Summary
- Lamborghinis are known for their extreme and aggressive designs, making them highly desirable cars for enthusiasts and those who want to stand out.
- Owning a Lamborghini comes with high maintenance costs, including expensive annual services, frequent tire changes, and fuel expenses.
- Lamborghinis attract a lot of attention on the road, and owners may experience constant scrutiny and curiosity from people wanting to know more about the car and the owner.
Lamborghinis are some of the most desirable cars on the planet. Posters of Miuras, Countachs, and Gallardos have decorated bedroom walls for decades; images of Aventadors, Huracans, and Venenos are screensavers on millions of phones, tablets, and computers worldwide. The appeal of Lamborghinis lies in their bonkers and aggressive designs. With the exception of Pagani, Lamborghini arguably designs the most extreme-looking supercars on the planet.
The story of Lamborghini’s inception increases the brand’s appeal. Ferruccio Lamborghini, then a tractor manufacturer, started making supercars after Enzo Ferrari dismissed his suggestion to improve Ferrari clutches and told him to stick to tractor building. Infuriated, Lamborghini vowed to build better cars than Ferraris - and he did. The Miura, for instance, was revolutionary. Owning a Lamborghini is different from owning any other car. Here are 10 things to expect as a first-time Lamborghini owner.
We've collected data from specialized websites and sites like Edmunds and MotorTrend to compile a list of the surprises you may encounter as a first-time Lamborghini owner.
10 Poor Gas Mileage, High Maintenance And Running Costs
You need plenty of cash to maintain a Lamborghini. Failure to maintain a Lambo can lead to catastrophic failures or compromised safety. The Italian cars require a service annually or after every 9000 miles. During the service, the auto shop will replace the oil and filter, inspect the vehicle, and undertake factory diagnostics. A Lamborghini oil change costs between $400 and $2,000 for most models.
However, the cost can rise up to $3,000. The main reason behind inflated service costs is labor. Some Lambo models are so complicated that swapping out the oil and oil filter can take more than three hours. As your Lambo ages and parts wear, service costs get more expensive. For instance, during your second annual service, you’ll likely have to change the coolant, pollen filters, spark plugs, brake fluid, tensioner, and V-belt.
You may also have to change the car’s tires regularly. Lambos eat through tire rubber fast, especially during track days. Lamborghini tires are expensive: some sets cost up to $5,000. Furthermore, Lamborghinis are fuel guzzlers - it costs around $591 monthly ($7,092 annually) to run a 2020 Aventador.
9 Lambos Attract Loads Of Attention
Lambos are some of the most beautiful and hear-turning cars on the planet. It was the mid-engined Miura, back in the 60s, that got the ball rolling and put Lambo on the map. Their sleek, aggressive styling draws everyone’s attention, whether or not they are car enthusiasts. People mob parked Lamborghinis on streets and struggle to get closer looks at the car on the road. Furthermore, Lambo drivers are approached often by people wanting to know more about the vehicle or the driver.
Buying a Lamborghini is like walking around at night in LED clothing - people will break their necks to catch a glimpe. Attention isn’t bad: some people buy a Lambo to get noticed. However, if you aren’t used to living like a celebrity and have no desire for attention, buying a Lambo might prove to be a mistake. People will probe into your life, trying to determine how you earned the money to purchase your exotic ride.
8 Lamborghinis Are Very Loud
Lamborghini supercars with naturally aspirated engines are loud. Lambo owners mostly enjoy the racket that their vehicles make. Models like the Huracan Performante (100 decibels) and Aventador LP750-4 SV (97 decibels) rev up with such fury that you may assume someone is experimenting on a jet engine. The noise of a new Lambo increases a new owner’s excitement about the car.
However, as time passes, the loud engine and exhaust can become annoying and dangerous. Exposure to noises above 85 decibels for extended periods can lead to hearing loss. Conversely, you may never tire of the noise your car makes. Your neighbors, however, may not appreciate the thunderous sound of your Lambo every time you pull into your driveway.
7 Most Lamborghinis Aren’t Practical Cars
Lamborghinis are shamelessly impractical. For instance, with the expectation of the Urus, Lambos don’t come with cupholders as standard. The company classifies a cupholder as an optional extra worth $1,000! The cupholder trended on social media as Lambo owners showed off their uber-expensive piece of Lambo equipment. Other than the price, there’s nothing special about the cupholder.
Lamborghini supercars are muscular, wide cars. However, the extra girth doesn’t improve the vehicle’s cargo capacity. The frunk in most Lambo supercars is wide enough to carry a bag with three days' worth of clothes and nothing more. The Urus is the most practical of all Lamborghinis - the SUV has plenty of people and cargo space.
6 The Constant Temptation To Break the Speed Limit
Lamborghinis are built for speed. However, regardless of the car underneath you, you can’t exceed the speed limit on public roads. Buying a Lambo doesn’t exempt you from road rules. In fact, it makes you a target for authorities - the police may pull you over simply because you have a Lambo. There’s seemingly some implication that driving a supercar means you break road rules.
The temptation to floor the accelerator is omnipresent when driving a Lambo. By giving in to it, you risk the safety of yourself and other road users, and you could potentially earn a speeding ticket. The best place to let the Lambo bull loose is on a racetrack. It’s legal to drive as fast as you dare on a track day. Furthermore, tracks have instructors who guide drivers on how to drive fast and safely.
5 Lambos Can Be Unnecessarily Complicated
Lamborghinis can be unnecessarily complicated to operate. For instance, reversing something like a Diablo or a Countach requires special skills as demonstrated in the video above. Something that catches many new owners out is the Lamborghini’s start procedure. Most of them are often so excited at having their Lambo delivered that they barely listen to the dealer’s instructions. After the dealer leaves, they slot into the car, press the start button, and fumble around for a switch or a knob to engage Drive.
However, there isn’t one. An embarrassed call to the dealer an hour or so after the car’s delivery reveals to the new Lambo owner that pulling the paddle shifter once engages Drive. It’s genuinely unnecessary for Lambo to complicate placing a car into Drive. To the manufacturer’s credit, the modernization of Lambo cockpits has made the vehicles more user-friendly.
4 Most Lambos Are Uncomfortable
Lamborghini supercars are tuned for optimum performance. An unfortunate consequence of performance tuning is that it impacts comfort. The stiff suspension on a Lambo improves handling and speed but compromises comfort. To make matters worse, the seats on most Lambos are more like padding than comfortable seats.
Therefore, Lamborghini supercar occupants sit on the vehicle’s tub, a rather unpleasant seating position. The discomfort renders Lambos unsuitable for road trips and daily use. You may have to purchase another car to use as a daily driver or for long-distance travel.
3 Lamborghinis Feature Parts From Audi
Decades, before Audi bought Lamborghini, the vehicle’s success, was brought about by five ex-Ferrari engineers fired by Enzo Ferrari. Technically, therefore, Ferrucio Lamborghini used Ferrari's expertise to beat Ferrari. Unfortunately, Ferrucio’s success was short-lived: the oil crisis forced him to sell his car company.
After several ownership changes, Audi bought Lamborghini in 1998 and the Italian automaker was now part of the Volkswagen Group. Audi benefited by gaining access to Lambo’s knowledge about mid-engined all-wheel drive cars; The Italian manufacturer gained stability. It made sense economically for cars within the same group to share parts. The partnership, however, sparked controversy. Lamborghini purists derided the fact that Lambos featured parts from Audi.
However, part of a Lamborghini’s allure is exclusivity - people who spend hundreds of thousands on Lambos want to buy a unique car. Therefore, Lambo decreed that no more than 20 percent of parts in a Lambo would come from Audi. It’s unclear if the companies adhere to the above decree.
2 Most Lambos May Need A Hydraulic Nose-Lift
One of the things to know about owning a supercar is that they ride very close to the ground and most Lamborghinis are no different. It complicates tasks like hopping bumps, entering a parking lot, or turning into a road with a different surface as you risk scrapping the vehicle’s low body. Fixing a scrape on a regular car isn’t expensive; fixing an imperfection on a Lambo can cost thousands of dollars.
The solution is purchasing an optional hydraulic nose lift, which raises and lowers the nose by a few inches. Such a system on a Huracan costs an eye-watering $4,100. It’s not cheap, but it could save you money in the long run. Lambos require careful and proactive driving - you must know when to activate the lift. Also, the car still runs low, even with a few extra inches added.
1 Your Lambo Might Embarrass You
Lamborghinis are a source of pride for their owners. However, they might embarrass an occupant who’s underestimated how difficult it is to climb into and slide out of a supercar. Most raging bull supercars ride low and have low roofs, which complicates egress and ingress. You might stumble and fall while getting into your Lambo, earning instant and unwelcome viral fame.
Furthermore, everybody expects you to have a spotless Lamborghini. Dirty, paint-chipped, or poorly maintained Lambos are frowned upon; it’s your duty to the automotive world to maintain your Lambo. To avoid gaining a reputation as a negligent Lambo owner, it’s advisable to invest in paint protection options like ceramic coating.