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?
95 Comments on “Question of the Day: If You Could Afford It, Would You Buy A Lambo?...”
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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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2B4kDErah4
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.