2006 to 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo?

A friend has a Murcielago. I refuse to drive it, but he says it is worth every penny. He has had Ferrari's and Lotus, Benz AMG and so on.

I did a very small amount of prelim research on those awhile back - the e-gears sound like trouble, I think all of them but especially up to 2007 or 2008, and then newer cars (the LP-550 and 560) are better sorted. That's why ~07 Gallardo e-gears are plentiful and relatively cheap on ebay, especially early ones. The e-gear clutches are soft and can wear out in ridiculously short time, there are stories of guys going through like 4 e-gear clutches in 10K miles. 10K miles would be considered great, and the clutch job itself is about $6K at a private Lambo shop @ $100/hr labor for a lot of hrs (I think it's 20 or 30 hrs), and maybe $9K if you're paying a dealer labor rate. Consider that an average driver might have to do this job more than once per year, yeah. There is also apparently a way you need to adapt your driving to, so as to not prematurely wear the e-gear clutch any more than you need to. The Gallardo was basically a pre-release Audi R8; VAG put the Lambo out so that they could make money off the G as a 'cheap' Lambo, while grooming the driveline and chassis to be the Audi halo car. Anyway, it sounds like much more trouble than it's worth, the Gallardo makes the Ferrari 360 actually seem reliable.

http://supercarrentalsinc.com/lambor...cost-estimate/ A link that has been circling the net over the past few months... Two things to keep in mind, 1) This was a RENTAL company, so assume higher repairs anyway 2) Engine blew...

Are you set on the lambo? Why not go for a v10 R8?

I loved mine while I had it. I put 12k on it in 2 years (consider the fact that I live in a place that effectively has 7 months of winter, that's A LOT of miles) and never had a issue with it. INTERIOR: It developed a couple of squeaks and rattles, but mine was a 2003, so I would think this should be sorted by the time the vintage you're looking at rolled out (and they were nothing compared to the 348TB I had before that). The SatNav was pure junk, I ended up using a TomTom (again, this may have been sorted). Seating position is great, the seats hold you tight and are good enough (for me) for a 200 mile drive with no back pain. EXTERIOR: Parking can be a bit annoying at first. It's kind of like a truck, you don't really know where the bumper is at first. Other then that it's very livable (no storage space for more then a over night bag) as it is a rather small car, though she's got some hips on'er. THINGS I WOULD HAVE CHANGED: The gear knob (may be the whole lever, I never looked close enough to see if the knob and leaver were one piece, which they very well may be) would have been replaced by a unit from the R8. I've got small hands and I've never liked the large metallic ball knobs ( ) in Italian cars. I would have had custom floor matte's done as well, mine didn't hold up very well for some reason. CONSUMABLES: Very fair for the category of car. Here's a tip for you, when you replace the rotors and pads (if you have steel brake's that is) you can skip the Lamborghini price's and go with Audi price's! The front brakes are the same as they used on the V8TT RS6 (with a few exceptions, but they most certainly work, I know a couple of guys that use this set up on the track regularly) and apparently the Gallardo's rear's are the same as the fronts on the '03-up Viper SRT-10 (Brembo sourced I'm guessing). The clutch is pretty strong in the manual car, as long as you don't drive everywhere like a 16 year old in a Mustang, same with the tire's. THE DRIVE: Driving feel is wonderful, the AWD only helps. It give's the slightest bit of understeer, and that's at the very edge where most dare not tread. The throttle is smooth and strong, and the chassis only twitch's and writhes in the ways you want, it's a VERY forging car for the hamfisted. The power plant is a master piece, it just go's and go's. The first time I drove it I didn't think the rev's would ever end. The breaking can snap your head forward, and I would think would only be better the the ceramic breaks the model's you're looking at may have. It's a wonderful car, best I've ever owned. I would admit that I would be a bit hesitant swaping a 993 TT for one. The TT is already going up in value, and Gallardo's (even early models) are still going down. If it were my garage, I'd hold on to the Porker for awhile longer and get a early Gallardo in a year or two at a even exchange. As it stands you're still going to be shelling out a good bit of cash out of pocket for it. The car's not going anywhere, and it'll still be just a wonderful in a year or so.

I would drive a lot of other cars in the same price bracket before getting the lambo. Maybe upgrading your Porsche to the GT2?

There weren't many 993 GT2's made though Quite a few years ago when I was in Tokyo once, I'd say it's been about 10 years or more, I see this girl in a Porsche - upon closer inspection it was a real 993 GT2, riveted flares and the BBS mag mesh, and she was literally crawling down the street in it because she was busy yapping on her Hello Kitty-ed out cell phone. What a waste.

Why not a newer Porsche? At 06 Gallardo prices you can probably get yourself into a 997 Turbo or GT3.

06-08 Gallardo prices could get you an F430 as well, which seems like a much better, sorted-out car.

I didn't mean a 993 GT2, I just thought a modern Porsche might be what he was looking for. I would also think about the R8 for the same price range.

This thread is too rich for my blood. My friends in SoFLA that have all of these fun toys tell me that new Ferraris tend to be more reliable then new Lambos.