Is the Countach a driveable car or a museum piece?

Need some opinions. Is a well sorted/maintained 89 Countach a driveable exotic or is it really better suited on display? By driveable, I mean 2500 miles per year. Also would like your thoughts on the cost of yearly maintenance. What does a full service run for these cars?
Thanks in advance

 

Give us all a break.

 

Depends where you live... If car is not in traffic... Wonderful. If the car is in 100 degree heat.... Wonderful. Cost varies... But I suggest utilizing the search button about cost

 

Hey Tim,
I see your a consultant. I own a TR and have owned several other F cars. I am looking to purchase a Lambo and trying to do my due diligence. I am trying to familiarize myself with the Countach. Been on search utilizing previous threads to gain some perspective.

Now that you know where I am coming from, if you have any input, I would appreciate your 2 cents. QV, thanks for the reply. I live in NY and NJ. I am not looking for a daily driver more like a Sunday drive two hundred mile trek when the weather permits.

 

Should have specified - 89 25th Anniv Edition

 

If you've had period Ferraris, then I would say the Countach is as much a driveable car as any of the seventies/eighties/nineties period 12 cylinder Ferraris.

 

It's no Toyota...so budget $5 - 10K a year on up keep. If you're lucky.. As for me, I would hang it on the wall as a work of art...like the gentleman in Newport Beach Ca.

 

Yes! Very drivable, Just head upstate or west in Nj.

 

The question was for a "well sorted/maintained 89 Countach."

I am curious as to what you think you would see on an invoice from an honest mechanic that would total 5-10k a year for only 2500 miles of driving.

If you could list all of those items in the form of an invoice it would probably help this gentleman a lot.

In my own experience, 2500 miles a year should not cause any problems but it could uncover unknown problems.

But he already stated that it was for a good car.

Thanks

 

Not quite as spacious or user friendly as a TR but as long as you avoid stop & go traffic and minimize the need to back up (really poor rear visibility) you'll do okay.

You will discover that a Ferrari is practically invisible compared to a Countach. There will be a parade of cell phone cameras vying to occupy your blind spots.

 

A car that has been maintained and documented SHOULD not cost you $10k a year..yes fluids/filters each year $1k, battery every year $300, tires every 2-5 years $3K, then major service at 30K $7500.00...

As far as driving them, thats what should be done with them. The 25th cars have excellent A/C and IMO a pleasure to drive...

 

If it's the weekend drive through countryside, perfecto...

 

Thanks for all the replies and pm's. I truly appreciate the brotherhood and everyone's time and input.

Since the Countach has a timing chain as opposed to my TR's belt, what is the suggested maintenance interval (miles or years)? Could you do a full service(plugs, valve adj., fluids etc) without lifting the engine out and just taking the engine lid off? Anyone out there with a recent bill for a full major?

Roy, I spoke to your son Johnathan. You raised a gentleman. I appreciate the info. and congrats on the new place.

Thanks again for the replies. I might expand my search to an 82-84 5000s carb-2 valve.Any thoughts?

 

If you drive in a reasonable manner the clutch will last for many years, if not you can burn it up in a day. This is the main reason for an "engine-out". Normal maintenance will be similar in cost to a TR. A carb car will need a bit more fiddling with to maintain driveability so the costs could be a bit more on the order of a carb Ferrari like a C4.

 

Don't see why you couldn't do 2500/year.

As long as you have the money to pay for maintenance -- that's key, unless you do all the work yourself

 

I put a ton of miles on my Countach accross the country and back a couple of times.... If you understand the age of the car and corresponding need for "baselining" the car, it is absolutely a robust and reliable machine that you can have a ton of fun putting lots of miles on. I would guess no better or worse than comparable period Ferrari, Maserati, etc.

If it has never had serious invasive maintenance, do some homework about what size budget to put together to get the car up to snuff for regular use.

The clutch is only fragile if you drive like an idiot. You can drive the car very aggressively and put very little to no wear on the clutch....it only wears badly if you slip it or do clutch-drops. Once you replace the OEM with kevlar, pretty much don't have to worry about that again.

 

Mine is a carbed 5000s. you could easily do 2500 miles a year. That could be better than driving it twice a year, letting it sit. They are pretty basic cars. On mine, there is no computer or O2 sensors. Mine had the service before I bought it, but it's still required some tinkering. Water pump, starter, etc. I got stuck in the rain, once. Believe it or not, that single wiper did fine. The interior didn't fog. Probably the thing I dread the most is getting gas in it. Someone comes & strikes up conversation, which is fine most of the time, until it takes a task that could be done in few minutes & turns in into a 1/2 hour. A tank is on both sides, which takes time. I usually fill up one & go however. I don't think you could go wrong with a decent Countach. The demand for them is global, so when the time comes to sell you'll have a larger market than most other cars.

 

I have a testa and QV Countach.
Two totally different cars to drive.

Imagine a Countach to be an angry Go Kart on steroids with only frontal visibility.

Not for city driving
Not for traffic
Not for parking
Not for turning

But great on the highway or nice country roads.

Since ownership...mine has never dared to experience traffic or city driving.
I prefer to flat tow it for servicing etc.

The testa is like driving a camry by comparison.

 

Please explain "not for turning".
I do not agree with that and would never have thought it.

City and traffic I understand and agree. The parking I have no problem, I'm probably one of the few that can use the mirrors. I have never sat on the sill, to back up, in the 8yrs of owning.

 

Re-phrase ....not for turning in city traffic..especially turning at intersections where the roads don't meet at 90 degrees. For example an exit ramp. It becomes difficult to see on- coming right hand side traffic. Sometimes it becomes a leap of faith to turn left (in my case)

 

Thats because the roads where you are where built wrong, RHD drive cars LOL

But it is true, they dont work as well for daily drivers on a RHD car..

I have no problem at all driving in Seattle traffice, hills and all, parks just fine...and like Peter I have learned my car and can easily drive it with the mirriors as well.

The talk of the clutch is true as well, if you KNOW how to drive a car with a clutch you cna drive it agressive or not and get many many miles of wear out of the clutch...for all the miles and years I have my Lambo's I have YET to replace a clutch on ANY OF my own cars..

My highest mile orginal clutch is my 2001 Diablo 6.0SE #19, approaching 42k miles with the OEM factory clutch and my 88 1/2 countach I had over 18K on the clutch when I parted with it..

I will say it again and fully believe that a car NEEDS to be driving, if you are going to garage queen it for only a hundred miles a year or so, you will ALWAYS be flat bedding it to the local service Department.

I also think as far as the COuntach, it has YET to hit where they should be selling, they sure are not going down in price..only up..and are wanted world wide not just localy


PS, thanks for the nice comment about my son, years and years of beatings with a big stick got him to where he is LOL LOL

 

Considering the clutch and gearbox.....i don't think my Countach can be easily stolen.

Most Gen Y's don't know what a clutch is.

It would be quite a comedy act watching an inexperienced driver trying to bunny hop a Countach out of a driveway. (as long as it wasn't your money burning along with the clutch)

 

Ive done 2500 miles in a Countach in one month. No issues.

Maintenance costs all depend on if the car has any deferred maintenance that needs to be tended to. That aside, it should cost you less than your Testarossa to run!

 

Joe, speaking of TR car, I may have a lead on a BB512, Any interest?
Chadbourn Bolles

Maintenance costs all depend on if the car has any deferred maintenance that needs to be tended to. That aside, it should cost you less than your Testarossa to run![/QUOTE]

 

Please e-mail the details. Thanks!