Hello, I'm new to this site so please bear with me as I find my way around.

I am getting very close to being able to purchase my first real Countach. I am most likely going towards the 25th anniversary due to a few reasons. One, I like the styling and two, I am a 6 foot 2 incher.

I have read that low mileage cars will most likely need a lot work to get road worthy again, while on the other hand a higher mileage car will also require a lot of work.

So what should I look for and or steer clear from at this point.

Finally I have also heard that you will have to replace the clutch every 5000 miles regardless of your driving style, is this true??

Thanks, Brian.

Who told you this - a clutch shop??

Seriously, you may need to replace the clutch every 500 miles GIVEN your driving style. There are some "rules/tricks" you will need to know to avoid clutch trouble.

-mick

Maintenance will be key. A low mileage car that has been well taken care of and driven regularly would be perfect. A no mileage car that has rotted for a few years will need more $$ to bring it up to speed. Each car is different and you need to look at them individually and/or get someone to do a PPI for you. You need to be selective here because a bad specimen could cost you $25-30k in repairs while a good one you could start driving immediately.

5,000 miles is a good "rule of thumb", but you can burn the clutch the first time you drive it or you can do a lot of long distance driving and the clutch could last you 20,000 miles or more.

Here is my diablo getting delivered to me this morning from an exotic body repair shop. They re did the painting and the polishing and now my baby looks astonishing. let me know what u guys think. this is the first ever supercar i ever bought and its the only supercar that i currently own, it will be joined by a murcielago roadster at the end of the year.P.S. Sorry for the bad photography but the delivery truck was parked very close to other cars and the road is very narrow

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"Instrument of Insanity"!!!!

Raginbull - very nice SE30 what number is it? One of my all time favorite Diablos - the only car that can "wear" metalic purple IMO.

Alex

Hi Brian,

don't believe all the nightmares, my clutch had over 40t Km when I replaced it while the engine was out to fix the leaking head gasket, it was still worth some 10t Km's.
It's true you can burn a clutch within a few jump starts but I suppose your not this kind of childish driver.

My suggestion, buy rather a car with 10k miles or more with a known service history than a garage queen which was left in garage for more than 1 year.
All the liquids in the engine will age causing corrosion and all seals will dry out causing oil leaks as soon as the car is used again.

Take care the services were performed by a known reputated dealer, if the service manual is missing or not corresponding the emission documents stay away of the car.
Also former bills might be interesting to know what work was performed.

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RaymondQV
Countach QV Ex-Mimran #GLA12997, Urraco P300 #20530, 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”.

Stickpit - my advice is to spend as much as you possibly can and find the nicest original car you can find on the market in your price range. Save at least another 10% to 15% on things to do after you buy the car.

Clutches are NOT an issue IF you follow simple driving rules such as: don't launch the car from a dead stop, don't try to smoke the tires (you may just smoke the clutch) don't keep the car in first at a traffic light - put it in neutral, understand how a clutch works (if you have to learn how to use a clutch don't learn in the Countach) - there is no reason that you cannot reach 40-50,000 Km with an original Lambo clutch - even driving the car hard. At such intervals an engine out check and clutch replacement is warranted.

Lambos are much easier to maintain than Ferraris since all (with the exception of the Urraco P200 and P250) have cam chains rather than timing belts. In many F cars it is an engine out procedure.

However if you are 6'2" you may want to consider a Diablo - your head WILL touch the roof and you won't be able to see out the side mirrors.

Good luck on your quest.

Alex

Thanks all for your input.

Brian

I have been there and done that. Please have a Lambo qualified mechanic with Countach experiance inspect the car before buyin, no matter how good the car seems to you, even on a lift. Of course is you are a mechanic that would be differernt. The car is 16 years old and, unless work has been done you will have issues. For example. The rear half shaft seals (4) and boots may be all leaking and need replacing. About a 6 hours job plus parts. The Air Conditioner may need any number of parts including an expansion valve, dryer, compressor, etc. Cam cover gaskets may be leaking. If they are leaking badly that requires the engine to come out to fix I believe. The dreaded clutch change with engine out required. Big bucks. Tires can be an issue as the rear Pirelli's are out of production although there were a few made recently specially be the factory. $450 each. Check the O.Z. wheels for pitting, scratches, etc. $1500 each or refinish them which it not always an easy job. Fuse and circuit boards are old and could be loose or ready to burn up. The Marelli ignition can be a weak spot. I think by now you get the point. It would be worth whatever the cost to get the car checked out by a mechanic with Countach experiance no matter WHAT the cost. IF the car turns out to need $10K in repairs you can either negoitiate the price down or walk. Good luck. IF you get a good one you will find that it is an exciting machine.

Tires are no issue, ask Terry if you need some.
I will install Michelin TB as soon as they got delivered.

Most of the weak spots are already mentioned, I also described the way to perform a PPI in another thread.

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RaymondQV
Countach QV Ex-Mimran #GLA12997, Urraco P300 #20530, 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”.