From the Vault: Edmunds' 2015 Dodge Viper GT

[This week's short retrospective article has Reese Counts looking back at our 2015 Dodge Viper GT, a vehicle we owned and reported on back when it was new. It was part of our long-term test program, and we drove it about 21,000 miles over the course of a year. Make sure to check out the Viper's original wrap-up article as well as the individual blog-style posts. We also have more than 15 brand-new vehicles we're testing in our long-term program right now.]

What's the Most Memorable Thing You Did With the Viper?
This is a hard one. The first story I ever published for Edmunds was the Viper's long-term introduction article. I was still an intern then. I would have to wait until I got hired full time before I had a chance to get behind the wheel. I can't recall what my expectations were going in, but I do remember how much I loved the car when I got out.

I had just moved to California and was on a search for good driving roads near Los Angeles. My then girlfriend (now wife) hadn't moved yet, so I had lots of time to go driving. I took the Viper up to Angeles Crest Highway north of the city. I spent hours up there, burning through most of a tank of fuel. The car was phenomenal. Direct, responsive and uncompromising, but not as difficult to drive quickly as I imagined. It gave me a baseline for every sports car I've driven since.

What Did You Like the Most About It?
There's something about how the Viper makes you feel that's unlike anything else I've ever driven. You have to muscle the car around. Everything, from the steering to the brakes, requires a little more force than other sports cars. But it rewards you for your efforts. Get it on the right road, V10 blasting its (somewhat unrefined) exhaust note, and the Viper makes you feel like a hero. Just watch that speedometer. That 645 horsepower comes on strong.

How Much Is It Worth Now?
If you've got a 2015 Dodge Viper or are in the market for one, based on Edmunds' appraisal tools, prices are between $50,000 and $75,000, depending on mileage, condition and especially trim. GT models like our old test car hover around the middle, but well-equipped GTC and GTS models command more money. It's worth noting that all Vipers are powered by the same 8.4-liter V10 paired with a six-speed manual transmission, even the track-prepped ACR version that was introduced in 2016.

If You Came Across This Viper Again, and You Had the Money, Would You Buy It?
Yes, but only in this exact spec. I don't need anything this car was missing, and I wouldn't want to give up anything it came with, especially the GTS-R Blue Pearl Coat paint.

Read the wrap-up to our long-term test of the 2015 Dodge Viper

Check out our current long-term road tests