Richard Jordan had the American Dream unfolding before him: cars, a nice house, and a fiance. Then she left him suddenly, and Jordan didn't know what to make of his life. So he used all of his life savings to buy a Lamborghini Gallardo and drive across America in search of himself. Jalopnik has his story:
Link via Glenn Reynolds | Photo (unrelated): Chrises Cars
It wasn't actually as easy as that. No one wanted to buy his new house so he was stuck with it. It took him months to sell the rest of his possessions. That, combined with the majority of his life savings, he used to afford a $90,000 down payment on a Lamborghini Gallardo — one of the most expensive vehicles on the market.[...]
After locating the right model and arranging the financing he picked up his black Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe from Lamborghini of Ohio. The date? July 4th, 2006.
Independence Day was an almost intentionally ironic choice, as he picked that day to separate from everything he'd created but now no longer wanted, including the house.
"I'd become a prisoner to my house, to everything, to my fantasy of an American Dream or anything I could remotely call home."
Link via Glenn Reynolds | Photo (unrelated): Chrises Cars
But I guess that would not be the American thing to do, because it doesnt involve self destructive debt.
Hah, well said.
Does he not realize that he still has at least 110k to pay? And of course there's still the insurance, which over the course of a lifetime with the car probably ends up costing as much as the car itself and then some.
What an idiot. sorry i generally sympathize with these "american dream" type of stories, but this is just dumb as hell. Hope he doesn't get into an accident. :)
I say why not just go for it. In the end he might have debt, but he won't have regrets from not living his dream, if only for a little while.
All of you who think that he traded things of value for a worthless intangible need to re-evaluate.
My first thought on reading the post intro was that he'd have to sell TWO houses to pay for a Lamborghini. He must have quite a good credit rating, and tons of insurance.
You're theory works nice on paper, but not in reality.
The way to do it? Keep the house, rent it out, buy a sweet motorhome, or just a big camping van-a Lamborghini aint built to be lived in-and then there's the worry-it'll get ripped off, inevitably. Dodge econoliner, with a shower and bath, renters in the house, some income coming in, go find yourself.
Cause if your gonna do the find yourself routine, even an objective materialist will tell you "ditch the baggage-all of it." well, maybe they wouldn't, but anyone with half a freakin' brain will.
What an experience HE must have had.
A Honda would have done the same thing and at least you could sleep in it. FINE, I get that we sometimes don't want things and you want to make a point to divest yourself of stuff (EVERYONE should listen to George Carlin's 'Stuff' Monologue) but he could have got rid of everything, bought T bills for investment, get it out of your system and then still have a life with money when it was done. Now he's basically starting over as an 18 year old with no $ and no prospects.
I'd have been happy with a used Honda for this trip but clearly, this guy found happiness in this car. To each, his or her own.
Someone said "he doesn't have any prospects." Who knows what prospects he has. You are all judging him based on your own circumstances. It's called projecting. This is his life, his story, and he has chosen to share it.
Some people are practical and take the less risky road. Others go with their emotions and live their lives in a more carefree manner. There is no right or wrong. Get off your judgmental high horses.
Simply a douche bag with a car he can't afford.
I'm thinking his fiancee made a wise decision.
Richard Jordan has taken Matt Hardigree on a ride with a ton of lies here. He never sold all of his possessions or spent his "life savings" to set out on the open road or to buy the Lamborghini (OR any of the other luxury cars and bikes he's been afforded over the years).
Where to start with this pile of madness? He sold his metal fabrication business?! WHAT business? What was the name of this alleged business and to whom did he sell it and when? For that matter, WHAT JOB? And he took to the highway, living hotel to hotel after his fiancee left him???! The timeline in this is whack. He bought her a Corvette AFTER he bought the Lamborghini (and also after he bought the Hummer H1 and the Audi A4 AND the Ford F-650 AND the Cadillac and whatever else that he purchased within that five year block), and they were together for a long while afterward. What about the time he was pulled over in Indiana? Or the embarrassing time(s) he TOLD people he was Moby? The versions portrayed above of those incidents are a convoluted headache of half-truths. Witnesses were there, remember, Richard? This article leads readers to believe Mr. Jordan is some kind of nomadic Mad-Max-meets-Two-Lane-Black-Top messiah when he's really just a delusional kid who hails from extreme privilege. I'm sure his good family is floored by this hacked up mess of words.
Hell, my elderly parents have put more out-of-state miles on their car than Richard has put on this Lambo. The most driving he's done has been at 18o mph from Starbucks to Starbucks across the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. This is SUCH an unbelievable crock. People can't possibly be reading this story, looking at the handful of pictures Richard took while on a few road trips along with the images of his new warehouse, and thinking all of this has no holes in it! Come on.
Richard, you owe Matt Hardigree a huge apology for wasting his time and for leading readers to believe you're some kind of reformed victim of love who left everything behind for some romantic, American dream. Did you think an article of this popular magnitude wouldn't be read by people who know you in real life?