Lamborghini "Diablo"

gkelly3

I just got back from Miami; saw a beautiful
example of the Diablo parked on Ocean Blvd. Given
this car's high price ($275,000) and rarity, what
are the chances that I could ever get a used one?
And, if I did, how could i maintain it-are all of
the engine parts custom made? How do these exotics
hold up anyway?

rea98d

In Texas, the Average guy's chances of getting any Lamborghini, used or otherwise, is approx 1 in 21 million (coincidentally, the same odds of getting all six numbers in the Texas lottery). Go down to your bookstore, and get a copy of the DuPont Registry. It's basically a classified section for exotic cars, and is your best barometer of odds for getting one. If I were you, however, I'd set my eyes a bit lower, like say a used XKR, 911 or something like that.

Mr_Shiftright

Some Lambos are reasonably priced, like the Jarama, Urraco Islero and Espada, but probably the cheapest Countach is $50,000 on up, and the cheapest decent used Diablo (1990-ish) around $100K at the moment. But these prices will drop in time, maybe down to $75K or lower even.

rea98d

Egh!!! Lamborghini's names are worse than Daewoos!

Mr_Shiftright

Sounds better in translation, I think.

dgraves1

If you are seriously looking for a rare, exotic car that can be purchased on a somewhat reasonable income, I would suggest looking into Lotus Esprits. You could buy a very nice one from the early '90s for less than $25K. Yes, they are fragile and expensive to repair but much less so than a Countach/Diablo. I think it's entirely possible to own one of these on a high middle income but it would by no means be cheap. It's rare and exotic enough to get almost as much attention as you would with a Lambo.

exoticar

Purchasing a Lamborghini (or most any other exotic for that matter) is actually feasible for most of us who'd be willing to make some sacrifices with time. The problem resides more with the maintenance and general upkeep of those cars (i. e. +/- $5.000.00 to +/-10.000.00 for a "tune-up" italiana !! That's with valve adjustments and all (includes taking the motor out for the operation).

A Lotus does indeed become easier on that aspect but like dgraves1 said, they are somewhat more "delicate" especially in the wrong hands.

If on the other hand you're mainly going after the V12 sensation of ownership, you can always look towards used Jaguars. They too sometimes may have a few gremlins of their own (and costs to that effect) but since you can get decent XJ-S V12 at fair prices ..... :-)

And should one ever get tired of the Jag .... well .... could always put the mechanics into some exotic kit-car ... sure beats having a Fiero engine in one :-))

William
(1990 XJ-S)

Mr_Shiftright

A Jag V-12 is a nice car, but not an exotic in termperment, performance or technology. Totally different type of car really, more like a big Benz or a Lexus. A comfy cruiser or GT-type coupe, not a "bad-boy toy" is what I mean. lambos and Jaguars are in different universes.

exoticar

Of course they're not in the same league. Hell .... I'd never suggest that a Jag is in the same league as a Bellissima !! :-)

However ..... I've seen a few XJ-S's (TWR and Arden to name a few) that would hold their own against quite a lot of what's out there (look and performance wise).

So considering the price of a not too old XJ-S (V12) and a bit more cash on some little modifications and that kitty does begin to growl like the big cat thast it is :-)

It'll still cost less than half the modified rice burners out there .... and that's really not in the same category as a Jag :-)

Mr_Shiftright

Well, that's all true, you can get some power out of the Jag V-12s, especially the later ones.
Of course, you'll need to build the transmission (or add one aftermarket) to hold it.

andys120

Two words: Lamborghini Murcielago
VAG (usually a great carmaker) really dropped the ball on that one. The Diablo is much prettier and has a better name. Murcielago sounds like something that comes out of your nose in a bad sneeze (sorry).

dgraves1

I agree. Both the Countach and Diablo floored me when I they first came out (hey, I was only 17 when the Countach hit the magazines). The Mucielago doesn't provoke the same lust.

Mr_Shiftright

It's hard to get "just right" these days isn't it? If you overstyle, you get rapped for that, and if you understyle, your product is lost. So you have Viper=way over AND NSX = way under.

That's why I think Porsche has just about the right combo these days. It doesn't appeal to everyone, but it is still tasteful and distinctive. Also Ferrari is pretty good at this stylistic balancing act.

andys120

The Miura (Looked like an Italian GT-40), Espada
and Jarama.

dgraves1

Espada - Really? I've never seen one in real life but in pictures they are pretty strange looking.

andys120

a long time ago. They looked fantastic, like the ultimate Gran Turismo.

exoticar

Espada's are magical ..... spacious .... confortable .. and actually quite practical ... pictures don't do it justice at all.

What about the 350 GTV? Wasn't that bad either for it's day. Though the 400 GT was a little ... well ... odd.

Anyone remember the Islero GTS !??

Urraco's had their charm also especially for their time :-) I won't go into the Silhouette as the Jalpa was so much the same car.

A bit more off subject ... anyone ever seen the Genesis (built by Bertone as a show car).

http://www.csv.warwick.ac.uk/~suabm/lambo/archives/jpegs/genesis2.jpg

andys120

The 350GTV looked homely next to contemporary Ferraris (250-330 series), IMO. That's something I wouldn't say about any of it's successors.

jrosasmc

What exactly happened to the Silhouette? Was it discontinued because of poor quality?

Mr_Shiftright

The Silhouette was basically a two seat Urraco P300 with a Targa top. Lamborghini only made 54 of them. In the 70s, the company was on such a financial shoe-string that the Silhouette simply could not be developed into a real car. They had lots of problems with it, one of which was that it could not meet US regulations. So where else was there a market?