Just bought a 2006 Merci from Long Island Lamborghini. I'm new to the Supercar experience. I haven't physically seen the car yet and will be flying out there to inspect. Its an authorized dealer so do I need to bother with a professional car inspector? What other things should I be looking for?

Keys, scratches, car cover, clutch condition (e-gear), service history... can anyone add?

I haven't driven the car yet and am so excited. What am I to expect besides the incredible power? How hard is it to drive, visibility, parking?

Obviously, you should pull a Carfax report on the car if you haven't already done so. It would also be a good idea to pay another Lamborghini dealership to perform a prepurchase inspection (PPI) of the car. Lamborghinis are complicated cars, and a little problem can lead to an expensive repair. As an example, a headlight being out might lead you to conclude that the caar needs a new bulb when in fact it may need a $500 (per lamp) ignitor instead. Having said that, the newer cars are relatively trouble free. When you test drive the car, don't be overwhelmed by the experience and set good judgment aside. Listen for anything that doesn't sound right and don't disregard any vibrations. Pay a lot of attention to any warning lights that flash while you are driving. In short, be extremely focused on what is going on around you and be critical.

First off, you should always, without a doubt, get a PRE Purchase Inspection from an unbiased third party...meaning NOT the dealer you're buying from. While the dealer you're buying from may be reputable, they're acting on THEIR best interests, not yours, no matter how much "reassurance" they offer you.

The primary thing to have inspected, if the car is an E-Gear, is the clutch life remaining...have them perform a "snapshot" of the clutch, and even when they tell you how much material is remaining, have them use their formula to give you an accurate indication of remaining clutch life.

Don't trust carfax 100%...check with autocheck and maybe even purchase title guard for your protection. Try to confirm the history of the car, get photos of the car, etc...look for the car to have had aftermarket wheels on it prior to your ownership as that could have damaged the AWD system if they were installed, thus creating another area to check during the PPI.

Warranty should still be in effect for the car being it's an 06. Find out when the warranty was punched and know EXACTLY how much warranty is remaining, given it's a 2 year warranty, this plays a role in the value of the car. If the warranty is expired, you should be able to get some $$ off the price.

The cars are pretty reliable, so there aren't really specific areas that are weaker than others...make sure all service bullitens and campaigns are up to date and all SERVICE HISTORY is with the car. If this is an unknown, then go for the discount. If the dealer tells you the service is up to date but cannot provide the documentation of this, then assume that it hasn't been done and that you are going to have to pay for that service...or at least open the doors to a better deal for yourself.

You're going to have to set your excitement for your purchase aside for a short period of time and make sure to do your due diligence completely. You have to remember that YOU are responsible for YOUR purchase, so make your deal contingent upon the successful completion of the PPI and production of service history, that way if you have to walk away, you can do so knowing that you did the right thing to protect your investment.

If you have questions on what to look for or where to go, you can call me anytime and I'll help you where I can.

Kevin
Cats Exotics
425-353-2287 ext 2

I'm having a hard time with this PPI from a third party. Especially if your buying form an "authorized dealer". They are 100% responsible for a car they sell as an "authorized dealer" who knows more about these cars than they do, and there aren't that many "experts" out there other than the dealers. Further more, if I was a Dealer no way in hell am I going to let you take my car to someone who supposedly is more "honest and knows more". In all the cars I've bought I've never done this and never been sorry.

One horror story = 1,000 good experiences.

Save you money and trust the dealer. If you don't trust the dealer don't buy it.

If there is nothing to hide about the car then there is no reason the dealer can't take the car to someone for an inspection. No one is saying that the selling dealer is not qualified to perform a PPI...but what I am saying is that the selling dealer is working for themselves, not for you.

And in terms of the dealer being 100% responsible, that's incorrect...they're only responsible for whatever they "uncover and disclose" that they repaired...if they advise you of the problems and the car breaks down, then that is all on YOU and the dealership has nothing to do with it. Are you suggesting that a qualified Lamborghini mechanic of say 20 years is less knowledgeable than the 27 yr old that's only gone through 2 factory training courses? Somehow, that 27 yr old is more knowledgeable than the other guy simply because he works for an authorized dealer? He's suddenly more qualified?

The suggestion is simple, get an unbiased third party report...if you want to trust the selling dealer to perform an inspection on their own car and something goes wrong down the line "that should have been uncovered in the PPI"....well guess what, can't blame the dealer now can you.

I can back this up...purchased a car and had it inspected at one of these Authorized Dealers...the car was given a 10 from the inspection, which cost over 700.00. No mechanical flaws found, no cosmetic flaws, car was "perfect" as they put it. Being pleased with the report, purchased the car. Got it delivered, had ANOTHER inspection performed on delivery from a DIFFERENT authorized dealer...47k worth of repairs needed....clutch, slave cylinder, brakes on all four corners, shocks, brake lines, front diff service...you name it, the car needed it....and this from an authorized dealer.

Sure I can go after the first dealer for the inaccurate report...but you know what their response was? "Buyer Beware, no warranties expressed or implied". So take the lesson or spend another 50-100k trying to recover the expenses from over 3,000 miles away? Sorry, but burn me once my mistake, from that point forward, third party non biased pre purchase inspection...but the choice is ultimately the buyers.

Car IS perfect NOW...over 50k total invested...lesson learned.

I appreciate as an independent dealer you see everything. I just think the average buyer has to trust the authorized dealer network. How many independent "honest" mechanics are there with 30 years experience? None in my neck of the woods, and how far is a dealership going to let you transport their car to get to him? I don't think it's very realistic for the average buyer to go hunt one down. That's what they're paying for by buying from the dealership. Peace of mind. For example, I have no problem trusting Lamborghini Dallas, or Motorcars international (not authorized, but an excellent reputation) I wouldn't insult them by asking to take their car for someone to undermind their expertise. If a person is that spooked, and can't trust a factory authorized facility to provide them an accurate diagnosis of a car they shouldn't consider a Lamborghini.

Also, I would have no problem buying from Cat's, as you guys have a very good reputation. But if a local dealer had the car I wanted, I'd take my chances on their PPI.
I'm completely unbiased.

Everyone will have an opinion here - so for what its worth - here is mine. It has been my experience that yes, you must trust the dealer you are buying from. Otherwise, don't buy from them. But business is business, and I would always have "unbiased" eyes look over a used car. Again, just my experience, but I have found it easier to squeeze blood out of a stone than get a dealer to correctly deal with a problem, that they should have found initially, particularly if it costs them all/most of the profit they have in the car. I'm sure they are out there - but I have yet to find one. So, for me, its money well spent just to get a someone to give the car a fresh look. Most dealers understand its just business. Believe me, they have gone over my trades with a fine tooth comb; they understand its their profit on the line. It doesn't make me or them any less honest.

Trust is key in this business - many of us buy cars sight unseen from people we know by reputation only (Cats for example). After doing a bit of due dilegence on Cats I completely trusted them to do the right thing. What do I mean by that? If the car was delivered and was not exactly, and I mean exactly, as advertised, they would buy it back no questions asked. Why? Because one bad sale and your reputation is soiled - perhaps beyone repair. That said, even from Kevin, I would still have an independent PPI on a used car, regardless of miles. Again, just my 2 cents.

In this case, the car in question is at Long Island...there are half a dozen local, unbiased third parties near there that can perform this task....now, if the car was located in the middle of North Dakota, then that might pose a certain problem...but being where it is located, there are plenty of options. The dealer understands business is business and more and more dealers are agreeing to shipping cars short distances, at the customers expense of course, to get these inspections performed.

We actually make this a requirement to have a PPI performed and if the customer declines for any reason, we have implemented a release form of sorts that goes with every deal packet....it's just one way to help protect ourselves AND the customer. Last thing I want is to sell someone an 06 roadster for 300k and have the clutch go out in 20 miles...something a PPI may, or may not have, uncovered.

The liability aspect is what has prompted many Ferrari dealers to stop doing PPI's...I sense that Lamborghini is not far behind that trend in the coming years unless it's their own car being prepped for their new extended warranty and certified pre-owned program.

I see you point though Raymond...yes you should trust your local dealer, however IF the option exists to get some back up security on a 300k purchase, it's a small investment of both time and money for that peace of mind.

So, since Lamborghini is instituting their own CPO program, why doesn't the original poster have the authorized (Lamborghini of Long Island) dealer sell him this car under that program ? Which, from what I understand, takes effect this month. That way the car is warrantied by the factory.

The warranty is an additional cost...just because it goes through the CPO program and qualifies for the extended warranty doesn't mean that it's already covered under the warranty. Hope that makes sense. I would watch for prices on the CPO cars to go up...given the inspection process and requirements the car has to meet in order to qualify.

Kevin