for those of you who have owned and later sold your jalpas...would you be kind enough to post why you decided to sell? i am in the market for a jalpa and have found the proper mechanic in my area to work on one (i think?)...and am close to having found the right one to buy (again...i think?). the best advice i can get is from those who used to own one. if you could be kind enough and have a few minutes as to why you eventually sold yours...it's greatly appreciated. i would like to know what i'm getting myself into....(i surely don't want to permanent project car in the shop). thanks very much....

Why do you only want to hear from those that sold theirs?? Why not from those that have one and would never get rid of it? Out of the 4 moderators 3 of us have Jalpas....Well now 2 of us because Raymond sold his.

My first Jalpa (cannot remember the vin and it was 23 yrs ago so I have no paperwork on it) was purchased from Royal Motor Car in Ft Lauderdale in 1986. I chose it over the Lotus espirit (horrible car), the 328 and the Pantera all of the same year. I loved Jalpa, but sold it 3 years later because I lived and worked in The Bahamas and would travel to Ft Lauderdale on weekends to enjoy the car, which became tedious after some time.

Fast forward 20 yrs I purchased a 1984 one owner Jalpa this past June and as many who have been watching are in the process of restoring it to almost pristine condition. I will never sell this car as my two young sons have already staked their claim on it, but the real reason is it's a great driving vechile that is well designed, has real true performance, sounds fantastic and still turns heads everywhere you drive it. Lastly I think that the Jalpa is extremely under valued making it a sound investment as well. BTW I am know also looking for another to purchase. Hope this post helps in your decision.

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Lambotsavy
Jalpa #ELA12100

certainly does help...i have found one in excellent condition that i am looking to buy. i do have reasons why TO buy one...there are many. the reason i wanted to hear from those who sold theirs was to hear their story as to why. Lambotsavy, your reason to sell a while back is certainly not a vehicle-specific reason which is nice to hear. as i previously stated, i want to know what kind of issues i should be aware of BEFORE going into it....especially when i read that raymond sold his. i am also keeping track of your restoration process...looks like you're doing an awesome job on it. i am also in florida (south east coast). the shop certainly seems to be a proper place to get work done before i actually ship it back down here. thanks again...

Raymond sold his because he didn't have room with the Countaches!! That again is not a vehicle-specific problem. I will tell you first hand that they are great cars and would never sell it.

I just sold mine this month after having it for almost 4 years. Incredible car. Loved every minute with it. Perhaps the most underrated, misunderstood exotic in the world. You won't go wrong with a good Jalpa.
Sold mine, cuz I bought a Countach and held onto both as long as I liked.
The Jalpa is not half the car the Countach is but can be purchased for less than half the price.

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Had Enzo been a gentleman...The greatest cars on the planet would have never existed.

Jalpa FLA12194
Countach ELA12667
Countach KLA12002

thanks for the input guys...

...i've read lots of the posts in this and the lambo-power site to get an idea of what kind of problems could arise from the Jalpa. many seem to do fine with them and a select few seem to have tons of problems all over the place, along w/difficulty in finding parts. personally, i'm not a mechanic and don't know much about the maintenance of the cars...also, like everything, there will be some bad apples...just wondering if it's too tough finding parts and the proper mechanic (seems that lambo dealers themselves aren't that great at working on the jalpas and far too expensive to make any sense in taking it there anyways...). i wouldn't really want to be unable to drive it for, say, 6 months because they can't find a small part? seems that Lambotsavy has a real nice place that works on his in tampa...if i find that down here in s.florida, it'll be a definite GO. thanks fellas...

That's also the reason why I sold mine, after I bought the countach I had hardly driven the jalpa, then I bought terrain for the new house so it had to go.
My Jalpa always ran perfectly, no issues except the broken engine mounts in 6 years and 30t km ownerships, it never let me down.

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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”.

Hello,
I'm also considsering buying a Jalpa and looking for input on maintenance and repair costs. As well prior to purchasing what should I look for? Is an engine cylinder pressure check recommended, how do I determine if the engine mounts are in need of replacing? Any good visual indications of needing a tune-up, (exhaust tailpipe clues etc.) Any and all other hints as to good or poor condition without a full mechanical once over? I don't have bottomless pockets so this car is appealing from an initial price point, but am I missing the boat with other costs to own and operate?
All input greatly appreciated!

I strongly suggest getting a PPI on any vehicle purchase. You will save yourself a lot of aggrevation and money.