Lambo Gallardo - to get or not to get?

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

Pcar - also if you see a post about "spoons" - they aren't talking about the eating utensil. Spoons are otherwise known as a lead delivery device, which is Craigslist accepted speech for "guns."
And "snow tires" is an always accepted answer for any question. Hang around here a decade or more and you'll pick these things up!

Or if smart, she'll run...run like the devil himself were after her!

[PcarPassion]

Mark - thanks for the heads up! I had no idea I need to learn a secret code to communicate here!

I’ll just collect my spoons and go home on my snow tires and study like a fiend!

[PcarPassion]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Or if smart, she'll run...run like the devil himself were after her!

Even better!

(Apparently I’m not that smart as our posts “crossed”. But I did make note of the green font!)

Putting on sneakers right now...

[Dantilla]

Back to the Lambo....

I've got a few track days with a Gallardo under my belt.
What impressed me most is how competent it is on the track, yet the suspension doesn't beat you up on public roads.
Best suspension tuning I've ever experienced. Truly a wonderful car to drive.

....and the V-10 at 8000 rpm? What an intoxicating howl!

[MBAtarga]

Pcar - there's also the "is it as fast as a well set up 944", "slap, slap, slap", "I cut my sack", etc.

I'm sure there are a few dozen.

[Pazuzu]

Watched the Lambos race at Laguna Seca a few years ago.
The Gallardos were loud, but not fast. They simply are not racecars. they might be great GT cars, they might be show cars, but they are SLOW on a track.

The Huracans? Stupidly fast, getting close to being back of the pack for GTLM. Still slow compared to the other GTLM cars (911/458/Vette) but much faster than anything else the Raging Bull had running in their Blankpain series.

[Embraer]

One of the cops in my tiny, included town has a Gallardo, 996TT with like 800hp, and a newish Bentley (Weird that he's a cop...I believe he does the job for "fun")....He was trying to sell me the Gallardo. I went and drove it, got to spend some time with it. It was an '06, 20K miles, and 6 speed, gated. It was a fun car, but I couldn't get past the low speed steering characteristics. We talked about a partial trade with my Ferrari, but at the end of the day, I just couldn't go for the Lambo.

[911boost]

PcarPassion I totally agree with you on the LWB’s is the RS cars. That is also a great write up, probably the best I have seen here when someone asks for an opinion.

Well done.

Mike, does your cop neighbor sing “Bad Boys, Bad boys, Whatcha gonna do....?”

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by PcarPassion

We owned a 2009 LP-560-4 bought new in Jan 2011 for about 5 years and 20k miles.

They made significant updates to the egear clutch in 2009 (I think it was 2009, but maybe 2008 - you should double check). I know for sure 2007 was the older style clutch which wore very quickly. We had less than 10% wear after 20k miles including a year of tracking the car (my husband and I shared it on track days). You can request a report called an e-gear snap which gives the transmission wear. I'd consider it a requirement if not buying the manual transmission.

Because the car was still under warranty, we serviced at an authorized dealer. The closest was over 300 miles and we typically had their transport pick it up and bring it back. This was a pain, it was expensive, and if there were issues it took longer because of the transport. I would NEVER again buy a car that I could not service locally.

It was relatively bulletproof. Remember, when VAG bought Lambo it became 80% an Audi in an italian suit with some bespoke Lambo-only bits. When the car was up on a lift there were plenty of Audi part stickers beneath. The Gallardo is a V-10 that sounds spectacular. Our car had carbon ceramic brakes which were incredible. It also had the nose lift which we used a lot, although I'd guess my GT4 is lower.

The Lambo was fun to drive. The e-gear wasn't the smoothest in that generation but it was fine. Our car was a 3 stage metallic "pearl" white color with "lipstick red" leather interior which was spectacular.

One of the greatest joys of ownership was sharing the car with people. It was the greatest ice-breaker at a show or in the garage at WGI. It drew kids like a magnet but even adults. We loved letting people sit in it, or take folks for a drive if we had a chance. Kids lit up when they sat in the driver's seat for a photo. Many people figured a lambo owner would be an unfriendly snob who didn't want anyone touching their car. We are fairly particular about our cars and found everyone respectful. No one minded taking the keys out of their pocket first before sitting in it. We met lots of great people and had fun with it.

It got too much attention sometimes. People race up on the highway to take a photo and drive like idiots to get close. Sometimes they assume a celebrity is inside and want to see who is in the car. Maybe in a major city it would get less attention, but in western PA during the time we owned it, there weren't a lot of lambs around (or other exotics). We never had a negative experience in terms of anyone vandalizing it when parked overnight.

We took several trips in the car. We had it shipped to AZ for a Lambo factory trip (called GIRO) and we drove from Scottsdale to Sedona to the Grand Canyon and eventually Las Vegas. It included laps at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch with the newly released Aventador factory cars. The weather was severely hot (over 115 F for much of the desert trip) and the car was fine.

We found it quite comfortable for road trips. Obviously luggage space is limited and packing in soft duffles with minimum gear is required. But we travel light, and on the trip they trucked our luggage from hotel to hotel. It was good on gas (not that it mattered) and we ran Michelin Pilot Super Sports once we burned through several sets of Pirelli PZero Corsas on track that chunked despite following the Pirelli engineer recommendations. Pirelli wouldn't do anything for us - so no more Pirelli on our cars. Never had a problem with Michelins.

Service was expensive (as expected). We had our local Mercedes dealer do simple maintenance like oil change, brake fluid flush, or brake pad change (only needed new pads once). Parts were expensive but there were sources for OEM parts that were more reasonable if you searched. We didn't buy much from the dealer network.

We met some truly fun, wonderful people and made some good friends. There were a percentage of "jerks" but you get that with any marque. We found Lambo to be no better or worse than any other. We did some Italian car events run by the Ferrari Club (track was Pocono) and we found the Ferrari folks rather strict with rules and they seemed to want to keep to themselves rather than blend with the other italian marques (Lambo, Pantera to name two). But it was fine and we met lots of nice people including some nice Ferrari folks.

We didn't drive cross country but the AZ-NV trip was over 1000 miles, and we did other road trips ranging from 400 to 1000 miles. Never had an issue. We kept up with basic maintenance and it was bulletproof except for an electrical issue that turned out to be loose battery terminal connections. An easy fix and good as new (but the dash lit up like a Christmas tree while on track and it went into limp mode so we had it trucked to the dealer). This was early in ownership and we probably could have figured it out but with the warranty coverage we wanted it serviced at the dealer.

The A/C started to fail just before we sold it. A charge fixed it and probably would have held it for awhile, but we had already decided to sell and rather than fix it we sold and left that to the next owner (of course highlighting the fault as part of the deal).

It was a fun car and we had some life experiences that we wouldn't otherwise have if it wasn't for that car. In the end, I didn't really miss it once it was gone, but we moved on to other things. It was a fun track car. It's the car I achieved my personal high speed (165 at Pocono) and it was rock solid. The car had more to give but I did not. 165 is WAY faster than I'm comfortable and especially since I was only in my 2nd year of driving and my vision skills hadn't developed. But it was a confidence inspiring car at high speed. I was entering the Bus Stop at WGI as a relatively new driver with a new-to-me instructor and he had no idea how capable the car was until we went through at speeds far higher than he thought possible (for a new driver). It's not that I was going THAT fast - it's that the car handled it with aplomb and no issues whatsoever. Of course the tires had something to do with that.

I'd say buy a solid car with good service history. Know where the Audi dealers are along the way in case you need a specific part (although the earlier cars were not so much Audi so it depends on the year you bought). We had a Performante for 1/2 a day and found the bucket seats very harsh and I wouldn't want to drive long trips in those. But our seats were more like a Porsche 14-way. Very adjustable, very comfortable with padding.

The E-gear had different modes (Street, Sport and Cross). This affected the speed of the shifts and how "harshly" the car handled. Corsa was fun, but on the highway we usually chose Sport.

Best of luck. They are an experience to own and most whom I knew had good ownership experiences with few mechanical problems. Of course the older the car and higher the miles, the more chance of an issue with wear-tear items. A thorough PPI with a reputable knowledgeable shop is highly recommended.

Unfortunately the Lambo Power forum participation has dropped dramatically since they made changes to the format but I'd say introducing yourself and joining Lambo Power might be a good resource. I found it extremely valuable when I was searching for the car, and then as an owner it was a great resource for all types of info.

Best of luck!

Pcar... appreciate your input. It's decisively more positive than what I've found by Googling my way through G-ville. As I write this, I'm targeting a 2009 or later---for the front lift. AC. Coupe. E-gearing doesn't appeal to me although I'll admit to never having driven a paddle. Perhaps I should before sticking my head in the sand in this regard. What turns me off is the added hardware & software for this "automation" stuff. $20,000 to repair a broken e-gear actuator... not appealing. Comments?

Seating seems to be a consistent critical review point. Can you say what seat option you had?

Speaking about budgets for a car is an absurdity but lets if you will pls. Annually, what would you suggest budgeting for maintenance to keep a G-car working as it should? Am not asking you to start a spreadsheet to arrive at a figure---just pick a number that feels right to you.

Thanks for note on Lambo Power forum.

Sculptural... agreed.

[wildthing]

In all seriousness, I would probably just want to rent one for a bit before taking the plunge of ownership.

[HardDrive]

All I can offer is that I drove across country in a 997S, and it was lovely. Very comfortable, and great visibility while enjoying the western vistas.

I guess I don't see the advantage of a Lambo over other options. It just does not strike me a the tool for the job. Keep in mind that everywhere you go outside of major metropolitan areas, you are going to attract a LOT of attention. Even if it positive attention, that could get annoying after a while.

[stealthn]

Love the Lambo's, the Huracan more than the Gallardo, but I do like the Gallardo Superleggera. Finding a stick is very tough and the price will be much higher.

Clutches on the e-gear can be upgraded to Kevlar as you only get around 5-10K on the stock ones, and they will charge $10K to replace it.

I would not buy an older on that needs work as it will be much more expensive in the long run. Look into the later LP versions.

Good Luck

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by wildthing

In all seriousness, I would probably just want to rent one for a bit before taking the plunge of ownership.

That's a fine concept Wildthing. Am converting your idea to a 'lease.' Have to find out if they're available in that mode. If so, would fix the costs and I assume not obligate me to pay for repairs. TY.

Originally Posted by HardDrive

...Keep in mind that everywhere you go outside of major metropolitan areas, you are going to attract a LOT of attention. Even if it positive attention, that could get annoying after a while.

Yeah... that's immediately not appealing. Ranks high on my cons list. Need to see the positive in this or abundant attention could be a bone crusher. Is a poignant heads up HD... thank you.

Originally Posted by stealthn

...I would not buy an older one that needs work as it will be much more expensive in the long run. Look into the later LP versions.

Good Luck

Originally thought the '04 model only for presumed economy. Then learned about clutch issues among others. Am at 2009 now due to front lift being introduced that year. Am soon going to research the numbers. Will see how things stack up... buy vs lease. '09 vs newer. Stick vs e-gear. TY Stealthn.

[PcarPassion]

Karl - I agree with stealthhn on egear replacement cost. I recall seeing $7-10K but not $20K. Never dealt with it so I don’t know from first hand experience.

There’s a company called AMH Exotic Parts. The proprietor is Glen (don’t recall last name). Very nice, very helpful and sources/sells OEM parts and probably alternatives. He sells the kevlar egear replacement (or he used to) along with OEM. He might be a good resource for info on actual cost. I believe he is a sponsor on Lambo Power or he used to be. There was another Lambo forum and I was a member of both but gravitated toward LP and forgot about the other. Not sure but it’s worth searching and reading if it’s still out there.

As for budget that’s a tough one but the dealer oil change isn’t that different from Porsche - maybe $5-600 IIRC. If annual maintenance is simply oil and brake flush I’d guess around $1000. Of course tire choice affects how they wear, along with your driving habits and whether you track it. We ran MPSS and were very pleased for street driving. Not sure what your current choices are.

Of course if you have a decent independent shop the costs should be more reasonable that a dealer, and the cars are not that complex so simple service can be DIY if you’re handy and have the tools. I think the tight spaces are some of the biggest challenges. The car has a shroud that covers the entire underside, and the attachments are easily broken so use care when unbuttoning the bottom. You can’t see much until it’s off.

Of course older, higher mileage cars may need more work and costs go up accordingly.

Renting one for a day is a good suggestion if you can find one.

The Huracan is the next generation and much more modern. The shape/lines grew on me and I spent a fair amount of time in them (I was an instructor for XtremeXperience for a few years at PittRace and also Summit Point). At the time I instructed, they had LP550 & LP560-4, and then they graduated to Huracan (plus Mclaren, GT3, GTR and others). I gravitated toward the Huracan and GT3 and strongly disliked the Mclaren and really didn’t like the GTR. They also had 458.

Insurance is individual and depends on many factors so I suggest you shop around to see what it will run. I think our tires lasted at least 10K miles (non-track use) and on the street we do not drive “hard”. We drove it roughly 4000 mi each season with the last season being less because of the A/C issue.

As for seats, I’m not sure what we had or what the options were. We bought it from the dealer inventory. They were reasonably adjustable and padded and I’d compare them to the 14way current Porsche seats.

Just home from trip and still has steering wheel and driver seat cover.


This was an e-gear out for service from a Murci that was at the dealer I bought the car from in Sarasota. If you look closely you can see the wear about half-way down the shaft. I believe it was from a 2007 Murci so it was not fitted with the updated, better-wearing clutch.

[PcarPassion]

I would seriously hesitate to drive cross country these days in any flashy car. Lots of hatred and lots of people with plenty of time on their hands. A car like this draws FAR more attention than most unless you’re in a place like LA or Las Vegas or major metro area where there is affluence and car culture. Otherwise you’ll draw attention (good and possibly bad).

If you join Lambo Power (no cost like most forums for basic membership) you can search, and post questions. There are some helpful folks that probably will offer info from their experience. You can probably post without joining but I believe function like search may be limited.

Looks like Lambo Talk forum still exists. Might be another resource.
I read an account on Lambo Power of someone discussing maintenance costs on their 2006 Gallardo spyder. He said $1000-1500/year. Just depends on what breaks. He uses an independent shop.

[pavulon]

Lots of options for Lamborghini money...good options.

[javadog]

I've owned a lot of cars, including some exotics, and I have found that the annual operating costs aren't generally a big deal. What you should be concerned with are the big ticket items that might befall you and how likely they might be. Most cars have something that will bite the asses of a certain percentage of owners and that's where owning something like this can be a bad experience, if you're one of the unlucky ones.

I have also traveled in a number of them and the older I got, the more I disliked it. At this point in my life, I'm not going long distance in anything other than a big Benz or Audi. Pick a sporty version of one of those if you want to occasionally bend some corners but I find trips are more about the destinations and the scenery than the conveyance and I like to not wear myself out, just from the miles covered.

For me, exotics are more of a Saturday morning trip in search of a hamburger somewhere, than something to cross the country in...

Good luck.

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by PcarPassion

Karl - I agree with stealthhn on egear replacement cost. I recall seeing $7-10K but not $20K. Never dealt with it so I don’t know from first hand experience.

There’s a company called AMH Exotic Parts. The proprietor is Glen (don’t recall last name). Very nice, very helpful and sources/sells OEM parts and probably alternatives. He sells the kevlar egear replacement (or he used to) along with OEM. He might be a good resource for info on actual cost. I believe he is a sponsor on Lambo Power or he used to be. There was another Lambo forum and I was a member of both but gravitated toward LP and forgot about the other. Not sure but it’s worth searching and reading if it’s still out there.

As for budget that’s a tough one but the dealer oil change isn’t that different from Porsche - maybe $5-600 IIRC. If annual maintenance is simply oil and brake flush I’d guess around $1000. Of course tire choice affects how they wear, along with your driving habits and whether you track it. We ran MPSS and were very pleased for street driving. Not sure what your current choices are.

Of course if you have a decent independent shop the costs should be more reasonable that a dealer, and the cars are not that complex so simple service can be DIY if you’re handy and have the tools. I think the tight spaces are some of the biggest challenges. The car has a shroud that covers the entire underside, and the attachments are easily broken so use care when unbuttoning the bottom. You can’t see much until it’s off.

Of course older, higher mileage cars may need more work and costs go up accordingly.

Renting one for a day is a good suggestion if you can find one.

The Huracan is the next generation and much more modern. The shape/lines grew on me and I spent a fair amount of time in them (I was an instructor for XtremeXperience for a few years at PittRace and also Summit Point). At the time I instructed, they had LP550 & LP560-4, and then they graduated to Huracan (plus Mclaren, GT3, GTR and others). I gravitated toward the Huracan and GT3 and strongly disliked the Mclaren and really didn’t like the GTR. They also had 458.

Insurance is individual and depends on many factors so I suggest you shop around to see what it will run. I think our tires lasted at least 10K miles (non-track use) and on the street we do not drive “hard”. We drove it roughly 4000 mi each season with the last season being less because of the A/C issue.

As for seats, I’m not sure what we had or what the options were. We bought it from the dealer inventory. They were reasonably adjustable and padded and I’d compare them to the 14way current Porsche seats.

Just home from trip and still has steering wheel and driver seat cover. Note the red leather door handle surround and hand-brake. We were offered the matching leather trim from a spyder whose owner swapped it all for carbon fiber. We got them at a big discount and preferred the “unbroken” look - although it IS a LOT of red!


This was an e-gear out for service from a Murci that was at the dealer I bought the car from in Sarasota. If you look closely you can see the wear about half-way down the shaft. I believe it was from a 2007 Murci so it was not fitted with the updated, better-wearing clutch.

Thanks for Glen-contact Pcar. Will call him today or Monday to discuss as much as he's willing to. Lambo Power is still there. Will join. More info you provide Pcar... the more positive I feel about diving into this.

There's an exotic car rental on Miami Beach. They offer a variety of Lambos beginning with the Huracan. $995 a day with 100 miles included. (That'll get me to Key West.) $5 per mile after. (That's $500 return trip.) Heafty $$s for a day's drive but I get the reason.

Seating akin to 14-way Porsche's... is good.

Cross-country... agree that there's much discontent nowdays. Am wondering how far/deep this unrest goes---are rural areas 'infected' by unrest too? Big chunk of value/purpose to this cross-country expidition is spending time with different people... asking questions... and understanding more about life. Would I do better pulling up to the local diner in a rusted '69 pickup than a Gallardo? Seems a no-brainer. Forces me to consider what the priority is.

Your interior... HOT TAMALES!

Input/output gearbox shaft you show... wear is distinct. Mechanically, I'm somewhere in between an idiot mechanic and a pro. Am confortable taking entire car/engine/gearbox apart but now living in a condo... only so much I can get away with. For anyone who's autoDIY, condo living sux. (DIY aside, there are many positives to condolife.) Push comes to shove, car goes to a friend that owns a Porsche shop. He can do Lambo too. Last resort in Miami is the Collection. That would be expensive---rediculously so. If leasing is available, this mechanical aspect may be mute. Need to see how the $s pan out.

Thank you for the info Pcar

[MikeSid]

If you are traveling with a companion, I'd be concerned about storage.

If I was doing this with my wife...well... let's just say that we'd be Fed Ex'ing packages to different hotels along the way. That little front compartment wouldn't cut it.

If you're going alone, all you have to do is figure out where to put the styrofoam cooler.

Local to me, you can rent a Gallardo for a month for $9600 with unlimited mileage. That might be the best option.

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by javadog

I've owned a lot of cars, including some exotics, and I have found that the annual operating costs aren't generally a big deal. What you should be concerned with are the big ticket items that might befall you and how likely they might be. Most cars have something that will bite the asses of a certain percentage of owners and that's where owning something like this can be a bad experience, if you're one of the unlucky ones.

I have also traveled in a number of them and the older I got, the more I disliked it. At this point in my life, I'm not going long distance in anything other than a big Benz or Audi. Pick a sporty version of one of those if you want to occasionally bend some corners but I find trips are more about the destinations and the scenery than the conveyance and I like to not wear myself out, just from the miles covered.

For me, exotics are more of a Saturday morning trip in search of a hamburger somewhere, than something to cross the country in...

Good luck.

Java... excellent point about azz being bitten off by the big one. Luck of the draw after PPI and records inspection. Am not the spring chicken any longer---and hear you about big Benz or Audi---but think I'll have one more go at the back country and some Rocky Mountain roads in sport mode.

Originally Posted by MikeSid

If you are traveling with a companion, I'd be concerned about storage.

If I was doing this with my wife...well... let's just say that we'd be Fed Ex'ing packages to different hotels along the way. That little front compartment wouldn't cut it.

If you're going alone, all you have to do is figure out where to put the styrofoam cooler.

Local to me, you can rent a Gallardo for a month for $9600 with unlimited mileage. That might be the best option.

Hey Mike... storage... glove box. GF not going to accompany me for sure. She and I have different opinions on what it means to drive a sports car. We'll surly hook up along the way for some 'sightseeing.' Then she'll fly home and I'll motor-on. Cooler, toothbrush, extra pair of socks, jeans & shirt... packed.

$9600 for a month with UM. Just looked into that... Zadart fits the numbers. Thank you for this.

Originally Posted by wildthing

In all seriousness, I would probably just want to rent one for a bit before taking the plunge of ownership.

I'll eat my lease thought Wildthing... renting for a month or 2 may be the way to go in my case.