Should I sell my Viper?

Nice ride!

Do you really drive it? Does it thrill you like it used to? When you walk out of the house and you see it, do you still have that uncontrollable smile?
If not, I'd seriously consider selling it and pouring the money into something that does, and does, and does

When you are old and grey will you regret selling it? I'm getting grey now and there are a couple of cars I dearly wish I wouldn't have sold. Didn't miss either one at the time though.

steelhd said:

When you are old and grey will you regret selling it? I'm getting grey now and there are a couple of cars I dearly wish I wouldn't have sold. Didn't miss either one at the time though.

Click to expand...

True enough; I'd love to have my '66 Wildcat 350 LaSabre and my '72 455 4bbl Cutlass convertible (ah, the muscle cars) back but, really, I would probably never drive either one and I ain't Jay Leno, so I can't afford to just stack them up in an air conditioned warehouse (boy, I wish) .
So, when it comes down to it, are you just holding on to it for the sake of nostalgia...or because you truly love it?

Not many get the opportunity to grab hold of a "It was/is my dream car". Just the fact that you used "is", as-in the present tense, tells me you would have seller's remorse in very short order. If the GTS was instead a '65 Mustang coupe, I'd say go ahead and sell it, as there are thousands of them still out there to be purchased at a more convenient time in your life. But this...this is a Viper GTS with 18,000 miles on it. That one's a whole 'nuther animal, my friend. Being that you asked for opinions, mine is that you'd be making a mistake in selling it.

Yeah, definitely unique and cool car. The rairity and current / future value is significantly different than my recent situation. Just went through the same debate with an e36 m3 I bought in high school 10 years ago. It was my dream car growing up and loved owning it. I never drove it and really only needed one ‘toy’ so I parted ways. I figured I could always buy another one if I got the itch.

Do what makes you happy, I don’t have any regrets selling it, the TJ makes me smile like the m3 used to.

Keep the Viper!!!!

Only driving a thousand miles a year? That makes it appear that possessing it and looking at are more important than driving. I think this becomes your balance point, you have to decide how much your trophy is worth to you. It’s only a few years until it crosses the “collector classic” time point when a low mileage example will accrue value so maybe it becomes a longer term capital investment for you.

So, is it a car you love but don’t drive or an addition to your IRA account?

Cool car...What gets me is that you said you love a TJ more than the Viper. That means, to me, that your heart and desire has moved a different direction than the Viper points. I used to be into the import and autocross scene...Had big dreams of importing a JDM skyline. I'm so far removed from that desire now that it would be silly to be holding on to a car, had I ever gotten there. For me, as I've aged, the desire to go fast has changed to the desire to be able to have fun in a vehicle, but I don't need to go fast. Getting into camping spots and beating the terrain is way cooler to me now.

I say sell it.

Keep It!!!
I regret selling my Corvette....

Sell it, it looks a little "dated" at this point.

That toddler is going to grow up someday, right? Seems like a pretty cool car to share with your kid when he/she gets older.

If you can afford to keep it and have a place to store it, I think it'd be a great thing to hold onto.

I sold several cars because they never fit the family, trust me in 20 years you will be kicking yourself if you sell it.

Keep it. Even if you quit using it for a few years. i'm betting it will soon start appreciating.

Ok Greenmachine here is my story and my opinion:

I own a '65 Mustang that I got in high school, loved that car more than anything. When I was about 21 I got into motorcycles and wanted a truck to go dirt bike riding, needed to sell something. So I sold the Mustang to my best friend. The day we exchanged the check for the car and it drove away I INSTANTLY regretted the decision. I told him if he ever wanted to sell it he had to let me know. A year or so later he didn't want it anymore and I sold a motorcycle to get it back.

My dad bought a '79 Corvette brand new and drove it off the show room floor, literally. He gave it to me about 6 years ago. Not the fastest thing on the road (It's no Viper) but it has sentimental value to me and it's a fun car.

I bought my TJ about 6 months ago, i'm having a great time working on it and driving it and it's a blast. Love it.

The Mustang and Corvette have been parked for about 3 years now. We have twin girls who are now 12 years old and both cars weren't driven much after we had them anyway. My wife hates them...lol. (The cars...not the kids) She is always trying to give them away to the people who come knocking at the door to ask if they are for sale. (Again the cars.....) She wants me to sell all three of the above said vehicles and buy a newer 4 door Jeep and build it to the hilt and the thought has crossed my mind but I wont do it. Both of the cars are going up in value little by little and as my kids are getting older I want to be able to work on them with them and teach the girls how to wrench. We named the older one Shelby and she has laid claim to the Mustang already and Avery wants the Corvette. In 20 years they can have these cars in their driveway and how cool will that be!!

My boss has the same Viper you have, but it's not stock, pushing 850hp. You have a bone stock Viper in great shape with super low miles and a toddler who someday will be able to say, "that was my dads dream car and he gave it to me". That is something you can not put a price on in my opinion.

Just my .02

Tough decision. I am currently battling the same thing with my motorcycle. I dont ride it much anymore, my main focus is the TJ. I put mine on the market to see how many bites I can get, so far only two interested and they already stopped messaging me. I've regretted every vehicle Ive sold, I just become attached to them.

If it sits mostly, not practical, and you have more fun with the TJ, I am leaning towards selling it. Keep the jeep and let your toddler begin working on it.

As the saying goes, "it's cheaper to keep her". Perhaps that doesn't apply, but if you regret it down the road, will you be able to get back what you gave up, i.e. miles, condition, maintenance history, personal connection, etc?

I'll make you a deal, park it in my garage and think about me driving/farting it. If that makes your heart sink, you need to keep it. This isn't some random mass-produced car, I can find a Corvette at the drop of a hat, much harder to find a Viper in the condition you have.
It's a tough decision and I think you'll talk yourself into selling until you see someone else drive off in it.

tworley said:

battling the same thing with my motorcycle.

Click to expand...

I have a 3-year-old, sold my Harley for the Jeep because you can't fit a car seat on a Harley. Same deal, had to park it to cart my son around. I regret it, but I rode mine all year unless it was raining or snowing. Good luck, it's tough giving up a bike.

Your kid will just crash it or trash it, they'll care less that it belonged to you. Sell it and put the money into mods I say.

Tray Burge said:

Your kid will just crash it or trash it, they'll care less that it belonged to you.

Click to expand...

This is only true if you raise your kids to be idiots. I couldn't imagine being so dense that I would crash a car that my parents owned for years and gifted to me. The biggest reason I like my TJ so much is that my Dad bought it brand new and I grew up with it.


Unless you need that $50k for something immediately, I would say keep it. I'd imagine the value of something like that will continue to increase as well, especially because it is stock. Your kids will hopefully learn to like it as much as you do.