McLaren MP4-12C - How much will this lose??
McLaren MP4-12C - How much will this lose??
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ufoufo

Original Poster:

357 posts

253 months

Tuesday 25th January 2011
quotequote all
With prices expected to hit £180K+ for a properly speced car, where do you think the market will be for this? Same as the 458 making £20k premiums or an initial drop and then to stablise? On the one hand its a new entrant into the supercar market but at the same time everyone knows the F1 team and Button & Hamilton. Difficult one I say..............

JADF

655 posts

261 months

Tuesday 25th January 2011
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I suppose much depends on journo reviews. If they're very good, as we'd expect, I'd think the Mac will attract the same sort of premium as the 458 and I'd expect the premiums to hold for longer than the 458 as less units will be being sold..

J

jontysafe

2,370 posts

209 months

Tuesday 25th January 2011
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Personally I can't see that happening. My reasoning is that the market the macca is pitched at is IMO people that wouldn't normally consider owning a super car or at least have one as a daily driver. It is less ostentatious than the equivalent Italians and the very reason the aforementioned people will buy it may well be it's downfall depreciation wise. I can't see it as a "desire" product. It may well be a technical tour de force but that alone doesn't guarantee anything. All this is very objective though, will be interesting to see what actually happens.

clorenzen

3,843 posts

266 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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I went to Woking early on and saw the car and was generally underwhelmed. A technical tour de force maybe but next to the F458 it looks uninspiring and almost aged.
There will be an initial hype when initial demand cannot meet the demand but this will eventually peter out. McLaren has a very ambitious plan ahed of them and I wish them well.

IMI A

9,997 posts

232 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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clorenzen said:
I went to Woking early on and saw the car and was generally underwhelmed. A technical tour de force maybe but next to the F458 it looks uninspiring and almost aged.
There will be an initial hype when initial demand cannot meet the demand but this will eventually peter out. McLaren has a very ambitious plan ahed of them and I wish them well.
+1 absolutely with you the Macca. I prefer the 458

AstonZagato

14,282 posts

241 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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Hmm. Not sure. I think there will be strong initial demand as it is the shiny new new thing. But thereafter? It will be bought by real petrolheads. A Ferrari or a Lambo is something that a rich bloke will buy to show off (as well as being bought by real enthusiasts). A McLaren isn't in that same category. It won't shout "money" at everyone and that will (sadly) limit demand.

I suspect that any initial premium will be short-lived as it required people to want to have it NOW and that suggests more money than sense. If you have more money than sense, I don't think the Macca will be on your shopping list.

dealmaker

2,215 posts

285 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
quotequote all
IMI A said:
clorenzen said:
I went to Woking early on and saw the car and was generally underwhelmed. A technical tour de force maybe but next to the F458 it looks uninspiring and almost aged.
There will be an initial hype when initial demand cannot meet the demand but this will eventually peter out. McLaren has a very ambitious plan ahed of them and I wish them well.
+1 absolutely with you the Macca. I prefer the 458
I dislike the 458 - but at least it has some brand following. The MP4 also left me very cold. Every single person who I know who had an order, LOI, or expression of interest in on one has walked away - very worrying. The styling is extremely derivative which in and of itself is not insurmountable - but for me the engine should have been the NA V10 that they originally planned for the car - not the Turbo they went for on cost grounds. I think the car is neither fish nor fowl - not exotic or striking enough to get people (and fashionistas/footballers) trading in their 458's etc - and yet not hardcore enough (That TT engine etc) to be a balls out track weapon.

I think the fact that the dealers have been pestering many of the people who originally enquired about the car - and that they have had so many order cancelations - does not bode well for residuals.

Soovy

35,829 posts

302 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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dealmaker said:
IMI A said:
clorenzen said:
I went to Woking early on and saw the car and was generally underwhelmed. A technical tour de force maybe but next to the F458 it looks uninspiring and almost aged.
There will be an initial hype when initial demand cannot meet the demand but this will eventually peter out. McLaren has a very ambitious plan ahed of them and I wish them well.
+1 absolutely with you the Macca. I prefer the 458
I dislike the 458 - but at least it has some brand following. The MP4 also left me very cold. Every single person who I know who had an order, LOI, or expression of interest in on one has walked away - very worrying. The styling is extremely derivative which in and of itself is not insurmountable - but for me the engine should have been the NA V10 that they originally planned for the car - not the Turbo they went for on cost grounds. I think the car is neither fish nor fowl - not exotic or striking enough to get people (and fashionistas/footballers) trading in their 458's etc - and yet not hardcore enough (That TT engine etc) to be a balls out track weapon.

I think the fact that the dealers have been pestering many of the people who originally enquired about the car - and that they have had so many order cancelations - does not bode well for residuals.
A bloke here had one on order and he's cancelled. They tried to talk him out of it.

These things will not do well second hand.

JPF40

353 posts

262 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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I too pulled my deposit.

Harsh

4,551 posts

242 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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I transferred my deposit away from this car.

not because I didn't like it but because i found out there is a convertible in the offing and for me that ticks all the boxes.

I still contend this is a better car than the 458 though sadly i'll be waiting another 2 years to take delivery.
I don't think residuals will suffer at all.
McLaren has a big following worldwide from F1, they will only be making 1,000 in the first year and the styling is a classic simple design which won't age like the 458 will.
Witness the F1 from 1993, that was said to be conservative at the time but has developed into a timeless classic.

The MP4 is better than the 458, less fussy around the details and above all is a McLaren.
all that is good enough for me.

JADF

655 posts

261 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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Harsh said:
I transferred my deposit away from this car.

not because I didn't like it but because i found out there is a convertible in the offing and for me that ticks all the boxes.

I still contend this is a better car than the 458 though sadly i'll be waiting another 2 years to take delivery.
I don't think residuals will suffer at all.
McLaren has a big following worldwide from F1, they will only be making 1,000 in the first year and the styling is a classic simple design which won't age like the 458 will.
Witness the F1 from 1993, that was said to be conservative at the time but has developed into a timeless classic.

The MP4 is better than the 458, less fussy around the details and above all is a McLaren.
all that is good enough for me.
Yep, 1,000 sales world wide (250 in the UK) so as you say residuals will not suffer.

Edited by JADF on Wednesday 26th January 15:03

Shmee

7,565 posts

244 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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JADF said:
Yep, 1,000 sales world wide (250 in the UK) so as you say residuals will not suffer.
For comparison, any idea on number of UK 458s in the first year? It must have been lower than that I'd imagine as Ferrari's entire UK sales annually are about 400-500 and I imagine the top seller currently is the California.

JADF

655 posts

261 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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Shmee said:
JADF said:
Yep, 1,000 sales world wide (250 in the UK) so as you say residuals will not suffer.
For comparison, any idea on number of UK 458s in the first year? It must have been lower than that I'd imagine as Ferrari's entire UK sales annually are about 400-500 and I imagine the top seller currently is the California.
I can only guess the Ferrari units sold in the UK, but surely it's more than 400-500 units(?)- that seems a little low. I would have guessed it was nearly double that. Just guessing tho'.

Anyone know how many dealers are licenced to sell Ferrari cars?

J

Shmee

7,565 posts

244 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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2009 they sold 453 new cars in the UK; I guessed the same for 2010. For comparison Lamborghini sold only about 120.

ufoufo

Original Poster:

357 posts

253 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
quotequote all
The styling really could have been better - sharper, more aggressive. It does remind me of the NSX, and lets not forget that at the time Honda was the dominant power in F1. I think it will depend on the reviews it gets from Evo, Top Gear etc as the car is still an unknown to the general public. If it comprehensively beats the 458 and kept in limited numbers it could be a winner.

JADF

655 posts

261 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
quotequote all
Shmee said:
2009 they sold 453 new cars in the UK; I guessed the same for 2010. For comparison Lamborghini sold only about 120.
Flip! I am quite surprised that Ferrari only sold 453 cars in 09, tho' I suppose the downturn in the economy has not really helped ...

traxx

3,143 posts

253 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
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JADF said:
Shmee said:
2009 they sold 453 new cars in the UK; I guessed the same for 2010. For comparison Lamborghini sold only about 120.
Flip! I am quite surprised that Ferrari only sold 453 cars in 09, tho' I suppose the downturn in the economy has not really helped ...
Ferrari UK are clearly very good at controlling the supply to maintain values. I for one am amazed at the low level of depreciation on the California.
Compare this to Aston who have imo sold way too many cars and it shows in the second hand market

For one of the world best brands to sell 500 cars/year in the UK after being in the car business for 65 years is one thing. I think Mclaren have a hard task coming up -- the car had better be fantastic

footsoldier

2,298 posts

223 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
quotequote all
I've got one on order. The closer I pay attention to spec etc, the more I'm getting my head round the thinking behind it, and the more I'm liking it. I'm convinced it's going to be a step ahead of the competition.

I've always wanted a McLaren ( ie an F1!, and they couldn't sell those either), not bottomless pockets, and since I put the order in I have held off buying a new car so that I can put the depreciation 'in the bank' for the MP4. On that basis, I'm going to buy it, take it to the track on day 2, drive 10k plus miles a year and not give a toss about depreciation. I don't expect my holiday to be worth something at the end of it, or save my girlfriend for the next guy, and if you are worried about the investment value, then cars are the wrong place to look!

I'd rather have 5k worth of an old Impreza which I can drive flat out for miles, than £200k worth of a 458 which is only good for 2k miles a year down the high street, in case it lost money which I couldn't afford.

ufoufo

Original Poster:

357 posts

253 months

Wednesday 26th January 2011
quotequote all
footsoldier said:
I don't expect my holiday to be worth something at the end of it, or save my girlfriend for the next guy....I'd rather have 5k worth of an old Impreza which I can drive flat out for miles, than £200k worth of a 458 which is only good for 2k miles a year down the high street, in case it lost money which I couldn't afford.
Well said!!clap

Even a trip to the Ring and back is 1500 miles...whats the point of buying a £200k car and not being able to drive it in fear of residuals?

militantmandy

3,838 posts

217 months

Thursday 27th January 2011
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ufoufo said:
footsoldier said:
I don't expect my holiday to be worth something at the end of it, or save my girlfriend for the next guy....I'd rather have 5k worth of an old Impreza which I can drive flat out for miles, than £200k worth of a 458 which is only good for 2k miles a year down the high street, in case it lost money which I couldn't afford.
Well said!!clap

Even a trip to the Ring and back is 1500 miles...whats the point of buying a £200k car and not being able to drive it in fear of residuals?
Proper petrolhead mentality. Good on you sir and I hope you enjoy it.