Mclaren 650S Spider at £100k - am i missing something??

Mclaren 650S Spider at £100k - am i missing something??

Author
Discussion

Rock Studly

Original Poster:

82 posts

219 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
Hi Guys,

I read the forums religiously and constantly check on cars of various makes but I cant help thinking that a 650 spider at around £100k is an absolute steal!!
Here are my thoughts -

1) A relatively rare car - not sure how many were made but only 10 spiders available on Pistonheads compared to >50 570's and 720's and even >30 12C's.
2) A decent upgrade from the 12C - probably more so than 650 to 720 yet a 2016 650 is only £15k more than 2014 12c but £50k less than a 2017/8 720.
3) A proper supercar for the same money as an R8 or AMG GTS/R and considerably less than a Hurracan or 458.

As you can guess i am getting pretty close to pulling the trigger here. What am i missing? Are the upgrades to newer models 570 and 720 more significant than i know or is it something else.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

anonymous-user

61 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
Rock Studly said:
Hi Guys,

I read the forums religiously and constantly check on cars of various makes but I cant help thinking that a 650 spider at around £100k is an absolute steal!!
Here are my thoughts -

1) A relatively rare car - not sure how many were made but only 10 spiders available on Pistonheads compared to >50 570's and 720's and even >30 12C's.
2) A decent upgrade from the 12C - probably more so than 650 to 720 yet a 2016 650 is only £15k more than 2014 12c but £50k less than a 2017/8 720.
3) A proper supercar for the same money as an R8 or AMG GTS/R and considerably less than a Hurracan or 458.

As you can guess i am getting pretty close to pulling the trigger here. What am i missing? Are the upgrades to newer models 570 and 720 more significant than i know or is it something else.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Some people in the Owners Club cannot see the benefit of supposedly 'upgrading' from a 650 to a 720. The ‘real-world’ marginal improvement is hard to justify the significant £££ difference. To really appreciate the difference, you would need to be tracking both cars. On the public road, is it worth the extra £50K? Probably not.

The 720S slays most things on 4 wheels (and on 2), but you are in serious license losing / jail territory. The 650S is very similar. Unless you are a track monster, save the £50K and buy a 650S Spider. If you are a track monster, the 600LT would be more appropriate.



Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 14th February 12:55

ferdi p

1,523 posts

179 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
There are so many posts on this subject, search them & you'll have much reading ahead of you!

Some positive, lots negative smile

I had one & loved it...

PotHoleHater

2,605 posts

232 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
I’ve been watching the values of the 650 spider slide over the last 18 months...wait a little linger and (imho) they’ll be at £80k...

davek_964

9,294 posts

182 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
I think the difference between 12C and 650 will be much smaller than the difference between 650 and 720.

If you wait, of course they'll get cheaper. And if you don't buy one at all, you'll save even more money.......

I'm glad I bought mine - in fact the longer I own it, the happier I'm getting

Crazy4557

689 posts

201 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
PotHoleHater said:
I’ve been watching the values of the 650 spider slide over the last 18 months...wait a little linger and (imho) they’ll be at £80k...
Another doomsayer talking down the values. Got anything interesting to say about McLarens or just the normal negativity that gets spouted on here....

12pack

1,594 posts

175 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
I went in for a 570 and came out with a 650 spider.

I considered the 720 then, too - but there was no spider back then. I’m sure it was the lousy winter’s day, but on the test drive it didn’t seem worth the extra outlay, given that I preferred the analog-ish interior and layout of the 650. And given that the car I was buying was black, the exterior (advantage 720) didn’t look that different compared to the 720, especially for the uninitiated.


anonymous-user

61 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
Rock Studly said:
I cant help thinking that a 650 spider at around £100k is an absolute steal!!
Yes, they are. I can't think of anything comparable that will give you more bang-for-your-buck.

Bispal

1,713 posts

158 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
MAC 720S said:
Rock Studly said:
I cant help thinking that a 650 spider at around £100k is an absolute steal!!
Yes, they are. I can't think of anything comparable that will give you more bang-for-your-buck.
I agree with this 100%. A12C is an amazing car and a 650S improves on the 12C around 5-10% in all areas. For me the choice between the 2 comes down to which you prefer aesthetically. The 650 also has CCB's. The 570 is also a stunning car and amazing to drive. I would say at low speeds the 570 is slightly more alert but the 12C/650 has the edge when you get going. Personally I would have a 12C/650 over a 570 but its a personal choice.

IMHO the cars to look out for are the 650s coupes as there are only approx. 35 RHD in the UK making them exceedingly rare. Or an early 12C, chassis number under 100. I think both these will be sought after in the future.

However all McLaren's are great value at the moment but the 650s is probably the top pick in the bargain stakes. Buy with a 1yr warranty and you wont go wrong. McLaren's are not as unreliable as non owning YouTuber's would have you believe. My McLaren's have never cost me a penny other than the warranty costs & regular services which are not expensive.

Go for it, you won't be disappointed, quite the opposite....



650spider

1,476 posts

178 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
I have had my 650 spider since April last year.

It is a very, very fast car that not much else can keep up with, and at a pull of a button its got no roof. Its an extremely comfortable car to drive, and have never felt anything apart from refreshed after each journey, no matter how many miles.

At the start of the year, it felt the time to move on to a used 720 spider and arranged for a prolonged test drive.

Great car; a step forward all round just as it should be. However, i came away with the profound feeling that there was absolutely no £120k benefit over my 650 spider....it actually felt 'right' when i got back into mines with the simplicity of the dashboard...they got the interior of the 650 just bang on i feel.

With regards to pace, when you are talking about a second slower to 124, its not really an issue; all the McLarens are stupid time warp fast.

At £100k, a 650spider is a proper bargain, and it does seem as though more people are realising it.

The depreciation of these 650s are slowing down; even my defective man math just could not stomach what a £220k 720 spider shall he worth this time next year....its pretty sad watching what's happening to the 600lt spiders.

It just made it clearer that spending £3700-4800 each year on a Macwarranty on a good 650 spider is a far cheaper route with 99% of the benefits.

My advice is to buy one that gets used instead of sitting about for months and months...they don't like that.


isaldiri

20,234 posts

175 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
davek_964 said:
I think the difference between 12C and 650 will be much smaller than the difference between 650 and 720.
This. It's utterly loony to think there's more difference between a 12c and 650 than 650 to 720.

ferdi p

1,523 posts

179 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
I love my 720s & sold my 650 spider to get one, I was v lucky with timing & the upgrade cost me just 6k.

Do I miss the roof down option? - Yes
Do I use the extra power? - No
Would I pay 50/60k more to get one over a 650? - Absolutely not!

At 95k a 650s is the bargain of the century imo!

RobMGti

80 posts

109 months

Saturday 15th February 2020
quotequote all
I’ve been having similar thoughts over the past month. I was set on going for a cheaper 12c and going down the Thorney route for inspection/warranty but I think a 650s at sub £100k looks very attractive, especially as most have a McL warranty for a year.

Question for previous buyers, how genuine is the possibility of negotiating an additional year of warranty in as part of a purchase from a dealer?

davek_964

9,294 posts

182 months

Saturday 15th February 2020
quotequote all
RobMGti said:
Question for previous buyers, how genuine is the possibility of negotiating an additional year of warranty in as part of a purchase from a dealer?
Mine flat refused. However, I was part ex'ing two cars so probably didn't have the strongest bargaining position.

12pack

1,594 posts

175 months

Saturday 15th February 2020
quotequote all
RobMGti said:
I’ve been having similar thoughts over the past month. I was set on going for a cheaper 12c and going down the Thorney route for inspection/warranty but I think a 650s at sub £100k looks very attractive, especially as most have a McL warranty for a year.

Question for previous buyers, how genuine is the possibility of negotiating an additional year of warranty in as part of a purchase from a dealer?
Keep in mind the warranty comes from the company, after the dealer provides an inspection, so I’m not sure they’re fully in control. Probably easier to push on the price or the difference on a part ex.

GRD 8

51 posts

73 months

Monday 17th February 2020
quotequote all
650spider said:
I have had my 650 spider since April last year.

It is a very, very fast car that not much else can keep up with, and at a pull of a button its got no roof. Its an extremely comfortable car to drive, and have never felt anything apart from refreshed after each journey, no matter how many miles.

At the start of the year, it felt the time to move on to a used 720 spider and arranged for a prolonged test drive.

Great car; a step forward all round just as it should be. However, i came away with the profound feeling that there was absolutely no £120k benefit over my 650 spider....it actually felt 'right' when i got back into mines with the simplicity of the dashboard...they got the interior of the 650 just bang on i feel.

With regards to pace, when you are talking about a second slower to 124, its not really an issue; all the McLarens are stupid time warp fast.

At £100k, a 650spider is a proper bargain, and it does seem as though more people are realising it.

The depreciation of these 650s are slowing down; even my defective man math just could not stomach what a £220k 720 spider shall he worth this time next year....its pretty sad watching what's happening to the 600lt spiders.

It just made it clearer that spending £3700-4800 each year on a Macwarranty on a good 650 spider is a far cheaper route with 99% of the benefits.

My advice is to buy one that gets used instead of sitting about for months and months...they don't like that.
Fully agree, I took an extended test drive in 720 spider and could not find enough of a difference to warrant the cost to change. Not driven on the track, only road test. There are not many 650 spiders to choose from at Mclaren dealers at the moment, but when they do get them they seem to be very competitively priced especially when you factor in the Mclaren warranty them come with from the dealer.