SuperDave

For buying my 05 SL55 AMG.........people I work with are saying I have lost my senses, and I am in the Car-Repair Business.......my co-workers say I should have bought a new Viper for the 91K I paid for the Merz.

Did I screw up, or is a Dodge Viper still a Dodge????.............I know those cars have in the past displayed a tendency to break when pushed/crowded by a driver who wants to go fast.........my understanding is that they have been improved,

BUT........the SL 55 is still a better all-round car, in my humble opinion.......

What do you think?? (And, yes, I recognize that we all own AMG cars and
are prejudicial, rich, foolish, superficial, idiots)........

SuperDave

King320

im a bit hazy, but where is the viper's button that makes the hardtop roof disappear into the trunk?

NOTA4RE

That button is actually a pedal located under the right foot of the driver. Press really hard and when the archaic car without any driver assist launches sideways and under a 18 wheeler---wala you have the roof off.

Murtaza

You work with morons.

SuperDave

Now, that is the most intellectually accurate comment I have heard all day.........................thank you.

I did not want to actually verbalize it, but you and I are in agreement.

"Cast not your pearls before swine."

Some folks just do not have an appreciation for true Quality/Craftsmanship.

Dave

seattlecarfreak

No offense towards North Carolina.. but I have a feeling their "american pride"... has something to do with their feelings about this.. they are probably upset that a german car perform so well..

SuperDave

Yes, AND.........this is NASCAR country. Richard Childress, Childress Racing, lives 8 miles from me in a 12-million dollar home. NASCAR does not have any Mercedes yet.

I am "odd-man-out" except for the fact that I own/ride a 528RWHP Turbo-Charged Street Ridden Hayabusa that will pull over 230MPH flat out and has NEVER been beaten..............for that they have respect. They all ride Harley-Davidsons and drive Corvettes.

Dave

BiTurboAmg

I would say unless you track your car alot or are trying to get a 9sec 1/4 you made the right choice. I looked at a 06 viper coupe with a sc when I had my e55 and could not get over the 99k sticker for a car that has no power seats no anything for that matter. I know the motor is big and the car is a good track car but I felt for 90k the e55 had way more to offer ie keyless go, active seats, heated cooled seats, nav, etc. The viper I like but only as a toy not a car I have to drive to often. You have to take into account the viper is a purpose built car.

BiTurboAmg

Add the k2 pkg to your car and start beating some of those vetts!!!

Doctodd33

528HP Busa?...is that a typo?

Regarding your SL55, life is too short to not enjoy every moment. Sounds like they are very practical people, but maybe lacking in some areas. Like someone said, the Viper has a purpose, and is a bit one dimensional. My old partner has a Viper, and it creaks and squeaks, and the body panels dont fit very well. Plus it just isnt comfortable. I had an SL55 and it was like 2 cars in one, plus had all the creature comforts to just cruise comfortably. I miss it.

T

seattlecarfreak

yes, i agree.. but wouldn't buying those ***** englargement pills for $49 work just the same.. for much less $$$?

Doc C

Don't sell the Viper short!! It has a feature the SL55 could never match. That would be the feature that allows the footwell on the driver's side to get so hot that you could cook an egg on the accelerator pedal. In prototypes, I read where the soles of driver's sneakers were starting to melt. It's better in production but not by much.

bltserv

I have a friend that has a Red Viper.
Going to guess its a 2002.
Yep. It gets hotter than hell on that floorboard.
In fact. Its loud and just too obnoxious of a car for a daily driver.
He has it all tricked out. Maybe quicker than my car ???
But the convertable/hardtop is the thing it will never do.

The SL is so much more refined. Stealth. SL55 can be driven all
day and not get uncomfortable. The Viper has all its cards out on the table.
The SL55 is a beast under its refined classy looks. It will get attention when you want it to. No problem.

To the original OP.
When I got my SL55 90% of my friends told me I was out of my
mind for buying that car.
Its called resentment.
My g-Friend loves it and thats the friend that matters most.
And after 6 months. I have ZERO buyers regret.

Whenever I need a smile. I just jump in my SL55.

BiTurboAmg

The nice thing with the sl's is that when you lose a race which will happen to all of us you can always pull up to the car that beat you and just drop the top and put up the roll bar and say good race but can your car do this

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

If NASCAR is the only thing they understand, then slap a Chevy hood ornament on it and break the turn signal so it ticks to the left all day long.

SuperDave

No, sir, that is NOT a typo............528 RWHP on a Dynojet Dyno with 309 ft. lbs. of torque on 110 Sunoco Race gas turned all the way up to 34 lbs. of boost.........and I have the sheet in my wallet to prove it.

Turbo-Hayabusas rule in the bike world for sheer buildability and HP potential...........A stock Busa makes about 160.........the rods, pistons, valves will accept boost up to 340 RWHP without modification.

Once you put Carillo rods, J&E forged Turbo Pistons, Carpenter Springs, 1/2 inch studs instead of the stock 5/16 units, and a 2 MM overbore in that bike, with a Garret T-61 Turbo and a good air-air Intercooler with a secondary ECU and Secondary injectors in the plenum, it will take almost 600 RWHP with no complaints...........I have spent over 32K on mine (including the original 10K for the basic stock bike) and it starts and idles like a kitten.........but runs a mid-8 second quarter mile and that is a good thing.

SuperDave

P.S. Hank Booth has the current Street-Bike record at 701 RWHP with his Hayabusa...........proven in Daytona Bike Week last year. That is a matter of record at this point.

Vik888

Viper's might have a good exterior but its crappy engineering. Its just raw power, so unless you plan to drive straight all your life, its a useless.

Also, your co-workers are tools.

seattlecarfreak

Would you mind if i purchased a life insurance policy on you?

SuperDave

Ha, You sound just like my boss and my wife..............I have had my son ride with me at over 185 on that bike and he loved it..........we all must die at some point, I am not invunerable by any means, but the way we LIVE and enjoy life defines who we are, in my humble opinion..........there is a time and place for all things, including acceleration/speed...........even on the road.

Nothing I have experienced in life so far matches the exhileration of sheer power and acceleration afforded by a forced-induction internal combustion engine properly built and ridden/driven.

If I could, I would drive a Formula 1 car on the street............

(And my Ice Cream would never even have a chance to melt before I got it home and in the freezer)

Dave

seattlecarfreak

Oh I don't doubt fun times to be had.. and I agree with you about life and death.. which is the reason I don't ever want to ride a bike myself. If I don't know how fun they are.. I won't ever know what i'm missing.. so i stay away.. (just like cocaine and heroin.. )

atleast with a car you have a chance to keep your limbs when you crash at any decent speed.. with a bike.. you are losing a limb or your life..

SuperDave

Please do not mis-interpret my comments...........I have a lot of broken bones and one severed Patella Tendon to testify to the potential hazards of riding a bike...............but I did recover and I am still here to elicit the edict that I have a need-for-speed.................and if you look inside yourself............you will probobly agree that you have that same yearning.............

The difference is in how we respond to "The Call"..............

AMG_55

im about to respond to the "call"

thats why im up at 4:30 on a sat.

gotta leave for a sd at 6 for some canyon fun in the pcar

JR.

Dave,

you need a track bike..
.
no better bang for the buck.. 10K and all you add is tires..
.
come up to chicago and try out one of our tracks next summer. .. road america on a current generation gixxer 1000 is a friggin gas.. you can borrow mine.. i have put 20,000 miles on the 2 busas (non turbo) that i have owned and i must say that they are great.. but most days i ride the 1000 instead. (this is my third one)
.
my SL55 is even more fun than the 996TT that i had. but the bikes are MORE fun..
.
viper.. forget it.. i am thinking SL65.

SuperDave

JR,
I have a 98 ZX9R with Traxxion Dynamics forks, EBC Rotors, Pads, Muzzy Full Exhaust, Muzzy Racing ECU, Headwork, Nology Ignition Amps, Penske Rear Shock and most importantly............Dymag Three Spoke Carbons.....bike weighs 438 wet and makes 144 at the rear wheel.
Grocery getter.
Dave

Ms_V

And as a fellow rider I def agree on the time and place idea and that we all must die at one point. I also agree that riding/driving fast is fun but Woulddn't you rather your son learn to do 185 on a track vs. the street? I know that if he ends up riding or if he already does then he will do whatever his wrist feels like doing but doesn't it worry you?