A glass-walled Lamborghini showroom attracts two kinds of people. Real buyers who know exactly what they’re doing, and the ones who hope thinly veiled confidence, designer clothes, and a wristful of shiny metal will carry them into the driver’s seat.

Ed Bolian has met all of them.

Okay, he’s not a Lamborghini salesman anymore. If you’re in the car world, you might have heard of him.

Bolian is the founder of VINWiki and a longtime fixture in the exotic car world. Before his storytelling app, before the Cannonball Run fame, he worked his way into high-end car sales during the chaos of the late-2000s recession.

At one point, he served as sales director for a Lamborghini dealership, selling six-figure cars. He recently walked through that experience on The Iced Coffee Hour, including how to spot people who look rich, but absolutely are not.

8 ‘Tells’ That a Lamborghini Buyer Is Actually Broke

For context, I’ll start things off with the entry point in 2025, the Urus SUV. Buyers shell out $279,000+ for it. The Revuelto V12 hybrid supercar, though, easily doubles that.

1. They rush the test drive

Bolian said fake Lamborghini buyers almost always want to get in the car immediately. No discussion, no questions, just keys, now.

Real buyers slow the process down. They want to talk about how they’ll use the car, where it fits in their life, and what comes next after this one. Someone in a hurry usually isn’t buying. They’re collecting a joyride.

2. The outfit is louder than the plan

Over-the-top designer clothes and flashy watches showed up a lot. Bolian explained that appearance is often used as a substitute for preparation.

Shoppers with actual money rarely feel the need to cosplay like they’re starring in a music video. They ask boring questions about financing terms, trade timing, and insurance. They might ask about Lamborghini maintenance. You know, the unglamorous stuff.

3. They can’t explain why a Lamborghini makes sense

Bolian said a quick way to sort people is to ask why they want a Lamborghini in the first place. 

Serious buyers can connect it to goals, usage, or ownership strategy. Weekend driving. Trading up later. Pretenders, though, talk in vibes. “It looks sick.” “It’s fast.” “It’ll turn heads.” Nothing of substance.

4. They dodge financial details

Real buyers, especially the ones stretching, are usually upfront. Bolian said those customers will admit credit challenges, explain their situation, and ask what’s possible.

Fake Lamborghini “buyers” avoid specifics. They don’t want to talk numbers, banks, or timelines. If pressed, the conversation gets vague fast.

5. They assume the salesperson makes money no matter what

Bolian explained that exotic car sales don’t work like real estate. Salespeople are paid on gross profit, not total sale price.

Margins are actually thin. Dealerships move massive cash but often operate on 1-3% net profit. Buyers who think every Lamborghini deal is padded with cash usually haven’t done the math. Or any math.

6. They believe a Lamborghini proves wealth

Bolian said this is one of the biggest misconceptions. In his experience, around 75% of exotic cars are financed. Often, heavily.

A new supercar doesn’t mean the owner is loaded. It usually means the owner “qualified.” Older, harder-to-finance cars tell a different story. So do “boring” daily drivers parked at very nice houses.

7. They want validation, not information

Bolian explained that real customers want expertise. They expect the salesperson to close the knowledge gap and walk them through the realities of a Lamborghini sale, even when it complicates the fantasy.

Fake buyers want affirmation. “Tell me I deserve it.” “Tell me I look right in it.” That they “belong here.” But that’s not how deals close.

8. They underestimate the cost after the purchase

Insurance, tires, brakes, maintenance, depreciation. Bolian said buyers who haven’t thought past the monthly payment usually haven’t thought far enough to truly land a Lamborghini.

Serious customers understand ownership economics because they plan to survive them.

Despite the laundry list of tells, Bolian’s takeaway wasn’t cynical

He actually preferred customers who were stretching. Those buyers asked better questions, traded more often, and understood the stakes. The hardest customers to close were the ones who could write a check without thinking. Money alone doesn’t create urgency.

In the end, the biggest tell isn’t what someone wears or drives. It’s whether they’re willing to have an adult conversation about a very expensive toy. The Lamborghini doesn’t care if you look rich. But the bottom-line numbers always tell the truth.