in comparison with 2005 and newer Gallardos? I am still deciding on getting this or a Porsche 996 Turbo in 3 years, but from what I've heard, the reason why the 2004 Gallardos are so "inexpensive" compared to 2005 and onward models, is due to it being faulty, having a bad clutch/E-gear, and an average build quality.

 

there is no difference between 2004 and 2005 egear/clutch. early 2004 have a light gray alcantera seat insert and all 2004 do not have front lift and do not have lambo shield on the airbag. that's the only difference between 2004 and 2005.

nothing wrong with 2004 but in three years, most of them will be pretty beat up. Same could be true for 996tt i guess.

 

Your thinking a little too far ahead if you ask me.

 

That's probably true. I have driven both 996tt w mods making about 550hp w full coil over setup and my gallardo w exhaust mod only.

The g takes corners well and has a linear acceleration since it is NA engine. It also looks and sound much better. These cars are not in the same league except the power and speed IMO. You can get two 996tt for price of a 2004 g.

The only thing I would caution is take your time to look for a wells sorted car. You do not want a fixer upper Lambo. You will not save any money unless you are a capable mechanic

 

I think the biggest concern I have is let's say I can afford a Lambo in 3 years (likely not, but for example) and get a well sorted out 2004 model... will it be costlier to repair and own since the car is getting older, and any available parts diminishes as time goes on? And since supply decreases, demand will slightly increase amongst 2004 owners since less of these cars in great condition will exist... how will this affect price on parts?

Because parts at this time and day are already expensive, so I can imagine parts costing even more, 3 years from now.

i think, unfortunately, the same thing will likely happen with the 996TTs as time goes on.

 

Reasons why the 06+ Gallardos are better than the 04/05:

1) Gear ratios changed for better acceleration
2) 20 HP more due to better flowing exhaust and manifolds
3) Steering ratios changed for better cornering feel and response


So yes, the 06+ is better, but the 04 is still a great car by any standards. You can add an aftermarket exhaust + tune and get that 20bhp back though.


Parts are going to be more expensive obviously, but there are some good deals to be found. You can get a Kevlar clutch that will last 200-300% longer than OEM (people getting 25-35k), and instead of paying $3k for an 04 throwout bearing, you can buy the $700 LP560 bearing and it works better than the original.

 

Parts usually get cheaper over time as demand softens. This is true until 20-25 years when parts start to disappear.

 

So even a Gallardo can get away with 3rd party supplier of parts and not having to buy OEM? That's good news.

In 20-25 years, if a car's parts are rare and expensive, is it likely a car collector will want to still buy a mid-2000's Gallardo?

i know many folks buy old cars, whether it's a Ford or Ferrari, and notice cars like Testarossa and older models, still sell for a pretty penny-- here and now.

 

I'm not sure I agree that the parts will get much cheaper for cars like the Gallardo. These are not "mass produced" cars like a Ford Focus or Toyota Camry, where the parts suppliers have thousands of items in stock all the time.

Lamborghini, Ferrari, Lotus, etc would not be wise to stock, say, 15k clutches in the hopes of selling them all. They would stock 5k, then have more made if there was demand. Larger companies like Ford, Chevy, Toyota, and others can afford to have surplus parts because they're cheaper to make, and often can be used in more than one car.

The parts will get cheaper in the 4-6 years after a car has been released simply because they have a surplus of parts from the years of building them, but there will be a price floor on anything that's a wear and tear item.

So what I'm saying in a nutshell is; dont expect to find an OEM clutch for a Gallardo in the $1500-2200 price range, it's probably going to be sitting pretty at $3-4k for the remainder of its life.

 

Hey Ryan, just read your post and it makes sense. What if I opted to get a 3rd party clutch somewhere that isn't made by Lamborghini? How much cheaper would it be?

 

Most aftermarket parts for exotics are built because there is a demand for a better built part. There is really only 1 aftermarket supplier of clutches for Lamborghini that I would trust: HiTech. Read some of this thread and you'll understand why I say that:

http://www.lamborghini-talk.com/vbfo...tanding-17194/


To sum it up though, the clutch will last 200-300% longer than stock, but its also going to cost a bit more. Its a proven part, and I would be very, very hesitant to spend money on an unproven part in my $100,000 car. Even if you find 3rd party parts that are cheaper, remember that the labor involved in changing a clutch or suspension part isn't always easy or cheap, so it pays to make sure you have quality parts.

ex: If you happen to find, say an aftermarket shock to replace your blown front shock. If it only costs $250 compared to Lamborghini's OEM part that is $500, you save $250 or 50%. But, if that part fails after only 2k miles, you now have to pay ANOTHER $250 for that shock, + labor to install it. In this scenario, you would have been better off buying the proven, warrantied part and saved yourself the hassle.

That being said, there are other ways to save money with Gallardos. Lots of people on Lamborghini forums have said they can source parts from Audi dealerships; the Gallardo uses some RS6 brake components, Audi wheel hubs (parts), some Audi/Volkswagen interior parts, electrical components, and fuel/brake lines, etc.. All those parts are the same as what you'd get at the Lamborghini dealership, but cheaper if you source it yourself by matching part numbers.

 

Ah, that makes sense. I suppose you'd recommend to research, read user reviews and such on any 3rd party part?

Now regarding the 2004 Gallardos, I have seen 2 of them listed for about $66,000 USD (after conversion) at another forum (HINT: all of these cars listed are RHD). Mileage for both are pretty low, and under 40,000 miles if I remember correctly. Is this a bargain/true price for these Gallardos, or is it "too cheap" for a 2004 model?

 

Absolutely, research is the best thing you can do before buying ANY car, but ESPECIALLY an exotic that can be quite costly when things fail. Odds are, if there's a problem to be had, someone else has had it happen to them too, and its always better to learn from other people's mistakes

$66k is really cheap, even for an 04. I dont think I've seen one here in the States for less than $80k. Do the sellers have any service records? Clean title? Anything that needs attention (like clutch or major service)?

If a PPI by a reputable shop comes up clean, I'd be all over that!

 

I am not sure if i can link to another car forum, but it looks legitimate and the price is very good. Hell, one of them is a Superleggera with the rear spoiler and side marking.

And 66K IS cheap for a 2004 Gallardo, hence why I have my doubts about how many owners it had, or if it's about to need a major service or a new clutch, lol.

All of these listings are from the UK, and so all of these cars are right handed.

 

Maybe that's just the going rate for RHD cars? I'm always skeptical when a deal is too good to be true, because it usually turns out to be. I learned that one the hard way, a couple different times actually..

If you can get the VIN, I believe you would be able to call a dealership and possibly check for service history. That would be my first choice, second would be to get the PPI done. But remember, even a PPI can miss things, and it certainly doesn't offer a guarantee that the car has been maintained properly its entire life.