Would Only a Tool Drive a Dodge Viper?

[Performify]

Lots of responses, but as one of the resident car nuts, here's a clear answer. This is a lot like the cheating threads. If you have to ask, the answer is YES.

So yes, only tools generally drive Vipers - unless they're driving them on the track. If you spend a good deal of time at the track recreationally, then a viper as a second, near-dedicated track car is badass. But yeah, Vipers are track cars. They're $60k cars with $40k in engine and the rest of the car is built like typical american junk.

Yes, they go incredibly fast in a straight line. most unskilled drivers (i.e. without some significant seat time at a track) can't drive them for [censored] if you throw in a single curve in the road. They're incredible unstable for a normal driver - one of the biggest problems with the early generations was that people would continusly break their rear axel... because they'd be taking a corner at a stoplight and give it just a little too much gas and whammo right in to the curb.

Its a penis with wheels. Its a big engine in a sexy body and yes its pretty much the biggest midlife crisis car you can get. That and the boxster.

When you drive a nice car, people with other nice cars tend to talk to you a lot. I can definately say that something like 90% of the viper owners that I'd meet were douchebags. And almost all of them were stereotypical midlife crisis guys: older, balding, paid-for girlfriends with bad tans and worse fake breasts, etc.

Buy a used 996 911 Carrera for the same amount of money. The prices on the early 996 C2s and C4s have fallen quite a bit since the introduction of the Cayman. Its a classy car that's amazing to drive, has just as much interior room, and looks just as sexy but doesn't scream douchebag.

Or buy a nice used BMW M3 / M5 if you want a little more utility.