650 purchase advice
Discussion
Hi,
I'm currently in the market for a 12C / 650 and come across this one.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
After been solely a Porsche person for the last 15 years I'm not as familiar with Mclarens as I am Porsche. On that basis I'm keen to seek as much advice as possible prior to moving forward, does anyone know or have a view / advice on this car?
Main questions relate to any options that may be a "must have" that it's missing. Looks good to me but hey, what do I know.
Price, again it looks well priced but its missing a Mclaren warranty (~4k) so there's consideration to be had there. Is there anything else I'm missing?
I'm currently in the market for a 12C / 650 and come across this one.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
After been solely a Porsche person for the last 15 years I'm not as familiar with Mclarens as I am Porsche. On that basis I'm keen to seek as much advice as possible prior to moving forward, does anyone know or have a view / advice on this car?
Main questions relate to any options that may be a "must have" that it's missing. Looks good to me but hey, what do I know.
Price, again it looks well priced but its missing a Mclaren warranty (~4k) so there's consideration to be had there. Is there anything else I'm missing?
It is missing all the exterior carbon fibre which I assume would have been very expensive when these cars were specced new. Other things to ask about might be whether it has the Sports Exhaust.
Second the inspection point I think this is a must. Have you tried talking to AB as you cant go wrong buying your first Mac from a either a franchised dealer or well regarded independent specialist like him.
Second the inspection point I think this is a must. Have you tried talking to AB as you cant go wrong buying your first Mac from a either a franchised dealer or well regarded independent specialist like him.
Thanks guys, agreed ref inspection. Approach I have in my head is to have the car inspected at Mc-Leeds and warranty it as part of the process.
Never even thought about exterior carbon but now you've mentioned it, it helps understand the competitive price.
Re sports exhaust, it is a little confusing in the ad and needs clarification. It reads like its standard equipment in which case it may not have the optional factory exhaust and that's a big plus for me.
Cheers for taking the time to look and reply
Never even thought about exterior carbon but now you've mentioned it, it helps understand the competitive price.
Re sports exhaust, it is a little confusing in the ad and needs clarification. It reads like its standard equipment in which case it may not have the optional factory exhaust and that's a big plus for me.
Cheers for taking the time to look and reply
As has been mentioned above; its a very low option car.
There are varying opinions on why 'carbon is not important to me', but it does matter a lot when it comes to selling...its always very easy to buy but selling can be another matter altogether.
Likewise so does having as many options as possible such as lift, soft close, comfort entry upgraded surround meriden and most importantly a McLaren warranty.
There is a reason these 650s have been advertised for that long.
I have just sold my 650 spider after 20 months ownership so can give 1st hand advice.
It was almost like every enquiry had a check list of 'does it have...' and each time started with carbon front, rear, Intakes, side skirts, mirrors, then moving onto other items above.
Answering 'no' to any of them questions would definitely have an impact.
Its a buyers market so you want to ensure you get the best car and spec possible.
The warranty is a huge one.
Once a Mac is out of warranty, it can be extremely financially draining to get it back in.
A McLaren inspection is around £350+ vat and they will inspect with a fine toothcomb and request every item they discover rectified before offering the warranty.
A Thorney warranty seems fine but nowhere near as comprehensive as the McLaren on and it all depends on your proximity is to his premises.
Questions to ask, would be if for instance if Thorney covers a broken coil spring or is that wear and tare?
If not that's a £4k job.
My 650 required a damper on a corner on each of the the last 3 services, latest one for a cracked coil spring. McLaren also replaced all the drop links and bushes on warranty...in short, you really want a McLaren warranty as you shall sleep better at night, and I doubt I could if sold mines as easily without.
The McLaren warranty from the day it turns 5 years old is £4950 a year on top of the circa £1100+ service.
I loved my 650 but facing approx £6200 for next service and warranty was just not desirable to myself.
In 20 months the only issue I had was an airbrake failure on 2 occasions; not one niggle and the maintenance issue were only discovered during services.
Even at that i only very briefly considered not extending the warranty but decided not to take a chance.
AB just sold a really fantastic spec volcano red 650 spider for £95k that had just been serviced and 12 months macwarranty.
That was less than I sold mines for privately but maybe a good indication where prices are going; the owner of that 650 just spent over £6k on service / warranty and the circa £4-5k selling fee to AB to sell on his behalf.
I have been speaking to him recently about the next Mac I am looking to buy, and I would highly recommend you speak to him and see if he can source you what you desire, as if you get one through him it shall be in A1 condition.
Best of luck with your search.
The 650 spider is a fantastic car.
Source the absolute best in your budget and negotiate hard; i did and sold my 650 for £5.5k less than i paid 20 months ago; contrary to current belief you don't have to lose your shirt owning a Mac.
Not a negative post; just an actual owner posting my buying, ownership and selling costs and experiences and hope it helps a potential newcomer to McLaren.
It was worth every single penny btw....
There are varying opinions on why 'carbon is not important to me', but it does matter a lot when it comes to selling...its always very easy to buy but selling can be another matter altogether.
Likewise so does having as many options as possible such as lift, soft close, comfort entry upgraded surround meriden and most importantly a McLaren warranty.
There is a reason these 650s have been advertised for that long.
I have just sold my 650 spider after 20 months ownership so can give 1st hand advice.
It was almost like every enquiry had a check list of 'does it have...' and each time started with carbon front, rear, Intakes, side skirts, mirrors, then moving onto other items above.
Answering 'no' to any of them questions would definitely have an impact.
Its a buyers market so you want to ensure you get the best car and spec possible.
The warranty is a huge one.
Once a Mac is out of warranty, it can be extremely financially draining to get it back in.
A McLaren inspection is around £350+ vat and they will inspect with a fine toothcomb and request every item they discover rectified before offering the warranty.
A Thorney warranty seems fine but nowhere near as comprehensive as the McLaren on and it all depends on your proximity is to his premises.
Questions to ask, would be if for instance if Thorney covers a broken coil spring or is that wear and tare?
If not that's a £4k job.
My 650 required a damper on a corner on each of the the last 3 services, latest one for a cracked coil spring. McLaren also replaced all the drop links and bushes on warranty...in short, you really want a McLaren warranty as you shall sleep better at night, and I doubt I could if sold mines as easily without.
The McLaren warranty from the day it turns 5 years old is £4950 a year on top of the circa £1100+ service.
I loved my 650 but facing approx £6200 for next service and warranty was just not desirable to myself.
In 20 months the only issue I had was an airbrake failure on 2 occasions; not one niggle and the maintenance issue were only discovered during services.
Even at that i only very briefly considered not extending the warranty but decided not to take a chance.
AB just sold a really fantastic spec volcano red 650 spider for £95k that had just been serviced and 12 months macwarranty.
That was less than I sold mines for privately but maybe a good indication where prices are going; the owner of that 650 just spent over £6k on service / warranty and the circa £4-5k selling fee to AB to sell on his behalf.
I have been speaking to him recently about the next Mac I am looking to buy, and I would highly recommend you speak to him and see if he can source you what you desire, as if you get one through him it shall be in A1 condition.
Best of luck with your search.
The 650 spider is a fantastic car.
Source the absolute best in your budget and negotiate hard; i did and sold my 650 for £5.5k less than i paid 20 months ago; contrary to current belief you don't have to lose your shirt owning a Mac.
Not a negative post; just an actual owner posting my buying, ownership and selling costs and experiences and hope it helps a potential newcomer to McLaren.
It was worth every single penny btw....
The mileage is actually a positive. Notwithstanding the other points raised on here, I would prefer a car with a bit of mileage behind it, as that suggest proper use, which benefits these cars (any car really) immensely. Garage Queens tend to be the ones with more niggles and with mileage like this, you can safely assume that any niggles have been ironed out during its lifetime.
The 650S is generally regarded as a very resolved car and is the one in the McLaren range that I prefer the most. It is also becoming a hell of a lot of car for the money.
As for CF and other “desireable” options, the importance of these depends intent with the car. CF dressing is purely a vanity/cosmetic thing and actually doesn’t make a mosquito’s fart of a difference to how it drives, which presumably should be the most important thing. If you are buying for long term ownership, it wouldn’t matter to me at all and frankly I would rather save a few quid on the fancy trinkets and focus on the driving machine it is.
If you are buying to scratch an itch and plan to move on after 12/24 months, then these things become a bit more important. Although it is all relative. You are paying less for it already because it is not dripping in CF. When you resell, the price you seek will likely be a result of a similar depreciation to one you pay more for at the outset, so six to one etc.
As for Warranty, like any exotic, it is a question of your attitude to risk. A full service history car, with a PPI (which is prudent), with decent use behind it, is likely on balance to be a lower risk proposition. My approach is to set aside the warranty cost each year in a pot and self-insure effectively. Keep it maintained correctly, use it regularly and if you can service at Thorney or another Indy (there are a few popping up) and it will be a low odds bet that something major will fail, leaving you worse off than if you shelled out for warranties.
Looking at what else is available for £86k amongst its peers, it is pretty unbeatable IMO.
The 650S is generally regarded as a very resolved car and is the one in the McLaren range that I prefer the most. It is also becoming a hell of a lot of car for the money.
As for CF and other “desireable” options, the importance of these depends intent with the car. CF dressing is purely a vanity/cosmetic thing and actually doesn’t make a mosquito’s fart of a difference to how it drives, which presumably should be the most important thing. If you are buying for long term ownership, it wouldn’t matter to me at all and frankly I would rather save a few quid on the fancy trinkets and focus on the driving machine it is.
If you are buying to scratch an itch and plan to move on after 12/24 months, then these things become a bit more important. Although it is all relative. You are paying less for it already because it is not dripping in CF. When you resell, the price you seek will likely be a result of a similar depreciation to one you pay more for at the outset, so six to one etc.
As for Warranty, like any exotic, it is a question of your attitude to risk. A full service history car, with a PPI (which is prudent), with decent use behind it, is likely on balance to be a lower risk proposition. My approach is to set aside the warranty cost each year in a pot and self-insure effectively. Keep it maintained correctly, use it regularly and if you can service at Thorney or another Indy (there are a few popping up) and it will be a low odds bet that something major will fail, leaving you worse off than if you shelled out for warranties.
Looking at what else is available for £86k amongst its peers, it is pretty unbeatable IMO.
Darranu said:
@650 Spider. Really great advice and thank you for taking the time to share.
Think I'll give AB a call in the week as he seems to keep cropping up.
No worries.Think I'll give AB a call in the week as he seems to keep cropping up.
Thats definitely your best starting point when considering coming into the McLaren fold; AB shall chat for as long as you want giving you all the best advice on the different models, specs etc; he is a great lad.
Regards miles, my 650 spider had over 32k miles when I sold; low miles sure as hell don't mean best cars; I try and avoid them for 'issue' problems and to avoid any concerns about how many miles I may add.
On a footnote, if i had self warranted, I would of been out of pocket by a considerable multiple factor, but that may be down to McLarens ocd about ensuring the cars are perfect after every service.
Superleg48 said:
As for CF and other “desireable” options, the importance of these depends intent with the car. CF dressing is purely a vanity/cosmetic thing and actually doesn’t make a mosquito’s fart of a difference to how it drives, which presumably should be the most important thing. If you are buying for long term ownership, it wouldn’t matter to me at all and frankly I would rather save a few quid on the fancy trinkets and focus on the driving machine it is.
If you are buying to scratch an itch and plan to move on after 12/24 months, then these things become a bit more important. Although it is all relative. You are paying less for it already because it is not dripping in CF. When you resell, the price you seek will likely be a result of a similar depreciation to one you pay more for at the outset, so six to one etc.
+1 about the carbon fiber. When I bought mine I deliberately chose one without, as I planned to drive and track mine and didn’t want to deal with occasional damage. Anyway, I’m not big on decorative carbon fiber. It seems to go against all the reasons I got into a McLaren as opposed to a Lambo - but that’s just me. I’m sure @650 is right about the general market.If you are buying to scratch an itch and plan to move on after 12/24 months, then these things become a bit more important. Although it is all relative. You are paying less for it already because it is not dripping in CF. When you resell, the price you seek will likely be a result of a similar depreciation to one you pay more for at the outset, so six to one etc.
Edited by 12pack on Sunday 15th November 12:22
12pack said:
+1 about the carbon fiber. When I bought mine I deliberately chose one without, as I planned to drive and track mine and didn’t want to deal with occasional damage. Anyway, I’m not big on decorative carbon fiber. It seems to go against all the reasons I got into a McLaren as opposed to a Lambo - but that’s just me. I’m sure @650 is right about the general market.
I can only call it as I have just experienced it 12pack.Edited by 12pack on Sunday 15th November 12:22
There is no definitive answer for carbon; some want some don't, but it was certainly amongst the first questions I was asked when I advertised by all whom enquired.
The lovely guy whom bought and collected this week had been religiously scouring pistonheads adverts and autotrader for just shy of a year looking for the his specific spec and fortunately when he was on the cusp of giving up mines ticked all his boxes; really nice for it to go to someone whom shall cherish it like I did.
Have to say, i am still very sad to see it go but will pick up another mac soon...just got to find the right one in the only colour I want with each of the options i would of chosen from new!
Darranu said:
Hi,
I'm currently in the market for a 12C / 650 and come across this one.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
After been solely a Porsche person for the last 15 years I'm not as familiar with Mclarens as I am Porsche. On that basis I'm keen to seek as much advice as possible prior to moving forward, does anyone know or have a view / advice on this car?
Main questions relate to any options that may be a "must have" that it's missing. Looks good to me but hey, what do I know.
Price, again it looks well priced but its missing a Mclaren warranty (~4k) so there's consideration to be had there. Is there anything else I'm missing?
Yes buy a Ferrari or Lamborghini.I'm currently in the market for a 12C / 650 and come across this one.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
After been solely a Porsche person for the last 15 years I'm not as familiar with Mclarens as I am Porsche. On that basis I'm keen to seek as much advice as possible prior to moving forward, does anyone know or have a view / advice on this car?
Main questions relate to any options that may be a "must have" that it's missing. Looks good to me but hey, what do I know.
Price, again it looks well priced but its missing a Mclaren warranty (~4k) so there's consideration to be had there. Is there anything else I'm missing?
Haha wondered how long it would be before someone suggested going Italian....
For my budget I just couldn't bring myself to spend that sort of money on a F430 or Gallardo when you could get a Mclaren which is at least one if not two generations more advanced.
Granted it comes with added running costs but from a driving prospective I don't think either would come close.
Each to their own mind, all lovely in their own way
For my budget I just couldn't bring myself to spend that sort of money on a F430 or Gallardo when you could get a Mclaren which is at least one if not two generations more advanced.
Granted it comes with added running costs but from a driving prospective I don't think either would come close.
Each to their own mind, all lovely in their own way
Darranu said:
Haha wondered how long it would be before someone suggested going Italian....
For my budget I just couldn't bring myself to spend that sort of money on a F430 or Gallardo when you could get a Mclaren which is at least one if not two generations more advanced.
Granted it comes with added running costs but from a driving prospective I don't think either would come close.
For my budget I just couldn't bring myself to spend that sort of money on a F430 or Gallardo when you could get a Mclaren which is at least one if not two generations more advanced.
Granted it comes with added running costs but from a driving prospective I don't think either would come close.
Darranu said:
Haha wondered how long it would be before someone suggested going Italian....
For my budget I just couldn't bring myself to spend that sort of money on a F430 or Gallardo when you could get a Mclaren which is at least one if not two generations more advanced.
Granted it comes with added running costs but from a driving prospective I don't think either would come close.
Each to their own mind, all lovely in their own way
Sorry just being a clever dick. Yes they are good value compared to what is a outdated Ferrari and Lamborghini,For my budget I just couldn't bring myself to spend that sort of money on a F430 or Gallardo when you could get a Mclaren which is at least one if not two generations more advanced.
Granted it comes with added running costs but from a driving prospective I don't think either would come close.
Each to their own mind, all lovely in their own way
As soon as you get this Mclaren thing out of your system the better,then you can get back to a proper car, like a Porsche.
( Owned over 30 Porsche's mostly 911's but never a Mclaren so should keep my month shut, good luck with your search.)
rat rod said:
Sorry just being a clever dick. Yes they are good value compared to what is a outdated Ferrari and Lamborghini,
As soon as you get this Mclaren thing out of your system the better,then you can get back to a proper car, like a Porsche.
( Owned over 30 Porsche's mostly 911's but never a Mclaren so should keep my month shut, good luck with your search.)
As soon as you get this Mclaren thing out of your system the better,then you can get back to a proper car, like a Porsche.
( Owned over 30 Porsche's mostly 911's but never a Mclaren so should keep my month shut, good luck with your search.)
Hey no apology needed! We're incredibly privileged to be able to own any of the cars mentioned, all stunning in their own way
rat rod said:
Sorry just being a clever dick. Yes they are good value compared to what is a outdated Ferrari and Lamborghini,
As soon as you get this Mclaren thing out of your system the better,then you can get back to a proper car, like a Porsche.
( Owned over 30 Porsche's mostly 911's but never a Mclaren so should keep my month shut, good luck with your search.)
Hated the 2 911's I owned over time, I tried them twice! Quite liked my Cayman but it was underpowered because of the 911 even though it was in my opinion a far better drivers car As soon as you get this Mclaren thing out of your system the better,then you can get back to a proper car, like a Porsche.
( Owned over 30 Porsche's mostly 911's but never a Mclaren so should keep my month shut, good luck with your search.)
Only in a 540 currently but it's far better than my Porches. Can't comment on the Italian stuff really, had a couple of drives but that's it. My only real experience of them was a guy in my old village had a Countach rotting away in his garage while Lambo did nothing but claim it was his problem not theirs Darranu said:
Hi,
I'm currently in the market for a 12C / 650 and come across this one.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
After been solely a Porsche person for the last 15 years I'm not as familiar with Mclarens as I am Porsche. On that basis I'm keen to seek as much advice as possible prior to moving forward, does anyone know or have a view / advice on this car?
Main questions relate to any options that may be a "must have" that it's missing. Looks good to me but hey, what do I know.
Price, again it looks well priced but its missing a Mclaren warranty (~4k) so there's consideration to be had there. Is there anything else I'm missing?
Have you seen the 650 spider for sale at Woodham Mortimer cars in Chelmsford. I'm currently in the market for a 12C / 650 and come across this one.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
After been solely a Porsche person for the last 15 years I'm not as familiar with Mclarens as I am Porsche. On that basis I'm keen to seek as much advice as possible prior to moving forward, does anyone know or have a view / advice on this car?
Main questions relate to any options that may be a "must have" that it's missing. Looks good to me but hey, what do I know.
Price, again it looks well priced but its missing a Mclaren warranty (~4k) so there's consideration to be had there. Is there anything else I'm missing?
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