Buy a 720s or wait

Buy a 720s or wait

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ian-0vc7e

Original Poster:

11 posts

54 months

Tuesday 12th November 2019
quotequote all
I am looking at buying a 2018 720s 4000 miles from an official dealer for £149,999

I have a lease that's proving tricky to get out of and therefore it might make sense for me to wait until June next year.

a few questions if I may.

- The values have plummeted recently with 10+ £160k cars being advertised. Should I expect to be able to neg a further reduction?
- If I wait until June, what do you expect the price to be, deal is saying prices will hold up, but I am not so sure
- I was torn between 720s and a 488, but now I've seen the F8 is being released my minds made up. Is there a new 720s on the horizon that will affect residuals?
- the 488 benefits from a 7 year servicing pack. how much are 720s to service, and do you think an official deal can offer free servicing and an extended warranty?

thanks!

RT964

286 posts

79 months

Tuesday 12th November 2019
quotequote all
ian-0vc7e said:
I am looking at buying a 2018 720s 4000 miles from an official dealer for £149,999

I have a lease that's proving tricky to get out of and therefore it might make sense for me to wait until June next year.

a few questions if I may.

- The values have plummeted recently with 10+ £160k cars being advertised. Should I expect to be able to neg a further reduction?
Yes, you can always negotiate more if you are in strong position (ie cash/finance buyer with no part ex) and are ready to put a deposit down there and then.

ian-0vc7e said:
- If I wait until June, what do you expect the price to be, deal is saying prices will hold up, but I am not so sure
Your guess is as good as mine, the only guaranteed thing is that it'll be lower in June next year than it is today. The dealer wants to sell a car and will tell you that today is the best possible day for you to buy the car (that's sort of their job wink )

ian-0vc7e said:
- I was torn between 720s and a 488, but now I've seen the F8 is being released my minds made up. Is there a new 720s on the horizon that will affect residuals?
Given the fact that the 750 LT model has yet to break cover into the market, I can't see a replacement model for the 720s being announced between now and June, however if you wait until June and then intend to keep the car for more than 5 minutes, there will be a replacement at some point and it will affect residuals. The two main things to know about Mclarens are that they are amazing cars and they depreciate. If the thought of depreciation bothers you, buy something else as there are very few Mclarens that don't depreciate !

ian-0vc7e said:
- the 488 benefits from a 7 year servicing pack. how much are 720s to service, and do you think an official deal can offer free servicing and an extended warranty?

thanks!
Somebody will be along shortly to be able to accurately answer that question, however I think Mclarens are like most cars and have a "minor" and "major" alternating service requirement and would budget around £1k per year for that excluding warranty extensions. You can try and negotiate a "free" service into a deal along with a warranty extension - if you don't ask, you don't get, but don't be offended if the dealer says no.

At the end of the day, you should buy the car that makes you grin like a stupid 8 year old, even if all you are doing is walking past it on the drive. If it's a 720s, then great, if it's a 488, that's great, if it's something completely left field, that's also great - it's your car, so choose what makes you feel good inside. We can all spend too long over-analysing our next car (or anything) purchase. Life is short, play hard.

anonymous-user

55 months

Tuesday 12th November 2019
quotequote all
ian-0vc7e said:
I am looking at buying a 2018 720s 4000 miles from an official dealer for £149,999

I have a lease that's proving tricky to get out of and therefore it might make sense for me to wait until June next year.

a few questions if I may.

- The values have plummeted recently with 10+ £160k cars being advertised. Should I expect to be able to neg a further reduction?
- If I wait until June, what do you expect the price to be, deal is saying prices will hold up, but I am not so sure
- I was torn between 720s and a 488, but now I've seen the F8 is being released my minds made up. Is there a new 720s on the horizon that will affect residuals?
- the 488 benefits from a 7 year servicing pack. how much are 720s to service, and do you think an official deal can offer free servicing and an extended warranty?

thanks!
- The values have plummeted recently with 10+ £160k cars being advertised. Should I expect to be able to neg a further reduction?
Yes

If I wait until June, what do you expect the price to be, deal is saying prices will hold up, but I am not so sure

Personally, I think they will fall a little bit further but will then hold up. The lower priced cars appear to shifting so may have found their base price. The early launch cars are approaching 3 years old and have gone through their main stage of depreciation. They have also throttled back on new cars being released to the UK market. They may have even stopped production altogether.

I was torn between 720s and a 488, but now I've seen the F8 is being released my minds made up. Is there a new 720s on the horizon that will affect residuals?

There is an LT version planned to be released - 7xxLT (rumoured to be 765LT). As current 720S owners trade up into the LT, it will probably release more 720's which may have an effect on residuals. Having said that, it does appear that the older cars have found their base price.

the 488 benefits from a 7 year servicing pack. how much are 720s to service, and do you think an official deal can offer free servicing and an extended warranty?

Servicing is not as high as some people may lead you to believe. Servicing is between £1,000 and £1,500. If you purchase from a main dealer, you should get at least 12 months warranty if it has already fallen outside of the initial 3 years (2020 is when that will start to happen). It is logical to think that dealers will need to offer some sort of incentive above and beyond a bog standard 12 months. After all, you are covered under the Cosumer Rights Act 2015 for major faults within the first 6 months of ownership, so in reality the warranty is really for the remaining 6 months.

Hope that helps.





Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 12th November 20:22

heihei

162 posts

196 months

Tuesday 12th November 2019
quotequote all
That seems good value, spec-depending. I've not seen any main dealer cars close to that price TBH.

I put a £155k bid in on a main-dealer car advertised at £176k back in August and was told where to go in no uncertain terms. The car is still for sale, now at £166k.
I agree with MAC720S - the well-priced cars seem to be selling, which shows there's decent demand at £150k and below. Supply means you should still expect price declines, but perhaps less dramatic than we've seen recently.
PM me if you don't go for it - might be tempted myself!!

Cheib

23,281 posts

176 months

Tuesday 12th November 2019
quotequote all
I would wait if you've got a tricky/expensive lease to get out...don’t think there’s any need to rush into buying expensive cars right now. Even waiting three months might make the lease easier to get out of and personally I don’t think 720s’s or any other car in a similar price bracket will be more expensive in that time.

justin220

5,347 posts

205 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
Cheib said:
I would wait if you've got a tricky/expensive lease to get out...don’t think there’s any need to rush into buying expensive cars right now. Even waiting three months might make the lease easier to get out of and personally I don’t think 720s’s or any other car in a similar price bracket will be more expensive in that time.
Agreed, and not as if you'll get huge use of it over winter either?

Bispal

1,619 posts

152 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
A nice 2011 (8 year old) 12C is a bargain at £80k. A 2015 (4 year old) 650S is £100k. Can only assume 720S will follow a similar depreciation curve with adjusted uplift for more advanced / newer car. So expect £110k at 4 years old? £10k pa sounds pretty reasonable to me for the fastest most advanced supercar you can buy for 4 years followed by £5k pa for the following 4 years. The evidence is out there with plenty of proof on values. Just don't sell in 1 year or the dealer margins and spread will make it disproportionately worse. Remember to enjoy the car and not worry about depreciation, go into it with your eyes wide open and realistic expectations as above.

A relevant story. I sold my 12C 2 years ago and exactly 12 months ago I saw my ideal 650S for sale for £140k. I called the dealer and put in an offer of £120k. The car was a bit over-priced so it was not a cheeky offer as such. 650's were available at the the time for £120k. However this car should have been advertised at £130k and negotiated to perhaps £125k so I did expect to go up a tad but you never start at your best price. However as with many cars it was SOR and after 2 weeks of back & forth £131k was the lowest the owner with his unrealistic expectations would go. By the spring the car was still SOR but at £120k. It then went off SOR and has been for sale privately at a gradual slide to its price today of £110k, £10-£15k less than I offered and £30k less than it was up for.

anonymous-user

55 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
Bispal said:
A nice 2011 (8 year old) 12C is a bargain at £80k. A 2015 (4 year old) 650S is £100k. Can only assume 720S will follow a similar depreciation curve with adjusted uplift for more advanced / newer car. So expect £110k at 4 years old? £10k pa sounds pretty reasonable to me for the fastest most advanced supercar you can buy for 4 years followed by £5k pa for the following 4 years. The evidence is out there with plenty of proof on values. Just don't sell in 1 year or the dealer margins and spread will make it disproportionately worse. Remember to enjoy the car and not worry about depreciation, go into it with your eyes wide open and realistic expectations as above.

A relevant story. I sold my 12C 2 years ago and exactly 12 months ago I saw my ideal 650S for sale for £140k. I called the dealer and put in an offer of £120k. The car was a bit over-priced so it was not a cheeky offer as such. 650's were available at the the time for £120k. However this car should have been advertised at £130k and negotiated to perhaps £125k so I did expect to go up a tad but you never start at your best price. However as with many cars it was SOR and after 2 weeks of back & forth £131k was the lowest the owner with his unrealistic expectations would go. By the spring the car was still SOR but at £120k. It then went off SOR and has been for sale privately at a gradual slide to its price today of £110k, £10-£15k less than I offered and £30k less than it was up for.
Are you predicting that the May 2017 launch models that will be 3 years old in May 2020, will be worth £110K in May 2021? A depressing thought.

Juno

4,481 posts

250 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
MAC 720S said:
Bispal said:
A nice 2011 (8 year old) 12C is a bargain at £80k. A 2015 (4 year old) 650S is £100k. Can only assume 720S will follow a similar depreciation curve with adjusted uplift for more advanced / newer car. So expect £110k at 4 years old? £10k pa sounds pretty reasonable to me for the fastest most advanced supercar you can buy for 4 years followed by £5k pa for the following 4 years. The evidence is out there with plenty of proof on values. Just don't sell in 1 year or the dealer margins and spread will make it disproportionately worse. Remember to enjoy the car and not worry about depreciation, go into it with your eyes wide open and realistic expectations as above.

A relevant story. I sold my 12C 2 years ago and exactly 12 months ago I saw my ideal 650S for sale for £140k. I called the dealer and put in an offer of £120k. The car was a bit over-priced so it was not a cheeky offer as such. 650's were available at the the time for £120k. However this car should have been advertised at £130k and negotiated to perhaps £125k so I did expect to go up a tad but you never start at your best price. However as with many cars it was SOR and after 2 weeks of back & forth £131k was the lowest the owner with his unrealistic expectations would go. By the spring the car was still SOR but at £120k. It then went off SOR and has been for sale privately at a gradual slide to its price today of £110k, £10-£15k less than I offered and £30k less than it was up for.
Are you predicting that the May 2017 launch models that will be 3 years old in May 2020, will be worth £110K in May 2021? A depressing thought.
If they are it will be beyond doubt the best performance/super car value in history and at that point just too good a deal to miss for the style and performance on tap

Incidentally I saw a guy in his late 60’s maybe early 70’s driving a white 650s with the roof down near Mannings Heath the other day, he had his wife in the passenger seat as well

All I can say is if I’m still driving a car like that at that age I’ll be a very happy man thumbup

WCZ

10,537 posts

195 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
it's hard to predict but my personal feeling is they will never be sub 100k

355spiderguy

1,476 posts

172 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
MAC 720S said:
Bispal said:
A nice 2011 (8 year old) 12C is a bargain at £80k. A 2015 (4 year old) 650S is £100k. Can only assume 720S will follow a similar depreciation curve with adjusted uplift for more advanced / newer car. So expect £110k at 4 years old? £10k pa sounds pretty reasonable to me for the fastest most advanced supercar you can buy for 4 years followed by £5k pa for the following 4 years. The evidence is out there with plenty of proof on values. Just don't sell in 1 year or the dealer margins and spread will make it disproportionately worse. Remember to enjoy the car and not worry about depreciation, go into it with your eyes wide open and realistic expectations as above.

A relevant story. I sold my 12C 2 years ago and exactly 12 months ago I saw my ideal 650S for sale for £140k. I called the dealer and put in an offer of £120k. The car was a bit over-priced so it was not a cheeky offer as such. 650's were available at the the time for £120k. However this car should have been advertised at £130k and negotiated to perhaps £125k so I did expect to go up a tad but you never start at your best price. However as with many cars it was SOR and after 2 weeks of back & forth £131k was the lowest the owner with his unrealistic expectations would go. By the spring the car was still SOR but at £120k. It then went off SOR and has been for sale privately at a gradual slide to its price today of £110k, £10-£15k less than I offered and £30k less than it was up for.
Are you predicting that the May 2017 launch models that will be 3 years old in May 2020, will be worth £110K in May 2021? A depressing thought.
I think that is a fair enough prediction; the 2 spiders in the McLaren Glasgow showroom are around the £300k mark. My 650 spider was around £20k less than that in Nov '15 and a year ago was probably realistically valued around £120k....no reason why it shouldn't follow that trend...

MDL111

6,975 posts

178 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
WCZ said:
it's hard to predict but my personal feeling is they will never be sub 100k
wasn't the 650 supposed to never go below 150 (might have been a RamboLambo quote, so in that case disregard)

I just got a leasing offer for a new/pre-specced 720 - unfortunately it is more expensive than I thought (somebody mentioned 2k pm/no money down, which sounded too good to be true/insane tbh) - turns out it was too good to be true - they forgot the c. 10 percent down (and the 2k was rounded down). Still a decent deal for somebody who wants a new car, but not for me. I'd then rather buy the above mentioned car and live with RHD.

anonymous-user

55 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
Juno said:
If they are it will be beyond doubt the best performance/super car value in history and at that point just too good a deal to miss for the style and performance on tap

Incidentally I saw a guy in his late 60’s maybe early 70’s driving a white 650s with the roof down near Mannings Heath the other day, he had his wife in the passenger seat as well

All I can say is if I’m still driving a car like that at that age I’ll be a very happy man thumbup
Did it have a blue stripe from front of bonnet to rear?

anonymous-user

55 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
WCZ said:
it's hard to predict but my personal feeling is they will never be sub 100k
Is there anything to even draw a comparison with? The 650 which it replaced is a different proposition leaning towards what a traditional supercar would be. The 720S is an odd beast being the best of both worlds of almost hypercar and tourer in equal measure. I don't think there is anything past of present having similar performance, comfort and practicality. The nearest I can think of is the mighty 599 (my favourite fez).

I’d be quite pleased if they bottomed out at £100K, because by then I would have had a lot of fun. And as Juno says, it will be beyond doubt the best performance/super car value in history.

Juno

4,481 posts

250 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
MAC 720S said:
Juno said:
If they are it will be beyond doubt the best performance/super car value in history and at that point just too good a deal to miss for the style and performance on tap

Incidentally I saw a guy in his late 60’s maybe early 70’s driving a white 650s with the roof down near Mannings Heath the other day, he had his wife in the passenger seat as well

All I can say is if I’m still driving a car like that at that age I’ll be a very happy man thumbup
Did it have a blue stripe from front of bonnet to rear?
I had a side view so can’t say about a stripe but it had polished chrome style wheels

Woozle

5 posts

54 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
I would suggest taking the plunge.

I have done around 30,000 miles in McLarens (570 and 720) and found them to be reliable, contrary to some popular opinion.

If I have understood correctly 720 fixed head to order ceased several months ago. Spiders last month. There is a little pre reg or pre specked stuff about but most of it has gone over the last six weeks or so, at least in the UK. There’s been little movement in price points but it’s noticeable that the cars available at any given price have now rather more miles than before.

Perhaps this isn’t widely known, but the next super series will not be on sale for another two years. Sports series is first for replacement and the 765LT has been pushed back until early 2021.

When they do replace the 720 it will be around 300k and v6 hybrid. Personally I’m not a big fan of hybrid because a). I am a petrolhead and b) the energy density is so low.

Usually cars continue to depreciate. But some cars are better than that and turn around. The 720 is such a great machine and we are so close now to the mass hybridisation across lots of manufacturers model ranges that it stands a good chance of being one of the very best and last of the pure ICE cars. Sad but possibly true. I’d say go for it.

ian-0vc7e

Original Poster:

11 posts

54 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
Awesome advice all.
I ended up going to see the car today and put a deposit on when I got home. Apparently this car was 295k new just two years ago and is dripping in carbon options. The glacier white is fantastic and the dealer was super nice. Hopefully it’s a reliable one 🤞

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

RSbandit

2,615 posts

133 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
Congrats! you manage to get some off the sticker price?

Woozle

5 posts

54 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
Congratulations. And enjoy!

PompeyReece

1,497 posts

90 months

Wednesday 13th November 2019
quotequote all
Wow, not a fan of white usually but that one is drop dead....

Congratulations!