checkout www.catsexotics.com they have a large collection of lambos and ferraris

 

I'm a millionaire so I don't really worry about resale . . . . JOKE!!

Seriously though, my ultimate dream car is a Ferrari Enzo. But that isn't even within reach yet. I have had a long lasting love affair with the F430 and now the Scuderia makes me want to sell my soul for $300K! I have never been that much into the 360s. They look great but the power and handling just didn't impress me that much. My suped up SLK55 - and of course my 997TT - is a lot faster. I decided to buy the 997TT instead and wait until I could buy the Ferrari I really wanted. Nothing beats that engine note though. Even the 360 sounds better than anything else on the road in the same price range. Even the Ferrari-built Maseratti engines sound awesome. How do they do it???

I think that Ferrari is the absolute pinnacle of auto design and performance. All I have to do to get motivated at work is to watch the Top Gear episode where Jeremy reviews the F430. Oh that engine note . . . Leaves me speechless. I am looking forward to the day when I can spec my own Ferrari and make the trip to Maranello to pick it up myself. That lap around the Fiorano test track will be one of the sweetest moments of my life. I hope to reach that goal within 5 years.

When buying cars the only real constraint I have is my passion for the car and whether it makes sense financially. I never really think that much about resale value. The big deal maker or breaker for me is whether I can pay cash for the car. I don't like debt of any kind - especially on an assett that only depreciates. With Ferrari, at least you would have the outside chance of it eventually gaining value. But in the short term you take a bath no matter what.

I feel like you only live once and you don't know what's going to happen when you walk out that door. You must put family first. But after that, you can certainly have some of the things that make you happy. Cars make me happy and I allow myself to indulge in them to a certain point. I couldn't live with myself if I ever let it have a negative effect on my family. So I only buy what I can afford and don't go beyond my means. That means I have to wait a while longer but it is all the sweeter when it happens.

You already have had a lot of very nice cars. Good luck to you in your quest for a Ferrari, Lambo or whatever you choose. I hope it happens for you soon!

 

If you're set on a Gallardo then give Cats Exotics a call. I am in the process of buying an '05 Gallardo from them. The price the car ends up at is dependent on a number of factors and you can't really generalize it. Call up Cats, tell them what you must have, how much you want to spend, and then let them find the car for you. They know a lot about many cars out there and can give you that information. Kevin was awesome for my purchase and I can wholeheartedly recommend them.

Oh, and on service, the 7500mi service is $1400 locally, 15000mi is $2600. Compare that to Ferrari service which I hear can run over $5k easily per service. No direct experience here, just word from a friend of a friend with a 360 coupe that is currently sitting because he can't bring himself to spend the $8k that he thinks the next service will cost.

 

Good car, I ordered the snow tires on a spare set of rims (which I guess very few people do) and used it as my daily driver for a year and a half. Very good car, absolutely useable as a daily driver since I live downtown and roads are plowed immediately after it snows. Car was actually very good in the snow so long as you were reasonable with the throttle, the Pirelli snow tires made for the car are fantastic.

I haven't driven an R8, but suspect it's similar to a Gallardo with less power. Probably even better for a daily driver if it has more ground clearance. The local grocery store has an underground garage where I needed to be VERY careful in the Gallardo, but I never scraped... betting situations like that would be less stressful in the R8.

The 360 is not really daily-driveable and I wouldn't daily-drive anything that has engine-out service requirements (sorry, CGT folks)... and I trust the chain drive motors (Gallardo) a lot more than belts generally for high-revving motors, if given the choice. Maybe irrational, but that's my bias.

As for the TT, it's a fantastic car and undoubtedly the best daily driver of the group. Ever since the 993, the TT has been the "fast daily driver" of the 911 family and a ton of people here in town use them as daily drivers. It's also likely to be the most reliable, have the best parts availability (perhaps tied with the Audi), and is the least likely to have undercapitalized/incompetent dealerships (Lambo being the loser in this area with its many cash-poor, poor-physical-plant, not-great-location dealers).

I'd choose the TT unless you really love the R8, price being equal among the choices.

One thing others have failed to mention is image. I don't know what industry you're in or what sorts of social events you attend, but as someone who sits on the boards of a couple non-profits, I felt out-of-place showing up at a fundraiser or dinner in a Gallardo, but would have had no trouble showing up in a Turbo (or the R8, had it existed at the time). If "image" is factored in, I would say the 911 and R8 have a better, more versatile image than the Ferrari or Lamborghini as far as picking up clients or attending events. I don't know if this factor matters to you, but it's something to consider, in my view.

 

Cats exotic is located in WA, Im from Northeast area, so I must fly over there to look at the cars. Is lambo warranty 2 year/24000 miles, if thats the case, the 2004 and 2006 would make no differences as both are out of warranty. So as long as the clutch, bearing, 7500 mile service are done, the 2004 listed above from an non-lambo dealer is a good buy? What is the differences between my local non-lambo dealer to cat exotic which is also a
non - lambo dealer. The differences between a 2004 to a 2006 is more than $20,000. Do you think buying a 2004 and use the $20,000 saving for maintenance is a better idea?
Are you getting those numbers, 1400$, 2600$ from a authorized lambo dealer or local shops?

 

Here are a few cars I ve been looking at these past 2 weeks.
997 turbo Black/Black $122000 2200 miles
997 Turbo cab white/terra NEW $143,000
997 Turbo cab black/black Ordering new $138,000
Gallardo 2004 Yellow/black$130,000 4900 miles from local non-lambo dealer
Gallardo 2005 yellow/black $139,000 7100 miles from Lambo dealer
Gallardo 2006 Silver/Black $146,000 9100 miles from Lambo dealer

In your honest opinion, which of the above is the best deal? and why?
Im thinking the 2004 Gallardo is the best, I save about $16000 and thats plenty to spend on maintenance for the 2 years of ownership just as long as the clutch and bearing, 7500 mile maintenance have been completed.

The porsche dealer told me if I were to order a 911 TT cab, I must order with sport chron, which I dont understand why. Sounds like New TT cab is the best option if I were to get the porsche. And plus its a convertible.

I really love the Gallardo but at the same time want a convertible, but I cant afford a Gallardo spyder.

I feel like showing up at a social event with a Lambo gave me more confidence in dealing with potential customers.

 

Well, while I can't offer you any advice on the cars, I can say this:

If you're buying a Lambo to "boost" confidence you're in a load of trouble my friend. This would be no different than guys who think driving a hot car gets him girls.

Driving a Lambo to social events for potential clients will come off as try-hard...so unless your clients are movie celebs or something, I'd much rather roll up in a CLS

 

You nailed one of the major factors important in my decision to get a Porsche Turbo. Although it sounds like our careers are different, I like that the Turbo remains fairly stealthy. Pulling up in a Ferrari, Lambo, or even a R8 would turn some heads while a Porsche Turbo just looks like a "nice Porsche" to the mostly uniformed masses. It probably helps that in my parking lot there are already a handful of Porsches (including three Turbos), zero Lambos/R8's, and the two Ferrari's are driven by total posers.

 

How about a GT3?

 

I work for a top international law firm. Partners in my office are all multi-millionaires and could drive anything they want. But they all choose very conservative cars. But it is not an image thing as much as they just aren't in to cars. Everyone has something they are willing to spend a lot of money on. My brother has done very well for himself but he still drives an old Toyota and buys his suits at Wal-Mart. But he spends incredible amounts on money traveling the world with his family. Many of the partners at my firm spend outrageous amounts of money on wine. I don't drink, so I don't spend money on wine. Yet I understand why they do - they REALLY like wine. They don't drink it to portray an image. They think spending 6-figures on a car is nuts. But to me it is money well-spent.

You should spend money on what you have a passion for - not to enhance any kind of image.

Being a lawyer is my second career. I did pretty well in my prior life and when I got to the firm I bought a Mercedes and then my Porsche. Some people would say "wow, he buys expensive cars." But then others would say, "oh, he's a car-guy" and people would accept that. They knew that I bought my cars because that is what I am passionate about - not because I want to feel better about myself or make them feel inferior to me. If you do that, people will know and they will only think less of you for it.

My 2 cents.

 

I'd buy the 2004 gallardo. I just sold mine with 8200 miles (late serial # 2004) and had zero problems. I replaced two rear tires, one remote battery, one main battery and 3 oil changes. Not one check engine light. None, nada, nix problems. My largest service was $395. Not as fast as the tt but has that right now normally aspirated power.

Very nice vibe around it. Many people think you're a ***** if you own a porsche or ferrari but people just thought the Lambo was cool. I didn't get one snotty remark the whole time I owned it.

 

This is easy for you to say . . . You have an F430 F1!

 

Thanks. I just got the 430 and I'm happy with it. It's the first Fcar I've owned that does not feel like it is going to blow up.

The Gallardo was so stable it was crazy. The most stable sports car I've ever driven. It makes a tt seem nervous. I think the build quality is every bit as good as a tt IMO.

Having said all of that, if I could only have one sports car it would be a tt. 911's just feel like home to me and they are so damn fast.

My suggestion to the OP for the G was because it sounded like more of weekend fun car.

 

what year was your car? If your car is not a 04, then its not part of the clutch problem year.

 

It was a late 2004 and I'm pretty well versed in the clutch issues. The early SN's had issues but they were sorted pretty early. <#450 IIRC. My clutch felt great and I had no issues. I've seen them cooked at 1000 miles.

One of the things that sucks about a lambo is buying a used one. You can find any number of perfect tt's tomorrow but the G's are more inclined to have stories around them. Many were bought for flash only and not by enthusiasts. Which brings me back to the clutch. It's a high HP AWD car with a small diameter clutch. If you slide it much you will cook it. Same for a Murci, 430, and a number of other exotics. Many of the cars that had clutch problems were owned by boneheads that were rough on the clutch. You can cook one with just a few idiot moves. The last time I checked a clutch was $4500 installed for a G.