1994 Red Diablo on Ebay @ $55K no reserve.....

Sold for slight less then asking price....went to buyer in Va.

He was asking $64,9000, and the bid was at $56,000 when it was pulled, so the assumption is it sold for somehwere around $65,000. You should just call the seller.

Thanks FrankD for the info. The car had great compression & leakdown numbers-should have pulled the trigger but I had buyers remorse BEFORE I even bought it! You snooze;you loose. That was a very nice car. Owner was a Boeing engineer, had his own lift, had owned several exotics and took care of his cars very well. Roy Cats was dead on about the car. Shoulda, woulda and coulda but I didn't. Oh well, on to the next one.

Thanks FrankD for the info. The car had great compression & leakdown numbers-should have pulled the trigger but I had buyers remorse BEFORE I even bought it! You snooze;you loose. That was a very nice car. Owner was a Boeing engineer, had his own lift, had owned several exotics and took care of his cars very well. Roy Cats was dead on about the car. Shoulda, woulda and coulda but I didn't. Oh well, on to the next one.

 

 

Don't beat yourself up..........it was an ok buy but it was going to need an engine out service sooner than later. Clutch was estimated at about 70 % wear......had a couple of oil leaks......A/C probally needed an overhale....full fluid service, valves adjusted, ect....... Brakes were approx. at 50 %....compression and leakdown were within spec. This was a car to drive the hell out of and enjoy.....to hell with resale. I had first dibs and the seller and I couldn't come together on a price......at first I felt like I missed out but after looking at what the car needed, I was ok with my decision.

Correct^ it had a lot of deferred maintenance and was priced accordingly.

Don't beat yourself up..........it was an ok buy but it was going to need an engine out service sooner than later. Clutch was estimated at about 70 % wear......had a couple of oil leaks......A/C probally needed an overhale....full fluid service, valves adjusted, ect....... Brakes were approx. at 50 %....compression and leakdown were within spec. This was a car to drive the hell out of and enjoy.....to hell with resale. I had first dibs and the seller and I couldn't come together on a price......at first I felt like I missed out but after looking at what the car needed, I was ok with my decision.

 

I did not have the car for sale, so have no care either way what happened with it...however, I think your off on your thoughts here..I knew both the car and the owner from when he first got it. First off it was in very very good cosmetic condition, no accidents, no paint, no rips and tears etc etc..it was always maintained, just by the owner, not a factory service center. It had a really nice exhuast system on it, wheels were excellent with almost new tires.

 

As far as "engine out"..sure, but what car with almost 50K..which has never has it out wouldnt need it...all the items you describe, clutch at 70%, brakes etc etc..all are NORMAL wear and tear...and with an engine out, clutch job and major service all at one time..EVEN at an exspensive Authorized place you would look at $10K tops..and then good to go for at least another 15K miles. Of course this depends on your driving method...because I have know a lot of cars with this condition that still gained another 10K miles prior to a clutch and brakes. As far as engine oil leaks, again, what older Diablo does not have that...and they were very very minor, a drop or so a week..and I know most of these would go away if the car was driven again as it has been sitting for well over a year with this court battle. As you stated the comp and leak down were very strong, indicating the motor was good..the A/C just need a R12 recharge, it did not need a re-build.

 

IMO, the car was worth every penny of $65K..even if you add 10-15K of EVERYTHING in the kitchen sink repairs, you would have a 80K excellent condition 94 Diablo....

 

These cars are NOT $35K cars...sometimes we forget that..and you need to remember, if you want a PERFECT car that you wont spend a dime on...then you will pay for it...because you sure as HECK wont get that for $65K

I did not have the car for sale, so have no care either way what happened with it...however, I think your off on your thoughts here..I knew both the car and the owner from when he first got it. First off it was in very very good cosmetic condition, no accidents, no paint, no rips and tears etc etc..it was always maintained, just by the owner, not a factory service center. It had a really nice exhuast system on it, wheels were excellent with almost new tires.

 

As far as "engine out"..sure, but what car with almost 50K..which has never has it out wouldnt need it...all the items you describe, clutch at 70%, brakes etc etc..all are NORMAL wear and tear...and with an engine out, clutch job and major service all at one time..EVEN at an exspensive Authorized place you would look at $10K tops..and then good to go for at least another 15K miles. Of course this depends on your driving method...because I have know a lot of cars with this condition that still gained another 10K miles prior to a clutch and brakes. As far as engine oil leaks, again, what older Diablo does not have that...and they were very very minor, a drop or so a week..and I know most of these would go away if the car was driven again as it has been sitting for well over a year with this court battle. As you stated the comp and leak down were very strong, indicating the motor was good..the A/C just need a R12 recharge, it did not need a re-build.

 

IMO, the car was worth every penny of $65K..even if you add 10-15K of EVERYTHING in the kitchen sink repairs, you would have a 80K excellent condition 94 Diablo....

 

These cars are NOT $35K cars...sometimes we forget that..and you need to remember, if you want a PERFECT car that you wont spend a dime on...then you will pay for it...because you sure as HECK wont get that for $65K

 

I did not have the car for sale, so have no care either way what happened with it...however, I think your off on your thoughts here..I knew both the car and the owner from when he first got it. First off it was in very very good cosmetic condition, no accidents, no paint, no rips and tears etc etc..it was always maintained, just by the owner, not a factory service center. It had a really nice exhuast system on it, wheels were excellent with almost new tires.

 

As far as "engine out"..sure, but what car with almost 50K..which has never has it out wouldnt need it...all the items you describe, clutch at 70%, brakes etc etc..all are NORMAL wear and tear...and with an engine out, clutch job and major service all at one time..EVEN at an exspensive Authorized place you would look at $10K tops..and then good to go for at least another 15K miles. Of course this depends on your driving method...because I have know a lot of cars with this condition that still gained another 10K miles prior to a clutch and brakes. As far as engine oil leaks, again, what older Diablo does not have that...and they were very very minor, a drop or so a week..and I know most of these would go away if the car was driven again as it has been sitting for well over a year with this court battle. As you stated the comp and leak down were very strong, indicating the motor was good..the A/C just need a R12 recharge, it did not need a re-build.

 

IMO, the car was worth every penny of $65K..even if you add 10-15K of EVERYTHING in the kitchen sink repairs, you would have a 80K excellent condition 94 Diablo....

 

These cars are NOT $35K cars...sometimes we forget that..and you need to remember, if you want a PERFECT car that you wont spend a dime on...then you will pay for it...because you sure as HECK wont get that for $65K

 

Roy...I agree 100 % with what you are saying.....you sound a bit angry. I am not claiming to be an expert on this or any other car. You've probally forgot more about these cars than I will ever know. Just my opinion...nothing more. Are far as the AC repair....I spoke to the mechanic who did the PPI and he did not know if it just needed a recharge or more. I would assume if it just needed a recharge, it would have been done.........just erroring on the side of caution if I purchased it. The oil leaks were again minor and easily fixed once the engine was out. I do agree that the car was a good value and was priced accordingly because it was going to need some maintence. I was just trying to give a member here who is not an owner some perspective. In no way was I trying to bash or undervalue the car......I'm glad Sean got his price for it. I am actually surprised you didn't snatch it up since you knew the previous owner and knew the car. We are all friends here...... the only reason I was even considering this car was because of your endorsement. There are no free lunches with these vehicles......

I too was interested in this car and was waiting for the auction to end to do some bidding. I would have gone to 60k with this car mabe even a bit higher as i belived it to be a good car in nice shape, O well looks like i will be waiting a while longer.

I too was interested in this car and was waiting for the auction to end to do some bidding. I would have gone to 60k with this car mabe even a bit higher as i belived it to be a good car in nice shape, O well looks like i will be waiting a while longer.

I was actually going to hit the BIN button. Had found the owner's name searching Ferrarichat and read all of his posts about his prior Ferrari and his Diablo, from the time he bought it until he stopped posting. The guy was on top of the car, maintenancewise. He had put on a new Larini exhaust system, did a radiator and water pump and had a shop capable of doing most work on the car, short of actual machine shop work. I did not post anything here or elsewhere when the condition of the car was being criticized, as I was a potential buyer and thought it to my advantage to let the BS flow.

I actually volunteered to pay Sean, the dealer seller, the cost of the compression and leakdown tests prior to the first offering on EBAY. Then the hydraulic clutch parts needed to be replaced and he withdrew the car and disappeared for a week. It was hard to get him to talk about the car's condition or where he was at pricewise. He was selling it for the wife, I believe, who got the car in a divorce settlement. Certainly a #2 car, in my eyes, but one , as Roy has stated, in above average condition for the miles. I think it was a good car at the right price for what it was.

Hell, with all due respect to Ferrari owners, a good 348 is $35-40K and a 355 is $55K or better? And this car could be bought for $65K and is a legitimate supercar, not a wannabe. And I had looked at both of the recent offerings in Connecticut and Florida, that sold at $63K and $67.5, respectively. And neither had the overall history and lack of cloud cover this car had. I think it was well bought at $65K, minor warts and all.

But all views here are well received and the conversation is enlightening and educational to me. And we have a real expert in Roy to chime in on occasion and set us all straight. Now, if I could just get my act together!!!!!

Yea,sometimes it is just hard to pull the trigger on a car you havent seen or heard run. When Roy posted that the car was good overall condition that was all i needed to get ready to bid.

Roy is right, "these ain't $35K cars" and the need /deserve the "TLC" they require. I'll hit 70,000Km on my Diablo on the Italain Stampede in August, BUT I'll put her up next to any Diablo (or Mucie) any where because "She" summers at Driven Exotics every year, getting what ever and than some of what she needs. If you try to "cheap it out" these cars will be a disaster and let you down. If you drive 'em, whiich is GREAT for them, and give them the TLC$$ they need, yes it isn't cheap, but it's a blast and WORTH IT!!

Don't know why anybody would "Bid" on a car like this. If interested you call the seller and deal direct, get all the info you can. Forget the silly E-Bay game.

That definately works when you are dealing with the owner, Ray, but not so much in this case. I was also in contact with the seller and it became very obvious he knew nothing about the cars condition. His PPI turned out to be a compression and leak down. There are other issues with the car and it is still a gamble for anyone buying long distance without their own PPI. At $65K, however there is room for $15K worth of work to have a good car. More than that and it becomes a crap shoot. Too many other examples on the market with way fewer miles. It would be interesting to see who picked this up and what work it really needed. Time will tell if the new owner surfaces with the real scoop on this one and will be kind enough to share.

I would bet a 1000 dollar bill that those cylinder leakdown numbers are bogus at best. I have seen many new engines at 6-8 percent and that is normal. If you take the reading on a cylinder anywhere but top dead center where most of the wear is you get low numbers and it is a LOT of trouble to get it right on these cars.

I would bet a 1000 dollar bill that those cylinder leakdown numbers are bogus at best. I have seen many new engines at 6-8 percent and that is normal. If you take the reading on a cylinder anywhere but top dead center where most of the wear is you get low numbers and it is a LOT of trouble to get it right on these cars.

 

 

So do you think the numbers are high, low, or just not reliable? I was under the impreesion that you were looking for differences in the readings between the cylinders as much if not more than the absolute#'s. Please elaborate..........I always am looking to learn something from someone who has more knowledge.....which honestly, is most people on this board.......

You are correct on cranking compression which is he first series ot tests you see on ebay. Leakdown has to be performed with a engine warm, not hot. The piston has to be at top dead center or TDC for each cylinder tested. It can't be slightly before or slightly after. Very difficult to do unless the crankshaft dampner has degrees registered on it. I bet over 50 percent of the tests done these days is not done correctly. When you see 2% leakdown which is virtually impossible unless you have gapless rings, its telling you that the seal is just slightly under perfect. I think the Diablo uses conventional rings and seeing numbers like 6 to 8 percent tells you the engine is in very good shape. I have used total seal gapless rings on several occassions on brand new pistons and cylinder bores and get 2 or 3 percent leakdown on a engine run a few hours. I'm not an expert but built a few. All of mine have been V-8 motors and the Diablo V is just 60 degrees I believe and that puts a lot less wear on the thrust side of the cylinder than a 90 degree block which is good for longivity. Its really not necessary to run a leakdown on normally aspirated engines. The cranking compression test, if done correctly will tell you if there is trouble and you can screw those up too. I have seen compression numbers off by 30psi because the throttle plates were not held wide open during these tests.