Gentlemen, I am down in Beverly Hills on a business trip and I have Saturday free. Thus, I am going to the dark side and renting something to drive for the day. I feel so bad but I needed to drive something different! Pics soon.... PS. Did you know you can rent a Bugatti Veyron for a simple sum of $25,000/day down here???
Ok, so I didn't quite have the sum of $25,000 (+5.00 per mile driven) to rent the lovely Bugatti Veyron. And they had a 360 Spider that was cheaper than what I did rent...but I wanted a completely different driving experience. I am no car expert by any means but I will definitely add my two cents in about the 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo spider. Again, I konw very little about cars and can only offer my experience based solely on my drive comparison. Wow...a sexy looker, for sure. A Gallardo sure does photograph well because I know nothing about photography and the pics turned out gorgeous! And starting the engine takes about 3 seconds to fire. The car feels much heavier to drive than my 355 and I do not care for the AWD, which I believe was responsible for the lurching when turning a complete turn with the wheel all the way to the right or left. Hmph... The car feels much quicker than the 355 while driving (it will throw your head back stepping on that V8 when stepping on the gas pedal; however, unlike my 355, the gas pedal must be ddpressed for a longer period of time before the car actually responds, which I did not like. The E-gear versus the 1999 MY F1 is a vastly superior technology because there is NO luigging with shifting and you don't have to take your foot off the gas like in the 355. That was very nice. I now know what people mean when they say that the 355 is the last generation of "go-kart like" handling sports cars as I did not feel in tune with the beast that the Lambo is. I feel much more in control and connected to the road in my 355. So, rather than bore you with my lack of terminology and proper comparison points, I will sum this up by saying that, yes, I did enjoy it for the day. I went from BH down to Orange County and put 180 miles on her. I can honestly say that people stare at it (because of the color, perhaps? LoL) more than my TDF 355, but I don't think that I will ever be a Lambo owner--even when they come down to a price level that I can live with. I prefer the sleekness and seductiveness of the Ferraris, and I can honestly say that I missed my 355 (La Bella) immensely after driving the Gallardo. Two final thoughts: 1. California drivers scare me. I don't drive crazy because I like having no tickets on my record. I was doing 90 driving WITH traffic on the 405 and was got passed by a Toyota Yaris among other cars. 2. Try putting gas in a Gallardo. hahahahah! There must be some secret because it is a 90 degree upright fuel door and it wouldn't let the gas go in even 10% as fast as normal. Enjoy the pics! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I test drove a Gallardo last year also. My thoughts are similar + it's a damn boring car to drive and the depreciation value is worse than any exotic car in the world.
Nice pics - you were right, that thing is NICE. May I ask where you rented the car? Can you tell me what they were asking for the 360 for the day? It would be great to get some real seat time before purchasing. I assume they charged your credit card for $25K up front. I remember I rented a corvette conv my first year in college and I had to talk my way out of the credit card "hold" cuz I didn't have a card with a limit that high. Thanks
No affiliation, but here: http://www.bhrentacar.com/vehicle_info/109/0 They asked for $25,000 authorization on a credit card but I only told them I would give them $10,000. They spent over an hour on the phone with Geico because apparently Geico, who insures my 330ci, Civic, and 355, has Lamborghinis on their "Restricted List," which means they will not insure them. They had the underwriters look over my policies, etc., and eventually authorized the coverage. Ask for Michael (Beverly Hills location) as he was gracious in everything. Also, don't pay the asking rental price. NOtice the "Make an offer" icon. Click it or just call them.
I've rented from them twice, once a vert Viper and another time a 360 F1 coupe when I was looking at cars to buy. Fun time, and considering how the cars are driven it's actually a good deal. I ignorantly fishtailed the 360 pretty bad and almost put it into a very rocky wash in a canyon road, my brother was white knuckled the rest of the trip (600 miles total, with 160 mph the top speed on private property). BHRentacar is great, especially if you're visiting LA for pleasure. For all the young guys out there, I was 25 when I rented the Viper and 26 when I rented the 360, so don't be afraid of age restrictions. Just be sure you have a good insurance company!
Great thread, I wish I read it sooner ........... I would have let you drive my 355 with its new monster bypass delete exhaust ...... !!
Same time you were cheating, I was too. Drove a Murci, G-SL, and G-spider. The Murci is OMG crazy! The G-SL is a fantastic car, but to me the spider was the pick of the litter. If I had to replace the 355, it would be with a Gallardo spider. But after a similar experience to you, I found myself thinking "which would I rather have?" The answer was always the 355. I would love the reliability and durability of the G. But the difference in price is an easy 80k, probably more (then sales tax, property tax, insurance...) My 355 is going to depreciate HARD (miles) and will cost in service. But 80k will probably cover the entire current value of the car plus service for a minimum of 5 years. Then I will look at the 560 spider.... which is what I really want
