Here is a quick abreviated story about my car.

Saw the car in 2000, fell in love with it. Didn't buy because of maintenece fears.

2006 the car came up for sale again. I knew from seeing it that there were a couple minor issues. The owner had addressed some and advertised the car as mechanically sound but needing paint and weather stripping. I found a shop in town that worked on Lamborghini. I decided to go for it.

-The car would not start for shipping pick up. New battery got it going.
-The car would not start on arrival. Charged battery and got it going. Died 3 times on the freeway.
-Took car to shop after figuring out it was the key ignition switch. Had that rebuilt and had the brakes rebuilt for around $600 each. Labor getting it all in and out was another 600 or so for about $2000.
-Drove the car home. Went to DEQ, failed and the car broke down in front of my house when I got home.
-Went back to the shop. After a full inspection I got a list of 16 things needed to make the car run properly. New plug wires $30, carburetor rebuild $1600, water pump rebuild $600, alternator tab welded to waterpump housing $300, replaced fuel lines, replaced water hoses, new bearings for throttle linkage, new solid alternator bushings fabricated.
-I spent months going through my list and spent about $10,000 getting to this point.
-Once the sorting was done, the ignition stopped working again. It was rebuilt free of charge and a relay was recommended.
-Took the car out after having it running for a week. Loud clanking started coming from inside the engine after 2 hours on the raod.
-Now I need to have the engine taken out and taken appart to find the problem. Whatever is going on the engine needs to come out. While out I plan to have it rebuilt with upgrades and re-work problem areas. This is estimated to cost around $15,000.
-I also have not replace missing weather stripping. Some rubber parts are not available.
-My car would not pass DEQ so I got special plates for it.

This is where I am at now. Once I drive the car a bit, I expect to find more buggs.

good points

this is why that car costs 10k$ : THE UNKNOWN under a car sitting from some time and with already some body worcks ....

when you will start worcking on it you will need to have some spare money to get it done!

so it could be a nice deal for 10k$ or you could regret not having spent some 40k or more on a weel sorted car!

Here are some hard numbers.

I spent $33,000 for my Jalpa in 2006
I spent $2,500 getting it shipped NY to OR
I spent $10,000 sorting it out
I need a $15,000 engine rebuild

"What could I have bought with 60,500?"
This seems to be the type of question car collectors recommend everyone ponder when considering a project car. Projects are usually better done for the love of a car than for money savings. If that works for you, the car you mentioned could be a sweet deal. Your intial investment will be much lower than mine, but your sorting costs could be higher.

Another piece of advice to consider (that I liked) is repairs and project costs are usually spread out. You might not come out ahead, but it will be spent over time.

I don't want to steer you one way or the other. Just give you information that might help you decide what is best for you. Plenty of logic for and against.

exactly

very well said

must also be said that project are very good if you would worck on the car yourself and you have the time do it!

otherwise as an economic pov is often not worth the game...

"must also be said that project are very good if you would worck on the car yourself and you have the time do it!"

Yes! I should have mentioned, I did a lot myself. I sent out the aluminium weld job, the water pump, carburetors, and anythinig I felt unsure of. After my first trip to the shop, I realized the shop sent everything away to get rebuilt. I did all of the tear down and reassembly as well as anything not requiring special tools or expertise.

Thanks for all the help and information. I'm glad I asked guys who've done it before because it helped me get over the initial excitement of owning a Lamborghini and get to the reality of restoring a car. My friend and I were planning on working on whatever we could ourselves, though we don't have any Lamborghini experience. I need to look the car over again and get some good pictures and just keep researching.

When I go back to take a closer look, is there anything in particular I should look for? What should I look for in the enging bay that might be some tell-tale signs of a problem? I'm gonna bring a flashlight and look underneath, too. Any suggestions? Thanks again.

The problem is that you cannot see into the mechanical parts which will cost a fortune to fix, you can check the engine oil, if the dipstick has already signs of rust or the plugs were rusty you can be prepared to spend $25-30k for the engine alone.

Other issues are gearbox and diff, normally they don't break but if then the massive problems begin since there are no parts available.

__________________
RaymondQV
Countach QV Ex-Mimran #GLA12997, Urraco P300 #20530 sold in August 2008, Jalpa #FLA12203 sold in May 2006
www.countach.ch
www.jalpa.ch

When Frank Sinatra got his Miura S in 1970, he said: “If you wanna be someone, buy Ferrari - If you are someone, you own a Lamborghini”.

if you do decide to pass on the jalpa, i'll be interested.

best of luck on you decision

RS

I've decided to pass on this opportunity. I hope I don't regret it someday but right now I just don't have the space or the time and I believe it deserves someone who can bring it back to its original state. I really appreciate everyone's help and information. I definitely realized that this is the place to go for knowledge on Lamborghinis and I plan to use it in the future. One day, I will be a Lamborghini owner. I'd be happy to give out the owner's phone number, but I'd have to check with him first. Just to let you know; the car is located in the eastern panhandle of WV, a few miles outside of a town called Martinsburg. About an 1.5 hours from DC. I'll let you know as soon as I talk to him. Also, I saw a 1987 Jalpa for sale online at

1987 Lamborghini Jalpa for Sale - duPontREGISTRY.com.

Not sure if anyone had seen that yet. Just thought I'd pass it along.