I got my Gallardo around Christmas time , a 2004 with 4000 miles on it..I now have about 12,000 miles on it, as I drive it most of the time. I kept my Honda S2000..which was going to be my every day car, but it is too much fun to drive the Gallardo for me to drive the Honda...I do use the S2000 if I go Mountain biking, since I can't find a reasonable bike rack for the Gallardo :-)
Beyond business and evenings out, I use the Gallardo for just about everything other than when I go biking--I have even used it to go freediving--I can fit speargun, fins, wetsuit ( in front trunk in waterproof container), mask , snorkel, etc. Luckily the boat I use has a good restaurant litterally right next to the marina, with valet parking, so leaving the car is very safe.

My problems with the car have been minimal, and very acceptable. I had the Air Condition go right after the race -- Italiafest..it was turned on during the race, and perhaps this contributed--I don;t know. A few months later the right front induction fan in the front grill died, so slow trafiic could cause the Gallardo to heat up a bit---this required shipping parts from Itally, as did the ac failure. Both meant time waiting, and not driving the car, so it is good to have an alternative like the S2000.

Beyond this, the car has been bulletproof. I drive it hard, every single day..I use a Passport8500 radar detecter, and M40 Blinder diffuser, to assist me in driving the car hard without being pulled over freqently. It has worked flawlessly :-)

I use a mechanic in the Hollywood Florida area, Murry from Bachus auto...he is more like a rocket scientist than a mechanic, very trustworthy, and a good guy. Oil changes every 3000 to 5000 miles, and Murry will always let me know what I should be thinking about or planning to do, maintanence wise, but again, this has been very simple so far.

According to Murry, the car is "waayy" better off being driven like I drive it, then sitting in the garage except for an hour or two a month. It is supposed to be accelerated fast from a dead stop, to engage the clutch quickly, and this is the way I naturally like to start---I have 12,000 miles on the 2004 clutch, and it still feels like day one.

I shift at 4000 rpm or higher a large percentage of the time, and I make certain to do some driving wth the rpms well over 5000 several times per week.
Hope this helps.
Dan Volker

GREAT information. Thanks. I currently own a Lotus Elise which I am thrilled with. However, I bought it new about two and a half years ago and I am just ready for a change. I can afford something more expensive but I have been hesitate because I don't want the hassles of a high mainenance car. I've driven a Ferrari 360 and a Gallardo and like them both. However, it sounds like the Gallardo is the way to go.

I'm looking for an 04 or 04 Gallardo and live in Palm Beach County, FL. I just, today, talked to Murry Bacchus. He was referred by someone as an excellent mechanic and straight up guy. I just registered on this website and am not familiar with using it, so I hope this gets out.
I see that Dan Volker also uses Murry. It's good to see confirmation about how good he is! He is helping me find one in the area. He was very friendly, patient and helpful on the phone. Thanks, Dan

Hello - I just purchased a 2006 G and had the same question prior to buying it. I was told an oil change was about $250 and the major services are done every 7500 miles and will run between $1500-2000. This was far more attractive than the service on the F-Cars.

Dan, you still around?

I still visit :-)

And my 2004 Gallardo is up to about 20,000 miles..still like new , no maintenance issues...it appears to be as bullet proof as my Hondo S 2000.

I have raced it ( smoked an F430) and driven it from Lake Worth to the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina 2 weeks of "mountain driving" :-) , and basically, the G is driven 3 or 4 days each week.
I do NOT see it as expensive to maintain, but you do need a really good mechanic like Murray of Bachus Auto, to make sure you stay ahead of any problems that could develop.
And, you need to drive a Gallardo fast, or you should not have one :-)

Just what I wanted to hear. Your post intrigued me, as I also have a s2000, and love the car, how it drives, and I do drive it like it's meant to be driven.



So, believe it or not, I've had a hard time finding a car that's as much "fun to drive" as the s2000. So, care to expand anymore? I love a car that feels connected to the road, and handles. I've never driven a Gallardo, but many others.

Yep. Me too. Another S2000 junkie who is considering a Gallardo... and lurking. Nice to see that I'm not alone. Also good to hear that even a clean 04 is an option. I've been a little brainwashed into only considering 2005 + or so.

To put this in perspective, I feel the S2000 is lots of fun to drive as well. If you want to compare driving the two cars, I think I can help here....Both cars should be driven fast...both are very flat on sharp turns...the S2000 is easier to go to the limit with, as it is totally neutral when it breaks free into a skid--the Gallardo is a bit more quirky in how it breaks free, and what the best way is to handle this---the Gallardo needs MORE gas pedal when it starts to break free, not more brake ( in typical well entered racing turn scenario---I am not talking about what to do in some sudden emergency turn sceanario on I-95). When I first started taking my Gallardo to the road course at Moroso, I learned alot about taking this car to the limit, and then getting very comfortable no matter what is happening to it. The S 2000 is easier at the breaking free point, but this would not be meaningful if it was racing the Gallardo....the Gallardo would out corner it on the medium and highspeed turns, and on brute force acceleration, there is no comparison--after you blast out of a turn with the Gallardo, coming out of the same turn with the S2000 makes the 2000 feel more like a Honda Insight than you can imagine :-)
If you had never come out of the hard turn and blasted off with the Gallardo, then the S 2000 would feel pretty hot out of the turn.

At Moroso, there are some chicanes which are rapid low speed turns where the low polar moment of inertia for the S 2000 would probably make it superior to the Gallardo--first a violent 90 degree left turn, instantly followed by a violent 90 degree right turn...instant meaning litterally as soon as you have almost left the first 90, you are in the 2nd 90. While racing turns are not violent--they are smooth, I am trying to give an idea of how this feels as you come into it.
So driving down a neighborhood road, that has a 90 degree turn or switchback, the S 2000 may be the car to beat :-)
But on roads where you are going 90 mph plus, this will be the realm of the Gallardo. I've shown that to my business partner with his F430 as well :-)

When you are on an interstate like I95, the S2000 can whip from one lane to the other and weave through traffic with amazing ease... The Gallardo has even better stability in its lane weaving, but I think most people would need a few weeks of learning to use the side view mirrors effectively on the G , before they had equivalent peripherol vision and awareness abilities to an S 2000 driver with his top down. There is zero compariosn between the 2 cars once you make your 80mph weave, and then stomp the accelerator---even if you have the S2000 at 6000 rpm, it can not produce explosive accelaration from 80 or 90 mph up...the Gallardo could almost hurt your neck with the shock it can unleash, if you hit this from 6000 rpm.

One other thing you have to learn with a Gallardo is how to go in and out of gas station or bank parking lots--any place where the lot to the road has a steep transition. You have to learn to hit these at a 45 degree angle--it is all just set up prior to getting to the transition--if you plan this, you will never scrape ( unless you are talking about a transition that would seem extreme to even an SUV driver). When I first got my G, I would scrape occaisionally--but these days it never happens--ie, I would not waste the money on the front end hydraulic nonsense. You just have to learn how the car was intended to be driven.
How's that for now ? :-)
Dan

Good info here, thanks for the perspective. Just curious, where are you located?

I'm going to the WCD driving event in NY in May, which should be fun.