When it comes to buying rare exotic cars, you probably think of expensive and unattainable, but that isn’t necessarily true of this all-American MOPAR – the Dodge Viper. In fact, the first few generations of Dodge Viper can be purchased for less than an average-cost new car, and provide all of the power and performance you could want. There are some major downsides of owning a Dodge Viper, and while you may have dreamed about owning one as a child, but you might not want to actually buy one.

The Widow Maker

The Dodge Viper has another, more ominous nickname of the Widow Maker, and it definitely earned it. This high-performing monster of a car is knowing for its incredible power, regardless of generation or model year. That isn’t the only thing they’re known for, however.

The Dodge Viper is a great car if you are an experienced driver, but it can be notoriously difficult to handle. The Viper has rear-wheel drive and power that delivers a killer – no pun intended – amount of torque.

The Viper is not an ideal car to drive in anything less than perfect water. With wet or icy roads the Viper tends to lose traction and go sliding off around out of control, which can be dangerous and potentially fatal. Convertible versions don’t have a lot of support in case the car is overturned, and this can cause more problems than not.

But you can still own and enjoy the car

To truly enjoy driving any Viper, it’s important to take precautions and even take some driving lessons on how to handle such a difficult car. Once you’ve come to terms with the cars few downfalls, they can be a fun and affordable exotic without the typical ‘exotic car’ tax.

One major benefit of owning a Viper is that at its core, it is a Dodge. That means that the mechanical components of the car don’t require a specialist and can be worked on by your normal mechanic.

Another thing that you’ll have to get bast is that even as nice as the newer generations are, the older more affordable generations are clunky, rattly and don’t offer a lot in way of luxury. If you buy it with the intention of having a muscle car on steroids, you’re in the right market.

Whether you want to buy a Dodge Viper or not, they are an incredibly affordable way to get your foot in the door of supercars without worrying about expensive maintenance or repairs. If you can forgive the difficult level of driving and lack of luxury, this might be the dream car for you.