1st McLaren Bought
Discussion
For years I have owned various Aston Martins with the last one being a Vanquish that I loved. The only other section of PH I found myself drawn to was McLaren. Having read all of the owners content and particularly Justin with his 540 and 650 as an almost daily I decided I wanted one.
Scanning the for sale lists and after driving a 600LT I worked out that actually the car I liked the most was the 650s of which it seems very few are for sale.
On a rainy November day I find myself in Manchester taking the Aston for a service and up pops an advertisement for a lovely 650s in Torroco Orange at a McLaren dealer . Very low mileage at 5500 which would be a worry but the car did hardly any miles in the first 7 years of its life with 4000 miles added over the last 3 years. This made me slightly more confident that any real issues would have been resolved with the additional use and of course it would come with a warranty.
So now my head is spinning because the specification is exactly like the Geneva launch spec and exactly as I would have ordered if buying new. Plenty of carbon inside and out and all of the so called must have The main dealer were amazing to deal with and within 30 minutes a deal was struck and the Aston was going.
I did have a case of oh my god what am I doing because the Vanquish has been perfect and I considered trying to keep it as well. Then I realised that in reality with a young family and working away a lot neither would get driven enough.
I drove home in the freshly serviced Vanquish feeling excited but apprehensive. The announcement to my wife about the new car was made by my 14 year old who had been with me all day running in and saying Dads bought a McLaren to which my wife laughed and said very funny.
The next week I am busy away at work but I find myself finding it hard to sleep which is unusual for me even with an impending new car on the horizon.
Finally after plate transfer and the usual pain of stumping up the cash I have a date for collection.
I decided that to drive down from Lancashire and back in one day would be too much so again with my 14 year old we book a hotel in Letchworth on the Friday ready for a Saturday collection.
The Vanquish was superb and as usual performed perfectly and the V12 sound track is definitely something that I will miss.
So after a good breakfast we head to McLaren for the sad parting with my car but also the excitement of the new car.
They made the whole experience fantastic and we finally came to the moment of the cover coming off and the reveal. I have to say at this point I had only seen a video but the car was exactly as described. Box fresh with full PPF and in immaculate condition.
Comprehensive handover completed we leave for the drive home as I try and gingerly make my way through traffic and try to figure out where on earth to put my phone.
Unfortunately Mother Nature decides to become biblical so we drive home in a monsoon with strong winds but oh my it doesn t matter.
I am in love it is incredible to drive and without doubt faster than anything I have ever driven.
We arrived home with the rain so heavy that the rest of the family could only take a percursory glance.
So initial impressions are as follows. Feels well put together, steering and visibility are off the chart, it s stupidly fast, and at times the attention it gets is overwhelming. I can t wait for better weather to get out and drive it more. So there I have finally gone and done it and I couldn t be happier.
[url][img]https://forums-images.pistonheads.com/376773/202512173778611?
Edited by bentley01 on Wednesday 17th December 10:30
Edited by bentley01 on Thursday 18th December 14:23
Edited by bentley01 on Thursday 18th December 14:24
Great write up and congrats!
I too had never driven a mclaren when I collected my then 650 spider with my then 16 year old son.
It was like jumping into a spaceship, and cannot forget the laughs we had on the 400 mile journey home with the reactions of everyone that seen it, and then occasionally putting it into warp drive.
Great memories!
I too had never driven a mclaren when I collected my then 650 spider with my then 16 year old son.
It was like jumping into a spaceship, and cannot forget the laughs we had on the 400 mile journey home with the reactions of everyone that seen it, and then occasionally putting it into warp drive.
Great memories!
Lovely car. I scan Autotrader usually every day but must have missed this one.
I am in the same neck of the woods so will be interesting to see where you take it for servicing etc. I am assuming a main dealer whilst under warranty but will you stick to that, or have the likes of V Engineering or Thorney look after it, considering they're some distance away?
I am in the same neck of the woods so will be interesting to see where you take it for servicing etc. I am assuming a main dealer whilst under warranty but will you stick to that, or have the likes of V Engineering or Thorney look after it, considering they're some distance away?
Thanks all for the welcome. I intend to use McLaren Manchester for its service whist in warranty and then probably V Engineering. I know that they are quite a distance but I will try and combine it with work down in London. I can’t remember longing to drive something so much.
With regards the advert for the car I pounced quickly and although I suspect it was top money for a 650 I believe the phone rang off the hook for it.
Dealership was fantastic and it’s nice to deal with someone who takes the time to answer stupid questions and not make you feel like you are being a pain.
I too had a V12 Vantage and regretted selling it once it had gone. A great car and whilst it struggled to put the power down I could forgive it because of its looks and sound.
With regards the advert for the car I pounced quickly and although I suspect it was top money for a 650 I believe the phone rang off the hook for it.
Dealership was fantastic and it’s nice to deal with someone who takes the time to answer stupid questions and not make you feel like you are being a pain.
I too had a V12 Vantage and regretted selling it once it had gone. A great car and whilst it struggled to put the power down I could forgive it because of its looks and sound.
Thanks everyone. Now one thing that has puzzled me was checking the oil. After collecting the car and driving it back the next day I followed the correct procedure and checked the oil. 
I then checked it again and it had 1 red bar minimum oil. I spoke to the dealer who said only put 250ml in at a time. So I added 250ml checked it and back to 2 amber bars. Added another 250ml drove it then checked it and it’s 3 green bars. If you check the owners manual it says I should still add oil. Is this normal or am I missing a trick.
I then checked it again and it had 1 red bar minimum oil. I spoke to the dealer who said only put 250ml in at a time. So I added 250ml checked it and back to 2 amber bars. Added another 250ml drove it then checked it and it’s 3 green bars. If you check the owners manual it says I should still add oil. Is this normal or am I missing a trick.
Countdown said:
Apologies if stupid comment but are you checking the oil level when it s cold or has been sat for a bit? The gauge says 102 degrees so it suggests that you ve been for a drive. If so, won t it take a bit of time for the oil to drain back into the sump?
You measure the oil with the engine at 2k rpm.At 102 degrees, if anything it should be reading slightly high. It was clearly very low on oil when bought
bentley01 said:
Should I be worried about the lack of oil if 600 ml has put it back in the green area. I hope that it hasn t caused any wear or is it as the technician said the reading sensor is over sensitive?
It can be a little over sensitive. Your reading was not because of that though. It was way too low on oil
bentley01 said:
Should I be worried about the lack of oil if 600 ml has put it back in the green area. I hope that it hasn t caused any wear or is it as the technician said the reading sensor is over sensitive?
I’d keep an eye on the consumption but far more likely it wasn’t filled correctly before you collected it (would be my guess). I’m not sure if they would record the oil level before collection as some sort of PPI or final check, but I’d ask.Gassing Station | McLaren | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff