19th Aug 2004, 02:05

I'm intrigued, the car must have cost over £130,000. So how much was a new clutch because I'm sure the warranty would not cover the bill. Something as highly tuned as a Gallardo needs breaking in gently with TLC. I offer my assistance in this field, and promise to return your car with plenty of miles clocked up.

6th Jan 2005, 14:19

You should not have tried a racing start in that car. The four wheel drive Diablo VT I owned cooked its clutch on the way to Gaydon supercar sunday. I tried to burn off in a golf GTI in Leicester and ended up with a £1200 bill and a red face instead! Gallardo uses the same VT system, so a standing drop clutch start would have been forbidden. It should say so in your owners manual if you bothered to read it! (who does?)

24th Jan 2005, 06:53

Hmmm...I'm a Lambo owner, but not a gallardo. I did however go to the launch at the factory and have since driven several. No 4wheel drive vehicle will last long if you drop the clutch, especially if it is new. That said however, these cars do not need running in, they are delivered already run in at the factory.

26th Feb 2005, 07:01

Perhaps someone can help out. I currently own a Porsche 996 turbo and will be looking to change in the next year or so. My eyes or on the Gallardo, my heart is on the Gallardo, but my brain is telling me that being from Scotland, the nearest service centre is Manchester which poses a problem for fixing niggling faults. I have also heard rumours of struggling residuals and heavy depreciation. Can someone tell me if this car can be used almost everyday, does it hold it's value and is it as reliable as a Porsche? finally would a second hand low mileage buy be a safe one, all this talk about burnt out clutches is causing my wallet to reach for medication. Thanks.

12th Apr 2005, 02:42

No surprise at all. I have my G-car (e-gear) clutch burned at 2,600miles. I think the problem is the e-gear itself. I used to drive a 360 and clutch can last for at least 9,000mile +.

17th Apr 2005, 21:05

I have driven my Gallardo six speed stick shift 2,176 miles in two months and the clutch feels as good as day one, no problems of any kind with my car. It really is more fun than my ex 996 Twin Turbo Porsche.

11th Jun 2005, 18:46

Residuals will be a problem. You will have to sell to a dealer for 15k less than its worth. Same with all exotics. 575M and Vanquish even worse.

24th Sep 2006, 16:10

OK, so I am still not clear from all these comments. I too, have owned porsche 996s in the past, and have been contemplating Gallardo for the future. But this is absolutely ridiculous - seems like there are owners that are happy to have 9000 miles on it without a clutch change? Are you serious? Should I be sticking to the porsche? My last one had 60,000 miles, and I wasn't even aware that it had a clutch! I would drop the clutch any way I liked it, launch it in tire smoke, and go sideways whenever I wanted to, with my only concern beeing not to hit a tree. :) So is that not the case with Gallardo? I would consider getting one, if I can drive it normally (6speed manual) without worrying until at least 50,000 miles. If there is even remote chance of things happening to it and to its clutch from normal operation before 50,000 miles, I would not buy the car out of pure principle. I don't care if it only costs $1,000 to fix it, or $100,000 to fix it. It's 2007, and I am not buying a car that can't make it 3 months without a new clutch, that's retarded. Someone, please help me and make it clear for me! Let's say I drove it as a daily driver, never abused it, went fast in it, but never launched it and played dumb in it - Can the car honestly last me $20,000 or 30,000 miles or more without issues? Thank you.

4th Oct 2006, 21:17

My girlfriend's dad just traded in his 996 gt3 for a gallardo. It has 11,000 miles and had its clutch replaced at 10,000 miles. His sales rep. said that you generally will have to replace it every 10,000 miles. So far it is worth the extra money for the gallardo because there is no comparison between 996's and the gallardo.

8th Feb 2007, 22:14

What does a new Gallardo clutch cost?

Does the e-gear clutch go out as often as a stick?

18th Mar 2007, 17:52

Having been lucky enough to snare a drive in a colleague's Gallardo, I can add that it is an absolutely awesome car to drive and stands out far more than a 911 Turbo (though the 997 Turbo is apparently faster). Personally, I prefer the Gallardo over the Ferrari F430 too. Though I would probably have a hard time choosing between these three cars if I had the funds.

So what was the Gallardo like to drive? The fact that it had bags of grunt should be obvious even to those who have never driven one. However, what really hit home the point to me was the fact that you could reach cruising speeds using only the first two gears! Of course, this is the sort of car where you would like to use more than one gear. And it really is a cinch to drive too!

The sound is sensational and really has to be heard to be appreciated. And few cars on the road have such road presence. You really do feel like a rock star driving it.

The biggest let down for the Gallardo (according to my colleague - now friend ;) was depreciation and cost of maintenance. The F430 would be a far wiser purchase although I still think the Gallardo has the greater wow factor. As for cost of maintenance, I guess this is par for the course. Anyone who can afford a Gallardo probably doesn't mind the bills, although even the very rich can get annoyed if they do not get "value for money" and feel "ripped off" (being a relative concept of course).

11th Jul 2007, 05:31

Have heard that the 6 speed manual is more reliable than the e-gear. Apparently egear not easy on clutch. I guess all that performance and AWD chassis must make the clutch the weak link irrespective of transmission.

Other problem with Lambo is that being a relatively low volume maker and demanding specialist attention, you don't get too much choice when deciding where to service.

Personally, to all who can afford it, I would choose the Lambo over a mere Porsche any day. But if you have scrimped and saved to buy your first "exotic", then go the Porsche. It will (probably) not send you broke and will definately make a better daily driver.

2nd Dec 2007, 20:14

I see people talking about Porsche as the only alternative to a Lamborghini... I would suggest looking at a modded NSX - a Love Fab Turbo is phat... and it will eat most super-cars! I do not have a turbo on my 91 NSX - but the adjustable Tien Suspension and the Dali exhaust make th eordinaty NSX into a monster! Also... breakdown is rare - as the car is solid!!