I just experienced one of the pivotal moments in the life of an auto journalist. That’s right, a PR peep decided that it would be beneficial for Lamborghini to let yours truly spend a few days with a $222k Gallardo LP560-4.You get up every day, you write with your best straight face about latest blurred teaser image, creatively regurgitate press releases and think of something compelling to say about a unibody crossover. All in the hopes that someday, somehow the light at the end of the tunnel will have more than 500 hp and an overdose of Italian leather. Then you learn the wonderful truth that the light is actually in the tunnel (seriously — you need to hear the V10 at full wail in a confined space). But then you climb back into your car (in this case a 2006 WRX Wagon) and you realize, “This is pretty good.” Sure, you had to remove half the intake system to change a headlight and your throw-out bearing is 500 miles from dead. But the car has given me 60,000+ miles of driving satisfaction and only set me back $25K (ignore financing, insurance, gas, body repairs, tires, anal-retentive synthetic oil changes, detailing, clutches, etc). Is that Lambo worth nine times as much as my Subaru? Will it give me nine times the driving satisfaction? “Of course not,” you reassure yourself. “No way, no how.” Then you remember our capacity for self-deception which is not only inherent to all men, but very well be what makes us human. Hell yes I would take the Lamborghini. Hell yes. You?
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Hell no. Never. If I had 100 million dollars in the bank, if I had a billion dollars, I wouldn’t buy a Lambo or any car that costs over $100,000. It’s probably my Midwestern aversion to ostentatious displays of wealth, but I could never justify spending that much money on an automobile. There are hungry people around the world, homeless people in the US, in my own city, and to have the gall to spend a quarter million dollars on a sports car requires a blindness to suffering that I don’t have.
Of course, it’s this very view that will prevent me from ever making enough money to warrant the question, but still, Hell no; the self deception you speak of is not what keeps us out of Lamborghinis but in them. The deception takes place when you trick yourself into thinking that you’re such a big deal that you deserve a $222,0000 car when members of your own community sleep on the streets.
The thing I love about your auto writing, Johnny, is that you don’t drive a car and then compare it to some mythical archetype. When you drove the Rondo on Jalop, I remember you thinking about what the Rondo promised and then delivered (and Korean BBQ). You didn’t drive the Rondo and wish it was a Lambo. So when you finally drove the Lambo…
Yeah. I’d take it.
Yes, yes I would. Among a fleet of other cars and trucks. The hardest part would be deciding which model (Gallardo? Murcielago? Wait for an Estoque?) and what options (Puke green stitching on baby blue leather?), rather than if I would buy one or not.
So very much yes.
GranTurismo first. Then, the decisions get tough.
If I had so much money that owning one didn’t make any difference in my financial situation, then yeah, I’d get something like a Lambo. I don’t know if it would be Lambo though; I’d be test driving quite a few supercars before I choose one.
No, I already have my fast car picked out. Plus, you spelled this wrong: trow-out Just thought I’d help, because I care! Ok, so I dont care, I just like to point out other peoples screw ups so I can feel better about myself.
Nope.
If I had an extra $222,000 in the bank… I’d be on my way to a catamaran dealer and buying a 45-foot catamaran to live on as my houseboat.
And then I’d enjoy sailing to Greece, or Burmuda, or even Sicily.
:-P
veefiddy:
Thanks!!
Given that I’m not a basketball professional, gangster or high priced call girl then no probably not.
“Hell no. Never. If I had 100 million dollars in the bank, if I had a billion dollars, I wouldn’t buy a Lambo or any car that costs over $100,000. It’s probably my Midwestern aversion to ostentatious displays of wealth, but I could never justify spending that much money on an automobile. There are hungry people around the world, homeless people in the US, in my own city, and to have the gall to spend a quarter million dollars on a sports car requires a blindness to suffering that I don’t have.”
Mr Kill Joy there.
Why are you posting on a car website? Shouldn’t you be saving the world?
My first reaction was Yeah! Hell Yeah!
But then I thought about it. I like to haggle the price of everything, and the thought of paying MSRP for any car, and waiting for the privilege to buy it, just hurts too much. Maybe I could just rent one every once in awhile…
Let me rephrase the question. If you could afford to choose the way you die, would you?
Me owning that car in mountains of NC would mean instant death. I would probably need weekly alignments and tow truck trips being pitched on one our silly roads.
I doubt it. As the income rose, at some point, I’d probably get a Cayman and stick with that. There are exponentially diminishing returns as you spend more and more on a car, I think I’d probably be afraid just to drive the thing around and park it at the coffee house, or the restaurant, and I sympathize with what Kazoomaloo says. But if I had that kind of money I might join one of those clubs where you can drive a different very expensive car all the time. And/or instead of one car I might have three, including the Cayman. But collectively, they wouldn’t add up to nearly the cost of the Lambo.
Kona,
There seem to be a lot of posters on this site that are FAAAAR from being car enthusiasts. “My Accent is good enough” types. To its credit, TTAC attracts a wide variety of people, not just diehard octane nuts like ourselves.
I’d probably kill myself driving it. So…no, no Lambo. I’d get an AMG or M3 and pocket the change.
newcarscostalot :
No, I already have my fast car picked out. Plus, you spelled this wrong: trow-out Just thought I’d help, because I care! Ok, so I dont care, I just like to point out other peoples screw ups so I can feel better about myself.
Nothing better! Text amended.
i drove a bentley arnage around for a few days and realized it was basically the same as my volvo 240, although it literally cost 1k times as much. $300 vs 300k. that made me LOVE the volvo! It’s like, you have to hook up with a beautiful girl to realize regular girls are nearly as fun, to go out to a 5 star restaurant to appreciate that cooking grilled cheese and tomato soup is a real treat too. but sure, i’d buy a lambo. although actually, i wouldn’t. i’d borrow a friends, then buy a caterham, an old alfa, and an old s300d.
Not new. Maybe a classic GT or Miura… or an Espada, but nothing newer than that. There’s a time and place for vulgarity but living with a with a hunk of crass just doesn’t sound appealing.
If you can afford the Lambo, I mean really afford it, why the hell not?
Have some fun before you die (probably in the Lambo actually).
Hey, JEC,
I LOVE cars. I spend far more time on this website than any other website. I’ve written a couple of articles for it, and will be writing more. One doesn’t have to want to own a quarter million dollar car (assuming the dough to do so) in order to qualify as a diehard pistonhead.
But this controversy suggests that this was a good QOTD. Thanks, Jonny!
I wouldn’t take the Lambo for the single reason that I would look like a pimp in it.
It’s just too over-the-top for my taste. I mean, I actually like the looks and all and from what you write the car delivers what it promises…but still, I’d take the Porsche…
If I could afford it I’d own a Gallardo Spyder.
Hmm…I’d probably rent one now and again as well. I would need the extra money to buy spare trannys for my GT-R.
One of the dual advantages of being an aviation and automotive writer is that I too get to drive Lamborghinis but also fly Bonanzas and bizjets. I always tell people that one of the nicest things about the job is that after five days with a Nissan GT-R or a round trip to Key West in a Lear at FL410, you can turn around, walk away and say, “That was nice, but I’m done.”
You learn how fast the thrill is gone. Pretty much at about the rate of new-car/airplane depreciation. So no, I wouldn’t dream of buying anything more expensive than an Audi A4, maybe. Okay, our Boxster.
Using the philosophy of “Well since I’m already spending nearly a quarter-mil… what’s $40K more?” I’d pony up for a similarly intoxicating Aston DBS. Why? Lambos are sweet and all, but I can’t help thinking any guy who climbs out of one looks like a complete [rhymes with ghoosh].
But then again, I’ve never had the sublime privilege of testing either… yet.
Would I buy a Lamborghini?
No.
However, if I had plenty of money, I would buy a “fun car.” Probably a Miata and, if I had lots of spare coin, I’d have a little extra engine work done on it (turbo or some such). Nothing too outrageous.
And if I had a little left over in the “fun car” budget, I’d buy a second fun car… something like a heavily dented Volvo 240 wagon (you know, like with one door from a different color 240 wagon) and I’d have the biggest motor that could possibly fit squeezed into it and then supercharged. And put a really good muffler on it.
And then I’d go out looking for New Camaros.
I want more of thiiiiiiiis.
Absolutely! Especially after reading your review of the car. And I’d actually drive it, not just park it in the garage and pull it out onto the driveway on sunny days…
I find some peoples attitudes towards refinement, beauty, power and quality amazing. For some bizarre reason, they talk as if those things are bad. I suspect envy and low self esteem have something to do with those attitudes.
Nope, I wouldn’t buy it. I understand the value of a dollar.
With that money I could buy any number of cars that would run close or with it (Z06 for example), and still have enough left over to buy two or three fun project cars, or build a racecar and campaign it for a few years.
You don’t buy a Lamborghini because you want to go fast or have the driving pleasure–you buy it for the supposed “privalege” of owning one.
No, because I’d have an Aston Martin DB9.
If I had the dough to not worry about taking care of it, of maintaining and securing it, sure why not?
But no way would I want the sweat and bother of keeping it running, worrying about it getting stolen etc.
I wouldn’t buy one. I am sure it drives incredibly well, and sounds glorious, and would get lots of attention, but I just don’t find the styling to be appealing. If I had that much money to spend on a car it would be an Aston Martin, a Mercedes SLR (or one of the Brabus versions of the SL or S), a Bentley, Rolls, or any number of other vehicles that just ‘do it’ for me.
Not to say I would turn down a Lambo if someone just up and gave it to me…
Yes and no. I’ve always loved how these cars look. I would hate to have to turn a wrench in those cramped engine compartments though.
I would love to take one(all) of the people who designed these cars and have them do some major engine work in the driveway with common hand tools. They’d probably say these cars aren’t meant to be worked on.
If they were out in the driveway changing out a water pump or timing belt(chain?) in one of these cars; they’d be hating life. Have them do a transmission swap. They designed it and they can’t work on it?
I’ve wanted a Lamborghini since the Miura was still in production (at which time I barely old enough to attend school). If I had tons of cash, the only question would be ‘Do I fit?’ (I am 6’4″) and which is quicker, the latest Gallardo or the latest Murcielago?
If I had that kind of money to spend on a car, it would more likely be an Aston Martin. Still more likely, it would be a Porsche 911 C4.
If I had a quarter million to spend on an automotive toy (and if I was rich I would spend on automotive toys, don’t get me wrong), I couldn’t buy anything new. They depreciate. Any douch can roll an F430 – well, with Ferrari’s waiting list maybe not- but the point is they are not unique.
For 250k, I’d buy a Ferrari 250GT Lusso. Or an Iso Grifo. Or a Cord 812 supercharged cabriolet. But never a new Lambo.
YES…….
I find some peoples attitudes towards refinement, beauty, power and quality amazing. For some bizarre reason, they talk as if those things are bad. I suspect envy and low self esteem have something to do with those attitudes.
I think you are missing the point that most everyone else is making here! If you really care about refinement, beauty, power, and quality within YOURSELF you would NOT want to be seen in a car that simply makes the driver look totally ridiculous.
There is a very good reason why you will find many car enthusaist will shit loads of wealth that will drive a Corvette of Porsche but will never be seen in a 44″ tall, 500hp, v10, dreamer-mobile.
You know sometimes you can push the whole car-love thing to the point were it makes you look silly and boring rather than exciting. Dudes that buy “over the top cars” generally have little else in their lives to get excited about, that is why they buy fantasy rides that they will NEVER use to the fullest.
The contrast is when the guy in the Gallardo pull up to the stoplight right nex to the guy in the GTi with the roof rack containing a Kayak and Mountian-bike.
As poster Stephan Wilkinson noted, there’s something to be said for variety.
There are certain car clubs out there that will give you access to about a dozen supercars for an annual fee, which runs in the thousands. Then you can sample a wide variety, without the hassles that go with ownership. I think if I did have the $$$, I’d do that instead.
Not for me. Sure, it sounds great wound up, but at idle…well, I’ll just quote my dining companion when one was parked 20 feet behind her. “What’s that racket? It sounds like a street sweeper!” Yes, the Lambo soundtrack almost ruined her dinner, and she likes cars.
Besides, it’s too much money. I’d take a Vette or a well-done ’55 Chevy (or maybe both) and give the rest to the starving children.
If money was no object, my garage would rival Jay Leno’s.
That being said, owning a Lamborghini was a dream from childhood – I thought the Countach was the coolest car ever before I knew Lamborghini produced any other cars. Getting older has a way of changing your perceptions; don’t get me wrong, I still think owning a Lambo would be awesome, but somehow I don’t think I would go out and buy one without extensive cross-shopping of the competition.
That being said, if I hit the Lotto today, expect this month’s auto sales to jump!
No – for $220K there is better value automotive (and other) fun to be had.
Maybe I’m getting boring in my old age but no. There are very few cars that do it for me, even if I had the money, and this isn’t one of them.
whatdoiknow’s image is perfect: who’s having more fun and being more fulfilled? The guy with the neat little car, the bike and the kayak, or the guy with the enormous car and a chestful of chains?
But then I’m a kayaker. Pygmy double, mahogany, built it myself. Has the typical Lamborghini buyer ever built anything with his hands?
My first reaction is SURE! Why not?
But not if I lived in any populated area of California (which I do). Five accidents in seven years of driving, none of which were my fault. And that’s without a 500+hp car. Plus the horrible condition of the roads would tear it to shreds.
Maybe if I lived in rural Italy. Ugh … what a buzzkill.
Of course if I could afford the Lambo, perhaps I could afford to live where I wanted.
j_slez: Well, i wouldn’t want to eat near it, either.
And… cranking the engine did make my friends 4-year-old cry.
But we also revved the engine up for a group of 20-somethings and the reaction was… let’s just call it the opposite of crying.
If I could easily afford such a car, then it (or another like it) would be in the stable.
Yes, of course. Because for the rest of your life it would remind you of a time in your life when you could pursue beauty and pleasure for their own sake, without having to dumb your dreams down and settle for something pedestrian and “practical”. Park a Gallardo next to a Corvette, any Corvette, and watch the Chevy become instantly invisible.
For those who say “No”, I’d rather spend my money on a sensible car, blah blah blah…you’re not getting the point that if you could afford to buy a Lamorghini, it would be a practical buy.
No way would I spend $222k on a car. I could not imagine spending more than $45k on a car and my wife and I own two nice late model single engine airplanes. Hell, one of our cars is a ’94 Tercel with a Yakima rack.
Well, maybe not the Lambo but certainly an equally, if not more ostentatious supercar. If I had anywhere near the money to justify such a purchase I wouldn’t hesitate. I do crave a Ferrari F430 or perhaps a 288 GTO for just a tad more or maybe an all carbon fiber Koenigsegg CCXR or a Porsche GT2 or a Lotus Esprit Turbo or BMW M1 or….
I can’t have an aversion to supercars (or Bimmers) based on the douche factor because when I salivated over supercars as a kid it wasn’t because I thought they would get me laid, I knew every stat, and still do. I wouldn’t buy it to stick in my garage and admire. I would daily drive it, modify it, and race it. I also don’t think I could get tired of such a vehicle, as I still turn back to look at my car every time I walk away even after almost 3 years of ownership.
I don’t think I would, I like the style of these cars, but the thought of being able to buy a decent house for that price, as well as knowing there are cars that are fun, reliable and practical out there.
That and I don’t like the thought of every single person I meet while driving will assume I’m a dick.
No. It’s a toy, or for the track, or for the rich shiek cruising their private track/road system, or any combination of those.
In my neighborhood, it’d be stripped clean in an hour or so.
Yes. Or… no, nevermind.
Yes.
“I can’t have an aversion to supercars (or Bimmers) based on the douche factor because when I salivated over supercars as a kid it wasn’t because I thought they would get me laid, I knew every stat, and still do. I wouldn’t buy it to stick in my garage and admire. I would daily drive it, modify it, and race it. I also don’t think I could get tired of such a vehicle, as I still turn back to look at my car every time I walk away even after almost 3 years of ownership.”
Yes.
For $222k….I’d prefer a Ford GT…and a $50k Corvette for hooning sans paparazzo…
To continue my last message (the edit button isn’t showing up for me)…
If I could afford a new Lamborghini, I would like to live in Italy, where I could actually drive it. And drive it I would… everywhere. All the time.
Would I buy one? No. Humility is displayed through self-restraint, and I’d like to remain a humble person, whether I’m a millionaire or not (currently not).
Would I always wish I had bought one? Hell yes.
Something I’d probably look into is one of those millionaire supercar rental clubs where you get to keep one for a week or two without having to deal with actually owning one. I think that would be a nice compromise, plus I’d have some variety from which to choose.
If money were absolutely not object, say a few billion, yes. But I would also be building a nice road course to truly enjoy the car (as well as many others). If I only had a few million, no. I’d go with a DBS. Much more beautiful.
There comes a point in ones life where you either become bent on the more affluent things in life, or see them as an obstacle to your own alternative interests.
I haven’t reached that point yet.
I will say this. There was a time just a few months ago when I was planning on donating a sizable amount of money to the establishment of a Jewish temple in my neck of the woods. The services now take place in a church and I actually know an area that would be ideal for the folks who want to get this going.
Unfortunately, the current Wall St. fracas is delaying the gift which I hoped to have given by December. Perhaps when the kids are grown, the college is paid for, and the world hasn’t blown itself up. In a better economy I could make a profit regardless of the investment in one car. But the thought of tying up my money in a depreciating bull in a bear market is one I wouldn’t want.
Yes. Absolutely yes.
Lamborghinis are the object of my desire and passion, I’m a car FREAK before anything else, but Lamborghinis stir my soul.
If I ever came into wealth like that, a Lambo would be FIRST priority.
If it were right now…I’d take a 2009 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Coupe, 6-speed manual, black on black.
In a second, YES
Nothing in the world compares to Italian supercars. Pure sex on wheels. It’s SUPPOSED to be ostentatious, over the top, in your face, incredible. I think this car qualifies ;-)
Comparing it to a ‘vette is laughable…I mean, it’s a ‘chevy’. UGH. I wouldn’t be caught dead in a Corvette…..or a chivy
That’s a rather difficult question; after all, for a quarter million dollars I’d be able to afford keeping my Alfa in working order for a year or so. :p
If I were rich to the point of considering a car that expensive to be within my means, than I’d probably end up with a Koenigsegg or something. If, however, I had been saving up for many many years for something like this, then I’d definitely get the Lamborghini. After all, after working that hard for that long I’d think I’d deserve the right to own a Lamborghini without worrying about what other people would think.
No.
1. I place a low value on extroversion.
2. Even if I can afford them, unnecessary (or unnecessarily expensive) service visits annoy me.
3. Even if I were stupid rich, I would be constantly nervous driving it that people would injure it in some tragic and expensive way.
4. For the price of the depreciation of a Murcielago, I could afford a whole assortment of interesting toys.
5. It’s just not my style. I might be tempted by a Ferrari F430, just because I love the way it sounds, but the Lambos don’t do it for me.
oh yes. Yes Yes Yes. I wouldn’t on a Ferrari, might not on a Porsche – they are “real cars.” Lamborghinis aren’t really cars, they are a rolling spectacle on wheels, made to look, sound, feel, smell (and probably taste) exotic, foreign, and ridiculous. So yes. If i won the lottery, I would get a Gallardo Spyder in the most obnoxious color they currently offer (I guess that’s the lime green or sherbert orange!)
I would grab the keys with both hands, toss the check over my shoulder and run to the car. Can’t help it – I love cars too much and I love the sound of a Lambo.
I guess if I was going to be frugal I would take a Ford GT instead. I loved the GT40 since I was a kid.
You don’t own a car like that, it owns YOU.
If I owned a car like that I’d put a bumper sticker on it that said “Don’t laugh, it’s paid for”. I’d drive around at 10mph under the speed limit. I’d take it to drop off stuff at the Salvation Army or Goodwill. I’d drive it down to the Dollar Store or the laundromat. I’d park it sideways in the mall paring lot. I’d pull up next to a homeless person and ask him if he had change for $100. I’d pull up next to a hitchhiker and ask if he was tired of walking…if he said yes then I’d say “Then Try RUNNING !”…and leave him in a cloud of dust. I’d flip the bird to anyone who waved at me. All to piss people off.
Actually, I’m probably better off without a car like that, because I’d probably wind up with AIDS from the women it’d attract.
No — it’s too German for my taste. If I wanted a quick German car, I’d rather stick with something from AMG, M, or quattro (S4- or RS4- league).
I’m with the people above: either a cheaper car that I could thrash around and tune up (say, a Corvette or S2000), or something with more character (e.g. Aston Martin DB9/DBS).
No…
I’d maybe rent one for a weekend.
Then I’d buy myself my ideal sailboat.
For that price, give me an Aston Martin and an Evo or STI to treat like a proper rally car. Hell, being in my 20’s anything over 50k will accomplish half the job of a Lambo (read: get attractive female passengers). I might join one of those car clubs and rent a lambo though.
I wouldn’t for the same reason I highly doubt I’ll ever buy a ‘Busa…my wife would divorce me just knowing I had it. She already dislikes riding in the STi.
LP560-4 0-60 in 3.6, 1/4 estimated in 11.8 @ 123
busa is 0-60 in 2.9-3.3 and 1/4 in 9.9’ish @ 145.
Both ridiculous and both would make my wife divorce me.
lambo #’s pulled from: http://drive.gtchannel.com/?c=142&a=1554
Depends on what constitutes being able to “afford it”. I’m pretty conservative with my money. If I had only enough money to finance it, insure it, and keep it maintained (while praying I don’t lose my job or have other unexpected bills), then heck no. Nothing short of an absolute necessity would ever convince me to live paycheck to paycheck, especially something that’s going to continually depreciate and take money out of my pocket. But I know a lot of regular guys who break the bank buying an STI or G35 or 330, even though it puts them in a bind, that I have no doubt would love to get an exotic sports car if they could realistically get financed for one.
I doubt it, I’ve never been into the supercar genre.
If I found a historical racing Lambo somewhere I might by that. Lambo doesn’t have the history that Ferrari does.
You convinced me. It sounds like the perfect blend of automotive adrenaline with an interior restrained by the germans. I like the idea of a couple of modes for different moods – civility with the option to get angry at any time.
Being able to afford a Lambo means that you wouldn’t be particularly upset if you totaled it without insurance.
I’d buy a faster plane – no speed limit above 10,000 feet. Nothing beats the sound of a turbine spinning up in the morning…!
Oh wait, this is a car website. I’ll take a ‘Vette ZR-1 at half the price of the Lambo please! At least when I wreck it, I’ll feel half as bad.
If the problems of cost, infrastructure and location were not an issue?
Yes.
It’s a stupid car: tacky, overpowered and tasteless. And yes, I’d get it in neutron-bomb orange. Or toxic waste green. On the inside.
I’d have a moment of guilt trying to reconcile being relatively environmentally conscious with owning what is perhaps the least fuel-efficient car on the road, but hey, I wonder if they can be converted to run on CNG or propane? I might even strap a bike rack to the roof, just to be absurd.
I will assume afford means I could burn that money and it wouldn’t hurt. In which case absolutely YES.
I already thought about this if I were to win 10 Million. I would buy the Lambo and drive it until the novelty wears off. It would be nice to own an over the top super car once in your life.
But I would most likely sell it for something more reasonable. Say a Cayman or Boxter.
But if I could own for a while a piece of pure automotive madness, I would not hesitate to do it.
I’d take my 222K and pay off all our debts, buy a Z06, then buy another rental property.
You could buy a lambo tractor right? That’s a practical vehicle, and cheaper too.
I’d probs get a V8 Vantage or a DBS first.
-Or blow the money building Paris Guns to simultaneously launch a MkV Jetta and a Toyota Corolla at Wolfsburg, to have them collide perfectly in mid-air, right over the chief designer’s office.
Either that, or waste it all paying the USAF to carpet-bomb the houses of US Automaker CEOs with the most defective and detestable of their cars. A hard rain of Sebrings, Metros and Azteks.
If none of the above, then You Betcha!
-Nothing says,”Luke, I banged your mom when she was 17. -And oh yeah; I’m your real dad.”, like a Lambo.
Hell yes I would! Make mine Countach white, throw in a wonderful set of BBS wheels, and while you’re at it, give me a Countach, too. You know, for the weekends.
I’m with the ‘everyone looks like a dick in a Lambo, so I’ve never really liked them, so count me out’ group.
But it’s still a great question: are these ideal, over the top dream cars (whichever one floats your boat) what you really want?
Seems to me there’s no price that’s too high (if you can afford it) or car that’s too fast (if you can handle it). But I’ve got to be able to park it without worrying about it, or I wouldn’t drive it much. And what a waste it would be to own fantastic car that you don’t drive.
So I think a BMW M or a Porsche is as far as I’d ever go, regardless of how much I had to burn…
If I were well-off and living 40 years ago I think I think I would seriously have considered buying a Lamborghini Miura or Ferrari Daytona or even Maserati Ghibli. But now, nah. I guess too much has changed. There’s no place to drive a high performance car and enjoy it anymore. You just look like you’re showing off.
See there are two sides to this question, a lot would say no it’s unjustifiable to spend so much money on a car, but those have never driven that type of car before. and the other side is the “HELL Yeah, just lead me to the dealership” answer.
before i drove my first supercar, which happened to be a Graphite gray Gallardo suprleggera, i always thought that one can live without it. but as i left the track and the 5 lambos i had sampled, i thought, i got to get me one of those. of course cant afford any of them now, but my perception to the issue changed completely.
but come to think of it, if i was filthy rich i would definetly buy one if not a few, and in taht way i would be doing my share in keeping a few workers in italy, england, and wherever with a paycheck and prevent them from being poor, as opposed to giving my money to the poor when they can go get a job doing whatever.
but the more modain and logical approach would be to join a super car club, where you get to drive these beauties on a shared ownership type of system, i think it makes sense, and you dont have to worry about the bad side of an exotic, just enjoy the smile, and perhaps grin you will have on your face while driving them. that’s money well spent….
No. It’s way too Italian for me. I don’t mean it in a bad way, just not my style. High-end Porsche, sure, absolutely, oh yeah.
No.
It’s not the price, it’s the lack of taste and the fugly factor. Modern Lambos are malproportioned, visually incoherent, ocular-assaulting objects of anti-beauty. I’ve driven a Gallardo. It’s not refined. Ferraris and Astons are refined. I don’t hold lack of refinement against it, but just saying. Lambos sound tone-deaf and lack euphony. There are other powerful, competent cars.
I’d buy a more expensive car. I’d buy a more expressive car. I’d buy a more beautiful car. I’d buy a higher performance car. But contemporary Lamborghinis lack the engagement and emotional appeal to pry any amount of money from me. If I won a Lambo and wanted a car, I’d sell it in the wrapper and get a desirable car with the proceeds.
Phil
Years ago, there was a developer around here that drove his Testarossa as his daily work car. The thing had much in the wheel wells and on the sides. The wheels were filthy from months of brake dust. At one point, he whacked off part of the front bumper cover at one of the sites. Basically he treated it like his beater work car. Every time I saw it, I thought to myself that this dude can really afford to drive that car instead of keeping it as a garage queen.
If I get enough cash together to treat the Lambo like my beater work car, then I’m in!
Sure…as part of a fleet of cars obviously. And no…the Estoque wouldn’t be part of it. That part is already reserved for the Rapide *drools*.
The Lambo of choice would be the LP640.
And only if my personal net worth exceeds $500 million.
I see plenty of people here saying “yes” purely because it’s an Italian supercar–and that just proves my point. You’re buying it for its name and its heritage and its look, not its performance.
Would I DRIVE it if given the opportunity? In a heartbeat. But I’d never want to own one. I care about performance, uniqueness and bang-for-buck. The thing about the Lamborghini is, you don’t see too many every day, but it’s still not unique–it falls into that category of “rich guy trying to show us he’s rich” and therefore is no longer unique… The same as any current Ferrari, or any other super exotic. It may be unique from the other cars on the road, but it’s not unique from the “rich show off” category.
The best part is, no matter how many glances that Lamborghini gets driving down the road, the vast majority of people who see it don’t go “WOAH COOL CAR!”… they go “Woah, that guy’s loaded–I hate him.” When someone sees a car like my wagon drive down the road, or any other unique, homebuilt or modified car, which is truly unique, they say “woah cool car.”
Case in point–my car at cruise night gets more visitors and more questions than the ’67 Corvette parked next to it. Are ’67 Corvettes unique these days? Yes. Are they interesting? Not really.
Of course that assumes you care what others think–which, if you own a Lamborghini, you do. And that’s why I wouldn’t buy one–I own a car for myself, not others.
If the Lambo’s a consideration then money isn’t. I’ll take two.
To get the girl standing next to it – sure.
To drive every day – no.
-ted
Yes.
It’d be my daily driver. Anything that I need that doesn’t fit in the car has to go in the parts vehicle following me.
And I’d hire someone to take it to the dealer for me.
Someone with relatively nice assets who would comfort me when I couldn’t drive it.
That’d be sweet.
A friend of mine said that ever since he was 10, he wanted a Porsche. He grew up, worked for decades, and finally got to the point where he could walk in and write a check for a 911. And then realized he didn’t want it anymore.
That being said, I’ll repeat this point: if you can really afford one of these, you can afford to wreck it. And if you insist on changing the water pump yourself, you can afford to hire a licensed and insured technician to do it while you watch help you out, and beautiful women to love you more because you fix your own car.
And one more thing. I also drive a Volvo brick (how many of us geeks are on this board anyway?). It’s fine, it’s great! I’m gonna turn the turbo up to 11 and smoke some ricers down on Main St, with 5 sacks of Quikrete, 2 sheets of plywood, and a stroller in the trunk. I don’t even have kids, it’s just what you do with a wagon. But I’ve peered through the wondows of Bentleys, and my car is NOT one. I enjoy a good juicy hamburger; there’s a reason filet mignon costs more.
No.
I am one of the people who believes the things you surround yourself with say something about you.
I don’t like what the Lambo would say about me and besides I don’t find the car, in of itself, that appealing.
Cars that might entice:
An Aston (a certain sense of english style plus gorgeous shapes)
Ferrari 355 (love the looks, old enough to be seen as an enthusiast rather than a poseur)
Maserati (beautiful cars, orgasmic sounds)
If I could afford not only the buy in, but the maintenance, then yes, yes I would. Those cars are monstrosities.