Discussion
Hello Folks !
I'm brand new to this forum , so please bear with me .
I currently run a Lamborghini LP610-4 .
I have enjoyed owning the car although servicing costs have been a bit eye watering .
The best way I can describe the car is that it is raw . In Sport and Corsa modes , there is virtually no give in the suspension , and its like driving a noisy go kart .
Ideal for the track , although I've never tracked it .
The car is plush inside with alcantara seats , roof lining etc . and build qiality is first class .
I am now 78 ( ouch ! ) and have reached the stage where the attractions of the Lamborghini have begun to fade .
What I am looking for is something of equal performance , but more civilised , not so noisy and bone jarring .
The McLaren GT appears to fit the bill.
I am however a tiny bit reluctant to go down the McLaren route owing to various horror stories about build quality and reliability .
I've looked at the videos that John Thorn has loaded on You tube .
What basically I am looking for is opinions of McLaren owners and in particular those who have GT's ?
Anyone care to comment please ?
I'm brand new to this forum , so please bear with me .
I currently run a Lamborghini LP610-4 .
I have enjoyed owning the car although servicing costs have been a bit eye watering .
The best way I can describe the car is that it is raw . In Sport and Corsa modes , there is virtually no give in the suspension , and its like driving a noisy go kart .
Ideal for the track , although I've never tracked it .
The car is plush inside with alcantara seats , roof lining etc . and build qiality is first class .
I am now 78 ( ouch ! ) and have reached the stage where the attractions of the Lamborghini have begun to fade .
What I am looking for is something of equal performance , but more civilised , not so noisy and bone jarring .
The McLaren GT appears to fit the bill.
I am however a tiny bit reluctant to go down the McLaren route owing to various horror stories about build quality and reliability .
I've looked at the videos that John Thorn has loaded on You tube .
What basically I am looking for is opinions of McLaren owners and in particular those who have GT's ?
Anyone care to comment please ?
99% of scare stories are from people who never owned them - but their girlfriends hairdressers brothers dog had one and it was crap.
Many actual owners become serial McLaren owners (myself included).
If you like the GT then that's great, but be aware that pretty much all of the McLaren range make very good / comfortable cars that can be used daily if you wish. Like most modern cars, they have different modes if you want more fun - but my 650 is ridiculously easy and comfortable to drive.
Many actual owners become serial McLaren owners (myself included).
If you like the GT then that's great, but be aware that pretty much all of the McLaren range make very good / comfortable cars that can be used daily if you wish. Like most modern cars, they have different modes if you want more fun - but my 650 is ridiculously easy and comfortable to drive.
I have come from 25 years with Lamborghini so I can tell you how it worked out for me whilst trying not to go too far off topic. I didn’t own a Huracan but I did have an LP670 amongst others, like you I loved the brand but it seemed to have changed over the years also I always had a lingering McLaren itch that would need scratching one day. To me McLaren looked like the new “dark side” and I wanted to go there but I was also aware of the rumoured problems reading online and that had put me off.
Sorry to drag my story on! So I had been two years without a supercar happily buzzing around in a Tesla (no noise but f…. quick) then I spotted a 570 Spider at auction, it was cheap so I bought it and really liked it, much quicker than I thought and felt really good but someone else with a bag of cash wanted it so it was sold leaving me without a supercar but not for long, a trader friend called up he had found a 720 coupe at a Trade only specialist auction that may cheap, I bought it with a view to selling on for profit but this thing got under my skin big time, it punches really hard, rides like a dream and looks special and now I can’t part with it. Nothing has gone wrong in 3 years ok I replaced the accumulators but they wear out anyway. A specialist near Stevenage looks after it and servicing is cheaper than Lamborghini. Mine is a 2019 with plenty of miles on the clock and I will admit some things particularly inside the car feel flimsy but nothing has fallen off. Sorry I can’t help with the GT I haven’t driven one but I will say you should seriously consider changing brands you will not regret it.
Sorry to drag my story on! So I had been two years without a supercar happily buzzing around in a Tesla (no noise but f…. quick) then I spotted a 570 Spider at auction, it was cheap so I bought it and really liked it, much quicker than I thought and felt really good but someone else with a bag of cash wanted it so it was sold leaving me without a supercar but not for long, a trader friend called up he had found a 720 coupe at a Trade only specialist auction that may cheap, I bought it with a view to selling on for profit but this thing got under my skin big time, it punches really hard, rides like a dream and looks special and now I can’t part with it. Nothing has gone wrong in 3 years ok I replaced the accumulators but they wear out anyway. A specialist near Stevenage looks after it and servicing is cheaper than Lamborghini. Mine is a 2019 with plenty of miles on the clock and I will admit some things particularly inside the car feel flimsy but nothing has fallen off. Sorry I can’t help with the GT I haven’t driven one but I will say you should seriously consider changing brands you will not regret it.
Huracan, nice! There was a bright green Huracan Spider at Romans St Albans when I collected my 570GT, it looked awesome.
I think you're broadly correct that McLarens are relatively comfortable and thus useable. My wife and I have done a couple of long Euro tours in our 570GT (Munich, Stockholm) and been pretty happy in it; it's definitely a road-trippable car, not just an A-to-A one. Check that you're comfortable in the seats of the specific car you buy first, but they're fairly accommodating.
As well as the GT(S) I'd consider the earlier 570GT it evolved from, as well as the 650S and 720S which being Super Series cars have the interconnected suspension which permits even better ride comfort.
I don't think quality and reliability are that bad. They're low volume cars so not always perfect, but if serviced annually by someone who knows what they're doing, they're likely to be ok most of the time and not ruinously expensive. If you start by buying a car that's done a few miles and been well cared for, hopefully the first owner will have debugged the initial problems leaving you to enjoy.
Personally I was driven to distraction by my local McLaren dealer before I'd even bought my car, and have thus taken it only to V Engineering, who have been excellent at keeping it working really well for reasonable cost. I believe the franchised dealers are the biggest cause of unhappy customers, and finding a good indie is likely to lead to a happy ownership experience.
I think you're broadly correct that McLarens are relatively comfortable and thus useable. My wife and I have done a couple of long Euro tours in our 570GT (Munich, Stockholm) and been pretty happy in it; it's definitely a road-trippable car, not just an A-to-A one. Check that you're comfortable in the seats of the specific car you buy first, but they're fairly accommodating.
As well as the GT(S) I'd consider the earlier 570GT it evolved from, as well as the 650S and 720S which being Super Series cars have the interconnected suspension which permits even better ride comfort.
I don't think quality and reliability are that bad. They're low volume cars so not always perfect, but if serviced annually by someone who knows what they're doing, they're likely to be ok most of the time and not ruinously expensive. If you start by buying a car that's done a few miles and been well cared for, hopefully the first owner will have debugged the initial problems leaving you to enjoy.
Personally I was driven to distraction by my local McLaren dealer before I'd even bought my car, and have thus taken it only to V Engineering, who have been excellent at keeping it working really well for reasonable cost. I believe the franchised dealers are the biggest cause of unhappy customers, and finding a good indie is likely to lead to a happy ownership experience.
samoht said:
I believe the franchised dealers are the biggest cause of unhappy customers, and finding a good indie is likely to lead to a happy ownership experience.
Have to disagree with this - I've been a McLaren owner for 7 years, first a 570 spider then a 720S and the service has been top notch from McLaren Birmingham. Reliability has been really pretty good and I keep the warranty extended, which is worth it. If you want to chat this through with someone who is not annoying, ask for Gary or Charlie at McBirmingham. I have no ties to them other than the fact that I've bought 6 cars from them and they just get it! Gassing Station | McLaren | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff