However reasonable, I think this was the statement that rubbed the dealer the wrong way.

It appears that the seller has the misguided belief, that because he is honest and has no knowledge of problems with the car, therefore the car is perfect (apart from the few missing parts mentioned).

Maybe a follow-up email would be worthwhile with a list of specific questions of the condition of the costly to replace or repair components, such as compression and/or leak-down numbers, camber angles (non-adjustable and therefore an indicator for chassis straightness), dents and door dings, paint on a scale of 1 to 5 and many more questions.

At $18k I am sure there will be a buyer unaware that he is taking a risk, only later to curse the “quality and bad design” of a Lamborghini Jalpa, because it doesn’t run well and eventually hide it in a garage until eventually selling it in the same condition.

Personally I like to see a Jalpa in “safe hands”.

Laust