Discussion
Hi folks
A little help please.
Going to see one tomorrow.
It has a full mclaren service history but just wondering if there’s anything I should look out for?
Also can these cars be serviced else where ie are they so unique they really need to be serviced at mclaren ?
What kind of bills am I looking at when owning too?
Thanks in advance
Si
A little help please.
Going to see one tomorrow.
It has a full mclaren service history but just wondering if there’s anything I should look out for?
Also can these cars be serviced else where ie are they so unique they really need to be serviced at mclaren ?
What kind of bills am I looking at when owning too?
Thanks in advance
Si
Realistically, you either need to get it serviced by McLaren or the single independent (Thorney).
If you have McLaren extended warranty (just under £5k a year for a 12C) it will cost you between about £800-£1,500 for a service depending on which service it is. Warranty will take care of most other things.
Thorney warranty is almost half that if you go the Indy route - not quite as comprehensive as the McLaren one, but good value for money and they have an excellent reputation.
If you don't have any warranty then who knows. There are a few people on MOC who don't, and say their cash balance is positive as a result. But I think you always have a risk of a scary bill.
If you have McLaren extended warranty (just under £5k a year for a 12C) it will cost you between about £800-£1,500 for a service depending on which service it is. Warranty will take care of most other things.
Thorney warranty is almost half that if you go the Indy route - not quite as comprehensive as the McLaren one, but good value for money and they have an excellent reputation.
If you don't have any warranty then who knows. There are a few people on MOC who don't, and say their cash balance is positive as a result. But I think you always have a risk of a scary bill.
Watch the Thorney "buyers guide" vid on youtube as a starter.
Unless you're very experienced at appraising s/h cars I'd suggest a "pre buy" inspection by a 3rd party
Personally, I'd need a 20 mile min ride in the car (driving preferred, but happy to be a passenger if the driver willing to run through my test sequence instructions). I would not even ask for this unless i'd done a thorough inspection and found no red flags.
I don't think these are particularly problematic cars PROVIDED you take them in the context of a 600hp exotic supercar and not a mainstream high performance car - think "458" not "E63".
The issue here is the level of stakes in the game - If you miss (or ignore) something the bills can be very large. This being said, take a look on ebay, almost any part can be bought S/H provided you're brave enough and / or and skillful enough to fit it.
Reliability issues seem to polarize owners - some say excellent, others seem to have nothing but problems. My (short) experience so far is thankfully the former.
For what it's worth, I've already taken quite a few bits off my car and done a fairly thorough inspection. I've been in the industry 35 years and I'd like to think of myself as being fairly experienced in evaluating build quality. I think the 12c is a complex but solidly built car put together with good quality componentry. As with all things lightweight and high performance though this not a vehicle that will take abuse lightly, by this I'm thinking Wet, Salty, Potholed Roads, Cold engine thrashing, Service skipping, Careless parking or failure to deal faults quickly / properly just to name a few. The more owners it's had the more you are not able to form an opinion on how it's been treated.
Personally, I'm not in the market for a warranty. The car's cheap (for a supercar at least) enough for me to buy outright - I just don't think spending 5 to 10% of its (rapidly reducing) value each year "just in case" makes sense. If it hits me with a big bill I'll take it on the chin, fix it and move the car on.
Specifics
£850 insurance (comp / 4k miles pa)
£500+ (indie) to £1500 (mcl) service .... but 10k miles or 12m interval depending on how lucky you feel
Check front lower wishbone boots, Underbody aero, Fluid leaks (particularly gearbox or water pump - undertray off though), Watery rear lights, door mounted aircon displays, Iris level (Iris 1 has dimpled buttons, later ones smooth), Recall level (MY 13 upgrades ?), Battery condition (via dash) & charger present. Realistically, you cant get to a decent level of confidence without a ramps & undertray removal though .....
Beware the paint colour - MCL dont let the codes go and the orange ones in particular are VERY difficult (impossible ?) to match
Final thought - What else can you buy for the money to beat a 12c ?. I'm glad I bought mine, would do it again in a heartbeat.
Good luck !
Unless you're very experienced at appraising s/h cars I'd suggest a "pre buy" inspection by a 3rd party
Personally, I'd need a 20 mile min ride in the car (driving preferred, but happy to be a passenger if the driver willing to run through my test sequence instructions). I would not even ask for this unless i'd done a thorough inspection and found no red flags.
I don't think these are particularly problematic cars PROVIDED you take them in the context of a 600hp exotic supercar and not a mainstream high performance car - think "458" not "E63".
The issue here is the level of stakes in the game - If you miss (or ignore) something the bills can be very large. This being said, take a look on ebay, almost any part can be bought S/H provided you're brave enough and / or and skillful enough to fit it.
Reliability issues seem to polarize owners - some say excellent, others seem to have nothing but problems. My (short) experience so far is thankfully the former.
For what it's worth, I've already taken quite a few bits off my car and done a fairly thorough inspection. I've been in the industry 35 years and I'd like to think of myself as being fairly experienced in evaluating build quality. I think the 12c is a complex but solidly built car put together with good quality componentry. As with all things lightweight and high performance though this not a vehicle that will take abuse lightly, by this I'm thinking Wet, Salty, Potholed Roads, Cold engine thrashing, Service skipping, Careless parking or failure to deal faults quickly / properly just to name a few. The more owners it's had the more you are not able to form an opinion on how it's been treated.
Personally, I'm not in the market for a warranty. The car's cheap (for a supercar at least) enough for me to buy outright - I just don't think spending 5 to 10% of its (rapidly reducing) value each year "just in case" makes sense. If it hits me with a big bill I'll take it on the chin, fix it and move the car on.
Specifics
£850 insurance (comp / 4k miles pa)
£500+ (indie) to £1500 (mcl) service .... but 10k miles or 12m interval depending on how lucky you feel
Check front lower wishbone boots, Underbody aero, Fluid leaks (particularly gearbox or water pump - undertray off though), Watery rear lights, door mounted aircon displays, Iris level (Iris 1 has dimpled buttons, later ones smooth), Recall level (MY 13 upgrades ?), Battery condition (via dash) & charger present. Realistically, you cant get to a decent level of confidence without a ramps & undertray removal though .....
Beware the paint colour - MCL dont let the codes go and the orange ones in particular are VERY difficult (impossible ?) to match
Final thought - What else can you buy for the money to beat a 12c ?. I'm glad I bought mine, would do it again in a heartbeat.
Good luck !
Edited by speedick on Saturday 19th October 20:48
Edited by speedick on Saturday 19th October 20:48
Edited by speedick on Saturday 19th October 20:49
Edited by speedick on Saturday 19th October 20:58
davek_964 said:
Realistically, you either need to get it serviced by McLaren or the single independent (Thorney).
If you have McLaren extended warranty (just under £5k a year for a 12C) it will cost you between about £800-£1,500 for a service depending on which service it is. Warranty will take care of most other things.
Thorney warranty is almost half that if you go the Indy route - not quite as comprehensive as the McLaren one, but good value for money and they have an excellent reputation.
If you don't have any warranty then who knows. There are a few people on MOC who don't, and say their cash balance is positive as a result. But I think you always have a risk of a scary bill.
Cannot add much to the above except if it currently doesn't have a Mac or Thorney warranty, if you are still serious after viewing, get a pre-warranty inspection by either of the above to ensure it needs no remedial work to then qualify for a warranty....costs around £400 which could be the best £400 you ever spend.If you have McLaren extended warranty (just under £5k a year for a 12C) it will cost you between about £800-£1,500 for a service depending on which service it is. Warranty will take care of most other things.
Thorney warranty is almost half that if you go the Indy route - not quite as comprehensive as the McLaren one, but good value for money and they have an excellent reputation.
If you don't have any warranty then who knows. There are a few people on MOC who don't, and say their cash balance is positive as a result. But I think you always have a risk of a scary bill.
Chris Harris still rates the 12c as one of his most favourite cars and he has driven a few decent motors.
Best of luck with your viewing.
Crazy4557 said:
McLaren New Forest have a lovely Volcano Orange one owner 10k mile for under £90k incl 1 year warranty. I looked at it today and if I was in the market this car would be my choice all day long.
Their website says its under £80k if its the same volcano orange 12c...Looks really nice.
The 12c has aged well.
Get one! I've had a 2013 12C Spider for 2 years and have taken the mileage from 5k miles to 15k miles and all i've needed is annual services. I decided to 'run the risk' when the warranty expired and so far it's been a worth while gamble.
Epci cars, they take a while to 'learn' in terms of handling and limits but once you've mastered it i can't think of a car in that price bracket that you get any where near it! Epic cars!
Epci cars, they take a while to 'learn' in terms of handling and limits but once you've mastered it i can't think of a car in that price bracket that you get any where near it! Epic cars!
dank said:
I am toying with a £75k car and the 12C is on the list, can it be kept outside? And are there battery drain issues if left standing? I know Ferrari’s can’t be jumped if battery dead, this would be a deal breaker for me.
My 650 Spider lives outside, and the 12C isn't so different.If you're going to leave it for weeks without use and can't charge it you'll have a problem. Once it detects the battery is almost flat, it will slightly lower the windows so that you can open the doors if the battery completely flattens. And you really don't want to knacker your battery and have to buy a new one....
12C is a great car I did 14k miles in 2.5 years in mine and would have another but I would 100% buy with the factory warranty for an initial year at least until you know any underlying issues are sorted. My car had £18k of warranty work each year I had it. That's £36k in 2 years. I do think the dealers 'milk it' so that would probably be less if you had Thorney do the work.
The owners divide into 3 camps. those who have lots of issues and a bad experience, those who have no issues at all and don't understand those who have, and the rest in the middle, like myself, with some issues. Its total luck of the draw which Is why I would sleep better with a warranty as everything it taken care of. The cars are almost 9 years old now and the factory warranty stops at 10 years but you can buy 2 years warranty at 10 years old so effectively 12 years. What happens after 12 years I have no idea as there won't be a factory warranty, perhaps more indies will appear and prices come down?
Mine cost me the warranty, a £1,450 service and 4 tyres (£880) in 2.5 years and that was it. On top of the insurance (which was only £600) I had to pay around £200pa for the tracker subscription. Compared to my F355 it was cheap as chips and even my MX5 had a £600 service so I don't think they are expensive to run.
The 12C has steel brakes and if you leave it outside for more than a week they will stick, after 10 days the pads will be almost be welded to the discs and it will take an hour of boiling water and 'overheated clutch' error messages to free them and even then a call to McLaren Assist or the AA to drag it and free the brakes. So if you keep it outside remember to use it at least once a week and you must keep it on trickle charge. I know plenty of owners who keep outside but use regularly with no issues.
To sum up awesome car but buy with a years warranty and get Thorney to check the car over (in addition to the McLaren warranty & checks) as there are preventative measures you can take and he will be able to spot what needs to be done under the warranty. Run the car and then at the end of the year have Thorney check it again and if you have faith in its future reliability then continue without one or with Thorney's
The owners divide into 3 camps. those who have lots of issues and a bad experience, those who have no issues at all and don't understand those who have, and the rest in the middle, like myself, with some issues. Its total luck of the draw which Is why I would sleep better with a warranty as everything it taken care of. The cars are almost 9 years old now and the factory warranty stops at 10 years but you can buy 2 years warranty at 10 years old so effectively 12 years. What happens after 12 years I have no idea as there won't be a factory warranty, perhaps more indies will appear and prices come down?
Mine cost me the warranty, a £1,450 service and 4 tyres (£880) in 2.5 years and that was it. On top of the insurance (which was only £600) I had to pay around £200pa for the tracker subscription. Compared to my F355 it was cheap as chips and even my MX5 had a £600 service so I don't think they are expensive to run.
The 12C has steel brakes and if you leave it outside for more than a week they will stick, after 10 days the pads will be almost be welded to the discs and it will take an hour of boiling water and 'overheated clutch' error messages to free them and even then a call to McLaren Assist or the AA to drag it and free the brakes. So if you keep it outside remember to use it at least once a week and you must keep it on trickle charge. I know plenty of owners who keep outside but use regularly with no issues.
To sum up awesome car but buy with a years warranty and get Thorney to check the car over (in addition to the McLaren warranty & checks) as there are preventative measures you can take and he will be able to spot what needs to be done under the warranty. Run the car and then at the end of the year have Thorney check it again and if you have faith in its future reliability then continue without one or with Thorney's
Thorney`s make the whole experience far more palatable and don`t think their warranty stops at 12 years.
Megga cars and such unbelievable value when compared to the stylish but in many ways inferior (and no cheaper to run) 458.
Get a prospective car checked out by an expert, use it, keep the battery charged (you`ll need an appropriate charger) if not using for a few weeks, warm it up and cool it down with a little consideration, and maintain it properly and it`ll be fine.
Megga cars and such unbelievable value when compared to the stylish but in many ways inferior (and no cheaper to run) 458.
Get a prospective car checked out by an expert, use it, keep the battery charged (you`ll need an appropriate charger) if not using for a few weeks, warm it up and cool it down with a little consideration, and maintain it properly and it`ll be fine.
Thing is, the 12c is a super series and there was only 'x' amount made.
They are not going to be driven down by prices of 5 series...they are more plentiful and still being made...they are, by sheer volume available, driving their own price down.
Much sooner rather than later, 5 series shall be trading at lower levels than the 12c.
More people now realise the 12c was an outstanding car and lots of the issues have been well dialed out by now, and you can run a real supercar for the similar price that you would be running a 355, 360 or f430.
Its like Br d....he posted recently that he now looks differently at the 650 that he replaced years ago and thinks it has aged very gracefully.
The latest thing is not always the best thing.
The 12c is still capable of about 85% of a 720 or the latest offering from McLaren...it may be a bit slower, but its maybe only dropped to 458 pace.
If i was near Thorney and had a 12c it would be him looking after it and his warranty...and no worries.
They are not going to be driven down by prices of 5 series...they are more plentiful and still being made...they are, by sheer volume available, driving their own price down.
Much sooner rather than later, 5 series shall be trading at lower levels than the 12c.
More people now realise the 12c was an outstanding car and lots of the issues have been well dialed out by now, and you can run a real supercar for the similar price that you would be running a 355, 360 or f430.
Its like Br d....he posted recently that he now looks differently at the 650 that he replaced years ago and thinks it has aged very gracefully.
The latest thing is not always the best thing.
The 12c is still capable of about 85% of a 720 or the latest offering from McLaren...it may be a bit slower, but its maybe only dropped to 458 pace.
If i was near Thorney and had a 12c it would be him looking after it and his warranty...and no worries.
Another thumbs up for Thorney motorsport. They are probably more knowledgeable about the cars than most dealers as can be seen in various tear down videos. They also support owners and the owners group a lot so as others have said, best to get it to them to have a look over before buying if possible.
I’ve only just sold mine and never had any issues with it except for a dead battery purely my own fault which was expensive. I think even with a flat battery, if the AA hadn’t tried to jump start, then the battery could have survived. Loved every moment of ownership and truly is the only car I’m sad to let go.
At the prices of 12c’s and 650’s now it’s a no brainer to go for them over other supercars. I think bad news always spreads faster and apparent issues with Macs have been overblown especially with all those you tubers out there with axes to grind. Not to say owners haven’t had issues. Just, like other makes, not as large a proportion as has been speculated
I’ve only just sold mine and never had any issues with it except for a dead battery purely my own fault which was expensive. I think even with a flat battery, if the AA hadn’t tried to jump start, then the battery could have survived. Loved every moment of ownership and truly is the only car I’m sad to let go.
At the prices of 12c’s and 650’s now it’s a no brainer to go for them over other supercars. I think bad news always spreads faster and apparent issues with Macs have been overblown especially with all those you tubers out there with axes to grind. Not to say owners haven’t had issues. Just, like other makes, not as large a proportion as has been speculated
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