Agreed on all counts - but in the end its also the overall ownership experience that the brand/car brings us that is valued - and sometimes you just have to go through it yourself to 'know better' in the end. Question - do you REGRET owning any of your exotics, or having them for a while? I would assume no - and short of being in a 'very' tight financial situation getting into most cars, most other owners would say the same.

I'm currently on my second 997 and plan to step into an LP gallardo next - again for a different/change of ownership experience - one that a lamborghini brings over a porsche. I definitely learned that there is no one right or perfect car to always check off ALL boxes, and short of having unlimited (mayweather funds) - I plan on going through many of the best cars the world has to offer one by one.

As long as you (or anybody, including the OP) does it right - you do not have to suffer large depreciation costs for owning it for one to several years. If the OP in fact pick up an '05 vs his '11 911 - he might in fact lose LESS money over a period of time.

Its always easy to have 20/20 vision looking back - but a lot of times with SUCH an emotional purchase and toy such as cars - there is no right or wrong - its more of a journey rather then the destination. No one 'needs' a porsche either and you can have FUN in cars 1/10 of the price of 911s just as well.

Im definitely a believer in experiencing different brand ownerships if you can swing it and cars throughout life - esp as a hobby -- and encourage others to do the same. YES I love my 997tt very much, but have loved many of the cars I have owner prior to as well and am happy to have had the chance to experience them all in their own right.

I wish I could say it was all that great but yesterday I was up under the dash of a friends 996tt installing a sprint booster and all I could think about was how I would take that car apart (like I have always done and what I would change) and make it better first thing would be to make it RWD. I think for me it was a creative outlet being the first to do something (like the 04 RWD Gallardo) or build a chassis out of titanium and just the fact that people would say to me you never made it past the 8th grade how could you improve a car dozens of trained engineers designed would make me want to do it even more. Once I turned my creative side towards writing novels I began to loose interest in redesigning cars and I have come realize that was my passion not the driving. I still hear the Ferrari guys I know tell me their cars have soul I laugh they are all just machines I tell them some better some worse and like all machines they can be made better which is what I used to want to do. My 3rd novel just went to the editors (I wrote novels for the same reason I did the cars to prove to myself I could) and it should be out by the end of the year. For someone like me who once lived on the streets you learn to grab everything you can and make the most of it and ego certainly played a part in that. In the end I admire all of you who love driving your cars and have such passion for them. I hope you never loose that!

lol true

Why would you dump the Pcar for a Lambo? I have a 10-yr-old and an 8-yr-old and have 105,000 miles on my 997 cab. Why........because they fit in the back, love the car, its almost maint free, a blast to drive and gets driven constantly on family trips. You will loose a lot going to a Lambo including fitting the whole family in the car. If you can afford both.....go for it. If your 85 years old and bored, get a Bentley. That has to be a pretty boring car to drive after about a week of ownership.

I have extensively been around/driven Gallardo's.I am always up to date on the current market and all just for fun.

Anyways here goes,

What are they giving you for your car on trade in? Because I wouldn't pay more than $110k for an 05 G. And at that price it better be a really nice one.Putting $40k on top might be ok but you didn't tell us the total for that car so can't give you an answer on that.

You will NOT lose $30-40k a year in depreciation.The 04-05 are already hitting rock bottom.Gallardos are pretty reliable and you mentioned the car you're looking at is a real 6 speed gated.Those are even better with longer clutch life than a egear.They are also bringing in higher pricing due to rarity.

If you wanna send me the link to the proposed car I can nit pick at it. 05+ models have the front end lift system and clear engine bonnets. I will say the interior is minimal but Gallardo's ALWAYS put a smile on my face.

I say do it but depends on the Lambo Youre looking at and where it's coming from aka Bobs Used Cars or an authorized dealer. And no trust me not all official dealers are good! I'll steer you in the right direction. Btw did you test drive the car yet?

Also if you ask me trading later for a Bentley as a family car is silly. Your kids won't know or care about the difference between it or a $25k Honda CRV.