2004 Dodge Viper Overview, Reviews, Ratings & Specs

Srt-10 Viper on December 12, 2020

Where do I start? The car is rare! You dont see many in good shape. That's because ham fisted drivers will crash this car easily. No traction control. This is a true drivers car in every sense of the word. Tough to find parts (especially wheels). Most common parts are easy to find, ie fuel pump, brake parts, tires, oil filters. Interior is minimalist , plastic and light weight ( it's not a luxury vehicle) but it's for a purpose. You can remove the interior panels with a few twists of the screwdriver. If you are over 6' tall , top down driving is the only way to go. Tough to get in and out of the seats without kicking the sill plate. Side pipes will singe your legs if you rub your calf on the sill for too long. Speaking of side pipes, they sound quiet in stock form and the cross over pipe is right under the cockpit. Great for New England fall days, but toasty in the summer. Keep telling yourself this is a race car and not a sports car. I installed a rear camera and gps head unit. Install was easy to run wires . Tough to judge the edges of the car. Give plenty of space when parking so you don't scuff the wheels. Transmission- The big V 10 motor torque pulses in first and sometimes second gear at slow speeds. Trying to get around in the parking lot is not fun. If you are too heavy on the throttle off the line and you let off for a bit the Viper lurches begging to be driven. I've had to pull the clutch in just to re-align the rpm because I am not on a race track ringing the neck out of it. The gears need to be shifted with purpose. It is not a smooth gearbox and very primitive. Shift with authority. The shifter is very long and I will probably install a short throw handle in the near future. The motor- The V 10 is bulletproof and barely works to get you up to speed. You can quick shift from 1st to 4th and still have plenty of torque to get you going. Make sure you have a fresh battery in the car as it does work hard to turn the motor over on first start as the big pistons take a lot to turn. Brakes- The brakes are phenomenal on this car and I mean really phenomenal. The one drawback is they do create an abnormal amount of brake dust which leads to a lot of squeaking at slow speed stops. Your chrome wheels will get dirty relatively quickly. Did I mention that the brakes create an abnormal amount of dust? LOL Exterior- Low ,sleek and sexy. I get compliments everywhere I go. The car has excellent aerodynamics, the top is leakproof, and everything looks and operates as it should. One thing of note, because the body is completely fiberglass, it's relatively easy to fix. The suspension is dialed in and very sensitive to bump steering. You MUST pay attention when driving. Excellent steering and cornering when the tires are heated up. A couple parting comments. First if you store the car for long periods of time make sure you crack the windows down about 4 inches because if the battery dies you cannot open the door as the window is wedged under the soft top. Second the battery is located in the back left corner of the trunk and it's relatively easy to get to. Make sure you put a tender on it for the winter if you're not driving it. Also if this car is driven at any point below 60°, you will not hook up, you'll just spend tires so be very careful when it comes to cornering and accelerating. The car comes with run flats but rides 100 times better with regular pilot cup tires. Finally, The oil lines tend to leak on these cars, so if you have a choice, replace them with braided lines and you won't ever have any issues. Remember it's a race car! Happy Driving

Casper on July 6, 2020

I own many cars, but my fourth generation Viper is one of the most approachable. The car drives well, had good performance, and unique styling. With loads of mechanical grip with it's massive tires and performance suspension, the car is a blast.

Douglas on June 18, 2019

Does everything great,fast,turn,and stop. Great looking,always get thumbs up. People always take pictures. Very comfortable seats. Never runs hot. Top is easy to lower or raise. Very fast beast! Unlike a Vette,not one on every corner. Took a long time before I could one,but worth waiting for. Great car!

viper guy on June 9, 2019

this truck has it all! should be a collector vehicle some day soon. Nothing, compares to it as far as looks, and nothing much compares as far as performance either

Queen bee on June 22, 2018

My viper is a real super car I'am a female she only has 1000 miles from new Sunday driveriven for fourteen years guys have tried to put her in their rear view mirrors and have been put to shame because my girl's plate wears my ms......name she is a real winner, however the heat from the engine is no joke she is a real beast when put to the test. I took her for her oil change which is very expensive the guy which is a viper tech was afraid to touch her stating that her tags were still in place under the vehicles under body never seen snow or rain garage kept i love the snake. The good Lord gave her to me.

SRB WENOM on May 11, 2018

I got the 2004 Viper in Nov 2018 from my brother (yes got it for free) as he said pot holes in Detroit will kill the car so its now in So California with no pot holes and open freeways. Wow what a car BTW I own a Corvette and they are not the same cars, but with Viper you have no co-pilot to help you with all the fancy computers like in Vette , there are no cup holders, cruise controls, sun glasses holder, CD holders, just gas, clutch,brake and start button. When you drive Viper do don't have a co pilot you are it my friend. I did burn my calf on exhaust so not I call my self a scarface lol. Must have both hands on a wheel as we here in Ca have these eliminators that are part of white stripes and stick out so when you change lanes and cross them over the car will just JUMP to the side first time it happened it scared me to death but now I know better. Now lets get to brass balls and knuckles here the driving. We have freeways here that you can just go fast but last February when we had mud slides in Santa Barbara area for a while the 101 Freeway was closed for north bound traffic and guess what, you got it, I was able to jump on a freeway drive to the point its closed for about 10 miles return home for another 10 miles and repeat the process 2 more times. No cars which means no cops.........Frist round trip I was doing 120mph, second trip I was at 130 mph and final trip I was at 140 mph, I was going to go for forth trip at 150 mph but decided my adrenaline was too high. All this driving along the ocean ahhhhh. For the record I have driven at Las Vegas race track a Formula car like at Indy at 160 mph but there you go in circles and here you go balls out straight. I have to say that it was fast as I wanted to go but the gas pedal and the car had a lots more room for travel. I installed a dash camera so I can review it once a while. The car drives and handless flawlessly. One more thing in closing about Vipers and Vetts driving - when you drive a Vette its like going to laser skin doctor the doctor will use fine laser to remove one skin layer at a time ie one atom at a time and then when you drive a Viper and you want to see the Viper skin doctor, the doctor will hit you with a 50 lb sledge hammer few times and tell you "there is your Viper skin treatment, you want more lets go". The car just kicks butt period. I tell this to people and they just laugh. If you can afford to buy one used Viper go for it as you will not be disappointed, but make sure you have no pot holes and remember the Viper skin treatment. PS My brother just bought a 2018 Dodge Demon with 850 hp and 0-60 in 2.8 seconds - fastest production car in America . Must be nice to work for Dodge in Detroit.

Jhills14 on July 17, 2017

If you're in the market for a performance vehicle and aren't looking for the luxury amenities, then the dodge viper will put a child's grin on your face. The viper is a reliable car needing only routine maintenance. Being American made and a work horse, parts are not imported or cost a boat load. Most mechanics will work on the vehicle as well!

2004 White Mamba on January 25, 2015

I own a 2004 White Mamba Viper with 17,000 Miles. This Car has some after market upgrades to help the power however it doesn't need any help in that department. This car is mind blowing at how fast it is bone stock, as well as how mean it sounds with no exhaust upgrades. The upside to this car is more than just raw horsepower. It is the plain fact necks will break trying to watch this car fly down the road, lets be honest we see corvettes everyday but how often do we see that sexy snake slithering down the road. I take my car to car shows and out to do street events every month and no matter were I go people love it. Well enough bragging lets look at the down side, this car is like a oven in the summer due to that big power house v-10 and exhaust pipes right next to your feet, it well cooks your feet alive in the summer. You can forget about driving this car in the summer with your top down unless its dark outside because you need that ac on max just for your feet. As far as trunk space, good luck even getting anything in the trunk its half the size of any cars truck. Ya I know sports cars aren't grocery getters, but lets be honest we want to drive this car every time we can. It is truly a bummer we can't use it for anything but to cruise, race, or show it off. The worst part to this car for me is never ever take your hands off the steering wheel. Due to the width of the tires this car will follow any dip, groove, or slight change in the road and when I say follow I mean you will be two lanes over before you know it if you aren't hanging on and always alert. So to conclude this generation of the Viper is extremely impressive the power house 8.3 liter, 505 cubic inch motor boasting a impressive 505 ponies and 525 foot pounds of torque with a max 6000Rpm range is a motor not many cars in this price range can even compare. The body styling is very aggressive and eye catching from the front it looks as if the viper really will sting you. However from the back sadly it looks like a dodge stealth very plain and unimpressive if it wasn't for the stance and the diffusers the rear end would be a total fail and lets face it with power like this most everyone will be looking at your tail end. So why not give them something pretty to look at. The interior on the Mamba is very stylish and to be honest one of my favorite parts of the car. This two tone red and black interior is very impressive and flows together very well, so well in fact I had two corvette owners like the interior so much they are in the process of converting there interiors to match. Last point the price range on this generation of viper is actually one of the most affordable High end sports cars in its class. No car pushing over 500hp stock besides maybe a good find on a Ls7 Zo6 is priced competitively in the 40-45k range which yes is the going price on these vipers and yes they book a lot higher but the market doesn't agree with the book values just yet someday I think yes. So YES PEOPLE BUY ONE! You will not regret this car unless you wanted a putt putt car that your wife and daughter can take to the mall.

sportscarguy44 on July 18, 2013

Bought a 2004 Dodge Viper Mamba Edition with 13,000 miles. Unbelievable power, and torque. Car handles like a dream. Blows away Corvettes for performance, handling, and looks. Great purchase.

mikee on March 27, 2013

I've owned BMW's, Porsche, Corvettes and one used Ferrari. Nothing has the potential this car has. I did add two layers of Dyna Mat Extreme to the entire interior to cool it down and reduce the noise, worked great, no other complaints save for the clutch is pretty stiff but what would you expect, the car is a monster.