Is that a moot question for most of us? Probably yes. Is there a petrolhead who has never relished the thought of owning one of the exotics we drool over on screen and paper? We know the answer to that, too.

The main obstacle is, obviously, the six-figure price that starts with a “2”, at the very least. What if that sticker price was less than half? Yep, you’d have to second-hand, but even though it’s still lots of money – and way out of our league – the customer base broadens up considerably.

Case at hand: the Lamborghini Gallardo. With 14,022 units produced since 2003, it’s the best-selling Lambo ever so there’s no shortage of used ones out there at any given time. In fact, since it was available as a Coupe or Spyder, with a six-speed manual or semi-auto (E-Gear) transmission, two facelifts (in 2007 and 2012, numerous special editions (we stopped counting at 20) and all- or two-wheel drive, one is spoilt for choice.

By now, if you were a. considering something in that price range, or b. thinking about getting a second mortgage and selling a kidney while scanning the ads, you might want to consider running costs. Yes, you do know that a highly-strung piece of Italian exotica won’t be anything like a Camry, but if you can get an early, recently-serviced example, only drive it on special occasions, take good care of it, then maybe

Here’s a first-hand experience of what it cost to run the baby Lambo for 9 months and 7,500 miles. Let the figures sink in and you will want to keep the kidney and your house at all costs – pun most definitely intended.

Video