540 vs 570 second hand buying
Discussion
Hi looking to get into something more exotic currently have a 991 turbo and had a r35 before that, was deciding between r8 v10 plus or 540/570. i prefer the mclaren but want warranty due to all the horror stories ( are they really that bad ? ) i have seen a nice 540 for sale but has air filters and quicksilver exhaust but says it was mclaren warranty . Is this a case of yes it does have a warranty but it will be worthless due to the mods ? or do the mods have to be proven to be related to the issue in order to void warranty ? also both the 570 and the 540 are the same price but the 540 is 7000 miles 17 and the 570 13000 mile 16, is this expected or should the 540 be less ? in terms of differences is it pretty much just softer suspension 30 bhp less and a few very minor exterior differences
Ive spent 6 months researching mclarens but Don't have much knowledge or experience of sports series other than 540C was entry model and probably £20k less from new but also less spec.
Shouldn't have thought a cat back exhaust and air filters would void warranty or be anything to worry about.
If you change the cats it will void the official McLaren warranty but im sure thorneys warranty would cover it as they mod lots of McLarens and make their own cats and exhausts with no issues.
Need a break down of exact spec to give opinion on those 2 cars but gut feel would be 570S
Shouldn't have thought a cat back exhaust and air filters would void warranty or be anything to worry about.
If you change the cats it will void the official McLaren warranty but im sure thorneys warranty would cover it as they mod lots of McLarens and make their own cats and exhausts with no issues.
Need a break down of exact spec to give opinion on those 2 cars but gut feel would be 570S
cj450 said:
Hi looking to get into something more exotic currently have a 991 turbo and had a r35 before that, was deciding between r8 v10 plus or 540/570. i prefer the mclaren but want warranty due to all the horror stories ( are they really that bad ? ) i have seen a nice 540 for sale but has air filters and quicksilver exhaust but says it was mclaren warranty . Is this a case of yes it does have a warranty but it will be worthless due to the mods ? or do the mods have to be proven to be related to the issue in order to void warranty ? also both the 570 and the 540 are the same price but the 540 is 7000 miles 17 and the 570 13000 mile 16, is this expected or should the 540 be less ? in terms of differences is it pretty much just softer suspension 30 bhp less and a few very minor exterior differences
If it is being sold by an authorised dealer with the mods, there shouldn’t be an issue. The mods are fairly basic and unlikely to cause warranty issues, unless they can be linked directly to any faults. It is for the warranty provider to prove this - it is the law.If it is a private sale, you are on your own, but remember if it is a dealer sale, you have the CRA2015 to fall back on.
cj450 said:
yea its private so a little nervous with it having the mods although i would likely want to do exhaust myself anyway, i am in no rush and have had a lot of people tell me even though its older it would be better for me to hold off and get into a 650 ?
650 all the way. It’s a question I often ask myself if I made a mistake buying the 720S, instead of the 650. cj450 said:
yea its private so a little nervous with it having the mods although i would likely want to do exhaust myself anyway, i am in no rush and have had a lot of people tell me even though its older it would be better for me to hold off and get into a 650 ?
Yeah defo buy a super series 650S especially spider over a 540/570s if its within budget or bridgeable.Not knocking the sport series as an entry level supercar but Super series is in another league IMHO and a lot rarer
Edited by WilliamWaiver on Tuesday 4th August 21:57
What's the spec on the two? Colours etc?
Warranty for a year is £2900 plus an inspection if its not currently under warranty
Personally, I'd go for the newer less miles car, but you'll probably lose a bit more money. Although a 14k 540C might be easier to sell on than a 20k 570S. If you add 7k miles to either. Not sure.
Warranty for a year is £2900 plus an inspection if its not currently under warranty
Personally, I'd go for the newer less miles car, but you'll probably lose a bit more money. Although a 14k 540C might be easier to sell on than a 20k 570S. If you add 7k miles to either. Not sure.
justin220 said:
What's the spec on the two? Colours etc?
Warranty for a year is £2900 plus an inspection if its not currently under warranty
Personally, I'd go for the newer less miles car, but you'll probably lose a bit more money. Although a 14k 540C might be easier to sell on than a 20k 570S. If you add 7k miles to either. Not sure.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202007191417218?postcode=pl159rl&advertising-location=at_cars&make=MCLAREN&model=540C&seller-type=private&sort=price-asc&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&radius=1500&page=1&modal=descriptionWarranty for a year is £2900 plus an inspection if its not currently under warranty
Personally, I'd go for the newer less miles car, but you'll probably lose a bit more money. Although a 14k 540C might be easier to sell on than a 20k 570S. If you add 7k miles to either. Not sure.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
MAC 720S said:
More about diminishing returns. On normal uk roads, is the extra premium for a 720S justifiable?
Yes it is very much a case of diminshing returns but on that basis we would all be driving around in £5,000 cars which are perfectly good these days.650S is a great super series car but the 720S moved the game on a lot further even if aesthetically the headlights initially were challenging.
675LT's are twice the price if not more than a 650S. My 430 Scud is twice the price of a F430 and neither cars are twice as good as the cars they are based on but that extra 20% they give you is the icing on the cake and personally for me makes all the difference.
Looking at it from the capital tied up I could probably justify taking the 720S over the 650 even though I prefer more of the the 650 looks but the one I really want is the 675LT despite the price tag.
For me that's the sweetspot of all the McLaren cars inc P1
cj450 said:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
That Mauvine Blue 570S looks sublime, thought it was Llantana purple TBH. McLaren really do offer some great colour choices.https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
The 540C has quite a few mods if that is your thing and kind of looks OEM + so not ruined.
Equally you could put an aftermarket sports exhaust and spolier on the 570S when you want to give it a new lease of life 12 months down the line maybe
What is your intended use?
Much as I like my 650 (and did miss it) when I had a 540 as a courtesy car for a couple of weeks, I thought it was better at the daily driver duties. It's much easier to get in / out and I thought the power delivery was much more linear - which was much more useable when I had the car (winter).
The earlier comment about super series being more rare is slightly odd - you don't exactly see a sports series McLaren on every drive. And it's not like the sports series are slow.
I looked at 570 when I was buying - the main reason I went 650 was because I preferred the styling - interior and exterior. If 650 is in budget, it's worth looking at - however, it's hardly like 540 and 570 are bad cars.
I was very impressed with the 540 I was using. The main thing I missed from my 650 was being able to put the roof down - which is obviously an option with the 570 if you go for a Spider. But if you're just comparing coupes, then I didn't feel the 540 was lacking anything that a 570 would have.
I don't think I'd want a modified car though - it just adds unnecessary complication for both insurance and warranty, even if it shouldn't.
Much as I like my 650 (and did miss it) when I had a 540 as a courtesy car for a couple of weeks, I thought it was better at the daily driver duties. It's much easier to get in / out and I thought the power delivery was much more linear - which was much more useable when I had the car (winter).
The earlier comment about super series being more rare is slightly odd - you don't exactly see a sports series McLaren on every drive. And it's not like the sports series are slow.
I looked at 570 when I was buying - the main reason I went 650 was because I preferred the styling - interior and exterior. If 650 is in budget, it's worth looking at - however, it's hardly like 540 and 570 are bad cars.
I was very impressed with the 540 I was using. The main thing I missed from my 650 was being able to put the roof down - which is obviously an option with the 570 if you go for a Spider. But if you're just comparing coupes, then I didn't feel the 540 was lacking anything that a 570 would have.
I don't think I'd want a modified car though - it just adds unnecessary complication for both insurance and warranty, even if it shouldn't.
WilliamWaiver said:
Yeah defo buy a super series 650S especially spider over a 540/570s if its within budget or bridgeable.
Not knocking the sport series as an entry level supercar but Super series is in another league IMHO and a lot rarer
I take it you haven't tried a 600LT then, maybe you'd re classify the Sports Series from underdog to genuine contenders once you had.Not knocking the sport series as an entry level supercar but Super series is in another league IMHO and a lot rarer
Edited by WilliamWaiver on Tuesday 4th August 21:57
Super Series are fabulous but don't under estimate the Sports Series, some people prefer the more analogue experience to the magic carpet ride. A 600 LT is a stand out car from the McLaren range and as good if not better than Super Series cars with exception of maybe 675LT.
Most people couldn't tell the difference between the two ranges anyway.
Not b
hing by the way 
My understanding was that there are at least 3 times as many sport series cars as super series cars and as such my comment on rarity factor stands.
Of course the 600LT is the top of the sport series range and being an LT its a totally different beast to a standard sport series or super series car.
I would have a 600LT over a 720S personally but there is no way I would even consider it against a 675LT.
McLaren shot themselves in the foot again and just built far too many of them which is a shame as its a cracking car and far better than its used car value.
Anyway as regards to the OP the budget appears to be sub £100k so if you could get a 650S spider for that then that's what I would buy
Of course the 600LT is the top of the sport series range and being an LT its a totally different beast to a standard sport series or super series car.
I would have a 600LT over a 720S personally but there is no way I would even consider it against a 675LT.
McLaren shot themselves in the foot again and just built far too many of them which is a shame as its a cracking car and far better than its used car value.
Anyway as regards to the OP the budget appears to be sub £100k so if you could get a 650S spider for that then that's what I would buy
WilliamWaiver said:
cj450 said:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
That Mauvine Blue 570S looks sublime, thought it was Llantana purple TBH. McLaren really do offer some great colour choices.https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
The 540C has quite a few mods if that is your thing and kind of looks OEM + so not ruined.
Equally you could put an aftermarket sports exhaust and spolier on the 570S when you want to give it a new lease of life 12 months down the line maybe
I think a well specced 540 at the right price is an infinitely better buy than any Porsche or R8
It has the presence, power and if you aren’t too bothered about the bragging/snob rights which some Mac owners get caught up with just because they have a 675LT etc, then it makes for a fantastic daily or special occasion car.
If you want to track it then they come standard with steel brakes which are far superior to the Ceramics.
A great package all in all and while a 650 is a great car it is too quick for solely road use.
I regularly track my 720s and on occasions do a bit of racing and the power of the Super series is just too much on the road !!
Sometimes less is more
It has the presence, power and if you aren’t too bothered about the bragging/snob rights which some Mac owners get caught up with just because they have a 675LT etc, then it makes for a fantastic daily or special occasion car.
If you want to track it then they come standard with steel brakes which are far superior to the Ceramics.
A great package all in all and while a 650 is a great car it is too quick for solely road use.
I regularly track my 720s and on occasions do a bit of racing and the power of the Super series is just too much on the road !!
Sometimes less is more
RSbandit said:
Why do you think the steels are better than the ceramics Rocket? I've tracked my 570 a few times now and have no complaints with the carbon brakes, serious stopping power....haven't driven a 540 with steels tho.
There has been plenty written on forums both in UK and in US where more folks track their Macs but:I went through a set of pads on my 570s in just 3 trackdays and this is common place. This is not the issue though as you pays your money. The standard OEM pad gets too hot and this causes the ceramic rotor to heat up. Depending on how hard you brake you will delaminate the rotor pretty quickly in hot conditions, harder faster braking is better than trail braking in any event.
You can opt for pads such as Pagids or Endless which preserve the rotors but if you track regularly you will need new discs after 2-3 pad sets.
In the US they swap out the OEM rotors usually for steels particularly on the 720s as much more cost effective than spending £15,000 every year on brakes
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