HautExotics Automobile Blog

For most people, buying a luxury car will be one of the biggest investments they’ll ever make. In fact, it might even be a larger investment than their home. That’s why it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting into when buying an expensive luxury car. Here are some tips to help you make the best decision about this important event in your life.

Decide What You Need
Before deciding which luxury car to purchase, you should figure out how you will use it. Are you going to use it for everyday things like transporting family? Or are you going to take it out on special occasions for car shows and other important events? Your answers to these and other questions are going to help you decide which one to buy. If you have a family of four, for example, you won’t want to purchase a luxury car with only two seats.

Research Information on Luxury Car Makers
With such an expensive purchase, there’s nothing wrong with doing your research before going to the dealership. Look up information about which luxury manufacturers have had a large number of recalls in recent years. You can also find out which ones have received awards for superior features and manufacturing for your own peace of mind.

Read Customer Reviews
Finding out what other people are saying about the certain cars and brands is one of the best ways to make your decision. With customer reviews, you don’t have to worry about “advertising language” or other misleading statements that only accentuate the positive.

When investing in one of the luxury cars of your dreams, don’t skimp on the homework. Take your time and do some research and your patience will undoubtedly pay off.

Sure, driving from California to New York and back in a Ferrari sounds like fun. That is, until you realize some things:

• That exotic car is going to get horrible gas mileage,
• The sheer number of miles you’re going to put on the car is going to lower its value significantly, and
• Driving a car like that makes you an instant target for every small-town sheriff who has nothing else to do.

What’s the solution, though? What do you do if you want to get to a rally that’s on the other side of the country?

Essentially, you’ve got two options. You can tow your car behind you on a trailer, or you can hire a company to transport your car for you. Personally, I prefer the latter option. Towing the car requires me to drive a truck across the country, which doesn’t sound like any fun.

Two different times I’ve had to have an exotic car shipped. The first time was when I moved 800 miles away. The second time was for a club meet that was on the other side of the country. Both times went extremely smooth, and I’d absolutely recommend either transport company to anyone who needs to move an exotic car.

One word of warning: it will probably take longer to ship your car than it will for you to drive, so make sure you allow plenty of lead time for the shipping company.

While most of the drivers in India are grumbling and complaining about skyrocketing gas prices, others hardly even noticethe increase.

The luxury car market is thriving right now despite gas prices. In fact, sales in India up until April of this year reached 4,000 units. That’s the same amount of cars the nation sold in all of last year! One prominent member of the board of management for BMW, Herbert Diess, said the market in India has been great in the last few years. “Developments over the last three years in India have been stunning for sales of luxury cars.” About the future of the luxury car market in India, he said “India will become a very important market for us” in the next five or ten years.

In addition to that, luxury automakers predict sales topping 7,000 units before the end of the year. That would be an increase of about 75 percent over last year’s figures.

The reason for the increase is due to a “generation that wants to spend all they’ve earned in the here and now,” according to a spokesperson for one luxury car maker. That’s reflected in the fact that the average age of owners of luxury cars has dropped from 45 to 35 in the last few years.

The way it looks, luxury vehicles are becoming more and more commonplace in India and in other places as people are using their cars as status symbols.

While I, unfortunately, won’t be able to get to the Ferrari Club of America’s Annual Meet in Toronto this year, there’s no reason you shouldn’t go if you can. It’s the biggest Ferrari event of the year, and you’ll have three days to hang out with more than 600 other Ferrari enthusiasts. Add to that the sheer view of over 300 Ferrari cars all in one place and it’s an exotic car owner’s dream.

Here are some tips to get you to you and your car to Toronto to join the festivities:

1. Consider shipping your car. Shipping your car saves tons of driving time, not to mention the miles on your Ferrari. Check with your usual carrier to see if they can get cars to Toronto or not. If not, Consider TFX International. They’re the official carrier for the FCA.
2. Be aware that you need to have an updated passport to get back into the United States. Don’t leave yours at home.
3. If you’re driving to Toronto or towing your Ferrari on a trailer, make sure you’ve got your title and insurance paperwork. If your Ferrari is older than 1982, you’ll need your US DOT Compliance Letter. If you’re not traveling with the car, make sure your carrier has a letter giving permission to transport it.

Hopefully, you won’t hit any snags on your way to or from the Meet if you do these three things.

Chances aren’t very good that you’re going to have to drive your Lamborghini in the snow in Dallas anytime soon. However, if you have a Lamborghini in a colder climate or intend to take yours on a trip northward, you might want to take the time to learn to drive your Lamborghini on the snow and ice.

There’s even a training course specifically for that purpose. The Lamborghini Winter Driving Academy is offered in March. The Academy takes place at the Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa, located in Whitefield, New Hampshire. This event gives you the opportunity to drive your Lamborghini in a variety of winter scenarios, from slick surfaces to snow-covered tracks.

The training course features a classroom instructional session during which an instructor with significant experience and time behind the wheel of a Lamborghini provides access to the tricks of the trade that allow you to maintain control of your vehicle during inclement weather conditions.

Participants in the Lamborghini Winter Driving Academy have access to a number of different courses of differing difficulty levels and condition types. Each of the courses includes theory and safety training before participants drive the cars on the track.

The Australian government has recently imposed a tax for owners of luxury cars. As you would expect, some citizens are fairly upset about it, too.

The House of Representatives in Australia passed a bill that would increase the existing tax of 25 percent to 33 percent on luxury cars that cost more than $57,200. The Senate referred the bill to another committee for consideration. It was going to go into effect in July, but passing it to the other committee delays its effectiveness until August at the earliest. However, if passed, the bill could be retrospective to July 1.

Dealers aren’t happy with the new bill either. According to a spokesperson for area dealers, the situation simply puts them in “the middle of a huge red tape bungle.” While the bill is in limbo, the dealers can either charge the car buyers the extra eight percent for the luxury tax and hold onto it in case it becomes law or they can hope to collect the money after the sale if the bill goes into effect.

The Senate can either pass the bill or amend it. Right now, it’s uncertain what’s going to happen with it.

Next week is the Ferrari Club of America’s Annual Meet and I, for one, really wish I could be there. I had the opportunity to attend an FCA annual meet a couple of years back, and it was a complete blast. There’s nothing quite like hanging out with 700 other Ferrari enthusiasts for a long weekend. That is, except maybe for seeing 300 Ferrari cars all at one time in one place.

At the 2008 Annual meet, Enthusiasts get to participate in a road rally, seminars, racetrack activities, a charity auction and a variety of receptions and banquets.

The FCA has a neat story, actually. It was founded originally in 1962 by just eleven enthusiasts. The goal of the club is to help promote restoring, preserving and, of course, driving of Ferrari automobiles in North America. The FCA is the biggest of all the Ferrari clubs in the world, and it’s also the only one in North America that Ferrari recognizes.

This year’s Meet is being held in Toronto, Ontario from July 9 to July 13. If you’re into Ferrari or other exotic cars, it’s worth it to try to get to at least one of these Annual Meets. You won’t ever regret it.

Luxury cars are quickly becoming a status symbol for young professionals. While a large number of people who are buying luxury cars are typically in their 40s and 50s, more younger people are buying the car of their dreams when they’re just starting out in their careers.

Ed Kim, the director of industry analysis for AutoPacific, said member of “Generation Y” are buying the luxury cars that they think they deserve. According to Kim, they don’t feel the need to “earn” their luxury. “They want it now,” he said, “and they feel they deserve it now.”

As a result of this new trend, automakers are jumping into the game by producing sportier and more luxurious versions of their current models.

Sales representatives also need to stay on top of the game with this new trend. According to one marketing official, young buyers know what they want and they know about their cars. In some cases, they may even know “significantly more about the car than the salesperson.” In order to appeal to this new and educated generation, sales representatives need to take a different approach rather than simply repeating the specifications of the cars.

You might be wondering where these “kids” get the money to buy such expensive cars. Many of them take decent-paying jobs and move back home with their parents for a few years. With no rent and few bills, they can save up enough money to make the payments on these coveted cars.

I think I might give my parents a call this week and see if they want to take in another boarder.

I’m thrilled, and I’ll tell you why. For a while now, I’ve been debating on whether or not to splurge on a new Lamborghini. The fact is, though, that a new Lambo is just a little bit beyond my price range at the moment. I figured I’d have to save up for another year or so, and see what the 2010 models might have in store for me.

I know I could consider buying used. In fact, I could probably find a nice used Murcielao or Gallardo today that I could fit into my budget. The problem with buying used is the same problem I have buying ANY used car: I just don’t know what kind of shape it’s in. I mean, I can examine the thing, and I always have my mechanic take a look, too. But it’s not like we’ve got hours of access to look at the thing. On top of that, I’m probably going to have to drive a couple hundred miles just to take a look in the first place.

Here’s why I’m so excited: starting this month, Lamborghini is opening a certified pre-owned vehicle option. This is an extremely rare move for a manufacturer of exotic cars. 31 select dealers are going to begin selling used Lamborghinis. These cars will have to meet stringent requirements: they need to have less than 22,000 miles, have all of their maintenance documented, and pass a 150-point dealer inspection. Even non-OEM equipment is off the list because it doesn’t meet standards.

This is just the kind of thing I needed. Now, if I can just find the color I want, I’ll be thorougly pleased.

If you are an exotic car enthusiast, you likely pay close attention to technological changes and developments in the vehicles that you love. You may be tech-savvy enough to understand what is going on underneath the hood of your vehicle. This is a good thing, as not only will understanding your car help you to become a better driver, particularly in a finely tuned exotic car, but it will also help you to avoid being scammed by the ill-intentioned.

However, not everyone is quite so aware of what is going on under the hood. The following urban legend is pervasive and long-lasting, having circulated for at least sixty years. It seems to have become popular again recently, as hybrids, fuel cell vehicles and other high-tech engines have captured the attention of the mainstream.

The Miracle Carburetor
There are a few different versions of this story, all of which are false, according to Snopes. One of the most common goes something like this. A couple from middle America decides to purchase their dream vehicle, a high-powered exotic car, for an upcoming cross-country road trip. As the miles pass, they are surprised to realize that their gas gauge barely moves. By the time they reach their destination, thousands of miles away, they have bought gas only twice. The same happens on their return trip as well. Naturally, they are excited about this unprecedented gas mileage. The wife writes a letter to the company to express her thanks. A few days later, they are awakened in the early morning by strange noises in the driveway. The husband goes to investigate and finds two men in business suits tinkering under the hood of the car. They take off in a nearby car, and the husband finds nothing wrong. From that point on, however, the car gets normal gas mileage. It turns out that the car was a research model fitted with a special device to allow it to get outstanding fuel mileage. It was never meant to be sold to the public, and the strange men were researchers who retrieved their device.

The legend seems to be based in our overall suspicion of collusion between car manufacturers and oil companies. We believe that there must be a better alternative, but we are not permitted to access it. As fuel prices soar and new alternative technologies are released, it becomes easy to believe the story. Nonetheless, it never happened.