Hi, This question has probably been asked before if so please point me to any specific threads (I can't find any addressing this.)

I am in the UK.

I am considering a Diablo roadster or replica. The original cars are easier to obtain, most of the replicas are rubbish though it does seem possible to have one custom built at long lead time, to high specification, which would suit me.
I have no interest in snobbery of ownership of "the real thing" - I am only considering the car for the wonderful machine that it is, regardless of the builder.

I am aware that obviously these cars cost money to run, and a "real" one will certainly cost more than a replica. What I am trying to establish is the true picture of what risks are involved in buying a real diablo and whether it is worth it or not. The roadsters I am looking at typically are about 9 years old and covered between 20-30k kms in mileage.

I would like to hear only from people who have owned real diablos over some time and are able to perhaps illuminate what are the pitfalls of ownership in terms of huge unexpected service bills for example, if the engine or drivetrain suffered major failure on this model, or what other types of bills tend to arise during ownership, and whether these are really as off-putting as they may at first seem.

The basic view that I have at the moment, which is rather un-educated, is that buying a real diablo is leaving myself open to expect to be utterly fleeced (robbed, for want of a better word!) on a regular basis for extremely over-priced parts. We have independant lambo service here (verdi) who quote about £2500 GBP for a clutch as to say £4500 from an official service centre. It is not just that which concerns me, my thought is (having owned various porsche boxsters and suffering a series of expensive bills which can only be termed hidden cost of ownership) that if anything goes wrong with a Diablo the parts would need to be geniuine Lambo and would not represent any good value for money, instead would be insanely expensive for what they are. In other words ownership of a real diablo, expecially with some mileage on it, would necessarily represent a series of extremely high service bills over time say 5-figures per year just to keep the car on the road. That would soon take the fun out of the whole experience. But this idea may of course be incorrect, hence my quandry. I have never owned any Lambo so I just don't know what to expect.

I would much appreciate any geniune input on this so that I can form a better view on the realities of running one of these cars.

Many thanks.

I’ll take a go...
The cost of ownership question comes up a lot on these forums. The answer is always the same. It depends on many things as with all cars. Luck being just one of the factors. It also critically depends on how much you know about the car, how much you wish/can do yourself and if there is (when you get stuck), an experienced shop available to help you out. If you don't wish to get your hands dirty, run into panic mode the minute the check engine light comes on, have never used a manual clutch and are driving a "hard used car", yes expect to pay a lot and continuously.

I have had 3 Diablos over ~8 years. I have put in probably 40K miles on them. I have never had to do a clutch job or engine rebuild on mine, but yes I have had a few surprises. Most are illustrated at:-http://www.lamboweb.com/Repairs.htm

The problems by and large are little things that can be fun or a real pain depending on your attitude and what you want out of a car. By comparison I have a C5 Corvette (I don’t think you have them in the UK) every darn month there is something wrong with it. No wonder GM sales are down. Then again I hammer my cars pretty hard.

One word of warning on a replica. By the time you get one that is decent I think you will find that it will cost you about the same if not more than an original lambo. The reason Lamborghinis are expensive is that the design is very difficult to build. The interior of most replicas that I have seen are comical. If this would be your second car, get a real one, learn about it, maintain it and enjoy it. Life is too short for anything else.

If your super freaked out about a catastrophic repair bill for a real Diablo you should buy your replica, It could happen, but not likely if you check the car out thoroughly. Of course you could be in for a ton of trouble with the replica too.

In any case this board is not replica friendly, but seems like it might be best for you.

Thanks guys. I had no idea it was possible to carry out own repairs on these cars. This has demystified it somewhat. Thanks also for the links. I was under the impression that the cars were less than user-friendly in that respect, and that every time a light came on there would be an automatic £3k bill or whatever. This knowledge does reduce the intimidation factor considerably, also that you've had three of them over 8 years and taken a hands-on attitude to them gives me some confidence indeed.

Yes I saw the flak on the replica threads LOL. Most of the replicas i've seen here are worse than a ridiculous joke. There is one that's better than the rest (DC Supercars) which is very authentic-looking throughout (spaceframe) and can be V12'd however as pointed out the cost is approaching that of a real one, hence why I am still considering a real one. One advantage of the replica is it's a new-built car so you know exactly what you're getting. Having said that, a low-mileage Diablo properly checked-out should also mean I know what I'm getting.

The horror stories I've been hearing are of the older lambo's Countach etc blowing engines, warping etc and having to be stripped at fairly low mileage and astronomical 5-figure rebuilds. I suppose the worst that could happen is a total engine failure? I had this on a porsche recently at 20k miles (main bearings failed, £8k ($15k US) bill for a new engine as the car was just out-of-warranty at two years old, quite a nasty business. So please imagine my thoughts of trepidation, a Diablo in bits all over the place with pistons hanging out, "oh its a lambo is it sir, need the real parts do we sir, that'll cost you an arm & a leg sir" is how I imagined it to be. Maybe not, I'll keep reading.

Thanks again!

What does "regardless of the builder" mean? Lamborghini's are built by a company called "Lamborghini". Cars not built by Lamborghini are not Lamborghini's. It has nothing to do with "snobbery". If you want to experience a Lamborghini then guess what - you have to by a Lamborghini. And here is the wierd part - Lamborghini's can be relatively expensive to buy, own and maintain. Having said that its not like the car has any special "melt down" characteristics. And none of the owners I know use repair bills as status symbols.

As far as many of us are concerned, nothing comes close to a Lamborghini. If something did, we might own that instead.

-mick

> What does "regardless of the builder" mean?

I mean I am just looking at the machine itself. I am willing to consider each machine purely on its own merits.

Please can you explain this:

> Having said that its not like the car has any special "melt down" characteristics.

Do you mean they don't tend to partially self-destruct in any particular way, more than other cars?

Thanks.

Let me put it this way:

1) I am happy to drive my Diablo Roadster any day, any where and any distance. My CT is a bit more work.

2) I had more trouble with engines and engine fires in my Pontiac Fiero that I care to remember. My FIAT X/19 was a pure nightmare.

-mick