Buying Advice - Gallardo - Parked outside - Advice Appre
Discussion
Hi All,
I've been reading up for a few days now on Gallardo's and would be really grateful for some more advice. I've been through lots of threads on here, including re-living 70Proof's buying experience.
I am coming at this having spent ages looking for a F.360, only to be scuppered for the reasons below. I am hoping that a Gallardo is the right car for me, but will base that on owner experiences.
Year 2006+
I've read that 2006 are more reliable and better sorted than those that came out originally. However, the more I delve into old thread, the less actual information I seem to find as the reasoning behind this.
However, lifting gear is an absolute requirement, so maybe that might lead to a later car?
Forums
From what I've found, this is he best of the Lambo UK based forums. It looks like things were really active here a few years back, but that seems to have tailed off a little just looking at the frequency of posts and new threads on here. I can't believe that because Lambo Owners don't like discussing cars and helping each other out, so what forum are most UK folks on? That's not meant to come across rude, it's just based on what i can see from recent threads.
The thing that worries me about that is whether there is a lack within the Lambo world of trying to save unnecessary costs? From briefly reading, I can see that savings can be made through buying some Audi parts. Such info is usually shared through forums...which leads me to...
Independent Servicing
It appears that there are very few specialist independent garages, although I might have missed some info. So far I've only found BHP, Emblem and Autofficina, compared to Ferrari and Maserati that seems far more limited choice. Or am i missing some information?
Whilst i am fine for servicing at a dealer, things in-between services, where possible, use of independent is usually cost effective and sometimes can be better than a dealership. Let's face it, I'd be buying a 13 year old car, I'd rather not pay the same rates as as someone buying a brand new Lambo, nor do i need the dealer stamp as much.
PPI
This knocks on into who does the PPI. Is the only real option to take it to a dealer to do this? I feel like I'm missing something as for other marques there are just a lot more options.
Parking Outside - Corrosion and Battery Life
I was originally on the hunt for a Ferrari 360. But having been told the aluminium will corrode and eventually I'd come outside to find the bodywork vanishing into thin air, I have reconsidered.
Does the Lambo suffer from being parked outside under a cover? Were there corrosions issues, or issues with electrics from being left outside?
Worse, on the 360 was battery life, it had to be plugged into a battery tender.
How does the Gallardo get on with its battery, how long does it tend to last?
Is replacing the battery a DIY job?
Who to buy from - Private vs Dealer
The more i searched for a F.360 the more concerned I got about buying privately. Extensive PPI's and things not being done "right" would it seem impact the value of a Ferrari considerably. Having just sold an Aston privately i found this a surprise.
So any recommended seller, or is it better to save some £££'s and buy privately?
Potential Big Costs
It looks like a clutch is £3k. Other than that there does not seem to be any typical issues with the car that i should expect. Again, that feels a little wrong and like I'm missing information.
2006+ I've read are the more reliable, but surely things still need doing that cost a bit.
Manual car availability
I would ideally like a manual. I had a flappy paddle Maserati. The main issue is parallel parking it. The flappy paddle can be unpredictable and make this pretty difficult, manual's are just so much easier. The same goes for crawling in traffic, in particular crawling up a hill.
However, there barely seem to be any about. From what I've read that's simply becuase bought new there weren't many of them.
Lifting Gear
Did this ever become a standard spec? I unfortunately must have it due to living in London.
Target price - Selling Cost vs Advertised Cost
Looking at the advertised prices seems that these cars haven't depreciated much for 5/6 years ago, even in this market, which i find surprising. Sure they went up and came back down, but they are still at 2011 prices.
However, are actual the selling figures near the advertised costs? Just wondered if anyone had recently bough, or had experience of this?
What would you think a fair/good price is for a 2006 Gallardo, with say 30-40k miles on the clock, in a decent spec and colour?
Meets
Are there any meets coming up, or does anyone in North London/South Herts feel like meeting for a chat and a little show around their Gallardo - beers on me.
Audio
How easy is it to connect a phone to play music to either the standard system or the upgraded system?
Thanks very much in advance...and hoping for some much needed advice
I've been reading up for a few days now on Gallardo's and would be really grateful for some more advice. I've been through lots of threads on here, including re-living 70Proof's buying experience.
I am coming at this having spent ages looking for a F.360, only to be scuppered for the reasons below. I am hoping that a Gallardo is the right car for me, but will base that on owner experiences.
Year 2006+
I've read that 2006 are more reliable and better sorted than those that came out originally. However, the more I delve into old thread, the less actual information I seem to find as the reasoning behind this.
However, lifting gear is an absolute requirement, so maybe that might lead to a later car?
Forums
From what I've found, this is he best of the Lambo UK based forums. It looks like things were really active here a few years back, but that seems to have tailed off a little just looking at the frequency of posts and new threads on here. I can't believe that because Lambo Owners don't like discussing cars and helping each other out, so what forum are most UK folks on? That's not meant to come across rude, it's just based on what i can see from recent threads.
The thing that worries me about that is whether there is a lack within the Lambo world of trying to save unnecessary costs? From briefly reading, I can see that savings can be made through buying some Audi parts. Such info is usually shared through forums...which leads me to...
Independent Servicing
It appears that there are very few specialist independent garages, although I might have missed some info. So far I've only found BHP, Emblem and Autofficina, compared to Ferrari and Maserati that seems far more limited choice. Or am i missing some information?
Whilst i am fine for servicing at a dealer, things in-between services, where possible, use of independent is usually cost effective and sometimes can be better than a dealership. Let's face it, I'd be buying a 13 year old car, I'd rather not pay the same rates as as someone buying a brand new Lambo, nor do i need the dealer stamp as much.
PPI
This knocks on into who does the PPI. Is the only real option to take it to a dealer to do this? I feel like I'm missing something as for other marques there are just a lot more options.
Parking Outside - Corrosion and Battery Life
I was originally on the hunt for a Ferrari 360. But having been told the aluminium will corrode and eventually I'd come outside to find the bodywork vanishing into thin air, I have reconsidered.
Does the Lambo suffer from being parked outside under a cover? Were there corrosions issues, or issues with electrics from being left outside?
Worse, on the 360 was battery life, it had to be plugged into a battery tender.
How does the Gallardo get on with its battery, how long does it tend to last?
Is replacing the battery a DIY job?
Who to buy from - Private vs Dealer
The more i searched for a F.360 the more concerned I got about buying privately. Extensive PPI's and things not being done "right" would it seem impact the value of a Ferrari considerably. Having just sold an Aston privately i found this a surprise.
So any recommended seller, or is it better to save some £££'s and buy privately?
Potential Big Costs
It looks like a clutch is £3k. Other than that there does not seem to be any typical issues with the car that i should expect. Again, that feels a little wrong and like I'm missing information.
2006+ I've read are the more reliable, but surely things still need doing that cost a bit.
Manual car availability
I would ideally like a manual. I had a flappy paddle Maserati. The main issue is parallel parking it. The flappy paddle can be unpredictable and make this pretty difficult, manual's are just so much easier. The same goes for crawling in traffic, in particular crawling up a hill.
However, there barely seem to be any about. From what I've read that's simply becuase bought new there weren't many of them.
Lifting Gear
Did this ever become a standard spec? I unfortunately must have it due to living in London.
Target price - Selling Cost vs Advertised Cost
Looking at the advertised prices seems that these cars haven't depreciated much for 5/6 years ago, even in this market, which i find surprising. Sure they went up and came back down, but they are still at 2011 prices.
However, are actual the selling figures near the advertised costs? Just wondered if anyone had recently bough, or had experience of this?
What would you think a fair/good price is for a 2006 Gallardo, with say 30-40k miles on the clock, in a decent spec and colour?
Meets
Are there any meets coming up, or does anyone in North London/South Herts feel like meeting for a chat and a little show around their Gallardo - beers on me.
Audio
How easy is it to connect a phone to play music to either the standard system or the upgraded system?
Thanks very much in advance...and hoping for some much needed advice
Hi Mark
Thanks very much for such a detailed and extensive response, it is very much appreciated.
It's not an everyday car, but will be probably driven every couple of weeks.
So is corrosion a big issue?
Thanks very much for such a detailed and extensive response, it is very much appreciated.
markiii said:
My last 2 services have been done at Christian Lewis (Northampton), they have now gone bump which is a shame but I only went there because of Ed Blasi. Hes now at a Ferrari specialist in Kent so may choose them next time.
Would it be wrong to assume that recognised Ferrari independents, are capable of Lambo work? markiii said:
How outside is outside? Kerbside or do you have room for a carcoon or similar? Is it an every day car?
Kerbside, in London. My Maserati, and Aston were parked in the same spot. It is what it is, and is my only proper option. It's not an everyday car, but will be probably driven every couple of weeks.
So is corrosion a big issue?
markiii said:
Battery can be DIY swapped in 15 mins with a coin and a 10mm socket
That's great to know. Is it easy enough to get the in the car when the battery is dead? markiii said:
ref lifting gear hard to say how bad speed bumps in London are but I have mate in Croydon which is speed bump central and it coped fine there with out.
I think your spec is going to struggle at £60K
this is the closest I could find
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
egear might be possible at your budget but manuals seem to be holding their value due to rarity
Anyone know whose car that might be, could do a deal privately, maybe? I think your spec is going to struggle at £60K
this is the closest I could find
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
egear might be possible at your budget but manuals seem to be holding their value due to rarity
I've been trying to find out what the difference is between 2006+ cars and 2005 cars, when they have manual transmission.
So far I've found that for E-Gear cars, improvements were made to the E-Gear.
I have also found anecdotal evidence that 2006+ are less likely to "lead to big bills" but I've no idea why that would be as I cannot seem to find what changes were made.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks
So far I've found that for E-Gear cars, improvements were made to the E-Gear.
I have also found anecdotal evidence that 2006+ are less likely to "lead to big bills" but I've no idea why that would be as I cannot seem to find what changes were made.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks
70proof said:
https://www.evo.co.uk/lamborghini/gallardo/14032/l...
This is a good read. I'll write a more specific reply at the weekend, bit busy ATM. The reliability I think came from upgraded parts, that were err, more reliable. Things we're tweaked, the clutch went through 5 revisions by MY06. And greater use of Audi parts me thinks, when did the r8 come along?
Thanks very much. Have read that a couple of times, I think there's a few guides. But not found any "owners" long term ownership the report on here or the USA forum. This is a good read. I'll write a more specific reply at the weekend, bit busy ATM. The reliability I think came from upgraded parts, that were err, more reliable. Things we're tweaked, the clutch went through 5 revisions by MY06. And greater use of Audi parts me thinks, when did the r8 come along?
Edited by 70proof on Wednesday 9th October 20:00
Any tips or thoughts appreciated.
Also, if anyone is thinking of selling, please me know.
Drl22 said:
It basically says it been looked after on a shoestring and no one pays that much for a car that suggests it’s not been looked after the way it should.
Having had an Aston and a Maserati previously I've got to say I'm pretty shocked by that opinion. Usually there is a great level of respect for Independent garages that provide expertise, coupled with the additional care that they take as it's their business. Further, they might specialise in a certain model so might have more knowledge than a dealer.
Compared to dealerships where there is a turnover of staff, and mechanics themselves have less skin in the game so might take less care compared to an independent
I've had issues and seen other owners have the similar issues, where a car with a full main dealer history states (for example) that the air filters have been changed numerous times, however you discover 3 services later they've never been changed? Is Lambo the only dealer network where not one single dealership is occasionally guilty of this?
Just something I've seen with some Ferrari/Maserati dealerships in particular.
That said, certain independent garages don't have stellar reputations and I would be wary of a car with all of its history from somewhere that doesn't have a solid reputation. Likewise, some dealerships do have an excellent reputation.
[Edited to make sense and add balance]
Edited by rossyl on Wednesday 16th October 07:49
Thanks all for the responses.
I've got to say I'm a little shocked by the stir created by Indie vs Dealership maintenance, but if anything i suppose it is helpful as it shows that the Lambo world is a little different. There will be some that are fine with Indies and others that are not.
With my last two cars (Aston and Maserati) I ended up mainly at AM Works and at a mix of Maranello Egham and an Independent Maserati. It was all dependent on "expertise vs cost". I think I'd continue making decisions based upon that. That said £4k a year as standard seems a bit much and beyond Aston or Ferrari (what i had previously been considering) so i might dig a little deeper on that front.
With regard to cars, I'm yet to find one that ticks all the right boxes and probably might be best to wait and see what happens and if the right car pops up.
Cheers
R
I've got to say I'm a little shocked by the stir created by Indie vs Dealership maintenance, but if anything i suppose it is helpful as it shows that the Lambo world is a little different. There will be some that are fine with Indies and others that are not.
With my last two cars (Aston and Maserati) I ended up mainly at AM Works and at a mix of Maranello Egham and an Independent Maserati. It was all dependent on "expertise vs cost". I think I'd continue making decisions based upon that. That said £4k a year as standard seems a bit much and beyond Aston or Ferrari (what i had previously been considering) so i might dig a little deeper on that front.
With regard to cars, I'm yet to find one that ticks all the right boxes and probably might be best to wait and see what happens and if the right car pops up.
Cheers
R
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