Buying a McLaren 720s
Discussion
Hi, I am new to Piston Heads and I am looking to buy a used McLaren 720s coupe, and was wondering if anyone has bought one recently as their first McLaren. Was hoping for some helpful tips and experiences to make this big investment even more enjoyable. What options to go for, good sellers, etc?
I'm not familiar with the UK market, however recently traded a 570S Spider for a 720S Spider...actually, still waiting for delivery. Necessary options for me were: nose lift, sport exhaust, B&W 12 speaker system, MSO paddles...lots of other options available are desirable, too. I would strongly suggest a pre-purchase inspection by McLaren and complete records. IMO, if the car was ever tracked it would disqualify it from consideration. If a warranty is important to you the car must have never been tuned or modified.
Swift93 said:
I'm not familiar with the UK market, however recently traded a 570S Spider for a 720S Spider...actually, still waiting for delivery. Necessary options for me were: nose lift, sport exhaust, B&W 12 speaker system, MSO paddles...lots of other options available are desirable, too. I would strongly suggest a pre-purchase inspection by McLaren and complete records. IMO, if the car was ever tracked it would disqualify it from consideration. If a warranty is important to you the car must have never been tuned or modified.
In the UK many McLarens will have been on track at least once but few are tracked hard.They are designed to go on track so unless there are other concerns it shouldn’t be an issue
I bought a 720 at the beginning of november.
I purchased from the dealer I had previously purchased from so had some confidence. I know they say to drive / look at lots but the one I viewed and drove felt right to me
It has nose lift which IMHO is one of the most important options to have. Everything else subjective to personal preference.
It’s my first McLaren and unlike any other car I’ve owned before. It’s soemthing else. I doubt you’ll be disappointed!
I purchased from the dealer I had previously purchased from so had some confidence. I know they say to drive / look at lots but the one I viewed and drove felt right to me
It has nose lift which IMHO is one of the most important options to have. Everything else subjective to personal preference.
It’s my first McLaren and unlike any other car I’ve owned before. It’s soemthing else. I doubt you’ll be disappointed!
Got my 720s Spider recently from McLaren Birmingham and have been dealing with the local New Forest dealership to get some bits sorted.
Overall a good experience so far, even though there have been issues. One thing I was surprised at how cheep the insurance was, admittedly I didn't go for a specialist so if I end up being a tool I may have some work but at £330 including the better half and commuting, don't think I can complain.
Few things I've noted which may help you choose.
Reg date doesn't correspond to manufacture date, so as 720s have improved over time e.g. spider MY20 had key operated roof. So if you have specific MY date features be aware of that and ask about the MY (Manufacturing Year).
McLaren's like being run so watch out for very low mileage cars as they may still have niggles yet to be worked out.
Watch out for steering pump noise at below 30mph, some are much louder than others, so much so it can be annoying in the cabin.
Don't expect an oil warning light, like with most other cars, McLarens require a manual check using a specific process of warm up (no dipstick check).
If you have multiple drivers and don't want to faff around with seating position, electric comfort seats are beneficial although not the best for track so depends on your primary purpose.
Basic sound system isn't great so if you want tunes look for the upgraded B&W which is pretty sweet, but even with that radio reception is pretty patchy due to the carbon tub so poor aerial.
When I compare to the R8 I had the 720s is a totally different experience, night and day in terms of power and connected driving experience. I am really looking forward to enjoying it more next year when the weather improves.
Overall a good experience so far, even though there have been issues. One thing I was surprised at how cheep the insurance was, admittedly I didn't go for a specialist so if I end up being a tool I may have some work but at £330 including the better half and commuting, don't think I can complain.
Few things I've noted which may help you choose.
Reg date doesn't correspond to manufacture date, so as 720s have improved over time e.g. spider MY20 had key operated roof. So if you have specific MY date features be aware of that and ask about the MY (Manufacturing Year).
McLaren's like being run so watch out for very low mileage cars as they may still have niggles yet to be worked out.
Watch out for steering pump noise at below 30mph, some are much louder than others, so much so it can be annoying in the cabin.
Don't expect an oil warning light, like with most other cars, McLarens require a manual check using a specific process of warm up (no dipstick check).
If you have multiple drivers and don't want to faff around with seating position, electric comfort seats are beneficial although not the best for track so depends on your primary purpose.
Basic sound system isn't great so if you want tunes look for the upgraded B&W which is pretty sweet, but even with that radio reception is pretty patchy due to the carbon tub so poor aerial.
When I compare to the R8 I had the 720s is a totally different experience, night and day in terms of power and connected driving experience. I am really looking forward to enjoying it more next year when the weather improves.
I bought a 720S spider in September. Owned 911 GT3 and Huracan Evo RWD before that.
The 720s is hands down the best supercar I've ever driven. Absolutely no comparison.
My main tips would be:
- go for a spider. Much more involvement, drama and sound than the coupe, without dynamic compromise. I've never been a fan of convertibles because of the compromises they normally involve, but not so on the 720s. Taking the roof down, or just dropping the rear glass, transform the car. Take one for a test drive and see for yourself.
- make sure to take the car on track. It's not the 0-60 performance that'll take your breath away, but how it goes from 60 to 160. And how it demolishes the twisties at speeds that ought not to be physically possible. Just driving a 720s in town or on country roads does not do this car justice, even remotely.
- be prepared for niggles. Probably all minor stuff. But there will be niggles. However, I can attest that both my GT3 and Huracan had plenty of niggles too. It just goes with low-production-volume supercar territory. So don't be annoyed by it, just take it in your stride.
Most importantly: enjoy every minute of it. History will look back at the 720s as one of just a handful cars at the very pinnacle of the ICE era.
The 720s is hands down the best supercar I've ever driven. Absolutely no comparison.
My main tips would be:
- go for a spider. Much more involvement, drama and sound than the coupe, without dynamic compromise. I've never been a fan of convertibles because of the compromises they normally involve, but not so on the 720s. Taking the roof down, or just dropping the rear glass, transform the car. Take one for a test drive and see for yourself.
- make sure to take the car on track. It's not the 0-60 performance that'll take your breath away, but how it goes from 60 to 160. And how it demolishes the twisties at speeds that ought not to be physically possible. Just driving a 720s in town or on country roads does not do this car justice, even remotely.
- be prepared for niggles. Probably all minor stuff. But there will be niggles. However, I can attest that both my GT3 and Huracan had plenty of niggles too. It just goes with low-production-volume supercar territory. So don't be annoyed by it, just take it in your stride.
Most importantly: enjoy every minute of it. History will look back at the 720s as one of just a handful cars at the very pinnacle of the ICE era.
cars4enjoying said:
RankAmateur said:
make sure to take the car on track. It's not the 0-60 performance that'll take your breath away, but how it goes from 60 to 160. And how it demolishes the twisties at speeds that ought not to be physically possible
If anything the track is where the 675LT really excels versus the 720S. Afterall its a track biased car and an exceptional one at thatDepends what type of ride and feel you like on the road but some say that's where 720S is better than LT however I find the 720S too civilised
Curledge said:
If anything the track is where the 675LT really excels versus the 720S. Afterall its a track biased car and an exceptional one at that
Depends what type of ride and feel you like on the road but some say that's where 720S is better than LT however I find the 720S too civilised
I'm sure both the 675 and 765 are more track focused than the 720. Doesn't detract one bit from the enjoyment to be had from the 720.Depends what type of ride and feel you like on the road but some say that's where 720S is better than LT however I find the 720S too civilised
Swift93 said:
I'm not familiar with the UK market, however recently traded a 570S Spider for a 720S Spider...actually, still waiting for delivery. Necessary options for me were: nose lift, sport exhaust, B&W 12 speaker system, MSO paddles...lots of other options available are desirable, too. I would strongly suggest a pre-purchase inspection by McLaren and complete records. IMO, if the car was ever tracked it would disqualify it from consideration. If a warranty is important to you the car must have never been tuned or modified.
Track my 570s a few times a yr as do many others so wouldn't worry about that and yes I drive at 8/10ths so not trying to set any lap records. Proper maintainence and servicing much more important so full service history etc and buy with a warranty. Swift93 said:
PGNSagaris said:
That’s just embarrassing
I suppose you'd rather pay for someone else's fun on the track by paying for their use of CCB? I prefer cars that haven't had the snot beat out of them. YMMVThats fine to be honest. Each to their own.
But just bear in mind what a McLaren is and who the company are behind them. Their brakes don’t melt on track days.
Swift93 said:
I suppose you'd rather pay for someone else's fun on the track by paying for their use of CCB? I prefer cars that haven't had the snot beat out of them. YMMV
Why is it you consider anyone who tracks their car to have "beaten the snot out of them"? The very nature of the cars is to enjoy the performance, handling and capabilities, you wont get within 20% of that on the roads and certainly doesnt mean they have had the snot beaten out of them. I would much prefer a car thats been used and cared for according to its brief rather than something thats been driven posing around London, with hard acceleration in a gear or two as thats all you can manage or sat on motorways conditioning an engine to the same revs.
Streetbeat said:
Swift93 said:
I suppose you'd rather pay for someone else's fun on the track by paying for their use of CCB? I prefer cars that haven't had the snot beat out of them. YMMV
Why is it you consider anyone who tracks their car to have "beaten the snot out of them"? The very nature of the cars is to enjoy the performance, handling and capabilities, you wont get within 20% of that on the roads and certainly doesnt mean they have had the snot beaten out of them. I would much prefer a car thats been used and cared for according to its brief rather than something thats been driven posing around London, with hard acceleration in a gear or two as thats all you can manage or sat on motorways conditioning an engine to the same revs.
Sure if you take a McLaren off-road then I would consider abuse but not on a track which it’s designed for.
Swift93 said:
I suppose you'd rather pay for someone else's fun on the track by paying for their use of CCB? I prefer cars that haven't had the snot beat out of them. YMMV
I assume you are US based? I’m from the US too, but have lived in England for a long time. I recognize your statement as a common US misconception about performance cars from the pony car days.Edited by 12pack on Saturday 1st January 12:55
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