New or Used: The Rich Asshole Vibe

Omar writes:

Hello all,

Love the site. One of the only sites that actually reviews cars instead of just reading like a feature press release.

I am in the market for a car. However, it is a bit different than most. I finally finished school and am in a position to buy a nice car up to about $200 000. I hate when auto sites use the line ”buyers in this category don’t care about costs”. I do! There is a difference between a guy who can buy one car like this and has to think about it vs. Someone with a supercar stable.

I am kind of all over the map right now. My main choice is a v8 vantage due to the not over the top looks and classic style. However, I am wondering if a pre-owned F430 or Gallardo would be a good choice. Or should I save up for another year and try for a 458? Each car has pros and cons and I’m still heavily leaning toward an Vantage. What would you do?

Steve Answers:

Omar, so you joined the secret club. You finished ‘school’ and now like many of your fellow graduates you can finally enjoy the fruits and labors of your hard work. I applaud your meritorious Yuppie-tude.

Why not buy them all? You know when I was a young lad I also collected cars. Matchbox. Hot Wheels. Those cardboard cutouts you could get off of cereal boxes. I had quite a collection.

For $200k I would simply by 200,000 cars. Problem solved. Either that or I would get a helicopter, an RV, and a 1st gen Insight just like this one. That and some more time in California to enjoy the surf.

But seriously, I would buy a vintage Ferrari Testarossa and have Jack Baruth teach me how to drive it.

Sajeev Answers:

Boo to buzzkill! This query is absolutely worthy of a fun yet frivolous answer. Maybe it’s because I reviewed the Aston, Ferrari and Lambo in question, but I find this question most intriguing. You know, for the rich asshole that needs a new ride.

The Vantage, while beautiful, is for the jerk with an ego strong enough to pick on V6 Mustangs. (And little else.) The F430 is perfect for wannabe racers who autocross with barely a tire screech, in matching Ferrari clothing. They are a unique breed of prick, certainly not for everyone. The Lambo is less of the same: adding Teutonic pleasure, Countach-a-like styling and all wheel drive to the party. I tend to think of the Gallardo as the Thinking Man’s choice when diving into the world of automotive douchebaggery.

At the end of the day, LSX-FTW: buying a C6 Corvette Z06 with Magnaride dampers and aftermarket seats/tires/camshaft is all you need to go faster than everyone. And turn a few heads, maybe like two or three. That’ll set you back about 110-large, leaving the rest for a smattering of high yield stocks. Not buying it? Didn’t think so.

I have no clue what kind of “rich asshole vibe” you prefer to emit as you roll down the highway, but if I was in your shoes, the used Gallardo is my pick of the litter. The power, enlightened exterior/interior design and all wheel drive make it livable, yet so exotic.

Need help with a car buying conundrum? Email your particulars to mehta@ttac.com, and let TTAC’s collective wisdom make the decision easier… or possibly much, much harder.