Bought a 720s! My 1st "supercar" Wish me luck!!
Discussion
To the OP; what a great read your ownership experience thread has been so far. I look forward to future updates.
You have a stunning looking 720s which I hope you will continue to enjoy in good health.
Palmball; I hadn't realised you are now in the McLaren camp. Interesting and disturbing to learn that it's taken you three cars to find a really good 720s.
You have a stunning looking 720s which I hope you will continue to enjoy in good health.
Palmball; I hadn't realised you are now in the McLaren camp. Interesting and disturbing to learn that it's taken you three cars to find a really good 720s.
I'll start my next post with this, just to clear things up 
(That little dog toy was something the kids bought me, my car obsession is a source of ridicule with my 'gang' at home )
And following my trip back through the peaks.......
I'm starting to recognise the need to find a balance
Saturday I decided I would start the day off by giving the car back some love, definitely deserved after giving me 2 weeks of absolute pure enjoyment, excitement..... it is still hard to find the words, even now sitting here typing this in my house I'm still getting that feeling just picturing it in the garage. One emotion that is right at the forefront, I feel so lucky. Anyway, one thing I had noticed with the car with the complex "billionaire" doors, there are a lot of rubber seals. So I treated them to a wipe down treatment with this:
The idea here is it keeps them supple and less likely to crack, helps them seal, less wind noise, turns them a nice black, also helps to stop them bonding with each other when they get damp, it freezes and then when you open the doors it damages the seals. It is also a really satisfying job.
Disappearing into the garage for a few hours armed with lube didn't help my case with the missus though.
With winter closing fast, it feels like the days this year where I'll get to really enjoy driving this car are going to dwindle. Sunday the weather was looking really good in the Midlands, fresh but dry and sunny. We don't normally meet every week, but some of the Lotus guys agreed, this could be one of the last chances to get out on an early Sunday morning and it be dry, so headed out again. It was fresh, but that meant even less holiday makers, cyclists etc on the road and we had one of the best runs of the season.
Looks like I'm being escorted in this one!
Nobody puts baby in the corner Did feel like if you're not yellow you're not coming in that day.
The car performed faultlessly and once again left me in no way longing to have my Exige out, again testament to how much fun these cars are to drive. And rubbishes the notion you have to be going warp speed to get that exhilarated feeling, I was in a line of Lotus, not going the 3 figures a 720s can easily do down some of these A roads, but I still really enjoyed the drive. So so happy with this car (although is starting to question whether I need to keep the Exige?!)
Later that day met some other friends at Santa Pod for finals of something or other. Some really impressive cars there. I didn't take mine on the 1/4 mile, it wasn't a public day. I think the 720 will get low 10's? Maybe just into the 9's with decent tyres and a prepped / sticky track? Anyone on here taken theirs on? Or any Mclaren?
At the end of the finals we walked back to the car park / field, we could see the 720 in the distance and groups of people around it having their pictures taken with it, that was cool. Not sure I'll ever get bored of the positive attention this car gets.
And a positive end to the post, looks like that gearbox reset / re-calibration has sorted whatever the issue was that caused the warning, no sign of it since and the car has been faultless since.
(That little dog toy was something the kids bought me, my car obsession is a source of ridicule with my 'gang' at home
) And following my trip back through the peaks.......
I'm starting to recognise the need to find a balance
Saturday I decided I would start the day off by giving the car back some love, definitely deserved after giving me 2 weeks of absolute pure enjoyment, excitement..... it is still hard to find the words, even now sitting here typing this in my house I'm still getting that feeling just picturing it in the garage. One emotion that is right at the forefront, I feel so lucky. Anyway, one thing I had noticed with the car with the complex "billionaire" doors, there are a lot of rubber seals. So I treated them to a wipe down treatment with this:
The idea here is it keeps them supple and less likely to crack, helps them seal, less wind noise, turns them a nice black, also helps to stop them bonding with each other when they get damp, it freezes and then when you open the doors it damages the seals. It is also a really satisfying job.
Disappearing into the garage for a few hours armed with lube didn't help my case with the missus though.
With winter closing fast, it feels like the days this year where I'll get to really enjoy driving this car are going to dwindle. Sunday the weather was looking really good in the Midlands, fresh but dry and sunny. We don't normally meet every week, but some of the Lotus guys agreed, this could be one of the last chances to get out on an early Sunday morning and it be dry, so headed out again. It was fresh, but that meant even less holiday makers, cyclists etc on the road and we had one of the best runs of the season.
Looks like I'm being escorted in this one!
Nobody puts baby in the corner
Did feel like if you're not yellow you're not coming in that day.The car performed faultlessly and once again left me in no way longing to have my Exige out, again testament to how much fun these cars are to drive. And rubbishes the notion you have to be going warp speed to get that exhilarated feeling, I was in a line of Lotus, not going the 3 figures a 720s can easily do down some of these A roads, but I still really enjoyed the drive. So so happy with this car (although is starting to question whether I need to keep the Exige?!)
Later that day met some other friends at Santa Pod for finals of something or other. Some really impressive cars there. I didn't take mine on the 1/4 mile, it wasn't a public day. I think the 720 will get low 10's? Maybe just into the 9's with decent tyres and a prepped / sticky track? Anyone on here taken theirs on? Or any Mclaren?
At the end of the finals we walked back to the car park / field, we could see the 720 in the distance and groups of people around it having their pictures taken with it, that was cool. Not sure I'll ever get bored of the positive attention this car gets.
And a positive end to the post, looks like that gearbox reset / re-calibration has sorted whatever the issue was that caused the warning, no sign of it since and the car has been faultless since.
Edited by AstonExige on Saturday 3rd October 11:39
Ballistic said:
To the OP; what a great read your ownership experience thread has been so far. I look forward to future updates.
You have a stunning looking 720s which I hope you will continue to enjoy in good health.
Palmball; I hadn't realised you are now in the McLaren camp. Interesting and disturbing to learn that it's taken you three cars to find a really good 720s.
Yes, finally ditched the German stuff and 18 months now in these fine supercars. I wouldn't say it's taken me three McLarens to get a good 720S though You have a stunning looking 720s which I hope you will continue to enjoy in good health.
Palmball; I hadn't realised you are now in the McLaren camp. Interesting and disturbing to learn that it's taken you three cars to find a really good 720s.
Three of my four examples have been pretty much spot on; two 570's were fairly problem free and my current 720S seems to have got off to a good start. Strong run only blighted by a fairly problematic 720S last year, but that was a very early car and certainly didn't put me off the brand or car itself.twinturban said:
It does seem like every single car has issues and that I would have to expect some going in for my £150+k. Have to admit to being very disappointed with that reality. Especially with McLaren.
That really is so far from the truth. But if you're uncomfortable with McLaren, there are plenty of other great cars out there to pick from Great, but not best though
All IMO of course
Apologies to the OP if my recent post caused a 'left turn' on the thread; it was not my intention.
I am really enjoying hearing about your ownership experience and it's clear you love your new purchase - just as it should be. We are all enthusiasts and your enthusiasm for the car is infectious.
My only concern is that not being UK based, I may not be able to practically access the assistance I may need with the car if I purchased one.
Having said that, the advice around buying a car with a few miles on it perhaps, one that's been used and the 'new car' niggles sorted, is certainly an approach I would seek to take.
I am sure McLaren have redoubled their efforts to support owners following the criticism they came in for on social media (JayEmm et al) and I am sure they know that perceptions are changing for the better - these cars are under valued. But, it does still seem as though the cars do frequently have issues that require dealer intervention and in my case this may preclude my ownership; it won't for others.
OP enjoy your wonderful car in good health! And keep sharing the experience with us.
I am really enjoying hearing about your ownership experience and it's clear you love your new purchase - just as it should be. We are all enthusiasts and your enthusiasm for the car is infectious.
My only concern is that not being UK based, I may not be able to practically access the assistance I may need with the car if I purchased one.
Having said that, the advice around buying a car with a few miles on it perhaps, one that's been used and the 'new car' niggles sorted, is certainly an approach I would seek to take.
I am sure McLaren have redoubled their efforts to support owners following the criticism they came in for on social media (JayEmm et al) and I am sure they know that perceptions are changing for the better - these cars are under valued. But, it does still seem as though the cars do frequently have issues that require dealer intervention and in my case this may preclude my ownership; it won't for others.
OP enjoy your wonderful car in good health! And keep sharing the experience with us.
TheDeadPrussian said:
But, it does still seem as though the cars do frequently have issues that require dealer intervention
I don't think that's quite true, based on my own year of ownership and a year of seeing comments from other McLaren owners here / on MOC.Some owners seem to have completely problem free cars. Some owners seem to have cars that have fairly frequent niggles - mine certainly fell into that camp when I bought it. However, even then - although it was damn annoying, none of my issues really required a dealer visit - and I think that's often the case with these cars. Some of them have their fair share of glitches, but it's rarely anything serious and it does seem to be the case that many are fairly random and might happen a couple of times and never again (I've had quite a few that happened a few times over a week or two then never came back).
Kent Border Kenny said:
Very nice. Have you any figure in mind of the expected cost to own over the next few years?
I try not to add it all up! But that's how I knew I had found the right car, because I didn't care, I knew the individual aspects (insurance, servicing, warranty, depreciation) and knew I could afford it, that's the main thing. Although now you've asked:Servicing averages £1500 per year at a McDealer, but if you're happy going to Thorney (arguable have a better service as they only employ really experienced techs) you could see that reduced quite a lot. Just comes down to whether you believe the future value could be affected by a non dealer stamp. Although anyone doing their research will quickly come across Thorney and know you haven't just had your car serviced at your local garage.
Insurance for me is £800-900 per year (needs tracker at circa £200 per year subscription)
Warranty? It's a must imo. Once the 3yr manufacturers runs out it is £4k or £5k to extend (I've heard different rates on this) Again Thorney provide a warranty that is £3k per year. They'll also warranty any of their modifications so if that's your bag, that may appeal (coming from your R8 / Merc, you'll find the noise in the Mclaren a little wanting so you may want to upgrade the exhaust, where warranty validity may play on your mind)
Tyres aren't silly prices, fuel economy seems ok on a run (25mpg easily possible) But you'll easily see low teens on A/B roads when pushing it!
Depreciation? It's a tricky one to predict. A 720s is leagues above anything in this price point and so is arguably artificially low, cause by Mclaren reputation and lack of independent specialist support driving up ownerships costs? Both of those are getting sorted with 3 new specialists coming online this year along (before that it was just Thorney) And aside from the odd bad one, most of the newer cars seems to be a lot better on the quality front. Mclaren are a relatively new company, as with all new products, there are teething problems early on, I do believe Mclaren have now worked through most of them. The later (68 plate onwards) 720s's seem to have very little issues. The older ones seem to have had their resolved now. That's why I made the jump.
I was also considering a 650s Spider, lovely car and almost bought one. Serious value for money and further down the depreciation curve. And if I hadn't of used some man maths to increase my budget I'm sure I would've had one.
AstonExige said:
Warranty? It's a must imo. Once the 3yr manufacturers runs out it is £4k or £5k to extend (I've heard different rates on this)
It's just under £4k if the car is less than 5 years old when you renew, and just under £5k if it's 5-10 years old when you renew.Most people renew for 2 years just before the car hits 5 years old, and hence get the second year at the reduced rate.
Expensive, but the plus side is that you're very unlikely to have any additional repair costs.
Didn't mention in my last post, had a squeaky bum moment on my way back through the Peaks. As you will notice from my pictures I seem to have an issue with my front plate falling off, I'm just very unlucky on that front. It's happened quite a lot over the years and not just on the Mclaren. I have been very lucky in that I have not yet been fined, over the years been pulled over about 3 times for it, but always had really friendly police officers who accepted my explanation and let me on my way. Well last time it "fell off" I was making my way back through the Peaks 
come around a corner right on to the rear bumper of a BMW X5 traffic car 
The view in this police officers rearview mirror would've looked very much like this........
So I'm screwed right? I'm going through in my head what I'm going to say, although it feels futile, it's a sure thing I'm getting pulled over and fined this time. Not displaying a front plate (even though it had fell off, that's not an excuse) on a car like that is going to come with extra motive to be pulled over, either "this guy thinks he's above the law in his flash car, he can afford the fine" or "nice car, would love a chance to look around that" My past experiences tend to be the later and Traffic police are often petrolheads too, hence opting for that line of work (it's what I wanted to do when I went through a period of wanting to join the police) Regardless though, I'm getting a £100 fine......expensive trip this, should've let McMachenster bring the car back to me
So 5-6 miles of following him, waiting for those blues to come on at any minute, my turning comes up. I'd accepted the inevitable at this point so didn't even try the wait until the last minute to turn so they miss it tactic. So I indicated early, waited for that left indicator to appear on the rear of their car to follow suit.......... but nothing, they just carried on???!!!
I spent the next few miles in disbelief, I was bang to rights, it was blatant. I don't get it. Not that I'm complaining. But it did make me think I need to sort something on this car, for when it no doubt falls off again. The car does look so much better without a plate. When that happened in the F-Type I just had it in the window, same on the R8 and the Exige. But in the 720 it spoils that open expanse you can see out the front, one of the things I love about the 720. So I have come up with an ingenious (if I do say so myself) way of being able to easily display a plate out the front of the car, in case my falls off again
So the plate is tethered to the passenger side sun visor, you can flip it up and down as you please. Now I know it is still isn't quite conforming, but it does the job, it shows willing and I think in some cases whereas you would've been pulled over for no front plate at all, some police officers will pass on pulling you over if you have a plate displayed in the windscreen, it shows you're not trying to avoid getting identified. Maybe wishful thinking but it must reduce the risk of getting pulled.
come around a corner right on to the rear bumper of a BMW X5 traffic car The view in this police officers rearview mirror would've looked very much like this........
So I'm screwed right? I'm going through in my head what I'm going to say, although it feels futile, it's a sure thing I'm getting pulled over and fined this time. Not displaying a front plate (even though it had fell off, that's not an excuse) on a car like that is going to come with extra motive to be pulled over, either "this guy thinks he's above the law in his flash car, he can afford the fine" or "nice car, would love a chance to look around that" My past experiences tend to be the later and Traffic police are often petrolheads too, hence opting for that line of work (it's what I wanted to do when I went through a period of wanting to join the police) Regardless though, I'm getting a £100 fine......expensive trip this, should've let McMachenster bring the car back to me
So 5-6 miles of following him, waiting for those blues to come on at any minute, my turning comes up. I'd accepted the inevitable at this point so didn't even try the wait until the last minute to turn so they miss it tactic. So I indicated early, waited for that left indicator to appear on the rear of their car to follow suit.......... but nothing, they just carried on???!!!
I spent the next few miles in disbelief, I was bang to rights, it was blatant. I don't get it. Not that I'm complaining. But it did make me think I need to sort something on this car, for when it no doubt falls off again. The car does look so much better without a plate. When that happened in the F-Type I just had it in the window, same on the R8 and the Exige. But in the 720 it spoils that open expanse you can see out the front, one of the things I love about the 720. So I have come up with an ingenious (if I do say so myself) way of being able to easily display a plate out the front of the car, in case my falls off again
So the plate is tethered to the passenger side sun visor, you can flip it up and down as you please. Now I know it is still isn't quite conforming, but it does the job, it shows willing and I think in some cases whereas you would've been pulled over for no front plate at all, some police officers will pass on pulling you over if you have a plate displayed in the windscreen, it shows you're not trying to avoid getting identified. Maybe wishful thinking but it must reduce the risk of getting pulled.
Edited by AstonExige on Tuesday 6th October 17:01
I laughed out loud when I scrolled down to your sun visor photo!
It's ingenious, but personally I'd have thought that would make you more likely to be pulled, though, not less, as it could be construed as "taking the piss" when you fold that down on seeing a rozzer.
Really enjoying this thread, by the way.
It's ingenious, but personally I'd have thought that would make you more likely to be pulled, though, not less, as it could be construed as "taking the piss" when you fold that down on seeing a rozzer.
Really enjoying this thread, by the way.
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