> I certainly agree. Although I don't get out on the road every day in my 21
> year old classic convertible, it is my primary vehicle.
>
> A lot of days, I don't get out any further than the front yard. It's
> gorgeous again today, so I'll be out there again soon.
I've got a friend, from way back, that has a Lamborghini Diablo that
is his "daily driver". He puts about 15,000 miles a year on it. I met
him when we both had RX-7s. It turns out that the maintenance costs
for a high-miles Diablo are less than what they are for a once-a-week,
coffee-and-cars, Diablo. His has somewhere around 200,000 miles on it
and he says that the more worn out the car gets, the more reliable it
becomes. The tolerances on new/low-mileage engines and transmissions
is so tight that even the most minor thing can make them break. The
engine, itself, is actually the most solid part of the car. Typical
Italian car--electrical, transmissions, clutches, brakes and what not,
are what fail. After a while, all the electrical items are addressed
and you learn how to drive the car so the brakes and clutches down
shell out. What is shocking to most people is that his isn't the
highest mileage Diablo around. However,... After the third time
replacing the clutch, he had some custom work done which lowered the
overall performance a bit, but he's now going on 60,000 miles on the
current clutch. It has been a budget saver. Just make sure everything
is warmed up before getting on it. Baby it when cold.
He bought it used, and for a good price, since it already had too many
miles on it, does almost all his own maintenance--except for the major
items that require the engine to be removed, and only added a couple
of "stage 2" upgrades which strengthened the car, but didn't actually
add any performance. He's had it long enough now that it has become
one of his most affordable cars he's ever owned. The first couple of
years were pretty rough. The biggest expense he has with it is
replacing the wrap on it every year to get a new color scheme.
So, you have to appreciate people who actually USE nice things.
Speaking of such, there is an OM-3Ti calling me.
AG Schnozz
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