675LT 3 year ownership review.
Discussion
Bispal said:
It’s now exactly 3 years since I purchased my 675LT and therefore I think it’s time for an ownership review.
In the 3 years of ownership we have travelled 9,000 miles together, that includes a year of lockdown otherwise it would have been more.
So what have been the costs in my 3 years?
I bought my 675LT with 2 years warranty from McLaren Manchester with a fresh 4th year service included and the receipt for this service was £939+vat. Following this it has always been looked after by Bell & Colvill, AKA McLaren Guildford. The next services were, 5th service, £477 + vat, 6th service £1,070 + vat, 7th service £ 548 + vat (completed today)
I zeroed the MPG and trip when I bought the car and haven’t touched it since, the average MPG over the 3 years / 9,080 miles is 23.2 mpg. Motorway driving sees 32 mpg average and up to 36mpg when taking it easy (70 cruise). That’s better than my Boxster and MX5.
What about warranty work?
Well I have had 4 new accumulators, suspension arms, a spring, a damper (but think they did pairs), a headlight and 2 new wings which I upgraded to CF louvred. I also paid £9,670 for 2 years extended warranty which has more than paid for itself with the bits above.
Has it let me down?
Once I spotted a leak when out for the day. I got it recovered just to be safe, it was a secondary coolant pipe (not engine) which was replaced under warranty but cost £40. And that was it.
Any other costs?
4 x MPS4S tyres to replace the Trofeo’s were £800 fitted. And must say they are terrific. The tracker fob is around £150 subscription per year. Insurance and tax and actually quite palatable. As above it doesn’t drink much petrol so that has never been an issue and it has very good range, approx. 400 motorway miles. £115 excess for a new screen.
How does it compare to my previous 12C, also owned for 3 years and 14k miles?
The 675LT is much more connected, more analogue and sounds better, not just the whip-cracks but all round throatier and more natural. It is of course much faster with more low down grunt, although the 12C has a real fizz at the top and is more like an old school turbo with quite a thrilling top end adrenalin hit, but not 675LT level. The steering is more accurate as (I think) it has a P1 rack. The running costs have been about the same. The 12C did have more warranty work and more time in the workshop but the new owner has, as far as I know, had no problems since he bought it, I think everything was ironed out in my ownership.
The take away is the traction, the 675LT seems to find traction everywhere, on straights, corners, its just outstanding. The grip is phenomenal. If its dry you can put it in ESC/DYN mode and then it really flies.
The 675LT just gives you a real buzz, it is louder, faster, more connected and raw but still somehow retains the comfort. The 12C is better at touring as its quieter, especially road noise, but is not as connected to the road. The gearbox seems better calibrated and does not ‘creep’ like the 12C, makes reversing up hills from a standstill a little tricky though.
I would certainly have another 12C, they are fabulous cars and I could quite easily make a case for owning both as they are quite different (IMHO).
Any negatives?
The turning circle is challenging. The ground clearance is also not great and it does scrape but has lots of protection so you always know its nothing valuable. It does have dual axle lift and when its raised it will go anywhere, it does take 10 seconds or so to activate though. The radio is rubbish as is the windscreen wiper / washer. But that’s it. The radio and wiper bug me more than the ground clearance and turning circle. At least you can stream to IRIS very easily.
What do I like about my car?/
The fact mine is a Clubsport Professional makes it stand out. It has the iconic chicane grey paint with orange highlights and seat bolsters on the very comfortable bucket seats. It also has a CF rear wing, bonnet and vented wings. Inside it has a titanium roll cage and the track telemetry. I think the only options I don’t have are upgraded stereo and of course the very desirable roof scoop. However as we do quite a bit of touring I am not sure the roof scoop would suit us, but it is very sexy.
I hope to keep enjoying my 675LT for many years, it still remains my ultimate dream car and there is not a single new car post 2015 that has tempted me away from the 675LT. With the ever increasing regulation of cars I doubt anything ever will. The 675LT, for me, was probably peak supercar managing to be modern yet analogue all at the same time.
As of yet, in 6 years McLaren ownership, I have not experienced any of the issues, other than wing corrosion, that the internet and in particular YouTube would have you believe all McLarens are cursed with. Both have been the most excellent of companions on many adventures.
The 675LT at its birthplace
The 12C on one if its trips to Interlaken
Thanks for the running report, always good to hear real owners experiences & costs.In the 3 years of ownership we have travelled 9,000 miles together, that includes a year of lockdown otherwise it would have been more.
So what have been the costs in my 3 years?
I bought my 675LT with 2 years warranty from McLaren Manchester with a fresh 4th year service included and the receipt for this service was £939+vat. Following this it has always been looked after by Bell & Colvill, AKA McLaren Guildford. The next services were, 5th service, £477 + vat, 6th service £1,070 + vat, 7th service £ 548 + vat (completed today)
I zeroed the MPG and trip when I bought the car and haven’t touched it since, the average MPG over the 3 years / 9,080 miles is 23.2 mpg. Motorway driving sees 32 mpg average and up to 36mpg when taking it easy (70 cruise). That’s better than my Boxster and MX5.
What about warranty work?
Well I have had 4 new accumulators, suspension arms, a spring, a damper (but think they did pairs), a headlight and 2 new wings which I upgraded to CF louvred. I also paid £9,670 for 2 years extended warranty which has more than paid for itself with the bits above.
Has it let me down?
Once I spotted a leak when out for the day. I got it recovered just to be safe, it was a secondary coolant pipe (not engine) which was replaced under warranty but cost £40. And that was it.
Any other costs?
4 x MPS4S tyres to replace the Trofeo’s were £800 fitted. And must say they are terrific. The tracker fob is around £150 subscription per year. Insurance and tax and actually quite palatable. As above it doesn’t drink much petrol so that has never been an issue and it has very good range, approx. 400 motorway miles. £115 excess for a new screen.
How does it compare to my previous 12C, also owned for 3 years and 14k miles?
The 675LT is much more connected, more analogue and sounds better, not just the whip-cracks but all round throatier and more natural. It is of course much faster with more low down grunt, although the 12C has a real fizz at the top and is more like an old school turbo with quite a thrilling top end adrenalin hit, but not 675LT level. The steering is more accurate as (I think) it has a P1 rack. The running costs have been about the same. The 12C did have more warranty work and more time in the workshop but the new owner has, as far as I know, had no problems since he bought it, I think everything was ironed out in my ownership.
The take away is the traction, the 675LT seems to find traction everywhere, on straights, corners, its just outstanding. The grip is phenomenal. If its dry you can put it in ESC/DYN mode and then it really flies.
The 675LT just gives you a real buzz, it is louder, faster, more connected and raw but still somehow retains the comfort. The 12C is better at touring as its quieter, especially road noise, but is not as connected to the road. The gearbox seems better calibrated and does not ‘creep’ like the 12C, makes reversing up hills from a standstill a little tricky though.
I would certainly have another 12C, they are fabulous cars and I could quite easily make a case for owning both as they are quite different (IMHO).
Any negatives?
The turning circle is challenging. The ground clearance is also not great and it does scrape but has lots of protection so you always know its nothing valuable. It does have dual axle lift and when its raised it will go anywhere, it does take 10 seconds or so to activate though. The radio is rubbish as is the windscreen wiper / washer. But that’s it. The radio and wiper bug me more than the ground clearance and turning circle. At least you can stream to IRIS very easily.
What do I like about my car?/
The fact mine is a Clubsport Professional makes it stand out. It has the iconic chicane grey paint with orange highlights and seat bolsters on the very comfortable bucket seats. It also has a CF rear wing, bonnet and vented wings. Inside it has a titanium roll cage and the track telemetry. I think the only options I don’t have are upgraded stereo and of course the very desirable roof scoop. However as we do quite a bit of touring I am not sure the roof scoop would suit us, but it is very sexy.
I hope to keep enjoying my 675LT for many years, it still remains my ultimate dream car and there is not a single new car post 2015 that has tempted me away from the 675LT. With the ever increasing regulation of cars I doubt anything ever will. The 675LT, for me, was probably peak supercar managing to be modern yet analogue all at the same time.
As of yet, in 6 years McLaren ownership, I have not experienced any of the issues, other than wing corrosion, that the internet and in particular YouTube would have you believe all McLarens are cursed with. Both have been the most excellent of companions on many adventures.
The 675LT at its birthplace
The 12C on one if its trips to Interlaken
Edited by Bispal on Friday 16th December 14:31
Bispal said:
Sorry went to edit and deleted it late yesterday. Thanks for copying.
I did wonder! 
Great write up, and I can only echo your sentiments.
2 small differences;
Your servicing costs are considerably cheaper, but then we only have 1 dealer up this way, so not many other options; my most recent service, the 5th year was around £1200.
I decided back in May when in for its service not to extend the warranty as it had behaved impeccably just like the last year or so I had the 650; so far, my 675 has not required anything apart from services in my 18 mth ownership, so between this year and the previous 650 year I have around £10k in the theoretical self warrant kitty.
The chicane grey is the definite ying to my napier green yang!
It does look absolutely stunning though.
The louvered wings, whilst not essential, really does finish of a 675, and its an option well worth sourcing if possible, although these cars are extremely thin on the ground.
What seats are you running with?
Hmmm I paid quite a bit more than that for my first annual service with my car at B&C... I`ll be on their case next year!
I didn`t bother with the warranty with my 12 for the 5 years I owned it and I definitely made the right decision but I will with the 675 simply because it is a known quantity and some of the parts are scarily expensive... although Thorney`s seems to be able to fix most things for a fraction of the McLaren cost....
I didn`t bother with the warranty with my 12 for the 5 years I owned it and I definitely made the right decision but I will with the 675 simply because it is a known quantity and some of the parts are scarily expensive... although Thorney`s seems to be able to fix most things for a fraction of the McLaren cost....
Bispal]It’s now exactly 3 years since I purchased my 675LT and therefore I think it’s time for an ownership review.
In the 3 years of ownership we have travelled 9,000 miles together,
I bought my 675LT with 2 years warranty from McLaren Manchester with a fresh 4th year service included
What about warranty work?
Well I have had 4 new accumulators, suspension arms, a spring, a damper (but think they did pairs), a headlight and 2 new wings which I upgraded to CF louvred. I also paid £9,670 for 2 years extended warranty which has more than paid for itself with the bits above.
As of yet, in 6 years McLaren ownership, I have not experienced any of the issues, other than wing corrosion, that the internet and in particular YouTube would have you believe all McLarens are cursed with. Both have been the most excellent of companions on many adventures.
Thank you for your experiences/review, glad you're liking the car.
Of your over £9k warranty work, could/should any of that have been found by McLaren Manchester in the first place? If these are non consumable items, then are these elements that other owner/purchasers should look out for?
In the 3 years of ownership we have travelled 9,000 miles together,
I bought my 675LT with 2 years warranty from McLaren Manchester with a fresh 4th year service included
What about warranty work?
Well I have had 4 new accumulators, suspension arms, a spring, a damper (but think they did pairs), a headlight and 2 new wings which I upgraded to CF louvred. I also paid £9,670 for 2 years extended warranty which has more than paid for itself with the bits above.
As of yet, in 6 years McLaren ownership, I have not experienced any of the issues, other than wing corrosion, that the internet and in particular YouTube would have you believe all McLarens are cursed with. Both have been the most excellent of companions on many adventures.
Thank you for your experiences/review, glad you're liking the car.
Of your over £9k warranty work, could/should any of that have been found by McLaren Manchester in the first place? If these are non consumable items, then are these elements that other owner/purchasers should look out for?
Wheelspinning said:
Bispal said:
Sorry went to edit and deleted it late yesterday. Thanks for copying.
I did wonder! Great write up, and I can only echo your sentiments.
2 small differences;
Your servicing costs are considerably cheaper, but then we only have 1 dealer up this way, so not many other options; my most recent service, the 5th year was around £1200.
I decided back in May when in for its service not to extend the warranty as it had behaved impeccably just like the last year or so I had the 650; so far, my 675 has not required anything apart from services in my 18 mth ownership, so between this year and the previous 650 year I have around £10k in the theoretical self warrant kitty.
The chicane grey is the definite ying to my napier green yang!
It does look absolutely stunning though.
The louvered wings, whilst not essential, really does finish of a 675, and its an option well worth sourcing if possible, although these cars are extremely thin on the ground.
What seats are you running with?
CTE said:
Hmmm I paid quite a bit more than that for my first annual service with my car at B&C... I`ll be on their case next year!
I didn`t bother with the warranty with my 12 for the 5 years I owned it and I definitely made the right decision but I will with the 675 simply because it is a known quantity and some of the parts are scarily expensive... although Thorney`s seems to be able to fix most things for a fraction of the McLaren cost....
Warranty or not i think is swings and roundabouts. If you pay it almost everything is covered. If not then V engineering can fix cheaper than the franchised dealers anyway. I think works out similar in the end. I didn`t bother with the warranty with my 12 for the 5 years I owned it and I definitely made the right decision but I will with the 675 simply because it is a known quantity and some of the parts are scarily expensive... although Thorney`s seems to be able to fix most things for a fraction of the McLaren cost....
TrotCanterGallopCharge]Bispal said:
Thank you for your experiences/review, glad you're liking the car.
Of your over £9k warranty work, could/should any of that have been found by McLaren Manchester in the first place? If these are non consumable items, then are these elements that other owner/purchasers should look out for?
I have had the car 3 years and 9k miles. It's had 4 services in between and some of the suspension components wore in the past 12 months since the last service. No way Manchester could have known that 3 years ago McLaren took the view it was premature wear and covered the parts. Just shows what an outstanding warranty they have. I don't think porsche or ferrari would cover those on a 13k mile 7 year old car. Of your over £9k warranty work, could/should any of that have been found by McLaren Manchester in the first place? If these are non consumable items, then are these elements that other owner/purchasers should look out for?
Wheelspinning said:
An absolute corking spec napier green clubsport has appeared in the PH classifieds.
I have seen that car in the flesh and it is really nice.
I know the seller too, its a cracking car especially in club sport spec with the ti harness bar. I think he's about to change his mind though.....I have seen that car in the flesh and it is really nice.
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