Hi guys,

Just joined the forum. I've been reading around trying to make up my mind as to whether the Gallardo will work for me. I was wondering if there are any Londoners here and what they think of their Gallardo as a main car in the city.

Can the car tackle the large speed bumps or do you have to make embarrassing U-turns every time you come across one?

Do you feel OK if you get stuck in a traffic jam, either with e-gear or the manual stick, or is it a pain to control the 500bhp in a stop-and-go setting?

Those are the two main questions that come to mind but if there is something that you think I should know about the "exotic car" experience, do let me know. The one good thing about having one in London I suppose might be that you won't get too much attention as the city is full of rich people driving around in fancy cars anyway, so I should be able to use it even if I'm just going to the shops to buy some food :-D

Thanks in advance!

Short answer, if your going to corral it in traffic and errand running, it's not the car for that.

Cough...Gallardo isnt a super car...Cough cough..just exotic..Cough

Just kidding but not really.


On a more serious note I don't have any experience but I have heard of a few putting 40+k miles on them. My dad has vipers and people say you cannot drive them daily and he did....If you complain a lot about nuisances then I would not recommend an exotic as a DD (daily driver).

I personally feel the gallardo was meant to be driven, unlike the murielago

I just got off my friend's 2007 Gallardo ( I love friends ); it has been a night drive, about 35 miles on empty roads. My opinion: it's a wonderful car, fast, nimble and exotic. She does what she promises when you watch her. Being a true sport car it is not a good daily driver, in my opinion it is unconfortable regarding both suspensions and seats. Vipers, except for the heat, are more confortable.

Anyway, buy one.

Claudio

I don't care about the depreciation, or the extra maintenance expense occured due to driving it every day. In fact I'd be happy if I could drive it any time I need to move from point A to B.

It's the idea of not being able to get to places that other cars can (over speed bumps, steep car parks, narrow passage ways, etc) that does annoy me. I don't like having to plan my route beforehand. That's why I'm asking for feedback from Londoners who have driven it round quite a bit...

Alternatives:

Ferrari F430, Audi R8 (neither are more practical though are they?)
High-end Porsche (not exotic enough for my taste)

That's all I can think of in the £80-£120K range! Ideally I only want to purchase one car, as opposed to exotic + every day car.

I don't know about London, but in Chicago (aside from the potholes ) the Gallardo is fine, with the front end lift, there isn't many inclines or bumps that are a problem. The only thing I would say that would limit me from driving mine everyday is:

- Comfort
- Storage Space
- Attention
- Depreciation

That said I try to drive mine as much as possible

R8 is defintely more practical and as for a porsche, unless you have a carrera GT they are all practical. Nothing exotic about a porsche, just a very well build and good performing sports car.

From the sound of it I think you would be a candidate for the gallardo. I am sure you can flip it quickly if it turns out to be a nightmare.

Keep us updated

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I too have been thinking of a Gallardo. I like to go golfing in the wine country on weekends however I find it hard to imagine a bag of clubs (or even 2) fitting in the car. I was thinking behind the seats might be room for a set, going to bring a tape measure next time to the dealer. Anyone have any experience with this? Other choice is an Aston Martin but it just doesn't have as much exotic feel to it.

There is no room behind the seats for a bag of golf clubs. Trunk is also very small. You would have to put them in the front seat and try to secure them some way while driving. Hope this helps.

Do they all have a front end lift? Even early models from 2003? How high does it lift?

FWIW, I drove an E-Gear at a track, and found it surprisingly easy to manuevre in tight spaces in the pits (compared to my TVR Griffith, which has no power steering and regular manual gearbox and clutch).

I've driven my Grif around town, and sometimes get caught in traffic, and it's not fun, but not a disaster. I felt the Gallardo delivered it's greater power in a more civilised way, and with the E-Gear there would not be the duress of constantly pressing the clutch.

As for size, well that's a personal decision. It have a Trans Am I use as a runabout for laughs, which is nearly as wide, and rarely am I inconvenienced by it's width, but I imagine that some would be. I live in the suburbs though, not the centre of town.

cheers, Pum.
Also in London and wondering about speed bumps and other practicalities.