Lamborghini Gallardo or Ferrari F430 advice please

[bing]

Hey guys,

So currently I have a 997 turbo in manual which I’m looking to change for one of the above. I have a budget of about £70K-£75k, things I’d like to know are how would either compare in terms of:-

Performance
Running costs/servicing etc
Reliability
Depreciation - owned my 997 for 5 years now and hardly lost any money on it
Manual vs e-gear vs F1
Known issues

Can anyone recommend a reliable firm to perform an inspection, and also names of decent dealers for both brands, VVS seem to have some good cars but I know nothing about the dealer, are the recommended and reliable?

Obviously these are older cars now is there any kind of warrenty available for them?

Thanks B

[johnnyreggae]

PH have done buyers guides for both - buyers have done threads here - check out voicey's ferrari pages for oodles of 430 information - vendors & inspections etc are all over the country because these cars are far rarer than a Porsche so you are more likely to have to travel to find what you want

[rat rod]

bing said:

Hey guys,

So currently I have a 997 turbo in manual which I’m looking to change for one of the above. I have a budget of about £70K-£75k, things I’d like to know are how would either compare in terms of:-

Performance
Running costs/servicing etc
Reliability
Depreciation - owned my 997 for 5 years now and hardly lost any money on it
Manual vs e-gear vs F1
Known issues

Can anyone recommend a reliable firm to perform an inspection, and also names of decent dealers for both brands, VVS seem to have some good cars but I know nothing about the dealer, are the recommended and reliable?

Obviously these are older cars now is there any kind of warrenty available for them?

Thanks B

I run both, a F430 and a manual Gallardo, depending on how often you will use the car, The 430 is far more user friendly,

easier to drive in traffic with better vision, could be driven daily if you have to,

You feel more capsulated in the Gallardo with poor vision ,only a problem in built up area's, it's like reversing a van without

the advantage of sitting up high.being manual it's a lot of fun winding it up through the gears , never been keen on the steering

being four wheel drive,difficult to explain but doesn't feel fluid enough with all that extra weight of the drive shafts ,

Some it up if Caterham ever made a Supercar it would probably drive something like a Gallardo as it enjoys being driven hard

on a open road but not much fun in town, People love the Lambo with big smiles and waves so not for the shy where as the 430

seems to be the opposite with either the finger or wker sign often given, not quite what you asked but more day to day living with them.

Edited by rat rod on Tuesday 22 June 23:07

[davek_964]

I had a mapped 996 turbo and owned a 360 at the same time, so previous generation - owned both for ~5 years.

The 911 was significantly quicker than the 360 - but was dull dull dull. The 360 was so much more engaging, massively more fun and - for me - the perfect level of power for the roads.
Running costs were not significantly different in my experience. The 996 turbo always seemed to need somewhere between £1k and £2k at a service (indy) and so did the 360.
My 360 went up while I owned it - I sold it cheap at the start of the pandemic, but was still significantly more than I paid for it. It was very reliable - it was very rare for anything to go wrong with it. With the exception of one big engine issue a year before I sold it - which was a known problem on 360s (although I didn't know that until it happened......)

I sold the 360 last year, and still have the odd pang when I see one. I don't miss the Porsche at all. For me, the 360 was one of the best - if not the best - car I've ever owned, and I'm sure a 430 would be just as good, if not better.

[MerciEnFrance]

Which Gallardo matters... different engines, 4wd or 2wd...

[bing]

Thanks guys for the replies, couple of other questions what are these cars like for a short runs now and then eg trip to the gym etc and also around london traffic etc?

Gallardo wise I’m thinking maybe an LP550-2 or LP560-4

[jasonwdh]

got both a 360 Spider and 430 Spider in the garage - both manual - never had any reliability issues with either. Great to drive, lots of fun and plenty fast enough - would choose the 430 if I could only have 1. Never had any adverse reactions from bystanders/other road users in them either - not sure what that is all about.

Drove various Gallardos around Millbrook on a day out, never once felt like I'd like to swap into one, I did enjoy the day though - highlight was being driven round the Alpine circuit by Mr Balboni in the car named after him - however as his skill level is way, way above mine I'm not sure I could ever make the car dance like that!

[Spindoctor]

bing said:

Gallardo wise I’m thinking maybe an LP550-2 or LP560-4

You’ll be doing well to find a good 550 or 560 for your budget.

I had a humble pre-LP spyder for 6 years, sold it 6 months ago. Fantastic car - the noise of that V10 is truly gorgeous, it looks fabulous (imo much nicer than the 430). You need to get familiar with e-gear, it can seem a bit crude and clunky but once you know how to use it, it’s great. Haven’t tried a manual, but I’m sure it’s brilliant. Performance-wise, it’s smile-inducing and far more than you need for road use. Mine was 13 years old when I sold it, and was completely reliable, never let me down. I spared no expense on maintenance and it rewarded me for that.

Even within the pre-LP generation there were improvements as the years went by. So the later the better, and you should be able to get a very sorted one within your budget. There are various good indy garages for servicing so you don’t have to bend over and pay main dealer prices.

[sone]

Owned 2 430's a standard car and a scud! Was quite underwhelmed with both tbh and prefered the look and drive of the 360's 2 of which I had also a standard car and a Strad.

[bing]

So been looking around an around £85K - £90K seems to get you either a 07/08 F430 with <25K miles OR and 2011 onwards LP 560-4. Seems to be more F430s around then LP cars though. Also a part of me thinks that’s the newer LP cars might be more reliable.

Thoughts?

[franki68]

I had a 997 turbo and then a gallardo spider having had the same dilemma .I tested the Ferrari and the gallardo both spiders and I bought the gallardo because it just made me laugh out loud .
I think the Ferrari is the sharper machine but the gallardo just made me smile more.
The attention you get in the lambo is overwhelming ,positive but honestly you’ve got to be prepared for it .

I think running costs are similar .

[jdwoodbury]

The newer LP has uprated egear so is better on clutches than the pre-LP. I have an LP560 and it’s been faultless so far, as others have said they are not great around town due to visibility and the single clutch. I think good cars now are bottoming out price wise and starting to be appreciated now they are 10yrs old. I looked at a F430 and I think it’s the prettier car but that V10 is epic, and the car brings out my inner child

[franki68]

jdwoodbury said:

The newer LP has uprated egear so is better on clutches than the pre-LP. I have an LP560 and it’s been faultless so far, as others have said they are not great around town due to visibility and the single clutch. I think good cars now are bottoming out price wise and starting to be appreciated now they are 10yrs old. I looked at a F430 and I think it’s the prettier car but that V10 is epic, and the car brings out my inner child

They also have an atrocious turning circle which makes them awkward in town .

[bing]

Ok so over the last few days I’ve driven a F430 F1 2008 and a LP550-2 2011.

The fezza is a big car compared to my 997 but felt light and very agile and really really easy to drive in traffic and at speed, having said that the interior did feel dated apart from the yellow dial. Oh and rear visibility was crap.

The LP550-2 e-gear amazing soundtrack, but the car felt kinda heavy really really raw in comparison to my turbo, defo not as nimble as the F430 but better interior apart from the dials and defo better visibility, it does feel more cramped inside tho, the brakes on the LP weren’t great tbh very spongy and not very reassuring compared to the fezza and my 997, may be they need a fluid and pad change.

Tbh neither felt that fast in comparison to the turbo, both are stunning and I need to scratch that Italian supercar itch.

Both dealers were faultless and I’d happy by from either.

[70proof]

It's harder and harder to drive these cars on public roads... That V10 is epic across the rev range, sound too... The V8 you need to make scream.... An LP is far easier around town than a pre lp

[supersport]

They are both more than fast enough for the majority of our roads. A flick of the ankle and you are easily in license losing territory.

[Adz man]

I owned a 430 Spider for four years when it was three years old. I owned a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder for two years when it was 12 years old.

My Ferrari was pristine when I bought it. The Lambo kind of had a hard life and cost me around £7k in the first year and overall while it looked great and never actually broke down I had zero faith in it and it was not a pleasant owning experience.

I ended up trading it in Feb 2021 for a 19 plate Mac 600 LT Spider

The Lambo is a great car it’s just that my one most definitely wasn’t a good one. The 430 was absolutely superb.