if the throttle wasnt a result of a "babysitter" installed by the rental company

Doubt it- the throttle looks to be cable driven so unless it did something crafty like pull timing it's probably just as he descried- geared tall to help MPG a bit.

[Platinum_Racing]

Exactly. Plus, I could drive a Vette anytime I want by just going to the dealer. The lots around here are crowded with Vette's because they arent selling that well. But how many Dodge dealers have even ONE Viper sitting around?

 

I can name one, but I don't think its ever moved. And they leave it outside, those dumbasses.

[Infamous1]

Hehe nice review and it needs that tall first gear...

[ClimberDHexMods]

The few people I've met who are into these say this car stock is just a naked platform upon which you can build a crazy car. Those allen bolts visible are so you can easily take off any part of the car quickly and easily. You can do big improvements with relative ease. Or so I'm told that's the value in this car, not to stay stock stay happy. For comparison, I guess look at a Supra. Starts out a great car, but the real enthusiast fun is with the potential. Definitely not apples to apples, but best I could think of as it what was explained to me from people who supposedly know their way around a viper. Twin turbo viper, and people say subaru mods are expensive...

[Brady]

Cons:

• The gearing in this car is irrationally tall. 1st goes to 60 mph, 2nd to almost 90. 5th and 6th are useless unless you are on the Bonneville Salt Flats. I was comparing the low end acceleration to a 2007 Shelby GT500 I test drove, and the torque didnt even compare in the Viper because the gearing just bogged it down. If you want to accelerate on the highway, you have to drop it to 2nd. Let me repeat that. The car has 6 gears, you have to drop it to 2nd. I tried putting it in 6th on the highway at 90 mph, and it was turning 1200 RPM.
  

 

I don't know if you've ever paid attention to hard core magazine comparo's, but that's very common in high power muscle cars. First of all, they can rip the tires free in 1st gear anyway, so what benefit does a shorter gear offer anyway, other than even more quickly shredding your tires? Second of all, there's a good chance that even if they had desired to have first gear good to 50 mph, they often will move first gear up to 62mph for stats reasons. Eliminating a shift from 1st to 2nd nets better 0-60 times.

[psi365]

If you think that one was bad drive a first generation one.

[Boostin1657615274]

The few people I've met who are into these say this car stock is just a naked platform upon which you can build a crazy car. Those allen bolts visible are so you can easily take off any part of the car quickly and easily. You can do big improvements with relative ease. Or so I'm told that's the value in this car, not to stay stock stay happy. For comparison, I guess look at a Supra. Starts out a great car, but the real enthusiast fun is with the potential. Definitely not apples to apples, but best I could think of as it what was explained to me from people who supposedly know their way around a viper. Twin turbo viper, and people say subaru mods are expensive...

 

I cant disagree with that. But never once did I say I was disappointed in the performance so much as I was simply disappointed in the driveability.

 

I don't know if you've ever paid attention to hard core magazine comparo's, but that's very common in high power muscle cars. First of all, they can rip the tires free in 1st gear anyway, so what benefit does a shorter gear offer anyway, other than even more quickly shredding your tires? Second of all, there's a good chance that even if they had desired to have first gear good to 50 mph, they often will move first gear up to 62mph for stats reasons. Eliminating a shift from 1st to 2nd nets better 0-60 times.

 

I cant disagree with needing a long first, especially in a high power muscle car. I guess I just dont understand it for a 6 speed, it really renders the high gears worthless.

[05GT Guru]

The higher gears on the t-56 are overdrive gears. They are for good mpg ratings only. How else does the 638hp zr1 get 24mpg freeway and some people claim to have gotten damn close to 30mpg(27-28mpg) in the c6 z06.