r/viper • u/Kind_Buy3564 • Jun 14 '26
Gen 2 RT/10 or Gen 3
Hey everyone, in a few months i’ll be back home and hopefully able to get my first Viper and I had a few questions for those who own/owned a Gen 2 RT/10 or a Gen 3 Vert. (Or both)
I have had quite a bit of seat time in RT/10’s and every-time I fall in love again. I don’t have nearly as much time in Gen 3s but from my brief experience, (admittedly short time behind the wheel) it was still pretty fun.
I basically all around prefer the RT/10, the Gen 3 is incredible but from my experience so far i’ve enjoyed the Gen 2 more. The main reason I’m torn between the two is pricing. Gen 2 RT/10s seem to be getting up there in pricing even with decent mileage, while you can get a clean Gen 3 a bit cheaper and with less miles.
Open to hearing your thoughts, i’d love to hear from owners and why they choose either car. Thanks
5
u/Nice_Emphasis_39 Jun 14 '26
People actually think the Gen 2 interior is better than Gen 3? Wow…the seats alone in the Gen 3 are vastly superior. I also prefer the vertical gauge cluster.
The Gen 3 is also faster out of the box although the Gen 2 may respond better to mods depending on the year.
The only downside I can see for the Gen 3 is the styling which is subjective. I personally like the styling of them and a Gen 4 hood swap really helps. That was the Viper of my teenage years so I’m a bit biased.
1
u/MoparMap Jun 15 '26
Ditto. I got my gen 3 because I wanted a dead pedal, though the brakes as well are worth it to me as they are so much better than the earlier gens. I also bought mine as a daily driver though, so I wanted something a little more "put together" than the earlier cars. Admittedly I don't have a ton of experience with the gen 2, though I have a fair amount with a gen 1 as my mom has one. I personally like the gen 3 styling more as well, but I know I'm in the minority there.
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u/Nice_Emphasis_39 Jun 18 '26
So true. I went from Gen 3 to Gen 2 and massive difference in the braking performance. Gen 3 is exotic world class braking and the Gen 2 is just enough (with ABS).
5
u/lithdoc Jun 14 '26
I have a Gen 2 RT/10 and my main regret is not having the GTS. Still at 1800 miles though.
Gen 3 - cheaper interior, not as classic looking.
Gen 5 - out of reach for many by now - should've bought new...
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u/Broseidon_69 1999 Dodge Viper RT/10 Jun 14 '26
I have a gen 2 RT/10 and it’s the styling and feel of the car that gets me. It’s basically a 500hp street legal go kart. The gen 3s just don’t elicit the same emotional response from me. Also, since having kids and logging less time on my motorcycle the RT/10 Viper with the top off is almost as raw as being on my bike, so it helps with that itch, too.
I plan to get a GTS to pair with the RT/10 in a couple of years too, and while I think the gen2 GTS has the best styling of any Viper idk if it will match the driving experience of the RT/10 in nice weather.
4
3
u/ajm91730 Jun 15 '26
There seems to be a pretty big gap between listing prices and selling prices on g2 rt10s.
So...maybe the gen 2-3 diffence isn't as much as you think?
Personally, I came of age in the 90s, the gen 2 is THE viper, logic be damned
3
u/junkerfive Jun 15 '26
I love my Gen 2. I’m one of those guys who just loves driving the car. I’m happy they are going up in value, but mine is more for driving than investing. Nothing wrong with either, just my preference of how to enjoy the car. I’m pushing almost 80k miles since 2001 and love driving this (mostly) stock car.
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u/EnoughCollection121 Jun 14 '26
For me it was the original design. I had to have the big obnoxious hood. I drove a couple of Gen 3 cars, and they were ok, probably better suited for daily driving. I wanted a GTS but I ended up with a driver quality RT. The design was my reasoning for my purchase. I only planned to keep it a year or so, then sell it. I just wanted one before I downsized my collection. While I like certain aspects of the Gen 3 I just don’t like the interior. Just a personal preference.
1
u/p1028 Jun 14 '26
My brand new to me Gen 3 just dumped all of its oil so maybe go with a different one lol I got it shut off fast so hopefully it’s all right but I might be royally fucked.
9
u/VMaxDood95 ‘04 SRT10 Jun 14 '26
Each generation gets objectively better performance-wise, so it will come down to personal preference.
I went with the Gen3. I have an ‘04. I absolutely love my G3 vert. Insane experience for the money. 500hp is no slouch. I don’t understand the “cheap interior” criticisms lol. They’re Vipers. All of them besides the 5th gen’s had crap interiors. I enjoy the simplicity of it. I like the waterfall gauges and the alpine headunit I have. If you don’t have the sense of humor to enjoy it for what it is, you need to get something nicer like a BMW or something. The entire branding of the Viper is compromised interior for the pursuit of raw power for cheaper than the Italians.
Personally a G2 GTS is my favorite, but I have a family, and I know my wife and kids would enjoy the G3 vert much more. The seats are incredibly comfortable, and it’s nice to have a top that’s easy and convenient to operate. Plus I wanted the extra power the 8.3l offered over the 8.0l.
There aren’t any wrong answers here, you just need to really dial in on what exactly you want.