Does anyone know this MP4 12C?
Discussion
cc8s said:
I can't really tell you anything of use but it was one of the first customer cars in the UK.
How do you know this?Did the build quality and reliability improve with the latter cars?
It was confirmed with McLaren, whilst I was with the dealer, that this car has had all of the updates done.
What colour is it ?
Has it been a customer car from day one or has it been a McLaren car in its early life ? [the dealer should be able to tell you]
Worth checking youtube for video of cars in the colour you are interested in. It did reveal some interesting past activities for one of the cars I was looking at !
Has it been a customer car from day one or has it been a McLaren car in its early life ? [the dealer should be able to tell you]
Worth checking youtube for video of cars in the colour you are interested in. It did reveal some interesting past activities for one of the cars I was looking at !
mb1 said:
What colour is it ?
Has it been a customer car from day one or has it been a McLaren car in its early life ? [the dealer should be able to tell you]
Worth checking youtube for video of cars in the colour you are interested in. It did reveal some interesting past activities for one of the cars I was looking at !
It's ice silver and has had two private owners from new.Has it been a customer car from day one or has it been a McLaren car in its early life ? [the dealer should be able to tell you]
Worth checking youtube for video of cars in the colour you are interested in. It did reveal some interesting past activities for one of the cars I was looking at !
Ballistic said:
It's ice silver and has had two private owners from new.
Cracking colour ! That was my preferred colour but went for a darker blue.You can ask the dealer to check if the car has been tracked as you have to let McLaren know about it if you want to keep the warranty effective and they perform a check before and after.
As it is an earlier car, you just want to make sure you get a 12-month extended McLaren warranty as part of the deal (all McLaren approved car will come with that as standard). You can then extended that every year.
Thanks for all of the replies so far.
It's good to know that ice silver is a good colour for the car. A lot of them seem to be orange, red or black and I'd hate to make the mistake of getting one in the wrong colour that might later harm resale.
I will check with McLaren as to whether the car that I'm looking at has done any track days.
The car is at a reputable independant who offers the Warrantywise warranty - don't know if they are any good or not.
What are the best options to have? Sorry to ask but I'm still learning about these sensational cars.
I will be looking to p/ex my SLS as part of the deal, so if you know of anyone who fancies a change and wants to do a swap, avoiding the huge dealer markups on these cars, please point them in my direction.
It's good to know that ice silver is a good colour for the car. A lot of them seem to be orange, red or black and I'd hate to make the mistake of getting one in the wrong colour that might later harm resale.
I will check with McLaren as to whether the car that I'm looking at has done any track days.
The car is at a reputable independant who offers the Warrantywise warranty - don't know if they are any good or not.
What are the best options to have? Sorry to ask but I'm still learning about these sensational cars.
I will be looking to p/ex my SLS as part of the deal, so if you know of anyone who fancies a change and wants to do a swap, avoiding the huge dealer markups on these cars, please point them in my direction.
giggsy said:
Have u driven the 12C yet?? They are pretty amazing cars!
Btw have u tried asking the same question in maclarenlife forum?
Hi Giggsy,Btw have u tried asking the same question in maclarenlife forum?
Yes I drove the car being discussed in this thread on Monday and was very impressed.
I will do as you suggest and join maclarenlife to learn more about the cars.
There seems to be quite a few nicely specked coupes on the market for around £120-130k right now.
What kind of margin do you think the dealers have on them or are a lot on SOR?
There doesn't appear to be much in price difference between the independents and official McL dealers in terms of prices atm, although u will get an official McL year warranty. When I look most were not on SOR.. Price mainly dictated by spec, with carbon interiors and upgraded wheels and sport exhaust sought after so will be advantageous if car will have these options. One key advantage I found buying from main McL dealers was the fact that to clinch deals they could retrofit or fit items such as sports exhausts, reverse cameras or iris2 either free of charge or at much reduced prices. Make sure your car has the upgraded IRIS as Gen1 versions are pretty poor..I think, although could be wrong, that prices for upgrading will be going up from £3k to £8k after new year... The boys at McLaren life will put you right with the info..
As for margins I am unsure but would have thought it will be anything from £5-£15k depending on their initial quoted price..
Good luck!!
As for margins I am unsure but would have thought it will be anything from £5-£15k depending on their initial quoted price..
Good luck!!
I agree with giggsy.
McLaren dealers have the advantage of offering MCL warranties and also retrofit options.
Independants offer 3rd party insurance, but they should be able to pay the right amount of money to get the MCL warranty.
They do not have the flexibility of retrofitting options.
But the number of cars available is limited and most of the independant will chose to seat on the asset and wait for the right buyer to come around. Which is the reason why most of them charge the same (if not more!) then MCL approved dealers...
In terms of options, I would recommend the sports exhaust. Carbon fiber interior is a must. Cars without it are very difficult to shift.
If you are going to use the car on a daily basis then you need IRIS 2, but very few cars have it so need to be retorfitted. Giggsy is right, I am having mine fitted in a couple of weeks as the cost will indeed go up from 3k to 7k on 01-01-15.
McLaren dealers have the advantage of offering MCL warranties and also retrofit options.
Independants offer 3rd party insurance, but they should be able to pay the right amount of money to get the MCL warranty.
They do not have the flexibility of retrofitting options.
But the number of cars available is limited and most of the independant will chose to seat on the asset and wait for the right buyer to come around. Which is the reason why most of them charge the same (if not more!) then MCL approved dealers...
In terms of options, I would recommend the sports exhaust. Carbon fiber interior is a must. Cars without it are very difficult to shift.
If you are going to use the car on a daily basis then you need IRIS 2, but very few cars have it so need to be retorfitted. Giggsy is right, I am having mine fitted in a couple of weeks as the cost will indeed go up from 3k to 7k on 01-01-15.
I'm not sure increasing the IRIS II upgrade to £7k is going to help sales ?
Can only imagine the McLaren dealers will automatically fit it to all their stock cars in December otherwise it will become a major negotiation point with any potential customers who won't want to spend circa £130k on a sub standard product
Not sure they have thought that one through properly
Can only imagine the McLaren dealers will automatically fit it to all their stock cars in December otherwise it will become a major negotiation point with any potential customers who won't want to spend circa £130k on a sub standard product
Not sure they have thought that one through properly
Ballistic said:
How do you know this?
Did the build quality and reliability improve with the latter cars?
It was confirmed with McLaren, whilst I was with the dealer, that this car has had all of the updates done.
It was in the first big batch of cars registered in the UK. There were a handful of cars registered before. Early cars did suffer from well-documented faults and niggles but I would imagine that they had been dealt with by now! The colour is stunning.Did the build quality and reliability improve with the latter cars?
It was confirmed with McLaren, whilst I was with the dealer, that this car has had all of the updates done.
Build quality and reliability tends to improve over the life of the product range, the very late 2013 cars will likely be better built with better fit and finish than the average early car but by and large all early cars still around have been fully sorted from niggles long ago as far as I am aware. I would try to ensure that car (61 plate suggests it's one of the late 2011-early 2012 cars and thus coming up to the end of manufacturer warranty) has at least one year of the extended warranty put on.
Would hesitate to recommend the sports exhaust as it is only not really very much lighter than standard and it's make passing noise tests at various tracks here in the UK rather more tricky as the car is quite loud with it. The carbon options again do pretty much nothing for weight saving apart from the diffuser and front splitter and for the interior unless it's part of the chassis itself I've never cared for CF inserts personally but that's personal choice. For resale CF interior probably is important though.
The main upgrade I would suggest are the extra lightweight rims. It's almost certainly a placebo effect but I do genuinely feel the car handles better with them vs the standard ones despite only 10kg total unsprung weight difference.
Would hesitate to recommend the sports exhaust as it is only not really very much lighter than standard and it's make passing noise tests at various tracks here in the UK rather more tricky as the car is quite loud with it. The carbon options again do pretty much nothing for weight saving apart from the diffuser and front splitter and for the interior unless it's part of the chassis itself I've never cared for CF inserts personally but that's personal choice. For resale CF interior probably is important though.
The main upgrade I would suggest are the extra lightweight rims. It's almost certainly a placebo effect but I do genuinely feel the car handles better with them vs the standard ones despite only 10kg total unsprung weight difference.
Ballistic said:
Thanks mb1
How does the MP4 12C compare to some of your previous cars?
Hi Paul.How does the MP4 12C compare to some of your previous cars?
After only 2 months and 2k miles, I am still in the honeymoon period :-)
The Gallardo I found to be a georgeous car but just unbearable on a daily basis: things would go wrong all the time and the weight and chassis lacked driver feedback. The 12C has the same raw power but delivered in a much rewarding fashion. It is lighter and I find the car easy to read and feel. The aero brake is so rewarding and bring so much balance and composure under strong braking. I would have never even though be so close to the limit with the Gallardo or the V12V.
The V12V is a fabulous car. It is easier to use on a daily basis and the exhaust note is fantastic. The only car that beats the V12V in terms of noise is the new Vanquish but it is too much of a gran tourer for me. The 12C is easy to use on a daily basis but they are a couple of things that makes it less so than the V12V. It is lower and the car has curved strakes behind the front wheels, which if you are not really carefull, you can easily loose on the way down from speed bumps. The noise from small stones in the wheel arches is surprising noticeable. And also, well, as soon as people realise it is a McLaren... You have a lot more new friends !
Exhaust noise, I find inferior to the aston but it is also a very different note and character that suits the car very well. It is more like a angry monster rumbling then a cathedral orchestra like the V12.
The active suspensions are in a league of their own. Surprisingly at ease even in town or through potholes.
Finally, the Noble 3R was a very different car. Manual hard core. Not much in common. Although in track mode, they are some similarities in terms of how much the car is able to translate back to the driver.
I will not open the 458 vs 12C again... Never owned a 458. Tried both and prefered the 12C.
Good luck with your shopping :-) let us know what you go for.
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