718 GT4 to 12c
Discussion
Has anyone done this?
I don’t earn a lot but I’ve always been careful with money. I came in to some earlier in the year and was very close to buying a 12c, I set a budget of 70k. Ultimately I went with a 718 GT4 (£67,000). I love the car but part of me wishes I’d gone for the 12c.
I have a lot going on in life at the moment with a son with brain cancer and a mum with terminal cancer…. It’s definitely put things in perspective and I’m contemplating a 12c, or any of the cheaper McLarens.
Seeing Thorney Motorsport has had some 70k 12c’s gives me confidence that you can get a good car at that price.
Has anyone gone from a GT4, Cayman or 911 GT3 to McLaren or does anyone have experience with both cars.
I’m just looking for people’s experience at the moment. I’m yet to even sit in McLaren.
I don’t earn a lot but I’ve always been careful with money. I came in to some earlier in the year and was very close to buying a 12c, I set a budget of 70k. Ultimately I went with a 718 GT4 (£67,000). I love the car but part of me wishes I’d gone for the 12c.
I have a lot going on in life at the moment with a son with brain cancer and a mum with terminal cancer…. It’s definitely put things in perspective and I’m contemplating a 12c, or any of the cheaper McLarens.
Seeing Thorney Motorsport has had some 70k 12c’s gives me confidence that you can get a good car at that price.
Has anyone gone from a GT4, Cayman or 911 GT3 to McLaren or does anyone have experience with both cars.
I’m just looking for people’s experience at the moment. I’m yet to even sit in McLaren.
ex-devonpaul said:
Sorry to hear about this - losing a parent is often hard but not unexpected, potentially losing a child must be devastating. I don't know anything about your circumstances, ages, abilities, etc, and am not trying to denegrate your decision in any way, but what would your son rather you did with £70k?
Thanks for the kind words and I do understand what you’re saying.My son’s 25 (I’m 49), we had a few years of little contact but the last six months I’ve been with him every weekend, driving the GT4 from Derbyshire to Scarborough, and we’ve been doing drives and visiting car shows up there.
My son’s a big car guy although he can’t drive due to brain surgery, he first had a brain tumour in 2019 and recovered well but after what he went through it’s 5 years before you can drive and now we’re dealing with it again.
The car has been a huge part of bringing us closer together, he loves it.
Before the 718 he’d constantly cancel visits, even when I was half way there.
I think he’d LOVE if I got a McLaren. I’ve told him already that when the day comes I’ll happily sell any car I have and buy him whatever vehicle he wants
BobM said:
I went from 718 GT4 to a 600LT.
The GT4 is a good car, but it's not in the same league as a McLaren. it's easy to see the differences on paper, but it doesn't really tell the whole story. The difference in power feels more than it is because of the way the McLaren delivers the huge mid range torque, and the Mclaren actually feels lighter than the figures would suggest, much more pointy and go kart-like. Although I guess you probably tune the geometry on the GT 4 to match it a little bit more.
What surprised me (and my wife) was the difference in ride quality, the Mclaren being a much smoother ride than the GT4 which was actually quite hard and a bit crashy on our roads. If you're looking at the 12C then the difference would be even more exaggerated because you've got the cross linked hydraulic suspension which would make it even smoother on the road than mine.
Obviously I like the looks of the GT4 and the interior,or I wouldn't have bought one in the first place, but I think all the McLarens are stunningly beautiful and very much supercar rather than production car.
The Mclaren does cost more to run but not really much more. Servicing comes out to not far off £1,000 in the GT4, and about the same for the Mclaren but the Mclaren requires annual servicing, whereas the GT4 is every two years. In terms of fuel consumption the Mclaren's actually slightly better than the GT4.
I've had the LT for just over 2.5 years now, and it still looks and feels special.
A lot of your decision-making will hinge around what you want from the car. For a driving experience more like your GT4 but with the dials turned up, then a sports series (570S, 570GT, 600LT) might be a better bet. The 12C is faster of course, but my impression not having driven one, is that it's slightly more GT car. I have driven a 720S though which reinforced that expectation.
You really need to get a test drive, it's the driving feel that is the car's strong point. A friend of a friend who had a 718 Spyder went looking at McLaren GTs which she loved, but ended up in a 650S.
Thank you for that. Extremely helpful.The GT4 is a good car, but it's not in the same league as a McLaren. it's easy to see the differences on paper, but it doesn't really tell the whole story. The difference in power feels more than it is because of the way the McLaren delivers the huge mid range torque, and the Mclaren actually feels lighter than the figures would suggest, much more pointy and go kart-like. Although I guess you probably tune the geometry on the GT 4 to match it a little bit more.
What surprised me (and my wife) was the difference in ride quality, the Mclaren being a much smoother ride than the GT4 which was actually quite hard and a bit crashy on our roads. If you're looking at the 12C then the difference would be even more exaggerated because you've got the cross linked hydraulic suspension which would make it even smoother on the road than mine.
Obviously I like the looks of the GT4 and the interior,or I wouldn't have bought one in the first place, but I think all the McLarens are stunningly beautiful and very much supercar rather than production car.
The Mclaren does cost more to run but not really much more. Servicing comes out to not far off £1,000 in the GT4, and about the same for the Mclaren but the Mclaren requires annual servicing, whereas the GT4 is every two years. In terms of fuel consumption the Mclaren's actually slightly better than the GT4.
I've had the LT for just over 2.5 years now, and it still looks and feels special.
A lot of your decision-making will hinge around what you want from the car. For a driving experience more like your GT4 but with the dials turned up, then a sports series (570S, 570GT, 600LT) might be a better bet. The 12C is faster of course, but my impression not having driven one, is that it's slightly more GT car. I have driven a 720S though which reinforced that expectation.
You really need to get a test drive, it's the driving feel that is the car's strong point. A friend of a friend who had a 718 Spyder went looking at McLaren GTs which she loved, but ended up in a 650S.
For me it’s about the driving, I insured the GT4 for 5000 miles for the year and I’ve done that in 5 months, include a 13 hour round trip to Edinburgh and back in the 718 carbon buckets.
I can take a lack of creature comforts, the car doesn’t have to have any extras or be showy. I just love driving, doing long miles. It relaxes and me whenever I’m behind the wheel I feel stress free.
As for which McLaren I’m sure I’d love any but the 12c appeals more than others in my price range. The most important things would be handling and engine.
Thanks for taking the time to reply and writing such a detailed post, it’s much appreciated.
BobM said:
I went from 718 GT4 to a 600LT.
The GT4 is a good car, but it's not in the same league as a McLaren. it's easy to see the differences on paper, but it doesn't really tell the whole story. The difference in power feels more than it is because of the way the McLaren delivers the huge mid range torque, and the Mclaren actually feels lighter than the figures would suggest, much more pointy and go kart-like. Although I guess you probably tune the geometry on the GT 4 to match it a little bit more.
What surprised me (and my wife) was the difference in ride quality, the Mclaren being a much smoother ride than the GT4 which was actually quite hard and a bit crashy on our roads. If you're looking at the 12C then the difference would be even more exaggerated because you've got the cross linked hydraulic suspension which would make it even smoother on the road than mine.
Obviously I like the looks of the GT4 and the interior,or I wouldn't have bought one in the first place, but I think all the McLarens are stunningly beautiful and very much supercar rather than production car.
The Mclaren does cost more to run but not really much more. Servicing comes out to not far off £1,000 in the GT4, and about the same for the Mclaren but the Mclaren requires annual servicing, whereas the GT4 is every two years. In terms of fuel consumption the Mclaren's actually slightly better than the GT4.
I've had the LT for just over 2.5 years now, and it still looks and feels special.
A lot of your decision-making will hinge around what you want from the car. For a driving experience more like your GT4 but with the dials turned up, then a sports series (570S, 570GT, 600LT) might be a better bet. The 12C is faster of course, but my impression not having driven one, is that it's slightly more GT car. I have driven a 720S though which reinforced that expectation.
You really need to get a test drive, it's the driving feel that is the car's strong point. A friend of a friend who had a 718 Spyder went looking at McLaren GTs which she loved, but ended up in a 650S.
Thank you for that. Extremely helpful.The GT4 is a good car, but it's not in the same league as a McLaren. it's easy to see the differences on paper, but it doesn't really tell the whole story. The difference in power feels more than it is because of the way the McLaren delivers the huge mid range torque, and the Mclaren actually feels lighter than the figures would suggest, much more pointy and go kart-like. Although I guess you probably tune the geometry on the GT 4 to match it a little bit more.
What surprised me (and my wife) was the difference in ride quality, the Mclaren being a much smoother ride than the GT4 which was actually quite hard and a bit crashy on our roads. If you're looking at the 12C then the difference would be even more exaggerated because you've got the cross linked hydraulic suspension which would make it even smoother on the road than mine.
Obviously I like the looks of the GT4 and the interior,or I wouldn't have bought one in the first place, but I think all the McLarens are stunningly beautiful and very much supercar rather than production car.
The Mclaren does cost more to run but not really much more. Servicing comes out to not far off £1,000 in the GT4, and about the same for the Mclaren but the Mclaren requires annual servicing, whereas the GT4 is every two years. In terms of fuel consumption the Mclaren's actually slightly better than the GT4.
I've had the LT for just over 2.5 years now, and it still looks and feels special.
A lot of your decision-making will hinge around what you want from the car. For a driving experience more like your GT4 but with the dials turned up, then a sports series (570S, 570GT, 600LT) might be a better bet. The 12C is faster of course, but my impression not having driven one, is that it's slightly more GT car. I have driven a 720S though which reinforced that expectation.
You really need to get a test drive, it's the driving feel that is the car's strong point. A friend of a friend who had a 718 Spyder went looking at McLaren GTs which she loved, but ended up in a 650S.
For me it’s about the driving, I insured the GT4 for 5000 miles for the year and I’ve done that in 5 months, include a 13 hour round trip to Edinburgh and back in the 718 carbon buckets.
I can take a lack of creature comforts, the car doesn’t have to have any extras or be showy. I just love driving, doing long miles. It relaxes and me whenever I’m behind the wheel I feel stress free.
As for which McLaren I’m sure I’d love any but the 12c appeals more than others in my price range. The most important things would be handling and engine.
Thanks for taking the time to reply and writing such a detailed post, it’s much appreciated.
targarama said:
Go for it, Mclarens are amazing to drive and own. Just get one from a reputable dealer/indie or you will be facing £5k of work.
I just went the other way, only because I fancied a change after owning my Mclaren for nearly 8 years. I just bought a 718. It is exactly what I expected, a very good sports car with great steering and brakes, the engine is OK but not amazing, goes well then runs out of puff when the Mclaren just gets into it's stride. Stepping from any 718 to a Mclaren is like turning the dial from 8 to 11. Steering, handling, power are all several levels higher.
My better half commented on the speed difference after a country blast this weekend. She said in the Mclaren after a few seconds accelerating hard you arrive at the next bend and need to brake much harder than in the Boxster. i.e. 20+ mph more speed to scrub off. Quite noticeable.
I will be back in a Mclaren one day in the future, just invested my money elsewhere for now.
P.S. The Mclaren has better cabin storage and cupholders than the Porsche!
I love the GT4 and it ticks all the boxes but I do agree with speed, if feels like you get true performance in only about 20% of the rev range and I'm forever chasing that, I guess that where driving skill comes in to it. I just went the other way, only because I fancied a change after owning my Mclaren for nearly 8 years. I just bought a 718. It is exactly what I expected, a very good sports car with great steering and brakes, the engine is OK but not amazing, goes well then runs out of puff when the Mclaren just gets into it's stride. Stepping from any 718 to a Mclaren is like turning the dial from 8 to 11. Steering, handling, power are all several levels higher.
My better half commented on the speed difference after a country blast this weekend. She said in the Mclaren after a few seconds accelerating hard you arrive at the next bend and need to brake much harder than in the Boxster. i.e. 20+ mph more speed to scrub off. Quite noticeable.
I will be back in a Mclaren one day in the future, just invested my money elsewhere for now.
P.S. The Mclaren has better cabin storage and cupholders than the Porsche!
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