A Serious Snake, Aussie Sport Sedan, Monster Mudder, And A Minivan: Members’ Rides

Last time on Members’ Rides, we checked out the perfect van for a candle maker (which I learned is called a Chandler). It was great to hear how many of y’all were already familiar with the VW van and how loved it is already. It was also the fourth week in a row that the featured Autopians all had Mazdas of some sort. That was entirely unintentional, but I enjoyed it anyway. This week, we will not be looking at a Mazda, but instead a venomous Viper and its stablemates.

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V10omous is a professional V10 evangelist living in the Midwest. You all probably recognize his name and some of the stories from his comments here on the site.

How did you get into cars?

I’ve been into cars as long as I can remember. I had and have numerous books of 80s exotics, I was given a subscription to Road & Track for my 4th birthday, I played with Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars my whole childhood. Still into cars to this day.

What led to getting the Sienna?

Bought new, October 2020. My reasoning for replacing the 2011 Sienna I had at the time was to get the last year of the V6 and removable middle seats. I don’t buy used anymore and time was running out on the old body style. I ended up getting lucky in that this was right before Covid shortages started making everything expensive. So while we had to travel a couple of states to get one with the options we wanted, it actually ended up being a pretty good deal as well. The last van was running well at 275,000 miles and I expect to get at least as many out of this one (86,000 so far).

What made you pick the Sienna vs anything else?

There was really no consideration to get any other kind of van or the newer hybrid Sienna. I’m a Toyota fanboy when it comes to mass-market appliance stuff. To be quite honest, it’s pretty clear from the vehicles I own that fuel economy is not a high priority compared to other stuff. In this case, the known reliability of the 3.5 V6 was the primary factor. My wife and kids count on this van every day and paying a little more for gas is worth it in the long run to be as sure as possible that they’re going to get where they need to go.

Anything you don’t like about it?

I have very few and they are annoyance-type stuff. Why can’t the TPMS tell me individual tire pressures? Why are the cables that operate the power sliding doors seemingly made of Swiss cheese? As other minivan owners know, this form factor is basically perfect for transporting kids and their stuff.

What do you love about it?

My favorite thing about the Sienna – even though I’ve used them exactly once, the first day I bought the van – are the ultra-rare second-row recliners/lounge chairs. Only the Limited model had them. The majority of those are the 8-passenger configuration or AWD, either of which preclude the option. They are utterly wasted on my kids and their car seats now, but someday I’ll be shuttled around like a business-class executive in those seats.

What led you picking up a couple old-school Blazers?

These are the result of both dreams and frustrations. I have always been drawn to the style of the 1969-72 first-gen, and my kids love monster trucks. It’s a full-size SUV that the entire roof comes off! What could be cooler than that?

How did you find them?

So after a couple years of off-and-on looking, in 2020 I found the ’72 as a “muddin” truck down in the Ozarks and brought it back home. Didn’t have a clear plan for what to do with it. It was a bit rusty, the engine was non-original and didn’t run well. The 39” boggers on it made it cool to look at but impossible to drive on the street. Whoever put them on hadn’t even regeared the differentials! The truck was probably geared for 250 mph but could barely accelerate and stalled super easily.

I bought the 1970 the next spring out of New York as a non-running parts truck and/or a possible second restoration candidate. By that point, the run up in values for these Blazers was getting out of hand and it became clear to me that doing much of anything on these was too high-stakes for my limited skills. It was also foolish to use the 70 as a parts truck, because you could buy almost anything you needed brand new.

In late 2022 I sent the ’72 to a restorer that came well recommended and sunk a bunch of money into it. All-new sheet metal and glass, a rebuilt 350, new mechanical components, interior parts, and so on. After nearly a year there I became convinced that the guy was not being truthful or doing his best work and I ended up pulling the truck back in a semi-completed state. Which is where it sits in my barn to this day.

What shape is it in now?

It’s a fully sandblasted, welded, and painted rolling frame with a rebuilt engine and 4-speed, and boxes of unassembled parts and sheet metal. I’ve reached out to a couple of people about completing it, and am hoping to have someone start on it again over the winter.

What’s the eventual goal for it?

My ultimate vision is to have something I can cruise with my kids around town or to the beach, top-down, in style, having fun. The finished product will be pretty close to original-looking apart from the lift, though most of the parts themselves will be new, of course. There’s no need for a 500-horsepower LS or a million-dollar restoration, but with the money I’ve already sunk in and will need to sink further, I’d prefer to have something pretty nice once it’s completed. The good news about values staying high is I could probably always get out of it without losing a fortune if I wanted to. But for now, the plan is to make the ’72 nice and figure out a plan for the ’70 after that.

Do you wish you had done it differently?

Ultimately, the lesson here is buy one that someone else has already fixed. Even spending $50K on a decent one in 2020 would have worked out better financially than this by the time it’s said and done, but such is life.

How did you get the Chevy SS?

I bought it new during one of GM’s 20% off MSRP sales in 2016. It has the LS3, TR6060 manual, and is spacious enough backseat for 3 car seats. All for under $40K new! Amazing, I’m still in shock that they did this. I had a G8 GT years before so I was familiar with the Holden products but basically bought on a whim when they put it on sale. At the time I had no kids but knew they were in the future, so this was a rare example of me planning ahead.

Have you done anything to it?

I’ve kept it mostly stock besides the skip shift eliminator and some axle back mufflers that sound great but kind of ruin the sleeper image. At one time I thought I might do headers, cam, etc, but have never really gotten around to it.

Anything you don’t like about it?

It has some weird quirks I don’t like, such as poor clutch feel (I improved this somewhat with a lighter-weight clutch spring, a popular mod for M6 owners), badly designed infotainment, and “Old GM” levels of durability/quality for interior finishings.

How often do you drive it?

I use the SS as my daily driver during the nice months, and my wife has daily driven it at times as well. Less than two months after buying it, she was in a high-speed accident when another driver ran a red light. This car saved her from serious injury. So I feel a bit bad saying that its probable future in the next 6 months or so is being traded in on a CT5 Blackwing.

Having been a Holden owner before, I know all too well the dreaded “part no longer available” message for some G8/SS-specific stuff. So while I know the powertrain will always be supported, the rest of the car might not be. Plus come on, it’s a Blackwing. How many more chances will I get to buy something like that new?

How did the F-350 come to join the fleet?

This was the first truck I ever bought new after relying on used ones for years. Prior to this, I had had a 2002 Avalanche 2500 8.1, it died of rust. A 2001 F250 7.3/ZF6 that I got tired of it not starting in winter and 4 figure diesel repair bills. A 1997 K2500 Chevy that also died of rust. So my top priorities were getting something that wouldn’t rust and something that wasn’t diesel.

At the time I bought it, I was expecting to need to plow my road/driveway with it, so I wanted an HD. I also wanted a crew cab long bed, which is also only available in the larger trucks. I did test drive the Ram and Chevy HDs, but neither made a compelling enough case to make up for Ford’s aluminum body. The 6.2L had a good reputation, so I wasn’t worried about anything there. However, I do miss the torque of the 8.1 Chevy.

Was it hard to find the one you wanted?

I ended up custom ordering since no one on earth seems to have the same tastes I do in trucks and options. What do you mean no one else wants a long bed gasser King Ranch with towing gears but without a sunroof, chrome, or a dually? Ordering it could not have gone more smoothly.

How do you like it?

If I somehow had to condense to a single vehicle, this would be it without question. I’m pretty happy with my truck overall and wouldn’t change much. I think the “improvements” Ford has made since 2020 have universally made the Super Duty uglier. So even though I like the Godzilla 7.3 I’ve never felt like I really wanted to upgrade. Inexplicably GM and Ram remain committed to rust-prone steel bodies, so I have no reason to consider them either. There’s some evidence of cost-cutting and cheapness in my truck that belies its price. I’m sure this is worse now that MSRPs have soared. But it remains pretty true that the domestics are really, really good at building big trucks.

Now for the fun part. How did you pick out the Viper?

Despite my name and comment history reflecting a true passion for the V10 lifestyle, a Viper has not always been my singular dream car. I did love them as a kid/teenager growing up, but for many years I did not think they were attainable. My intention throughout 2015 was to buy a then new C7 Z06.

I can honestly trace the entire genesis of the V10omous persona to a Corvette forum post. A Gen 5 Viper owner came in and laughed at the members.  He posted a video of his 2-year-old car beating a brand-new Z06 in a drag race. At the same time, the C7Z was getting savaged in reviews for its poor cooling performance in hard driving. So I thought I might as well look at what Vipers were actually transacting for.

I found two in Chicago advertised for many tens of thousands under MSRP. One was red, the other black. The dealer had just got their first Hellcats in and wanted them on the podium the Vipers had been occupying for years. The rest is history. The black one sold the day before I arrived, and I traded my 2012 GT500 for the red one.

How does this one compare to the older models?

I’ve met friends with all generations of Vipers and it’s not surprising that I like mine best. I think it’s pretty objectively the best styling (tied with the Gen 2 coupe). That pairs well with undoubtedly the best interior and driving manners. It’s also the fastest in a straight line and around a track. Besides 7-figure Gordon Murray stuff, I think it’s the pinnacle of old-school naturally aspirated, RWD, manual transmission performance that we have or ever will see again.

Almost 10 years into owning it, I still look back at it when I park, I still laugh like a kid when I open it up on a straight road, and I still haven’t gotten tired of explaining to people what it is when they ask at gas stations.

Do you ever feel like it’s trying to kill you?

As far as driving experience, the Gen 5 is fairly “normal” compared to earlier Vipers. I certainly consider it less likely to step out of line than my GT500 was. Some Viper owners don’t like that and prefer the raw, “wants to kill you” attitude of the older cars, but I find that silly. I take my kids out in mine, and I probably wouldn’t in a Gen 1 or 2. Make sure the tires are warm and don’t do anything truly stupid, and you can have fun all day long.

Have you ever driven it on the track?

Both my wife and I have driven the Viper in anger on racetracks (Gingerman and Las Vegas Speedway). We found it rewarding even at our low skill levels. Someday I’d like some coaching and more experience with track driving, but having young kids and living hours from the nearest tracks obviously makes that tough right now.

Anything you don’t like about it?

The only things I don’t like about it are the small gas tank and the low roof. I’m only 5’ 10” and the roof is in my sightline looking forward. I don’t know how taller people manage. Obviously, there are compromises for performance, but someone in a good climate could legitimately daily drive this car.

How did this car inspire you to become a full-time V10 evangelist?

V10 evangelism just kind of came to me naturally I suppose. You could quibble with stuff like the VW TDI or the Ford Triton if you had to, but it’s pretty tough to name a bad V10 engine. There are bad V8s, there are bad V12s, but there are no truly bad V10s.

Since you’ve had it so long, interested in a straight-up trade for my Miata?

No hard feelings asking about your Miata, but short of a McLaren F1 or something I wouldn’t trade this for anything. I respect modern performance cars and their computer-controlled traction aids, fancy DCTs, AWD, and so on, but I don’t think they will make cars like this ever again.

Thanks V10omous!

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