I Still Can’t Tell If This $24,050 Non-Running Viper Is A Good Deal Or Not

The Dodge Viper has always been a car with allure. A massive V10, little else, a fearsome reputation. It’s the stuff childhood dreams are made of, which explains why I always keep one eye on them. However, this one caught my eye more than most, a 2004 Dodge Viper with just 40,600 miles on the clock and a clean Carfax history that sold on Cars & Bids for $24,050.

Now, $24,050 seems weirdly cheap for a 2004 Viper, and down the copy of the ad, it quickly becomes apparent why this one sold for so little. As the auction listing states, “The seller states that this Viper has spun a rod bearing and requires an engine rebuild or replacement.” Ouch. Still, if you want to get this Viper back on the road, what sort of costs can you expect to rack up?

Well, a quick check of junkyard part listing site car-part.com reveals that a used replacement 8.3-liter Viper V10 runs in the neighborhood of $7,000. Of course, with any used engine, there are probably things you’ll want to attend to while it’s out of the car. New valve cover gaskets, a new oil pan gasket, a new rear main seal in case the old one is hardened from age, a new clutch and flywheel, and pilot bushing if you’re going to be separating the engine from the transmission anyway. Since the Viper’s rear main seal is sold as part of a rear crankshaft cover assembly, figure $1,000 worth of refresh parts right there, largely because a new Exedy clutch kit is shockingly cheap.

Then you’re going to need new fluids, new filters, replacements for any one-time-use fasteners, and possibly new engine mounts, so let’s call that $500 in miscellaneous stuff. Oh, and then there’s shipping of big parts and the purchase any new tools you’ll need, which can comfortably take this $8,500 bill up to $10,000 or so. Assuming you’re doing all the labor yourself, you’d likely be in this Viper for around $35,000.

If you aren’t doing all the labor yourself, expect that bill to get more expensive. For simply swapping the engine, the seller was quoted $4,500 plus the cost of a used engine, which would put that bill at around $11,500 without refreshing anything while you’re in there.

So, what sort of running Viper can you get for $35,000? Well, if you’re cool to kick it old-school and just want a cheap Viper, this first-generation Viper RT/10 sold on Cars & Bids earlier this year for $33,000. Sure, it might not be as quick as a 2004 model, but this Emerald Green 1995 example had just 30,800 miles on it at the time of its auction, and there’s just something cool about these first-generation cars.

On the other hand, these 2003 to 2006 convertibles typically command considerably more than $35,000 or so. This 2005 Viper sold on Bring A Trailer last month for $44,250, which is right about where it should be. Alright, it did only have 19,000 miles on the clock when it sold compared to the non-running car’s 40,600 miles, but it’s still on the lower end of the market for this generation.

At the end of the day, I’m conflicted. While it may be possible to buy and sort this non-running Viper for thousands less than a roughly comparable model, it’s a relatively big project that’s definitely a bit of a gamble. It definitely makes more sense as a base if you want to swap a different engine into a Viper, but big projects like this definitely work better for some people than others. For those who are okay with the value hit of a non-original engine and can do the work themselves, this particular Viper probably worked out to an alright deal, although I’m curious what you think.

Top graphic image: Cars & Bids

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