kaoss

I can tell you this about that car...Roy spent the money to make it street legal...turn signals, horns, functional headlights, put a dash in it (a real alcantera Diablo dash not some race car dash board with gauges stuffed in it), rear view camera, etc all the while trying to take the car back to how it appeared when it was raced, including the numbers on the car. I've driven the car a lot, both on the street and on the track at the Lambo Driving Experience in Fontana and the car just comes to life on the track, it's an amazing car when just driving around town, although I will say it lacks air flow in the summer time...memories of 105 degrees outside sitting in traffic with the door up trying to get some air flow come to mind!!! LOL. But on the track, totally different animal and totally at home there. I'm glad he's kept that car, it's a great piece of Lambo history, he's spent the money to make it enjoyable, it's a pleasure to drive (Not nearly as abusive on the driver as the GTR was), and it's continues to make people smile whenever he takes it out for a drive. Just a cool car IMHO overall...one of the cooler ones in his collection (of course I'm biased and love SE #19...but that just me LOL)

Make friends with the remarketing manager at a Brashers auto auction, they handle all of the remarketing for VW...which are laser cut keys. I used to get them for under 100.00, pre-programmed and next day. Anything in the VW family was the same price, it's a joke that these stealers charge so much for replacement keys acting like they're difficult to get or something special.

Color dictates almost everything in the Murcie market. Aside from the normal factors, service and miles...color is the number one factor in price differences. It's nothing like comparing a white Toyota to a red one...the price swing is huge between a pearl orange car and a silver car...blue monterey will bring top dollar, as there are only four of them for 03, even with miles on it, over a blue hera car, and possibly bring more than an orange one. The Murcie is a lot of car for the money and they are up because there were no V12 cars produced for almost 3 full years, so that got all of the good cars picked up and enjoyed...what comes up on the market now is reflective of that gap of no cars for 3 years and then of course, good ones are harder and harder to find. It's best to identify the color you want and then ask the question...looking at a silver 03 with 18k miles listed at 125k isn't the same as looking at a pearl orange 03 with 25k miles and asking 140k. The orange one will sell where the silver will sit for awhile. Both great cars, just color is in such demand that the prices are much higher for those colors people want right now. A good 03 will run 130-145k realistically.

LOL...big "puddle"...I think the words were "flash flood". Car had a wing on it when it had 27k miles on it. I'm sure current owner has gone through everything and made it right. Was a really strong car back when it had 27k on the clock.

Are you thinking of buying this car or just asking for general purpose? If thinking of buying, there's a lot more to this car than is disclosed in the Ebay listing.

Agreed...that's why Italian car parts charges what they do, because of the lift system. If it were just the shock, it would be cheaper. I'm happy with the results and I had both fronts rebuilt, no leak and worked perfectly immediately.

I think you are correct in using local shops, however what italian car parts said was that is wasn't the process as much as it was obtaining the seals and parts from KONI. I didn't research it further after my conversation with him, cause I needed the shocks done, so I sent them to him and they were returned as he promised and still no issues to this day.

I have used them in the past for shock rebuilding...they are SLOW but do a good job and their prices were as advertised. He's In Oregon and seldom answers his phone, but he does return calls. I think he pretty much does it in his spare time, but like I said, he did perform and it was a HUGE savings over new shocks. Worth the wait for the cost savings.

If you have a winch inside your trailer you can buy neoprene "skids" from a tow truck supply store. They're specifically built to drag a car without dragging the tires...basically the tires get pulled up onto the skids which lifts the car up off the ground an inch or so and the neoprene slides pretty easy from there. The weight of the car keeps the skids in place. I used to use them quite a bit in repo biz, they work well when you have limited space and cannot use go jacks.

Anything is possible. It's all about time and money. I know first hand that Alex spent endless hours tweaking and fitting the panels on the orange one until it was perfect. The attention to details, all the way down to the bonnet quick release tie downs on the orange car was fantastic. If someone wanted to take the time and spend the money to make this one perfect then yes, it's possible. Keep in mind, I'm not saying that this one isn't well done because it is very well done...there are just a few places where a little extra time and dedication to perfection would've made things over the top. It has the right stance now, could probably stand to be a little lower still, but the black wheels are awesome on there and totally made the car.

The car is very nice and drives solid...pulls hard and strong. The paint is good overall. The installation of the kit was pretty good...I'd say not as detailed as Alex at SP Engineering was when he did his orange one that Dr Phil (not tv Dr) has now, but it's a good fit and finish. The price differential is pretty much reflective of the work performed at SP after the car was purchased...in fact, the owner owned the car for almost 4-5 months before ever seeing the car in person as it went straight to SP after it was bought. The black wheels and blacked out exhaust make the car look sinister, and it sounds great with the exhaust system that is installed on it as well. It's got the low miles, which is a plus for some and the interior is in great shape. In person the car presents very well and looks great going down the road. The car is a 2001 Diablo 6.0...so there's no error on the carfax...carfax often has issues finding reports on Diablo's for some reason. Hope that helps.

Thanks everyone...it really is the hardest thing to deal with. Most people aren't as fortunate as I was to be able to either work from home or travel with him everywhere I went...so we were literally together 24/7 his entire life. He traveled with me delivering cars, in fact a lot of members here have met him when I dropped off your cars, etc. Just a great dog in every way. Sucks to see him go.

Well, it's been a rough one...many of you followed my post about my great dane falling sick and not being able to walk, then being misdiagnosed several times until finally a tumor was found on his brain stem. I tried experimental drugs, but the tumor grew too fast, radiation would've left him lifeless, and chemo would've killed him...operating was not an option due to the location. He started downhill over the weekend, couldn't lift his head anymore and was in so much pain. Anyways, I'm sad to report that today Tei passed away. Truly my best friend. Thanks all for the support and well wishes. I know he's in a better place and no longer in pain. Just sucks, he was only 6.5 years old. I'll miss you buddy.

Sometimes it's one step forward and two steps back with this stuff. Got tired of vets guessing at what is wrong with Tei...so made the trek to his normal vet who made room for him, then spent 45 minutes with us, all without charging us a dime for his time. He was able to locate the source of the problem in about 6 minutes...it;s not a spinal stroke, or anything else people thought it was...found pain in his neck...had CT scan, which found a tumor at the base of his skull pressing on the first vertebre in his neck. Test on spinl fluid showed slightly higher protein levels but nothing major. Waiting on call back from oncologist now to see if he can treat without an MRI, more updates to follow.

Man that sucks...I sold him that car when I worked with Roy...He was meticulous about the deal and the car...met him in Monterey a few years ago too, thought he was an awesome guy. RIP Charlie.

Update on Tei...He's supposed to be walking daily BUT his rear leg has been quite the challenge for him...he makes it about 20-30 steps and his leg falls further and further behind him, dragging more and more...until he finally gets overwhelmed and lays down. So, I made this contraption tonight, made a padded ankle bracelet and attached some elastic to it then to his chest harness...when he takes his weight off of his lame leg, the elastic pulls it forward and puts it underneath him, no dragging his foot. Just did test run outside with it on him, have a couple adjustments to make but sure does work! He almost took off running! I had to stop him cause he's not ready for that, but this is amazing how much it helps him! More updates to follow! Hard to see in the pic...but you get the idea.

Update....Went to the neurologist today....glad I did. Turns out that my Great Dane suffered a mild stroke in his spinal cord which has affected his right side...rear leg mostly. Vet said I did the right thing by getting him on meds right away, as it probably helped minimize the damage. No real solution for him, other than short walks on soft surfaces for awhile, to prevent him from doing damage to his foot as it keeps rolling over and dragging. But vet said no brain damage, alert as can be, aware of surroundings and with the walks, he should make a full recovery in time. Until then, he gets massage nightly and 1-2 walks a day...thanks all for the support. Tei and I appreciate it.

So about a week and a half ago, my 6 yr old great dane started developing some motor skills issues...at first it just seemed like a stiff neck, but then he started bumping into things, falling over, stairs were a real issue for him, he just had a distressed look about him....makes you sad seeing it happen. Up until this, his health has been perfect, no hip issues, no neck issues, nothing...just healthy and happy. At first, I thought it was wobblers disease and took him in for X-rays...nothing conclusive other than some mild degeneration of the 5, 6, & 7th vertebre in his neck, but not enough to cause the neuro symptoms he's displaying. Vet suggested accupuncture, so gave that s try and his initial reaction was positive but went back to where he was the following morning. So back to the vet we went...but I did a ton of internet searching for his symptoms and found several danes that have had a very similiar situation. I guessed it's an issue called Peripheral Vestibular Disorder, which gives all of the drunken dog symptoms he's been displaying...it's an infection of the nerves between the ear and the brain. Treatable with medication. My vet argued with me, telling me I was wrong since his eyes weren't "bouncing" or "shaking"....I reminded him that is a symptom that MAY occur and is usually only with the CENTRAL vestibular and not so much with the peripheral one. I haven't liked this vet since we went there on the onset of this...so I spoke to a vet over the phone tonight, through a recommendation of course, told her of the symptoms and what has taken place so far...first words out of her mouth without even looking at my dog....Peripheral Vestibular Disorder. He's going in on Monday for some bloodwork, but she's on the same page as I am and she did so without me suggesting what I thought it was. At the end of the day, the first vet wanted me to spend HUGE $$$ on testing, testing, and testing...he wouldn't listen to me at all. I know my dog, and that prompted me to get a second opinion, and I'm happy I did. He's on Predizone now and is showing great signs of improvement. If you don't trust your vet, get a second opinion.

I was in the traffic in Oregon today right when this happened...the police were on the scene almost immediately, over 100 police from all different organizations responded. They shut down the entire freeway access and all roads surrounding the mall for quite a distance. The shooter entered the food court and began shooting, he was wearing a hockey style mask...according to witnesses calling in on the radio, the shooter aimed his rifle at a girl who had taken cover and told her she was about to die. He pulled the trigger and the gun jammed. She was abe to escape. Police shot and killed the shooter, but not until he had killed two people and seriously injured two others. Life flight returned to the mall a second time during the traffic jam. The police were still in process of going store by store clearing the mall looking for any witnesses or possible injured people. Police made a statement at 6:30 PST but would not state the type of weapon, what shooter was wearing, or much of anything as to the events as it is still an ongoing investigation. There were quite a few people calling in telling the radio about what happened and that the shooter was screaming at the top of his lungs "You are all about to die".... Pretty sad day in Oregon....RIP to those who were victims today.

Never understood why people do that sort of stuff. What do they think, that someone will just buy the car without doing ANY due diligence? Makes no sense. I'm sure Roy will be up someones ass on this one, if for nothing more than the entertainment value.

No problem Fortis. I remember when GPI in Portland was open, they had an 03 Murcie in for the clicking sound. They had it on the lift, running it, listening to everything they could with a stethescope....I told them it was the lug bolts and they didn't believe me. So I convinced them to just swap a set from another Murcie and see if the noise went away on the "problem" car and see if the noise suddenly appeared on the non problem car...it did. So they ordered a new set of lug bolts, problem solved. LOL. I haven't heard of the problem on the Gallardo, but that's not to say the problem couldn't duplicate itself on that platform as well. Let me know if it solves your problem as well, interested to know.

There was also a service bulliten on the lug bolts for the wheels of the 03 Murcie's...they would "click" at low speeds sounding like a bad CV Joint. The lug bolts had to be replaced if this happened. I had mine replaced on the 40th Anniversary car I had for awhile under this bulliten. There was also a new oil sticker that was a service bulliten...most dealers just put the new sticker on when the car came in for service.

Car is real clean and very strong. SP did a great job on the upgrades. The wheels are about perfect for the car. Has a great look to it in person, couple of minor things to make it near perfect. I know Bobby opted to keep the current wing on it as sourcing a GT wing was difficult. The car is very sinister looking in person.

There's a few places that have actually designated areas for people to tag or do grafitti art as they call it. The city actually promotes it....you go pay a fee for a 30 day permit, they assign you a grid, do what you want with it (no gang or porn stuff), and on the 31st day, the city comes by and paints the grid grey. Supposedly it's cut the tagging and vandalism down dramatically. I don't see the point of tagging like Rd pointed out, but if people are gonna do it, the above seems like a step in the right direction, especially if it works. Some of it is actually pretty cool in an artistic sense...but random symbols or phrases just because, well that just Makes no sense like Rd pointed out. My two cents

There were only 2-3 blue monterey roadsters built in 2006. One is a six speed manual and another I know for sure was in California and participated in the giro. I believe this is that same car as the Owner in Cali put the chrome Maya wheels on it. Can't go wrong with the color and the interior was really a nice combo when I saw it years ago. Certainly something worth picking up, I'm just not a fan of the wheels, but that can be changed.