Last week we talked about the changes for the 2015 Dodge Viper, but it turns out that Chrysler saved the biggest bit of Viper news for 2015 until today…as they announced a price cut of $15,000 across the entire model line.
You read that right – the 2015 Dodge Viper in base, T/A and GTS forms each cost $15,000 less than they did as the 2014 SRT Viper. This means that the buyers who waited for the 2015 Viper get the extra horsepower, the revised Time Attack package with more features and the new colors, while rewarding them with a $15,000 price cut. This is a move that is truly unprecedented in the automotive industry; cutting the price of a car by roughly 10% for a new model year while adding standard features is something that I’ve not heard of in my years covering and following my beloved auto industry.
The “base” 2015 Dodge Viper SRT carries a starting price of $84,885 where the least expensive 2014 SRT Viper started at $99,885. The more track capable 2014 SRT Viper Time Attack started at $115,885, while the more aerodynamically perfect 2015 Dodge Viper T/A 2.0 starts at just $100,885. The top of the line 2015 Dodge Viper GTS starts at $107,385, while those folks who purchased a 2014 SRT Viper GTS earlier this year would have paid $122,385.
The new 2015 Dodge Viper Gran Touring (GT) starts at $94,995 – bringing some of the features of the Viper GTS to the base model Viper SRT for less than the previous pricing for the 2014 base model Viper.
You may have noticed that I specified “previous pricing” for the 2014 Viper…that is because effective immediately, all unsold 2014 SRT Vipers are priced the same as 2015 models. This means that if you were one of the people who bought a 2014 SRT Viper earlier this year, the exact same car on a showroom floor nearby could have a very similar Viper for $15,000 less, but Chrysler does plan to fix this as well.
Everyone who has previously purchased a 5th generation SRT Viper will receive a $15,000 voucher towards the purchase of a 2015 Dodge Viper. Mind you, that $15,000 is applied to the pricing mentioned above, so someone who wanted to get into a new base Viper SRT could do so for under $70,000 (before tax, title and destination fees).
This move is shocking and it could help the Chrysler Group reach Viper sales numbers that they were hoping for when they rolled out the next generation Mopar supercar.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
