Ferrari F420 vs Aston V8 Vantage vs Lamborghini Gallardo

[UH-Matt]

Hi All

I currently drive an 06 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. This car is my pride and joy but I feel after 2 years of ownership I want to change.... I am seriously considering an F430 or a Gallardo, my budget would be around £70-75k so I would be looking at the older/06 cars of both and at the lower end of the market.

Does anyone have any thoughts as to what may be the best way to go when considering all 3 of these cars? In terms of running costs, reliability etc etc? I do not commute so the car is purely for enjoyment, but at the same time I do like reliability and realistic servicing costs (for what the cars are). Just put my Aston through a service (£800) and extended the warranty for 1 year (£1000) how does this compare to Ferrari or Lambo costs?

I am basically just considering things at the moment, and hoped some of you may have some advice, tips or tricks while I throw these cars around in my mind?

Many thanks!

[justin220]

AFAIK Lamborghini don't do extended warranty. Although some of the Indy garages will do them, although they are pricey, I was quoted £2500 for a year on my Gallardo.

I ended up with a Gallardo (Sold it now) purely as I prefered the looks compared to the Ferrari.

[TonyF]

I had the same dilema a year ago, so I drove both and ended up with the gallardo spyder, it felt better to drive and for me it had more of a sense of occasion about it, and as far as the look of the cars, well the lambo is in a different league, every angle you choose to look at it from is just beautiful, the 430 just doesn"t do it for me at all.
Try both yourself and decide which one you prefer.

Good luck.

[UH-Matt]

Any example typical running costs for the Lambo? Servicing? Etc?

I know its going to be high, and the purchase shouldn't necessariyl be swayed by it, but I prefer not to have too many surprises when running cars, if its expensive then its good to know in advance... Compared to the £800 Aston (3 year) servicing cost?

Edited by UH-Matt on Saturday 2nd January 09:47

[ferdi p]

I too went Gallardo but sold it after 5 months as I hated the e-gear & (audi) interior!!
I now have a Manual f430 & absolutely love it!!

[justin220]

UH-Matt said:

Any example typical running costs for the Lambo? Servicing? Etc?

I know its going to be high, and the purchase shouldn't necessariyl be swayed by it, but I prefer not to have too many surprises when running cars, if its expensive then its good to know in advance... Compared to the £800 Aston (3 year) servicing cost?

Edited by UH-Matt on Saturday 2nd January 09:47

I'd imagine they will be much the same. I paid £900 for a small service from an indy, and the next one was going to be £1600. Tyre was £250 each and brakes for the front were near £2k.

[andy355]

major on my 430 was 1500 though that might have been discounted as was dealer to dealer

[UH-Matt]

Thanks for all the comments, sounds like running costs are similar (ish) across all 3 cars which is nice to know.

I guess I now need to go and get involved and work out which to go for! I do love my v8 Vantage, just feel its soon time for a change!

[andy355]

gallardo versus f430 seems to be quite polar on opinions. having driven both, 430 was way ahead for me

[Nick Beef]

After owning a Gallardo and now an F1 f430 spider.. can tell you the Ferrari is in a differant league... drives so much better, steering response better, throttle response better, and sounds like no other car... drive them back to back and you'll see what i'm talking about... the looks is personal preferance... love the Gallardo side profile but prefer the F430 rear... sorry havn't mentioned the Aston because as much as i like the car I think it's just one level below these two...but obviously if your looking to save about 25k the aston seems like a good choice...

[lambo_xx]

UH-Matt said:

Hi All

I currently drive an 06 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. This car is my pride and joy but I feel after 2 years of ownership I want to change.... I am seriously considering an F430 or a Gallardo, my budget would be around £70-75k so I would be looking at the older/06 cars of both and at the lower end of the market.

Does anyone have any thoughts as to what may be the best way to go when considering all 3 of these cars? In terms of running costs, reliability etc etc? I do not commute so the car is purely for enjoyment, but at the same time I do like reliability and realistic servicing costs (for what the cars are). Just put my Aston through a service (£800) and extended the warranty for 1 year (£1000) how does this compare to Ferrari or Lambo costs?

I am basically just considering things at the moment, and hoped some of you may have some advice, tips or tricks while I throw these cars around in my mind?

Many thanks!

Firstly Ferrari's extended warranty is something like £2k(ish) for cars no older than 9 years old. Also, if the car has ever been touched by a specialist, Ferrari don't want anything to do with it and won't put a warranty on it.
Lamborghini don't do an extended warranty unless you buy from their approved used.

As for servicing cost's I can't tell you exact prices for main dealers for either car I'm afraid. This should give you an idea though, it's a price list from a well know specialist.
http://www.verdi-ferrari.com/servicing.htm

Right now on to the cars. The cars are quite different to drive and both have their pluses and minuses. The Gallardo feel more planted thanks to it's 4-wheel drive through the corners than the 430 does, however the 430 does have an amazing traction control system that seriously helps you out. As for power, on a dry road your not going to notice much difference to be honest. The Gallardo does put down the power better in the wet. The boot on the Gallardo is stupidly small, as in if you have any more than some dust to take with you your going to struggle, where as the 430 has a pretty big boot for this type of car, I've done the weekly shop and still had some room left over in it. The ride and suspension feel much harder than in the Gallardo that the 430. Which means a longer drive can be a little uncomfortable, but to be honest it's really not to bad.

I've noticed that the driving position in the Gallardo feels much lower down than the 430, not sure if anybody else has noticed this. All this means is that the Gallardo is a bit more intimidating to drive, so your wife/GF might not want to drive it (which can only be a good thing )

Also, the steering in the 430 is much nicer than the Gallardo. I find you get much nicer feel and feedback through the steering in the 430 than the Gallardo.

Oh almost forgot to mention gearboxes. I don't know which you were looking at paddles or manual but either way I suggest you try both and see which you prefer. I was the worlds biggest hater of those "stupid flappy paddle boxes" I used to think they were for people who couldn't drive and posers. However, I've just bought a 430 spider last month with the F1 box. It's brilliant absolutely brilliant. It'd different to a manual but in a good way. It's up to which to go for. If you do decide to go the flappy paddle route there is a couple things to bear in mind. The early Gallardos had the earlier software and it's not held in particularly high regard. My father drove one when it first came out and said it was terrible, so if you decide on the e-gear option try and get and 06- onwards car as they upgraded the gearbox and it's supposed to be much better.

It's a difficult one to decide, the 430 is definitely the "better car" technically but the Gallardo is not far behind and for what it doesn't have it makes up in looks fun and sense of occasion. It really is a difficult one to decide. I would recommend getting a test drive on both and seeing which you prefer, one of them will jump out at you. Just make sure you let your heart rule your head, as it's the only way to go!

If you have any questions feel free to email me. Hope this helps

[Badjwa]

I don't think Lambo extend the warranty past the three year period even if you buy from an approved dealership.

[bromers2]

RWD vs 4WD - whatever you prerfer ?

Thought about a Stradale ? - extra special.

[lordbluf]

Gotta be the Gallardo.
Everytime you drive it, it will feel like a special event.

Had to sell mine last month to raise cash for a s/term investment opportunity, but looking to buy another one in early 2011.

Good luck!