It really depends. If you strike up a good relationship with the dealer

Yeah, I was at the dealership here a while ago, looking at a blue Diablo VT roadster- not to buy, just lookin- and the guy would not let me TOUCH the car. I think in order to test drive one of those you need to really convince them- literally show them the money, perhaps. The guys at Lambo Dallas, where I bought mine, were a little more lenient, but then again they knew I had flown down from Utah. You're going to have to be damn lucky if they let you test drive one, sorry to be the bringer of bad news, because I remember wanting to do the same thing...

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2004 Blue Caelum Lamborghini Gallardo 6-speed
~The ultimate pocket rocket!!~

i walked into 2 lambo dealerships both let me test drive.

man, even if i can sit in or just touch one would be nice.... obviously.

well i'll go down there anyways and give it a shot.

Ive always loved lambo's but up until i came to this forum did i REALLY want one! my new life goal at age 19: to get a lambo.

I think dealers with 'hands-off' policies are in it strictly for the money and have no deep passion for the brand. I was just in the local Porsche showroom. Popped by because I was walking to my office and it was enroute. Was very warmly greeted by the 'salesperson'. After telling him that I'm 'just looking' he deliberately pointed out that all the cars were unlocked and answered all my questions with genuine interest and passion. I could tell he really loves Porsches. Surprisingly he left the showroom and a lady took his place. I was surprised by his genuine enthusiasm, humility and warmth so I asked the lady for his name and she responded, "Thats David, our CEO". I would say if I was looking for a car I would have a bought a Porsche because of him.

You're probably right about that. I had the same experience at a Porsche dealer, as a matter of fact. He let me take the car out alone on the freeway, I didn't even have to try to negotiate him into it. Same thing happened at the Mercedes dealer here, they had an unlocked, $186k CL65 sitting on the showroom floor. I would never work at a car dealership if I didn't have a real passion for it. I don't have to deal with this kind of thing because we (usually) don't have $150K+ cars come through our showrooms. But if you don't let your customers even get a good look at the car, why bother?

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2004 Blue Caelum Lamborghini Gallardo 6-speed
~The ultimate pocket rocket!!~

Yes, if you have significant equity in your house and you are responsible with your finances, a home equity loan is the way to go because you will deduct the interest and benefit around tax time. In essence, you buy from yourself. Also, some dealerships are more friendly towards customers. I walked into a Porsche dealership in Riverside, CA, looked at a 911 and the salesperson gave me the keys and told me to come back when I'm finished. As a result, I bought 3 cars from them over the years and recently test drove an 04 Gallardo for about a half an hour. So, it helps to develop a rapport with a dealership but some are not as friendly as others. Incedentally, I decided not to buy the Gallardo after reading about all the clutch problems.

When you walk into a dealer and they just hand you the keys what are you wearing? I mean are you nicely dressed? I know a guy around here that walked into a merceades dealer and was looking at an AMG (not sure which one) and they didnt even talk to him. Probaly because he wasnt wearing the best clothes and was a young guy. But his parents are loaded so they just lost a sale.

This happened in '95 when I was 29 years old. I look considerably younger than my age (I'm 40 now) especially then, so, I was really surprised when he asked if I wanted to look at the 911 on the lot. Naturally, I said "yes" and he said " Let me get the keys. Take it for a spin and come back when you are finished." I had just moved from the Philadelphia area where the higher end car dealers were quite snobby and was totally blown away by the laid back Southern California attitude. I was wearing a tee shirt with some logo , jeans and sneakers. What's even funnier is that I was only looking with no intention to ask for help or definitely not to test drive. Subsequently, I bought the car from them and then a ' 99 Boxter and finally, a 2001 SL500. I recently test drove a 04 Gallardo they had on the floor but decided to pass for now. This dealership now gets exotic cars so, They let me test drive them because my history there has shown that if I test drive it today, I'll probably buy it tomarrow. I also bought a Ferrari 328 back in '97 from a friend who just bought Craig Lieberman's 6.0 Diablo. I'm looking forward to taking a spin in it.