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New to me Diablo Roadster


nautoncall
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I'm the proud owner of a 1997.5 Roadster and have used the search button but was wondering if there was a "first time owners" thread talking about the nuiances of the car. I had a very extensive PPI done so some small issues need to be addressed but just lots of basic questions.

 

1. Any just general advice, etc. I know to keep it on a tender and to leave the windows cracked in case the battery fails.

 

2. What does the car idle at? When I start it it comes up to 1400-1500 then after a minute or so comes down to 1000 and stays there.( I assume this is the open loop then closed loop on start up) It drops when I start to let my foot off the clutch but is 1000 normal idle?

 

3. I got caught in a good rain shower yesterday afternoon (I don't purposfully drive in the rain but won't let a potential rain shower deter me from taking a drive) and the top leaked right where the front side glass angles down toward the front. Gaskets look good and not worn but I guess thats a hard area to seal.

 

Slowest car I have but what a joy to drive especially with the top off.

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1. Yes

2. Normal

3. Normal. When I asked the factory about it during the Giro in 2013, they told me to just drive faster, then no water will get in..

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3. Normal. When I asked the factory about it during the Giro in 2013, they told me to just drive faster, then no water will get in..

 

 

That's such an Italian thing to say! :lol2: It's just like when people asked about rearward visibility.

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I'm the proud owner of a 1997.5 Roadster and have used the search button but was wondering if there was a "first time owners" thread talking about the nuiances of the car. I had a very extensive PPI done so some small issues need to be addressed but just lots of basic questions.

 

1. Any just general advice, etc. I know to keep it on a tender and to leave the windows cracked in case the battery fails.

 

2. What does the car idle at? When I start it it comes up to 1400-1500 then after a minute or so comes down to 1000 and stays there.( I assume this is the open loop then closed loop on start up) It drops when I start to let my foot off the clutch but is 1000 normal idle?

 

3. I got caught in a good rain shower yesterday afternoon (I don't purposfully drive in the rain but won't let a potential rain shower deter me from taking a drive) and the top leaked right where the front side glass angles down toward the front. Gaskets look good and not worn but I guess thats a hard area to seal.

 

Slowest car I have but what a joy to drive especially with the top off.

 

CONGRATS!

any pics of the diablo?

all normal, battery tender are a must on these cars....the battery can last over 7 years and change them is a bit of a problem at home given location

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CONGRATS!

any pics of the diablo?

all normal, battery tender are a must on these cars....the battery can last over 7 years and change them is a bit of a problem at home given location

:iamwithstupid:

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Slowest car I have but what a joy to drive especially with the top off.

Relevant how? meh, lost interest in giving any positive advice. Sell it to someone who enjoys slow cars.

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Relevant how? meh, lost interest in giving any positive advice. Sell it to someone who enjoys slow cars.

I know what you mean. I tried to ignore that statement.

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I know what you mean. I tried to ignore that statement.

 

Thanks guys.

 

Not giving advice bc I make a statement about the car not being fast....wow

 

I said the car is a joy to drive and speed has nothing to do with an awesome driving experience. I think that's pretty relevant bc most people think a car needs to be fast. In today's car world the car is slow, however, it's very visceral and just an overall great car.

 

Not sure why the negativity over one statement.

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I'm not alone in reading those words as the tip of an iceberg 9 times out of 10 (and the benefit of the doubt isn't on your side). If I only had a dime for everyone who wanted to take cheap shots at the Diablo for not being as awesome as their other cars. That's just an argue now or argue later invitation on the forums.

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I'm not alone in reading those words as the tip of an iceberg 9 times out of 10 (and the benefit of the doubt isn't on your side). If I only had a dime for everyone who wanted to take cheap shots at the Diablo for not being as awesome as their other cars. That's just an argue now or argue later invitation on the forums.

 

Well I guess you guys have a chip on your shoulder about things others have said. The car is a legend. First Italian car so lots to learn. That's why I was hoping I could trust you guys and not get lambasted for one statement in the midst of saying what a fun car it is.

 

I don't degrade cars... All cars have flaws.

image.jpeg

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Congrats, great looking roadster. I love red/tan Lambos, I always think of the combo as a big :thefinger: to Ferrari since they act as if they have the market cornered on sexy red exotics.

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I'm not alone in reading those words as the tip of an iceberg 9 times out of 10 (and the benefit of the doubt isn't on your side). If I only had a dime for everyone who wanted to take cheap shots at the Diablo for not being as awesome as their other cars. That's just an argue now or argue later invitation on the forums.

 

I don't read anything negative into it. Diablo is def not a fast car but it's also 20+ years old.

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Yeah, didn't read anything negative about it being slow. My girlfriend's Lotus is slow in a straight line, yet is one of the most fun cars I've ever driven. My mom's '60 Corvette is one of the slowest cars I've ever driven and I love driving it.

 

Congrats on the new car nautoncall!

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I don't read anything negative into it. Diablo is def not a fast car but it's also 20+ years old.

Chip, you're one of the more helpful dudes around, so it's no surprise how you see it. Helpfulness is your default setting.

 

We've seen plenty of threads where the low-post guy comes on here and wants to talk about how awesome his car collection is or how awesome his "other" car is at the expense of the Diablo...and even if he just spent the money on a Diablo, wants to talk about how it's a turd because that'll make him feel unique. That kind of guy sells the car in a year anyway. I don't care what people think of their cars, and I don't care if the Diablo is slow by today's standards. I'm not the one with a chip on my shoulder.

 

So I'll say it again, that last statement from nautoncall is 9 times out of 10, the tip of the iceberg for a guy with a bone to pick about some irrelvant bullshit or some drawn out alternate agenda to feel bigger. After me having said something negative, of course nautoncall will fly straight and not go down that path, but it still looks like an argue-now or argue-later scenario. The only difference between me and nautoncall is that I've seen it a thousand times in the Diablo community, like any other common theme of "how much did you pay for it." "how fast have you had it," and "what do you do for a living..." Of course I would want everyone to enjoy their cars, but I don't have any tolerance to spare for alternate agendas.

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Chip, you're one of the more helpful dudes around, so it's no surprise how you see it. Helpfulness is your default setting.

 

We've seen plenty of threads where the low-post guy comes on here and wants to talk about how awesome his car collection is or how awesome his "other" car is at the expense of the Diablo...and even if he just spent the money on a Diablo, wants to talk about how it's a turd because that'll make him feel unique. That kind of guy sells the car in a year anyway. I don't care what people think of their cars, and I don't care if the Diablo is slow by today's standards. I'm not the one with a chip on my shoulder.

 

So I'll say it again, that last statement from nautoncall is 9 times out of 10, the tip of the iceberg for a guy with a bone to pick about some irrelvant bullshit or some drawn out alternate agenda to feel bigger. After me having said something negative, of course nautoncall will fly straight and not go down that path, but it still looks like an argue-now or argue-later scenario. The only difference between me and nautoncall is that I've seen it a thousand times in the Diablo community, like any other common theme of "how much did you pay for it." "how fast have you had it," and "what do you do for a living..." Of course I would want everyone to enjoy their cars, but I don't have any tolerance to spare for alternate agendas.

 

Well you can get off my case, I'm here to get helpful information about a new purchase. And thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt. Every car forum is different and has different dynamics but I hope it gets better than this.

 

To everyone else, thanks. I'm sure as I get more seat time I'll have tons of questions.

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Guys, mellow out. It was a complement, albeit backhanded, but praiseworthy of the car nonetheless.

 

Badass Diablo, and welcome to the forum.

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Thanks guys.

 

Not giving advice bc I make a statement about the car not being fast....wow

 

I said the car is a joy to drive and speed has nothing to do with an awesome driving experience. I think that's pretty relevant bc most people think a car needs to be fast. In today's car world the car is slow, however, it's very visceral and just an overall great car.

 

Not sure why the negativity over one statement.

 

You seem like a nice enough guy, you must understand we get a lot of guys talking negative about the Diablos that do not understand nor appreciate the car for what it is a true legend (as you stated) and one that will never be repeated again.

 

99% of us love our D's and I mean LOVE THEM, so when you post anything slightly negative it will ruffle some feathers, chalk it up to lesson learned. We talk about problems, we are excellent in solving issues, just don't talk about our mistresses in a negative way :D

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Not sure why the negativity over one statement.

 

Backhanded compliments of the Diablo are not ideal on this forum.

 

I hope you're ok with the fact that unless you're Mika Hakkinen, you won't be setting many fastest laps at your local track. :icon_mrgreen:

 

Now what else do you have that is so fast that you just picked up the 21st century version of a 308?

 

 

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Congrats, great looking roadster. I love red/tan Lambos, I always think of the combo as a big :thefinger: to Ferrari since they act as if they have the market cornered on sexy red exotics.

 

Well, you kinda corner the market by default when your main competitor paints 90% of their cars yellow, orange and green, and your German competitor paints their cars white and silver. :icon_thumleft:

 

And in fairness to those companies, their customers insist on non red.

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Welcome to the forum, you'll enjoy it here. I am not sure who pissed in everyone's cheerios this morning, and I didn't take offense to that statement at all. I have driven, and still have a factory bookset, to a 97.5 Diablo Roadster and while the car is very, very cool, it was also somewhat slow. That said, you don't buy that car to have a rocketship, you buy it to have a vintage Lamborghini. I think that despite all of its little flaws and kinks, it is one of the most amazing cars around. That said, most of todays daily drivers are faster than that, so I understand where your point was coming from.

 

You will find a lot of very helpful people here with a dearth of knowledge. Nejoy the car and update the tread with some aditional pictures when you have time!

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I think I read on another forum that he has a Ford GT, a Heffner Viper and possibly something else. All he said was it was the slowest car of what he owns. Why is that even being debated? it was a truthful statement followed up by praise.

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