First McLaren

[BlackR8]

Hi All,

Ok, having admired Mclarens for a while, I managed to recently actually go see some in the flesh and go out in one. First impressions on the exterior is that I don't think it is a car that photo's do justice to. In person the cars have some serious road presence and look every bit supercar regardless of which model in the range it is from sports series to the super series.

What absolutely blew me away though was when in the car on a drive. I have been fortunate to have owned/driven/sat-in most of the exotic marques but I can honestly say for the price point I really don't think anything can beat the Mclaren as a package. I was shocked at the quality of the ride, the brutal performance, and the sense of occasion it gave. The exhaust note whilst not up there with the N/A equivalents it wasn't as muted as I have read about.

I need to explore the brand a bit more and just had a few questions that I am hoping owners can help answer: -

My budget will put me in a 570S, 570GT or at a small stretch a 650S.

At the price point which of these do you think presents the best value and package at the moment?
Whilst I appreciate depreciation isn't at the forefront of many peoples minds, it is still a factor to consider, so same question again which of these cars do you think will fair the best over the next couple of years? (I appreciate its crystal ball stuff but some views will be useful)
Whilst the car will strictly be a weekend toy, I do live in a city so driving will involve a fair bit of traffic and start/stop, is any particular model better than others at this?
Finally is there any items on the spec list that are must-haves and are there any colours which are particularly desirable come resale time? I prefer the bright colours like green, orange, blues as I think they suit supercars but I am not sure whether this puts me in the minority when it comes to Mclarens? What I don't want to do is not understand the equivalent of the effect of say red has with Ferrari's when making my choice of a Mclaren.

I am dipping my toe in at the moment, but am honestly blown away by what I have experienced so far so I can see the Mclaren being a very strong contender as things stand.

[BlackR8]

Thanks guys. What was the primary reasons for choosing the 650s, I have heard the gear shifting is a step behind the newer 570s, is this something that is tangible when driving at lower speeds etc?

[BlackR8]

Thanks the warranty costs is something i overlooked so a good point. Good news about the colours as I think a supercar has to be for me in daring colours to add to the drama.

[BlackR8]

RSbandit said:

I'm in a similar position to the OP having recently had a 570s spider as a courtesy car for a weekend...I too was blown away by it and made my mind up that I have to run one in the near future. For me it would be a 570s couple and there are a few to pick from around the 100k mark I plan and searching properly later on in the summer so hopefully there will be more choice around that level. Think the 570S is a more cohesive design than the 650 but being able to drop the roof has plenty of appeal. Car I had was Blade Silver which I thought was a really nice colour.

Yes I too from just a short drive was simply blown away. I cant believe the amount of hate Mclaren seem to get on here when their product is clearly astonishing and in my personal opinion at the price the 570s and the like are now, nothing comes close to it.

[BlackR8]

Some great advice guys thank you.

Really interesting that the warranty costs seem to be so varied for people, you would think Mclaren would have a standard warranty cost per model but this doesn't seem to be the case?

Having read the feedback, clearly the 12C perhaps presents the most incredible value at the moment as they seem to be around £80k now and whilst this is seriously tempting I am a big fan of the front end on the 650 and 570 range although they don't present as good value as the 12C right now.

How are McLaren about allowing prospective customers have an extended test drive for a day? Is this a painful process or are they willing to do this. I think the only way I will be able to decide is to have a go in both the 570 and 650 in varying driving conditions to then decide which model to aspire to.

[BlackR8]

Thanks guys. What I am hearing is that most of the models are great for their individual intended purpose. It will be down to personal preference but the only way to pick I think would be to get an extended test drive of a demo 570 and 650 in my typical driving environment. What are McLaren like in having demo cars for use by prospective customers?

[BlackR8]

Palmball said:

I stumbled across McLaren a few weeks ago after inadvertently going out in a 570S when initially going to look at something else at an independent. It blew me away to be honest, the other car (Italian and red) didn't even get a look in.

Afterwards, at a main dealer, I also insisted I needed a 24hr+ test drive because I'm a fussy f*cker and, after a being used to relatively good engineering precision from the German brands, I needed to make sure this British kit car was up to scratch before pushing the button. I was surprised how difficult it was to get my local dealer to agree to this. I buy a lot of cars and am well versed in how to behave as a serious buyer but I was apparently the first person ever to ask for such a thing with my local dealer. In the end we reached an agreement and I got my extended test drive, but it was not easy....worked out for them in the end as I bought a car from them. Hatfield are not my local dealer, and I hear they are decent so you may have better luck there.

So far so good. It's my daily driver yet nothing has broken, dropped off or stopped working. The brand has this reputation of flakiness and I'm just waiting for it to live up to this....coming from all sorts of Porsches, BMW's, Audi's and Mercs it's fair to say my expectations of the McLaren brand are low but it has exceeded my expectations, in most areas.

Everything would point to the newer cars being the best made / least problematic so my view is to buy the newest you can afford (even at the expense of miles) and then just get on and enjoy a level of driving interaction that is probably unsurpassed elsewhere.

Thanks for the insight. I think i will have to try my luck with the dealer and see what they say.
Looking right across the range there is something really appealing about a 12c or 650s at their current price points but don't want to go for the best value proposition at the expense of missing out on the advancement and different driving dynamics that come with the 570s. Only way to tell is drive them back to back