I am contemplating the purchase of a jalpa and would like your opinions and expertise on the car. The other options im considering are ferrari 308/328 and porsche 911/993 targa. Obviously the lamdo has exclusivity and a raw character going for it. What other reasons should I consider the lambo over my other options, besides because its a lambo and were all biased. Will not be daily driver...3k-5k a year im guesing.

Also, what I want to know is...what are the factory recommended service intervals for jalpa? At what milage/time is the major service due? Is it an engine out procedure? And what can I expect a major service to cost?

I'd take a Jalpa in a heartbeat over your other choices!! Nothing Compares to owning a Lamboghini!!!!!

As to your other Q's, it has ALOT to do with which car you buy! Goods ones may not need service for years, bad ones may need a complete restoration yesterday!

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JRV

www.PinnacleMotorsports.com

I think I can give some insight. I owned all three that you are considering at the same time . They are all wonderful for different reasons.

The 993 was my track car. It could take abuse and still be reliable. You could take it to the grocery store or the mall and not worry about parking it anywhere.

Now for the older, finicky, Italian cars.

The Jalpa was always my husbands favorite. It was faster than the 308, It had a great sound, very stiff chassis, and nobody knew what it was. They knew it was unique, but most didn't have a clue beyond that.

The 308 is probably the most reconizable Ferrari ever made (thanks to Magnum) It is fun and has better rear visibility than any Lambo. They are both a pain in parking lots, but both are a joy on the open road.

I think it all depends on what your passion is. they are all great choices.

De

If you are considing a Jalpa you have to know a little about the car you are going to buy, not just Jalpas in general. Each car has been cared for at a different level of commitment. Good Jalpas run $30,000 plus and even some of them can use a little TLC to get them perfect.

The 308 is common, cheap, and easy to work on, but even Ferrari guys scoff at 308 owners at times...

A 993 is the "newest" design and tech wise, it will probably be themost reiable, but I have had a Jalpa for 4.5 years and never had anything more than minor issues.

They are however, slow by todays standards, but I did not buy mine to be the fastest on the block... get a new car if that is want you are looking for.

Also go to:

www.jalpa.ch

Raymond owns the site and there is a lot of information on the sire. If you need help contact him, myself, or the other owners. Once you find a car we can tell you if it has hit ebay 3 times in 2 years or if it is in good shape.

Also pay to go see it in person and have a good mechanic (does not need to be a Lambo guy) look at the car to see what is wrong with it. Someone that has worked on carbs and or older OHC engines.

Hope it helps.
David

still eagerly searching for the answer to my question...what are the factory recommended service intervals for jalpa? At what milage/time is the major service due? Is it an engine out procedure? And what can I expect a major service to cost? ANYBODY??

The reason no one has answered it directly is as I stated above. It is really car dependant. My first Jalpa went about 80,000 KM without any rebuild before the current owner had the engine rebuilt...it was time there were some worn parts.

I have also heard of Jalpas that went as few as 10,000KM before a rebuild of the engine.

Attached is the what the owners manual says for "service" but no modern car company tells an owner when to rebuid an engine.

A valve /timing job would be the biggest none standard / regular maint. Again car dependent on how a person drives.

change the extension on the file below to .mht and then open it to view. This is a single web page

never mind the upload will not work send me your email in a pm and I will send you the file

I have had my Jalpa for 2 years now and have been in the middle of a major overhaul for the last six weeks. If you pick the wrong car, you can easily approach or even exceed the cost of your original purchase. Parts can be expensive and hard to find. The car does not utilize belts like the old Ferraris', so you don't have those types of major engine out services like that with the Jalpa (chain drives). Valve adjustments do require the engine to be dropped. The valves can be a problem area on these cars (see Raymonds site) as well as the motor mounts. My best advice would be to buy the best example available: it will cost you less in the long run. With all that said, where else could you find a ultra exotic, rare (only 420 units ever made) fun to drive cars for the price of a honda?

ps The cost of a major service will vary greatly based on what is done once the engine is dropped. You will find that many of these cars will have all their original hoses, fuel lines, ect.... Find a car that has had a recent major done already.

thanks guys....I am only familiar with the ferrari 328's service requirements 15k minor service and 30k major service that cost 4500-5k and was looking to see if Jalpa's had similar requirements and cost. Now i understand that the jalpa is chain driven and thus doesnt have that same requirement for that major service. I now understand why everybody could not answer my question directly and was saying it is dependent on the condition of the car and the care its previous owner showed it. Its all making sence now!!!

In general the jalpa is a reliable car which causes less problems, mine has now 72t Km, the reason why I dropped the engine were the broken engine mounts. This is no more an issue with my stronger ones.
Put in a Permatune ignition box, overhoul the carbs and tune them well, then you have an amazing bull.
Mine has 35ppm HC only with the airpump, no cats, not bad for a 20 year old car isn't it...

Apart from this I had no major issues, valve clearance was checked when the engine was out (68t Km) and needed no adjustment, the car never had a break down in 5 years and 30t Km I'm owning it.

Plan a regular maintenance every 10t miles with oil and plug change, that's all you need to do if you drive it regularly.

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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”.