Living with a McLaren 650s Spider as an (almost) daily
Discussion
This is definitely the most useful and realistic thread ever on McLaren ownership. Thanks. Wish you would revisit from time to time and update.
I'm 6 months into my 650s ownership now and the thread really resonates. I have experienced a few error messages and oddities that seem like the end of the world when they crop up. None of them werent cleared by a restart (yet). None of them detract from the visceral epic experience. Maybe other cars can match, but probably very few provide the same true supercar value at this now secondhand, 5 year old price point. Buying new is a different discussion. I'd get a 675LT over an Artura every time.
Well written. Come back soon.
I'm 6 months into my 650s ownership now and the thread really resonates. I have experienced a few error messages and oddities that seem like the end of the world when they crop up. None of them werent cleared by a restart (yet). None of them detract from the visceral epic experience. Maybe other cars can match, but probably very few provide the same true supercar value at this now secondhand, 5 year old price point. Buying new is a different discussion. I'd get a 675LT over an Artura every time.
Well written. Come back soon.
I haven't changed my mind about letting this thread die - however, today / tomorrow are significant days in my ownership so I thought I would give an update. It might be useful for anybody considering their first McLaren.
First - to conclude the problem in my previous post - the window dropping problem (which led to flat battery) was solved by replacing the outer door switch - covered under warranty.
Since then, I also needed a rear indicator - which wasn't covered by the warranty because it failed due to water ingress, and it seems the extended warranty is getting a lot stricter - and water ingress is excluded. The cost was low though, at £250 for the part.
This summer, I have finally got used to the steering on the car - and although I am still not a big fan (I much prefer cars that need less movement of the steering wheel) it has made me enjoy the car more. Enough so, that I am finally sure that I don't plan to sell it in the near future.
For some reason, the fuel consumption has changed quite significantly in the last couple of months. For most of my ownership, the car has averaged mid to low teens, and even driving very very sensibly and slowly on motorways I was lucky to see low 20s. I pretty much always needed petrol after 180 miles or so - although I don't let the tank get very low, so surely could have got over 200.
Now, the car hits high 20s on a motorway, and seems to average around 20 with mixed driving. Tank range has gone well over 200 miles - more like 250. Quite why this has happened on a car that's just rolled over 19k miles I have no idea, but a longer tank range is a good thing.
I really am loving the car these days and it seems to just be getting better. Last week, I had to drop somebody at the airport - since it was an hour on the motorway I decided to be "sensible" and take one of my other cars. After 20 mins, I regretted it - the McLaren is massively more comfortable, and cruise + auto makes it really easy on a motorway. I have to collect them from the airport later, and I'll be using the 650 this time.
So - back to why the date is significant :
Tomorrow, I will have owned the car exactly two years. And the significance of that is - the two year warranty I got when I purchased the car expires today. And I will not be renewing it.
Although the car does throw spurious warnings from time to time, 99% of them are one off's which can be ignored. There have been genuine faults which the warranty has covered - but nothing particularly significant and nothing more than I'd expect, or have experienced with other cars. I've never had - or wanted - a warranty with other cars, and - after two years of ownership - I don't feel I need one for this either.
Obviously the internet - and especially PH - would have you believe that this is completely insane, and nobody runs a McLaren without the extended warranty. The reality is, there are plenty of owners in the owners club who do - and I will be joining them.
This also brings a few other advantages - I don't have to worry about staying below 12k miles a year now, there is an increasing number of Indy's appearing (V Engineering in Thatcham looks very promising, although currently I'm happy with B&C in Guildford) - and if it wasn't for the hassle of sorting out insurance, I'd be tempted to get it mapped.
So there you have it - after two years of ownership, I'm very happy with the car and it's proved to me that it's mechanically sound - enough so that I'll keep the warranty cost in the bank.
First - to conclude the problem in my previous post - the window dropping problem (which led to flat battery) was solved by replacing the outer door switch - covered under warranty.
Since then, I also needed a rear indicator - which wasn't covered by the warranty because it failed due to water ingress, and it seems the extended warranty is getting a lot stricter - and water ingress is excluded. The cost was low though, at £250 for the part.
This summer, I have finally got used to the steering on the car - and although I am still not a big fan (I much prefer cars that need less movement of the steering wheel) it has made me enjoy the car more. Enough so, that I am finally sure that I don't plan to sell it in the near future.
For some reason, the fuel consumption has changed quite significantly in the last couple of months. For most of my ownership, the car has averaged mid to low teens, and even driving very very sensibly and slowly on motorways I was lucky to see low 20s. I pretty much always needed petrol after 180 miles or so - although I don't let the tank get very low, so surely could have got over 200.
Now, the car hits high 20s on a motorway, and seems to average around 20 with mixed driving. Tank range has gone well over 200 miles - more like 250. Quite why this has happened on a car that's just rolled over 19k miles I have no idea, but a longer tank range is a good thing.
I really am loving the car these days and it seems to just be getting better. Last week, I had to drop somebody at the airport - since it was an hour on the motorway I decided to be "sensible" and take one of my other cars. After 20 mins, I regretted it - the McLaren is massively more comfortable, and cruise + auto makes it really easy on a motorway. I have to collect them from the airport later, and I'll be using the 650 this time.
So - back to why the date is significant :
Tomorrow, I will have owned the car exactly two years. And the significance of that is - the two year warranty I got when I purchased the car expires today. And I will not be renewing it.
Although the car does throw spurious warnings from time to time, 99% of them are one off's which can be ignored. There have been genuine faults which the warranty has covered - but nothing particularly significant and nothing more than I'd expect, or have experienced with other cars. I've never had - or wanted - a warranty with other cars, and - after two years of ownership - I don't feel I need one for this either.
Obviously the internet - and especially PH - would have you believe that this is completely insane, and nobody runs a McLaren without the extended warranty. The reality is, there are plenty of owners in the owners club who do - and I will be joining them.
This also brings a few other advantages - I don't have to worry about staying below 12k miles a year now, there is an increasing number of Indy's appearing (V Engineering in Thatcham looks very promising, although currently I'm happy with B&C in Guildford) - and if it wasn't for the hassle of sorting out insurance, I'd be tempted to get it mapped.
So there you have it - after two years of ownership, I'm very happy with the car and it's proved to me that it's mechanically sound - enough so that I'll keep the warranty cost in the bank.
davek_964 said:
I haven't changed my mind about letting this thread die - however, today / tomorrow are significant days in my ownership so I thought I would give an update. It might be useful for anybody considering their first McLaren.
First - to conclude the problem in my previous post - the window dropping problem (which led to flat battery) was solved by replacing the outer door switch - covered under warranty.
Since then, I also needed a rear indicator - which wasn't covered by the warranty because it failed due to water ingress, and it seems the extended warranty is getting a lot stricter - and water ingress is excluded. The cost was low though, at £250 for the part.
This summer, I have finally got used to the steering on the car - and although I am still not a big fan (I much prefer cars that need less movement of the steering wheel) it has made me enjoy the car more. Enough so, that I am finally sure that I don't plan to sell it in the near future.
For some reason, the fuel consumption has changed quite significantly in the last couple of months. For most of my ownership, the car has averaged mid to low teens, and even driving very very sensibly and slowly on motorways I was lucky to see low 20s. I pretty much always needed petrol after 180 miles or so - although I don't let the tank get very low, so surely could have got over 200.
Now, the car hits high 20s on a motorway, and seems to average around 20 with mixed driving. Tank range has gone well over 200 miles - more like 250. Quite why this has happened on a car that's just rolled over 19k miles I have no idea, but a longer tank range is a good thing.
I really am loving the car these days and it seems to just be getting better. Last week, I had to drop somebody at the airport - since it was an hour on the motorway I decided to be "sensible" and take one of my other cars. After 20 mins, I regretted it - the McLaren is massively more comfortable, and cruise + auto makes it really easy on a motorway. I have to collect them from the airport later, and I'll be using the 650 this time.
So - back to why the date is significant :
Tomorrow, I will have owned the car exactly two years. And the significance of that is - the two year warranty I got when I purchased the car expires today. And I will not be renewing it.
Although the car does throw spurious warnings from time to time, 99% of them are one off's which can be ignored. There have been genuine faults which the warranty has covered - but nothing particularly significant and nothing more than I'd expect, or have experienced with other cars. I've never had - or wanted - a warranty with other cars, and - after two years of ownership - I don't feel I need one for this either.
Obviously the internet - and especially PH - would have you believe that this is completely insane, and nobody runs a McLaren without the extended warranty. The reality is, there are plenty of owners in the owners club who do - and I will be joining them.
This also brings a few other advantages - I don't have to worry about staying below 12k miles a year now, there is an increasing number of Indy's appearing (V Engineering in Thatcham looks very promising, although currently I'm happy with B&C in Guildford) - and if it wasn't for the hassle of sorting out insurance, I'd be tempted to get it mapped.
So there you have it - after two years of ownership, I'm very happy with the car and it's proved to me that it's mechanically sound - enough so that I'll keep the warranty cost in the bank.
I am not a McLaren owner but could have been. It was the horror stories that put me off but made me very disappointed because I wanted McLaren to succeed and now I think they're really getting it done.First - to conclude the problem in my previous post - the window dropping problem (which led to flat battery) was solved by replacing the outer door switch - covered under warranty.
Since then, I also needed a rear indicator - which wasn't covered by the warranty because it failed due to water ingress, and it seems the extended warranty is getting a lot stricter - and water ingress is excluded. The cost was low though, at £250 for the part.
This summer, I have finally got used to the steering on the car - and although I am still not a big fan (I much prefer cars that need less movement of the steering wheel) it has made me enjoy the car more. Enough so, that I am finally sure that I don't plan to sell it in the near future.
For some reason, the fuel consumption has changed quite significantly in the last couple of months. For most of my ownership, the car has averaged mid to low teens, and even driving very very sensibly and slowly on motorways I was lucky to see low 20s. I pretty much always needed petrol after 180 miles or so - although I don't let the tank get very low, so surely could have got over 200.
Now, the car hits high 20s on a motorway, and seems to average around 20 with mixed driving. Tank range has gone well over 200 miles - more like 250. Quite why this has happened on a car that's just rolled over 19k miles I have no idea, but a longer tank range is a good thing.
I really am loving the car these days and it seems to just be getting better. Last week, I had to drop somebody at the airport - since it was an hour on the motorway I decided to be "sensible" and take one of my other cars. After 20 mins, I regretted it - the McLaren is massively more comfortable, and cruise + auto makes it really easy on a motorway. I have to collect them from the airport later, and I'll be using the 650 this time.
So - back to why the date is significant :
Tomorrow, I will have owned the car exactly two years. And the significance of that is - the two year warranty I got when I purchased the car expires today. And I will not be renewing it.
Although the car does throw spurious warnings from time to time, 99% of them are one off's which can be ignored. There have been genuine faults which the warranty has covered - but nothing particularly significant and nothing more than I'd expect, or have experienced with other cars. I've never had - or wanted - a warranty with other cars, and - after two years of ownership - I don't feel I need one for this either.
Obviously the internet - and especially PH - would have you believe that this is completely insane, and nobody runs a McLaren without the extended warranty. The reality is, there are plenty of owners in the owners club who do - and I will be joining them.
This also brings a few other advantages - I don't have to worry about staying below 12k miles a year now, there is an increasing number of Indy's appearing (V Engineering in Thatcham looks very promising, although currently I'm happy with B&C in Guildford) - and if it wasn't for the hassle of sorting out insurance, I'd be tempted to get it mapped.
So there you have it - after two years of ownership, I'm very happy with the car and it's proved to me that it's mechanically sound - enough so that I'll keep the warranty cost in the bank.
I have also been amazed by the (seeming) rush to buy these warranty packages which in part were prompted by the horror stories.
I'm running my second Lamborghini now and have never considered additional warranty but I do have a wee fund tucked away just in case.
Delighted to read your thread, well done and hope you continue to enjoy the (fantastic) car.
Hi, Dave, I've had my McL 650s for coming up to 4 years, I've had it since it was not much over a year old with less than 2K on the clock & the balance of the warranty. I bought it from McL Bristol, but had them to transport it to McL B'ham. Closer to home for me and they took my Lambo in part Ex. Now I paid £105K less than list(but that included the VAT.) It was the most I'd ever paid for a car! It's been great I've loved it. I have not had a Ferrari 360 but I did have an F430 F1 Spider. That was awesome, well until I got the MCL. The problem with the McL is it makes you look really good, like you can really drive. I know I can't, but it gives you that unbreakable confidence. For me it's a case of my limits are well within those of the car. Engineering wise dynamically, suspension wise, it just copes with everything with ease and room. The engine just never quits it just wants to keep going.
Have worked out how to get in yet? this is how I do it. Pop the latch and open the door. Stand in the space created by the door & sill having moved out of the way. Stand Facing the rear of the car. Yes the rear. Put your righthand out palm down & place it on top of the flank of the car just passed where the door latches. Now lift your Outside, LEFT leg over the sill and into the footwell. At the same time bend your right leg at the knee to lower yourself down a little and anticlockwise and keep lowering until you are sat in the drivers seat. Ready to lift your right leg in.
Have worked out how to get in yet? this is how I do it. Pop the latch and open the door. Stand in the space created by the door & sill having moved out of the way. Stand Facing the rear of the car. Yes the rear. Put your righthand out palm down & place it on top of the flank of the car just passed where the door latches. Now lift your Outside, LEFT leg over the sill and into the footwell. At the same time bend your right leg at the knee to lower yourself down a little and anticlockwise and keep lowering until you are sat in the drivers seat. Ready to lift your right leg in.
Appreciate the update, thanks. I'm too am coming to the end of a full 650s spider year and nearing the end of extended warranty which I shall not be renewing. I have a Thorney service booked for this week so will get a thorough check over in case any warranty items need dealer attention before it ends and thereafter "self warranty", putting a sum aside annually. I have experienced nothing serious other than an occasional minor niggle such as sensor error which clears on restart. The car is simply put, a value for money supercar epic, theatrical joy. I love it, use it as a daily driver and will not be parted from it. Roll on Silverstone in a few days where around 250+ McLarens will be on track to celebrate 10 years of the brand in style 
Edited by djangoW on Thursday 26th August 00:13
I've taken a break from PH for the last 6 weeks or so, and I haven't really missed it. As a result, I am going to become one of the McLaren owners who doesn't use PH - or at least, doesn't post - for the foreseeable future. However, I thought it was worth posting (another) final update on this thread.
The last update was August, when the warranty was about to expire - and I did not renew. I've literally just picked the car up from its 7th year service - so did I suddenly find out why it's sensible to have a warranty......?
Before that, I have had a couple of issues since the last update - although one was my own fault.
At the start of September, I discovered my coolant level was dropping slowly. This was identified as a leak from one of the hoses where it clamped to the rear radiator (drivers side) so I had all clips replaced. One of the features of McLaren ownership, but at least it's done now.
About a month ago, I also managed to break the latch for the centre console lid. Entirely my fault.
The good news is, the latch comes as a separate part (in fact, 3 parts - the lid part, and the parts for the console side of the latch). The bad news is, it's on back order. When it's available, part + fitting will cost me around £275. Although I want it fixed, I actually prefer it broken - lid still stays closed, and it's much simpler to open and close now!
Apart from that, the car has been pretty much faultless. It seems to get better and better with use.
B&C performed a health check when they did the coolant clips and warned me that I'd probably need rear pads at the service.
Sure enough, I did. I believe the pads are ~£550 for parts - although I'd be happy to fit them, I wasn't happy to do it on my driveway in December. So paid for them to be fitted.
The car has just rolled over 20k miles, therefore I also needed gearbox oil changed.
I was also still slightly losing coolant which they traced to a seal on the gearbox cooler - they only charged me the parts price (under £20).
A few other minor bits were needed (one of the guide vanes at the front had a hole in it) but nothing significant.
So, despite not having a warranty the car has no issues. It needed a few extra things sorted over the basic service cost - but the warranty wouldn't have covered any of them anyway and the main cost was wear and tear.
I had a significant discount from my service due to some goodwill that we agreed some time ago - but if I had paid full price it would have cost me £2,100. I think that's very reasonable for a service, gearbox oil change, rear brake pads and a few other bits and pieces.
I absolutely love the car - it is definitely the best car I've ever owned. This is quite a change from the posts I was making in the first 6 months of ownership, but this year I've really clicked with it. It pretty much does everything I want - the only thing that continues to irritate me about it, is the crap high beam on a dark county road. Other than that, it's pretty close to perfect (for my needs).
Despite owning two other cars - one of which is perfect for winter, and one of which I bought specifically to try and stop using the McLaren as a daily - I simply accept now that the McLaren will continue to be my daily car, and I have two other cars that I use occasionally....
When I bought the car 2.5 years ago, I did so with some reservations. I was aware of their reputation - much of which is perpetuated on here, I knew that they depreciated and I would lose money, and I knew I was buying a car that would be very difficult to sell on.
2.5 years of ownership means that I now know that the 'reputation' is not deserved - they have their quirks, but they're hardly unique in that. Nobody could have predicted the way the world would change, but that's meant that prices are actually pretty strong now - and I don't believe it would be any more difficult to sell than any similarly priced car.
I have absolutely no regrets about buying mine - which if I'm entirely honest is probably not how I expected I'd feel after 2.5 years. Fabulous car, and one that I hope to keep for a long time.
The last update was August, when the warranty was about to expire - and I did not renew. I've literally just picked the car up from its 7th year service - so did I suddenly find out why it's sensible to have a warranty......?
Before that, I have had a couple of issues since the last update - although one was my own fault.
At the start of September, I discovered my coolant level was dropping slowly. This was identified as a leak from one of the hoses where it clamped to the rear radiator (drivers side) so I had all clips replaced. One of the features of McLaren ownership, but at least it's done now.
About a month ago, I also managed to break the latch for the centre console lid. Entirely my fault.
The good news is, the latch comes as a separate part (in fact, 3 parts - the lid part, and the parts for the console side of the latch). The bad news is, it's on back order. When it's available, part + fitting will cost me around £275. Although I want it fixed, I actually prefer it broken - lid still stays closed, and it's much simpler to open and close now!
Apart from that, the car has been pretty much faultless. It seems to get better and better with use.
B&C performed a health check when they did the coolant clips and warned me that I'd probably need rear pads at the service.
Sure enough, I did. I believe the pads are ~£550 for parts - although I'd be happy to fit them, I wasn't happy to do it on my driveway in December. So paid for them to be fitted.
The car has just rolled over 20k miles, therefore I also needed gearbox oil changed.
I was also still slightly losing coolant which they traced to a seal on the gearbox cooler - they only charged me the parts price (under £20).
A few other minor bits were needed (one of the guide vanes at the front had a hole in it) but nothing significant.
So, despite not having a warranty the car has no issues. It needed a few extra things sorted over the basic service cost - but the warranty wouldn't have covered any of them anyway and the main cost was wear and tear.
I had a significant discount from my service due to some goodwill that we agreed some time ago - but if I had paid full price it would have cost me £2,100. I think that's very reasonable for a service, gearbox oil change, rear brake pads and a few other bits and pieces.
I absolutely love the car - it is definitely the best car I've ever owned. This is quite a change from the posts I was making in the first 6 months of ownership, but this year I've really clicked with it. It pretty much does everything I want - the only thing that continues to irritate me about it, is the crap high beam on a dark county road. Other than that, it's pretty close to perfect (for my needs).
Despite owning two other cars - one of which is perfect for winter, and one of which I bought specifically to try and stop using the McLaren as a daily - I simply accept now that the McLaren will continue to be my daily car, and I have two other cars that I use occasionally....
When I bought the car 2.5 years ago, I did so with some reservations. I was aware of their reputation - much of which is perpetuated on here, I knew that they depreciated and I would lose money, and I knew I was buying a car that would be very difficult to sell on.
2.5 years of ownership means that I now know that the 'reputation' is not deserved - they have their quirks, but they're hardly unique in that. Nobody could have predicted the way the world would change, but that's meant that prices are actually pretty strong now - and I don't believe it would be any more difficult to sell than any similarly priced car.
I have absolutely no regrets about buying mine - which if I'm entirely honest is probably not how I expected I'd feel after 2.5 years. Fabulous car, and one that I hope to keep for a long time.
All the best, Dave. I’ve had mine a bit longer and will likely also not renew the warranty after it’s 2 yr period expires.
And like you, I can’t see anything I’d change it to. Any other “better” Mac is only incrementally so, and any other mid engine super car isn’t (better, I mean). And it’s the only super car with that bass-y NASCAR rumble. Besides, with only the occasional track day, I’m still eking the best from it, especially with left-foot braking and the front spacers.
And like you, I can’t see anything I’d change it to. Any other “better” Mac is only incrementally so, and any other mid engine super car isn’t (better, I mean). And it’s the only super car with that bass-y NASCAR rumble. Besides, with only the occasional track day, I’m still eking the best from it, especially with left-foot braking and the front spacers.
Great update but its a shame you will not stay and keep posting. 95% of the posts will now be from non owners who were in a cab and the driver told them his neighbours, uncles mate had one and it spontaneously exploded on his driveway. We need 'real' stories not just on a closed MOC group but out in the real world too.
It is very unfortunate that most owners whom give genuine insight to ownership and non owning enthuisiasts are driven away from here by a small constant who keep appearing making goading, provocative or completely misleading posts causing heated arguments resulting in posters leaving or being banned.
Another fake news thread was started earlier by a poster I thought was long gone from this area but apparently not.
This was the place I came for advice before sticking my toe in and buying my 1st McLaren.
For any potential buyer, this thread by Dave is all you need to read.
Highs, lows, but always completely honest and transparent.
After 2 years I am delighted he loves his 650 more now than ever and has no plans to change.
Another fake news thread was started earlier by a poster I thought was long gone from this area but apparently not.
This was the place I came for advice before sticking my toe in and buying my 1st McLaren.
For any potential buyer, this thread by Dave is all you need to read.
Highs, lows, but always completely honest and transparent.
After 2 years I am delighted he loves his 650 more now than ever and has no plans to change.
An unexpected conclusion to this thread. Car was declared total loss by the insurers yesterday.
I don't want to go into details so won't discuss that any further here, but since I no longer own a McLaren I thought it would be a useful end to this thread to give my final thoughts on McLaren ownership.
Firstly, there are a few issues - which are pretty well known. Paint bubbling is surprisingly common and if it affects you, it's a big negative. McLaren won't fix it now unless the car is under 5 years old, and although a repair and repaint is a fraction of the cost of replacing panels, it is a real pain for owners. Not least because matching some colours can be a challenge, and McLaren still don't release paint codes which means you either trust a body shop to match, of use official McLaren body shop.
Stress cracks in glass is another, although I think that happens less with 12C / 650 than later cars.
So, the cars are not perfect. But then, very little is.
My 650 was brilliant. It was excellent as a daily car - incredibly comfortable, very easy to drive. And was also proper supercar when you wanted it.
I had the alignment done by V Engineering (highly recommended) a few months ago, which transformed the car - just with stock settings. Finally handled the way I wanted it to.
Mine was mostly problem free in 3 years / 19k miles. Last issue I had was an intermittent door switch. An hour at V Engineering found a broken wire in the door, and fixed while I waited for the grand sum of £160.
When I bought the car, I was genuinely concerned about running costs. But servicing at official McLaren service centres was costing me less than it cost me to service a 360 at Indy's a few years ago. It was actually a surprisingly reasonable car to run.
The best summary I can give of my ownership experience is this :
If I decide to use the insurance money to buy another supercar, the only car on my list at ~£100k is another 650 Spider. Nothing else tempts me.
Even if I increase the budget to £200k, I think the list would still be McLarens - maybe with the older Aventadors on there somewhere, although I'm quite sure I can't afford to run one of them!
Considering my trepidation 3 years ago when I decide to try a McLaren, this is quite a shift. But it was a good decision, and the 650 really was a car that was very good in 99% of situations.
Whether I will replace the 650 or not, I don't yet know. Few life changes mean it may actually be handy to have one less car for the next 6 months so I may do nothing and see how I feel over winter. But if I do decide I need a replacement, it's very likely to be another 650 spider or a 720.
As a general final point : there are people who have / had a McLaren, had major issues and will never own one again. But that is equally true of all marques - my 360 top end self destructed due to a design flaw but it hasn't put me off Ferrari. Many owners have a very positive experience. Many owners replace their McLaren with another, some even own multiple. Many owners run them without warranty, and find they are cash positive - including me for the last year.
Don't believe all the negative crap, most of which is from people who heard it / read it from somebody else rather than first hand experience. They are awesome cars.
I don't want to go into details so won't discuss that any further here, but since I no longer own a McLaren I thought it would be a useful end to this thread to give my final thoughts on McLaren ownership.
Firstly, there are a few issues - which are pretty well known. Paint bubbling is surprisingly common and if it affects you, it's a big negative. McLaren won't fix it now unless the car is under 5 years old, and although a repair and repaint is a fraction of the cost of replacing panels, it is a real pain for owners. Not least because matching some colours can be a challenge, and McLaren still don't release paint codes which means you either trust a body shop to match, of use official McLaren body shop.
Stress cracks in glass is another, although I think that happens less with 12C / 650 than later cars.
So, the cars are not perfect. But then, very little is.
My 650 was brilliant. It was excellent as a daily car - incredibly comfortable, very easy to drive. And was also proper supercar when you wanted it.
I had the alignment done by V Engineering (highly recommended) a few months ago, which transformed the car - just with stock settings. Finally handled the way I wanted it to.
Mine was mostly problem free in 3 years / 19k miles. Last issue I had was an intermittent door switch. An hour at V Engineering found a broken wire in the door, and fixed while I waited for the grand sum of £160.
When I bought the car, I was genuinely concerned about running costs. But servicing at official McLaren service centres was costing me less than it cost me to service a 360 at Indy's a few years ago. It was actually a surprisingly reasonable car to run.
The best summary I can give of my ownership experience is this :
If I decide to use the insurance money to buy another supercar, the only car on my list at ~£100k is another 650 Spider. Nothing else tempts me.
Even if I increase the budget to £200k, I think the list would still be McLarens - maybe with the older Aventadors on there somewhere, although I'm quite sure I can't afford to run one of them!
Considering my trepidation 3 years ago when I decide to try a McLaren, this is quite a shift. But it was a good decision, and the 650 really was a car that was very good in 99% of situations.
Whether I will replace the 650 or not, I don't yet know. Few life changes mean it may actually be handy to have one less car for the next 6 months so I may do nothing and see how I feel over winter. But if I do decide I need a replacement, it's very likely to be another 650 spider or a 720.
As a general final point : there are people who have / had a McLaren, had major issues and will never own one again. But that is equally true of all marques - my 360 top end self destructed due to a design flaw but it hasn't put me off Ferrari. Many owners have a very positive experience. Many owners replace their McLaren with another, some even own multiple. Many owners run them without warranty, and find they are cash positive - including me for the last year.
Don't believe all the negative crap, most of which is from people who heard it / read it from somebody else rather than first hand experience. They are awesome cars.
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