[chris01]

Hello Dreamers,

Some of you may remember me as the 24 year old who bought a Gallardo back in April link. It was a dream come-true, and an experience I absolutely cherish and have full appreciation for. With that said... I have sold the Gallardo. Now hold on a second, put the pitchforks down, I have my reasons lol. I wanted to tie up my loose ends on my initial forum post, and come full circle with what it was like to own a Gallardo.

The main reason I wanted to write this here in the dreamers thread was because there are a ton a prospective buyers in here who may find value in what I have to say. Additionally, I encourage dreamers to use this as a forum to ask questions, perhaps ask me some more personal questions about my ownership, and take something away to determine their next steps on their paths towards Lambo ownership.

Video:
Why I Sold My Lamborghini So Quickly - YouTube Video

Some financials - I was extremely fortunate in my ownership experience in that I had my oil pump repaired for a significantly reduced cost. I paid less than a honda dealer would charge to work on a civic for a diagnosis, oil pump drive shaft repair, rear main seal service, and parts and labor. I say this because my below cost of ownership could have been drastically more expensive.

Total cost of ownership, tax, registration, repairs, (buy price - sell price) - Roughly $6,000 to own a Gallardo from 4/21 - 8/21. I almost broke completely even. However the last minute repair of $1800 before selling, and the buyer last minute negotiated a significant chunk off my selling price, because he found another lower mileage car he was interested in. Things don't always go according to plan; keep that in mind. Losing that money sucks. However, owning a Gallardo was absolutely undoubtedly my #1 dream to accomplish at any time in my life, prior to doing so. I think that's a small price to achieve something that important to me, and that money won't make a difference when I'm at death's door looking back at my life. I don't regret owning my Gallardo one bit

Note to Mods: if this is not an appropriate place to post, I am happy to post elsewhere, but figured here was the best since this is who will take the most away from my thoughts.

 

[Lambo2018]

Well, thanks for posting your experience and it's unfortunate that you experienced all the problems you describe. I never owned a Gallardo and my only experience, up to this point, with Lamborghinis' is with a 2019 580-2 and 2021 and 2022 EVO RWDs. A Huracan may be better on your next foray into Lamborghini.

 

[chris01]

Well, thanks for posting your experience and it's unfortunate that you experienced all the problems you describe. I never owned a Gallardo and my only experience, up to this point, with Lamborghinis' is with a 2019 580-2 and 2021 and 2022 EVO RWDs. A Huracan may be better on your next foray into Lamborghini.

My goal isn't to bash the car, more to show people what could lie ahead if they end up with a car like mine. I know there are plenty of good Gallardos out there. I thought I had everything "in the bag" with this car for a great price, but I was proven wrong, and that's totally fine. Additionally, some other people may not consider things like "is this car too fast" for the driving they're planning on doing.

As for the Huracan, I would LOVE one, and I think that's a fantastic car with great drivability, comfort, amenities, and still that italian wild flare and aggression when put into corsa mode. Hopefully one day I can scoop one up!!

 

[Luzifer]

When I saw how oily/dirty the under side was in the video I had a feeling right away that car is worn. Based on my experience on old trucks it's one part after the other and the constant repairs isn't fun. Worn bearings, dried out bushings, seized parts etc. When it's all fixed you dress nicely to go to dinner but you know it can break down any minute and you need a tool box and gloves to try to limp it back home.

 

[topcarbon]

Sometimes you just have to go for it!
When passion over rides logic.
You are young, growing through experiences is what life is about.
Some people play safe all their lives, and never live.
I have learned there is always a balance between living on the edge, and staying clear.
The only way to know how close you get is to get close

 

[HonkyLips]

When I saw how oily/dirty the under side was in the video I had a feeling right away that car is worn. Based on my experience on old trucks it's one part after the other and the constant repairs isn't fun. Worn bearings, dried out bushings, seized parts etc. When it's all fixed you dress nicely to go to dinner but you know it can break down any minute and you need a tool box and gloves to try to limp it back home.

yeah that was disgusting under there

 

[Lambo2018]

For me I tend toward the newer models because when it comes to mechanics I am a ship lost at sea. Never had much interest in cars when I was growing up so didn't acquire needed skills or knowledge.

 

[chris01]

Sometimes you just have to go for it!
When passion over rides logic.
You are young, growing through experiences is what life is about.
Some people play safe all their lives, and never live.
I have learned there is always a balance between living on the edge, and staying clear.
The only way to know how close you get is to get close

I completely agree with this sentiment and have always had that mentality, and even more-so recently. Life is not guaranteed, and it is precious. Have to live on the edge a little bit sometimes and make those dreams come true!

 

[chris01]

When I saw how oily/dirty the under side was in the video I had a feeling right away that car is worn. Based on my experience on old trucks it's one part after the other and the constant repairs isn't fun. Worn bearings, dried out bushings, seized parts etc. When it's all fixed you dress nicely to go to dinner but you know it can break down any minute and you need a tool box and gloves to try to limp it back home.

Thanks for watching! I purchased the car with approx 36,500 miles on it for the record. Whatever that leak was, was definitely slow, but enough that it had basically blown all over and coated everything like you see in the video. After those photographs were taken, and the oil pump was fixed, during that same service the rear main seal was done due to leakage (failed to mention that in the video). Car ended up passing PPI fine before going to the new owner; that said, day 2 of him having it he messaged me saying it left some oil on his garage floor. Even with PPI at an established Lamborghini dealership can't save you. I say this because Dreamers should be aware: have your rainy day fun and be prepared for maintenance. Always assume the worst possibility, and be prepared for it. Again, obviously not all Gallardos or cars in general are like this. But you never know, so just enter Lamborghini ownership ready to tackle those things in the event they do pop up!

One other thing I'll add to help dreamers, finding a car with "sweet-spot" mileage is always good. One that has mileage and has been driven regularly, is better than a collector piece with 5,000 miles that has sat dormant most of it's life. If you are looking to drive the car and enjoy it, get one that has been driven. If you get a car that has sat dormant, once you drive it, a world of bugs and problems will unearth as all those dry seals and stiff parts begin heat cycling and enduring more wear than they've experienced over the majority of their life. I was looking for cars between 25k-45k mileage when I bought mine. Other owners, feel free to chime in what you think is sweet spot mileage to help the dreamers out. All in all, find an owner who uses their car regularly!

 

[Luzifer]

I will go watch the other vids when I have some spare time.

 

[zaxwax]

Great video! Thanks for sharing your experience. A 16 year old hand built car is definitely going to require some regular TLC. I agree that it’s good that the cars are driven regularly, the problems tend to get sorted as they come up rather than all at once after it hasn’t been driven in awhile. Plus your perceptual experience becomes that every time you drive it, something breaks if you only drive it infrequently. Every older car will have some potential issues when it comes to you but once you’ve sorted them out it should be plenty reliable. I was looking into caymans myself for autocross and they have their own issues with IMS bearings. Every car has its particular downsides. A lot of people don’t recommend the 04 Gallardo because of the long first gear and lack of a lift. Personally it took me awhile to get used to the Gallardo. I first drove one on a small track and when I got one home driving it around town was not fun at all. The car seemed unhappy to be in traffic, lurching grumpily from bumper to bumper. It took awhile for the car to teach me how it wanted to be driven. It’s not a normal car and you can’t expect it to drive as such. The modern cars don’t demand that you master it. The first gen Gallardo is prob the last of the unrefined Lamborghini cars. It’s well known how hard it is to drive the original Countach. It becomes a badge of pride, a kind of Stockholm syndrome what you put up with to drive a “Lamborghini”. I lament the Urus being driven by trophy wives to the mall with no knowledge of the heritage or how to drive. To drive a Lamborghini is to ride the bull. You are not driving it, you hang on and eventually you learn how it wants to be driven and you fall into a rhythm with it like riding a galloping horse. It’s awful to ride a horse unless you know the rhythm. Many people quit before they reach that point where they are in sync with the horse but if you can reach that point it’s an amazing thing. When I first drove my Gallardo around my neighborhood it was loud, it was clunky, it shifted violently and surprisingly, it lurched about and hated to turn in small spaces. I wondered if I had made a mistake. But over time I learned which roads the car liked, where there was space and free of gravel trucks. I learned to rev it higher than I was used to before shifting. Always the car wants to go fast. It’s resentful of anything else. I finally got it on to a proper race track last year and when I came out of a turn into the long straight the car was screaming at me: “This is what we are for! All the gas! Now!” And I obeyed with terror as I knew at the end of the straight was a turn but when it came up and I stood hard on the brakes the car squatted into the turn like it wasn’t even close to its limit and I knew that while I had reached my limits the car had much more to show me. The car is meant to race. It’s quite difficult to experience what the Gallardo is for on legal roads. When you get onto a track the car keeps showing you. “Yes, we can do that, not a problem, we can go faster. Pick up your balls and do the next lap faster!” It has so much power at high revs you can get the back end to swing out if you get on the power too soon through a turn but it’s a gentle correction. You can hear the Italian accent saying “you know we have too much power to do that, wait till we are straightened out and NOW on the power. NOW on the brake. It’s violent and exhausting but exhilarating. It’s hard to find that experience on public roads and while I only drive like that on the track, one time taking advantage of a deserted freeway on ramp I got my formally deployed friend to gasp out “that felt like a combat drop into Baghdad.”

Of course every company wants to broaden its market and so the cars have become easier for anyone to drive. Once while discussing this at an Italian car meet an Aventador owner said to me “oh you’re a driver”. And it made me realize that not everyone wants to feel g-forces when they drive. To sell a lot of cars you must move past the pool of “drivers”. You cannot sell a car that takes time to learn and demands you learn it. Not everyone wants to do this for a point A to point A car. Porsche knows this well, what used to be company built on 911s is now built on SUVs. What all the car companies are doing is selling the romance of what was. Lamborghini sells a racing pedigree but in truth most people don’t want to learn to race but they love the history of it. The possibilities. Being part of something beyond your everyday life. A Huracan is no doubt more capable than a Gallardo on the racetrack but it can also drive around town and get groceries no problem. It is easy enough to drive that you might want to listen to it's decent stereo. You could talk on the phone and drive. This is what many people want. It’s more reliable, faster and makes no demands of you. But it’s angry Italian, the ghost of Balboni is muted. You can still see it in the lines of the car but you don’t hear it when you drive the car because the Huracan does not complain anymore at low speeds. It does not constantly remind you that you are driving a car with racing heritage. The new Lamborghinis are better than ever but I’m a little sad that they are so good that sometimes when driving then you can forget you are driving a Lamborghini and you are simply driving.

The fact that you drive a stick shift Cayman tells me you are also a driver so much respect for that. As much as I love the Gallardo experience I autocross a Miata and it’s way more fun at legal speeds. I’ve been looking for a Cayman or Elise to replace the Miata with but I do love the dance of perfectly balanced stick shift car that rotates around you.

sorry to ramble on but the last thing I will say is that I bought my Gallardo around the time I bought a brand new Sienna. We traded the Sienna in this year and so far for me it’s been about the same amount of money to have the Gallardo. When I get a new to me older car I have a mechanic go through it and fix any issues and some potential ones and so far thats worked out for me. You are correct in that they are expensive to fix, sometimes disastrously so and I wouldn’t own one if I didn’t have a wonderful friend who’s a mechanical wizard. Nonetheless I’ve had a Gallardo for 7 years now and when I get back from a drive I still find myself shaking my head and muttering “that car is brilliant!” I know the Gallardo isn't for everyone and you accurately summed up what it's like to own one for the first few months. I'm sure many first time Gallardo owners have a similar experience. But there's more to the Gallardo and if you can get it on the track which Balboni tuned it for, you can almost hear him coming back into the pits saying "it needs to turn like so on turn 4".

I know I sound like an old man here lamenting for days gone by, but I embrace it all. I've got a deposit on a cyber truck. If I had unlimited money I would own the upcoming hybrid Aventador and a Countach. Someday no doubt I will sell the Gallardo and move on to something easier to drive, safer, more practical, more something, but I will always look back on this era with fondness and remember the only car that taught me how it wanted to be driven.

 

[chris01]

@zaxwax I completely agree with your sentiments. The Gallardo could definitely be described as a wild bull. I bought it thinking it would feel like a faster R8, but I could not have been more wrong. While I did complain in my video about the rough ride of the G, and how it didn't suit the type of driving I do majority of the time I will say this; it undoubtedly had 10x more emotion and spirit than any R8 I've driven. When you are in the mood to go balls to the wall, the Gallardo does it like you imagined it would be like as a little kid. I remember taking a friend out on a highway once, and zipping down an exit ramp. I floored it and whipped around the under pass and then shot back on the highway full throttle as the car slammed through the gears. It literally felt like a video game or a movie scene. That car absolutely thrives at 10/10ths, and I can't imagine there are many road cars like it that shine when they are fully unleashed and pushed to their absolute limits.

As for the Cayman, mine is luckily not subject to the IMS bearing since it's a 2011 - All the 2009+ 911s/Cayman/Boxsters with NA engines are "DFI" engines and don't suffer from IMS/RMS failure or bore scoring. I like the Cayman a ton and it is an excellent drivers car. I do have my gripes though. I became accustomed to massive brakes with my 4 prior cars, and this thing still has its puny stock rotors/calipers. Suspension is also a little soft for hard driving, but for the other 90% of driving when I'm just casually cruising around it's comfy. I ultimately love VAG cars, and have had two caymans, the R8, and Gallardo. They all are superb, and I look forward to continuing buying cars from the VAG family!

Enjoy your Gallardo in good health!!!

 

[FontusBluG]

Penn State ❗ Ha,ha..just saw the sweat shirt you were wearing near the end in one photo (family alumni). Anyway, GREAT honest video. I feel many of the points you made. I am not a 'baller' as well and agree I would not be able to afford such a car if I wasn't my own Mechanic/Technician. Even as such I will still cry the day I need to buy something like a clutch. A McLaren is out of the question. At least I can still take the LP to an Audi Dealer if I need computer diagnostics.

 

[chris01]

Penn State ❗ Ha,ha..just saw the sweat shirt you were wearing near the end in one photo (family alumni). Anyway, GREAT honest video. I feel many of the points you made. I am not a 'baller' as well and agree I would not be able to afford such a car if I wasn't my own Mechanic/Technician. Even as such I will still cry the day I need to buy something like a clutch. A McLaren is out of the question. At least I can still take the LP to an Audi Dealer if I need computer diagnostics.

Looooooove Penn State!! Proud graduate, and miss being a student there; some amazing times! Very glad you enjoyed the video as well. Being your own mechanic/tech saves a boat load of money obviously, so that is fantastic that you can manage that. Being able to rely on an audi dealer for Diag on an LP car is so convenient. I think the pre-LP cars it wouldn't be fruitful going to Audi, since the computers in the pre-LP are still lamborghini made I believe (i.e. not in conjunction with Audi). LP cars overall I've heard awesome things about, and I would love to experience one soon to compare it to the pre-LP. Blu Fontus is a gorgeous color too!

 

[pdisme]

It’s more reliable, faster and makes no demands of you. But it’s angry Italian, the ghost of Balboni is muted.

You scared the hell out of me with the 'ghost of Balboni' comment. I thought he'd passed away and I had not heard, but I can't find anything to suggest that's the case so hopefully not. He's such an amazing guy; he signed my Gallardo at a track event at Sebring back in what has to be early 2010's now; can't believe I've had the car 16 years.

 

[zaxwax]

You scared the hell out of me with the 'ghost of Balboni' comment. I thought he'd passed away and I had not heard, but I can't find anything to suggest that's the case so hopefully not. He's such an amazing guy; he signed my Gallardo at a track event at Sebring back in what has to be early 2010's now; can't believe I've had the car 16 years.

So sorry. I should have said something like the “spirit” of Balboni. I think he’s alive and well but when I drive I imagine an angry ghost version of him beside me chastising me for not driving the car how he meant it to be driven: with passion, skill and courage.

 

[chris01]

So sorry. I should have said something like the “spirit” of Balboni. I think he’s alive and well but when I drive I imagine an angry ghost version of him beside me chastising me for not driving the car how he meant it to be driven: with passion, skill and courage.

He is alive! He does PPI's for lamborghinis and some parts sales for classic cars like Miuras and Countachs. He is a legend, and definitely would have disliked some of my Grandpa style driving haha.

 

[Ravill]

Acquiring and taking delivery of my G was one of the most special moments of my life. It was definitely my "first" child.