Hi guys,

Just signed up on the forums after browsing around for a while and reading lots of threads. I currently drive a 2011 Mercedes E-Coupe that is fully loaded and I'm ready for a change and to take it up a notch. Two of my favorite cars are the Lamborghini Gallardo and the Bentley Continental GT. I'm deciding between one of these as my next vehicle and wanted to ask you current lambo owners a few questions. Basically I'm looking to purchase a used 2004 maybe 2005 model since it looks very similar to the new 2012 model. I'm a young entertainment executive and have saved up some extra money for the purchase so it's about that time. Obviously I'm trying to get the "look" and "image" for the most practical cost. The average person wouldn't know the difference if they saw me driving down the street in a 2004/2005 model verses a 2012 model.

Is there anything specific that I should look out for with the 2004/2005 model? Is the lambo due for a body change or makeover any time soon to where it would become an "outdated" model (overall body style wise) rather quickly? From the research I've done it looks like the going price for a 2004/2005 Gallardo with lower miles, clean carfax, 2 owners max, etc is around 90-100k. Does that sound about right? Now I know all vehicles depreciate quickly but I would think buying one that's several years old like this would have already taken most of the depreciation by now. Would you say this is fairly accurate? I'm thinking I shouldn't take much of a hit, if any, if I was to purchase in the next month or two and sell a year or so later. Thoughts? Estimate annual cost in general maintenance assuming no major issues were to arise? (tires, oil changes, breaks, etc)

Thanks in advance for your time!

 

The 2004/2005 Gallardo will have a lot of service costs, especially if it is the early E-Gear. Will you be getting rid of the E class and this will be your only car?

 

Ideally I would like to get rid of the E-Class and buy the Gallardo cash so I don't have a car payment but I'm still considering keeping the E-Class. The E-Class is a lease and I would love to be out of a car payment all together, especially since I have the liquid to purchase a different outright now.

Can you explain what you mean by the 2004/2005 will have "a lot" of service costs? When did the E-Gear change?

 

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on stepping up to an awesome car. You will love either the Bentley or the Gallardo as long as you do your research, buy a good car, and go into everything with your eyes open. At this point, an early Gallardo and an early Bentley are going to have very similar maintenance costs. You save the transmission/E-Gear expenses on the Bentley but they have some electronic issues to be careful about. I will try to address some important issues with the Gallardo. Here are some good things to read first.

PPI Checklist - http://edbolian.com/?p=2374
Basic Pricing Guide - http://edbolian.com/?p=2380


The E-Gear software and the gear ratios changed in 06. Not a huge difference but a bit of help for the drivability of the car. Also more power and torque in 06. See:

Evolution of the Gallardo Model - http://edbolian.com/?p=2379

I daily drive my 2004 Gallardo and love it. I will probably hit 40k miles in the next couple of weeks and the car is going strong. Let me know what questions you have after reading some of that.

This is a picture of my first 04 Gallardo:



Here is the current one:

 

Hi Ed,

I've already reviewed those links from the last thread you gave them to me in. Great useful information there. I would appreciate it if you can answer the specific individual questions I wrote above and also address why Chris said there will be a lot of service costs with a 2004/2005 model. That contradicts everything you've written about and we've discussed over in the other thread. I'm a bit confused here.

- BG

 

The major model change for Lamborghini's V10 will probably happen in 2 years, as a 2014 model. That will give them 10 model years of the Gallardo which fits with the general Lamborghini tradition.

That will likely not have a huge impact on the value of pre-owned Gallardos as the buyers of $90-180k used cars are different than the people considering buying a new one for ~$300k.

The values of pre-owned Gallardos have been fairly predictable over the course of the past 3 years. Obviously 08-10 reflects a very unique time in the US economy so everything depreciated drastically. Most of the cars that I have sold in the past year and half or so are worth more now than they were then.

All cars require servicing. Fortunately Gallardos tend to be fairly reliable. Certain things are somewhat common - clutch wear, RMS leaks, occasional CEL issues, etc. Clutches can last 25,000-40,000 miles if driven properly. Oil leaks are fairly easy to manage, and they tend to be fairly straightforward to trouble shoot for electronic issues.

You do need to have $3-5k ready in case something expensive breaks but you can manage that risk by having the car properly inspected before you proceed.

 

Truly appreciate you taking the time to not only answer questions and clarify things for a first time potential buyer but also educate me in the process. Thanks a bunch Ed again I sincerely appreciate it. I'm still in the "learning" stage about these cars right now but I'm also in the "wanting to purchase" stage as well.

The lamborghini has always been my absolute favorite car and I've always said I will own one at some point. Well I'm a single 28 year old guy who managed to save the cash so why not now right?

 

Although the Gallardo can be daily driven without issue, I wouldn't rely on it as the only mode of transportation. The car simply attracts too much attention. You'd be worried that someone may mess with it while you are in a sketchy place. Also, the trunk can't fit any luggage, only soft duffle or small backpack.

Reliability is about as good as it gets in exotic world. It's at par with Porsche which IMO is quite amazing. Compared to F360, it's far more reliable and cheaper to upkeep.

The car's egear is clunky and can jerk when you are in traffic. If you live in LA, you definitely don't want to be stuck in traffic in this car. It's a weekend car IMO.

I also considered CGT when I shopped. CGT is about as fast as a Lambo with an easy to live with auto box. The only downside is that CGT doesn't corner well. It is too heavy and suspension is too soft. Yet, it's a car that can be your only car.

I would get a 991 if I were you. The new 911 is a gem that sounds great, drives great and it is reliable. It's dual clutch is nice and liveable in heavy traffic. Although it's not an exotic, it sure comes close. Also, R8 is a good choice.

 

I think the Gallardo is a great choice. As a younger guy, you will have a blast getting all the attention from the ladies with this car. The only downside to the attention is that GUYS are gonna give you more attention. EVERY little boy in the world is going to question you to death about the car, and the older guys are gonna aggravate the hell out of you about how fast it goes, how much was it, and how many relatives they have that are NFL players that also have one. A trip to the convenience store, the mall, or even to get the dry cleaning will be an event. Trust me, the level of attention you get will be on the level of a twenty one year old blond girl with a small waist and 40DDs.
As far as reliability, my Murcie has had one hiccup in two years, so I would say Lamborghini is pretty reliable. My BMWs visit the shop more than the Lamb. Just keep a couple of dollars stashed away for the possibility of a problem, and you will be fine.
And as far as the depreciation issue with it, I say Carpe Diem. After all, it is a Lambo.

 

Thanks for the reply. I understand what you mean about the car could be a daily driver mechanically but it might be better to have another vehicle for long road trips, airport for traveling since it doesn't have much room or times I'm not in the best of areas. It's something I will have to consider. Good to hear you confirm the reliability is great though. I'm in South Florida so the traffic isn't too bad not stop and go like when I lived in LA. Not interested in Porsche or Audi to be honest. Just not my taste. Appreciate your insight I'm still having a tough time deciding between the two. It's really just going to boil down to which I find the better deal for quicker I think.

 

Hey man thanks for checking in. Your post is pretty much what I'm looking for. Being a young 28 year old entertainment executive I'm going for the "flash" and the "image" with this next car choice. I don't think you can do much better than a Lambo. Bentley is a beautiful car and I absolutely love the CGT also but they are ultimately in two different classes of vehicles style wise and attention getting wise in my opinion. Don't think I can go wrong with either one but the Lambo has more of that "wow" factor. As for depreciation I've done a lot of research and buying now now and selling in a year or two I honestly don't think money would be lost. They hold value and especially buying an older one that has already taken pretty much all of the hit. Even if money were to be lost come resell time I can't see myself losing $18-20k on the car in just 1 or 2 years it sounds virtually impossible. That's how much it will cost me keeping my lease right now anyways at $750/month worst case scenario. Sounds like a no brainer to jump ship to an exotic and get out of a car payment since I have the liquid available now!

 

I've also read that virtually nobody drives their Gallardo in the "automatic" mode. Why is this? What's the downside to just driving it like any other automatic vehicle? Apparently it uses clutch life faster when in fact I would have thought the opposite.

 

I drive the Murcie just like I would a regular stick: off gas, then shift. So far, i've put 15k on the clutch and it read at 40% wear the last time I had a snap done.(1k more since snap.) I say if you drive the egear like a regular manual, you should get reasonable wear. Also, just like a manual, the interstate is your friend. Most of my trips are out of town for 100+ miles, so very little clutch wear there.
Now, in your neck of the woods, Ocean Drive and Collins are irresistible, but remember, stop and go is not your friend when you have egear. But, hey, you gotta hit Washington a time or two, right?

 

Yeah the good thing is most of my driving is interstate commutes and regular city commutes where it's not "stop and go" traffic. Just your normal red lights along the way. Naturally I'll have to bring her down to South Beach every now and then but that won't be a weekly thing. It's inevitable that Washington, Oceans and Collins must be hit every so often. Stop and go is better with manual than e-gear? What about clutch life? The same or different?

 

From my understanding, if you can source a manual Gallardo, you will have longer clutch life than an egear, but that is purely contingent upon personal driving style. I would have gotten a manual if one were available, but at the time when I was ready to purchase, I only found egears available. Either way, there is maintenance costs involved. Once again, I say just squirrel away a few dollars and ride.