570 Spider purchase advice
Discussion
Apologies for the thread hijack OP, but as I'm in much the same boat, albeit I'm opting for a 570GT, I thought I'd share the things I've gleaned so far:
- Servicing isn't ridiculous, assuming nothing major needs doing. Best case £500, worst £1200
- Warranty - If going McLaren approved, you'll get 12 months as standard. Elsewhere varies, but Thorney's warranty seems solid
- Inspection - Get it inspected if buying from anywhere other than Main Dealer or Thorney (just my opinion)
- Depreciation - Obviously varies according to the market, but factor in £500 per month for 8000(ish) miles a year and you won't go far wrong
- Iron vs Carbon Ceramic Brakes - Huge premium for the CC brakes; obviously they're incredible but the iron brakes do the job for much less.
- Spec - Still haven't quite figured this one out; there seem to be SO many options available I'm not sure what helps it hold value.
Other than that, buy it any enjoy it seems to be the consensus! I'll be looking to buy in the next month or two; hope you find one soon and when you do, please post pics!
To more knowledgeable folk, if I've gotten anything wrong please feel free to chip in and set me right!
- Servicing isn't ridiculous, assuming nothing major needs doing. Best case £500, worst £1200
- Warranty - If going McLaren approved, you'll get 12 months as standard. Elsewhere varies, but Thorney's warranty seems solid
- Inspection - Get it inspected if buying from anywhere other than Main Dealer or Thorney (just my opinion)
- Depreciation - Obviously varies according to the market, but factor in £500 per month for 8000(ish) miles a year and you won't go far wrong
- Iron vs Carbon Ceramic Brakes - Huge premium for the CC brakes; obviously they're incredible but the iron brakes do the job for much less.
- Spec - Still haven't quite figured this one out; there seem to be SO many options available I'm not sure what helps it hold value.
Other than that, buy it any enjoy it seems to be the consensus! I'll be looking to buy in the next month or two; hope you find one soon and when you do, please post pics!
To more knowledgeable folk, if I've gotten anything wrong please feel free to chip in and set me right!
MannyLon said:
For me, the must have are reverse camera and lift. Anything else I’m pretty flexible tbh.
But you’re right, so many options. I’ve found most cars have many options specced.
I just took it as read that most, if not all cars come with both! That said, I've been looking at the 570S and 540 as well, so I might be getting confused. But you’re right, so many options. I’ve found most cars have many options specced.
Any thoughts on exterior colour preference?
T350 Al said:
Apologies for the thread hijack OP, but as I'm in much the same boat, albeit I'm opting for a 570GT, I thought I'd share the things I've gleaned so far:
- Servicing isn't ridiculous, assuming nothing major needs doing. Best case £500, worst £1200
- Warranty - If going McLaren approved, you'll get 12 months as standard. Elsewhere varies, but Thorney's warranty seems solid
- Inspection - Get it inspected if buying from anywhere other than Main Dealer or Thorney (just my opinion)
- Depreciation - Obviously varies according to the market, but factor in £500 per month for 8000(ish) miles a year and you won't go far wrong
- Iron vs Carbon Ceramic Brakes - Huge premium for the CC brakes; obviously they're incredible but the iron brakes do the job for much less.
- Spec - Still haven't quite figured this one out; there seem to be SO many options available I'm not sure what helps it hold value.
Other than that, buy it any enjoy it seems to be the consensus! I'll be looking to buy in the next month or two; hope you find one soon and when you do, please post pics!
To more knowledgeable folk, if I've gotten anything wrong please feel free to chip in and set me right!
6th year service is a big one and more as needs carbon canisters changing which is dropping the fuel tank I think.- Servicing isn't ridiculous, assuming nothing major needs doing. Best case £500, worst £1200
- Warranty - If going McLaren approved, you'll get 12 months as standard. Elsewhere varies, but Thorney's warranty seems solid
- Inspection - Get it inspected if buying from anywhere other than Main Dealer or Thorney (just my opinion)
- Depreciation - Obviously varies according to the market, but factor in £500 per month for 8000(ish) miles a year and you won't go far wrong
- Iron vs Carbon Ceramic Brakes - Huge premium for the CC brakes; obviously they're incredible but the iron brakes do the job for much less.
- Spec - Still haven't quite figured this one out; there seem to be SO many options available I'm not sure what helps it hold value.
Other than that, buy it any enjoy it seems to be the consensus! I'll be looking to buy in the next month or two; hope you find one soon and when you do, please post pics!
To more knowledgeable folk, if I've gotten anything wrong please feel free to chip in and set me right!
570s had ceramics as standard and im pretty sure the GT swapped to having them as standard after a certain year?
Front lift is a must wouldnt consider one without.
If buying a car beyond the 5 year paint warranty, look out for paint bubbling. If beyond the 3 year initial warranty, check the door hinges for cracks.
Check for noises from the suspension over bumps as worn bushes, leaking dampers or broken springs aren't unknown and are expensive. Check the wipers work (ditto) and the radio tuner. Each of these individual items can be £1500+ to sort.
If buying a car with ceramic brakes (all S & 2018-on GTs), read this thread esp the posted PDF guide to judging wear % visually https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... , as it's £15k+ to replace a full set.
I'd agree lift is the one must-have option, it's not needed as often as you might think but gives peace of mind and v hard to re-sell without. Seats I think are electric heated in all Spiders and GTs. Interior carbon comes with extended shift paddles, I was keen to have this. I do think the extended paddles are handy when changing gear with lock on.
Wheels are a combination of personal taste and weight, the base wheels are cast although virtually all Spiders have one of the four forged upgrades, as do many GTs.
Exterior colour is a matter of taste, it's worth noting the huge range of colours available - I'm not sure anyone has a definitive list. Cars on the market are majority white/black/silver/grey, so the colours do stand out.
Interior can be leather or alcantara, light or dark and with or without contrasting stitching / belts.
I'd look for a car that's done a reasonable mileage, better than paying a premium for a low mileage car which has sat unused. So far I feel these cars aren't as unreliable or expensive to run as popular opinion would suggest, especially if you find a good independent specialist.
Future values are very tough to predict, but what I would say is that right here right now, these cars are great value at £80-120k. For that you get a proper carbon-tub, vertical door, 3.2 secs to 60, 200mph supercar with "Handling by Lotus" so to speak, which is dramatic yet also pretty usable.
Check for noises from the suspension over bumps as worn bushes, leaking dampers or broken springs aren't unknown and are expensive. Check the wipers work (ditto) and the radio tuner. Each of these individual items can be £1500+ to sort.
If buying a car with ceramic brakes (all S & 2018-on GTs), read this thread esp the posted PDF guide to judging wear % visually https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... , as it's £15k+ to replace a full set.
I'd agree lift is the one must-have option, it's not needed as often as you might think but gives peace of mind and v hard to re-sell without. Seats I think are electric heated in all Spiders and GTs. Interior carbon comes with extended shift paddles, I was keen to have this. I do think the extended paddles are handy when changing gear with lock on.
Wheels are a combination of personal taste and weight, the base wheels are cast although virtually all Spiders have one of the four forged upgrades, as do many GTs.
Exterior colour is a matter of taste, it's worth noting the huge range of colours available - I'm not sure anyone has a definitive list. Cars on the market are majority white/black/silver/grey, so the colours do stand out.
Interior can be leather or alcantara, light or dark and with or without contrasting stitching / belts.
I'd look for a car that's done a reasonable mileage, better than paying a premium for a low mileage car which has sat unused. So far I feel these cars aren't as unreliable or expensive to run as popular opinion would suggest, especially if you find a good independent specialist.
Future values are very tough to predict, but what I would say is that right here right now, these cars are great value at £80-120k. For that you get a proper carbon-tub, vertical door, 3.2 secs to 60, 200mph supercar with "Handling by Lotus" so to speak, which is dramatic yet also pretty usable.
T350 Al said:
- Depreciation - Obviously varies according to the market, but factor in £500 per month for 8000(ish) miles a year and you won't go far wrong
I think this is optimistic given you seem to be talking about buying a dealer car. Dealer margins on these are high and bid/offer spread will be anything up to £20k on a 570S. Also depends how long you keep it of course - if you just keep it for a year, you'll lose that dealer margin in only 1 year. Also 8k miles a year is relatively high for these cars, over 3 years that's 24k miles. Many of the 3 year old cars are still well under 10k miles.BobM said:
I think this is optimistic given you seem to be talking about buying a dealer car. Dealer margins on these are high and bid/offer spread will be anything up to £20k on a 570S. Also depends how long you keep it of course - if you just keep it for a year, you'll lose that dealer margin in only 1 year. Also 8k miles a year is relatively high for these cars, over 3 years that's 24k miles. Many of the 3 year old cars are still well under 10k miles.
Fair comment. I've toyed with the idea of a main dealer car, but will likely go Indy (most likely Thorney at this stage). Current preference is for the 570GT and I've seen a few come up on private sale for £8k - £10k less than dealer prices, so completely agree dealer margins are high. I just can't quite bring myself to take the plunge on a car without a warranty, at least for the first year. It's (obviously!) my first foray into the marque, so there's a lot of unknowns for me that are making me cautious. As bizarre as it sounds, I haven't yet driven one, though did manage to get a passenger ride on a track day a couple of years back and loved it.
The idea of ownership only came about after a chat at the start of the year with my (then) fiancée about hiring one for our honeymoon; a quick look at hire costs had me wondering how much one could be bought for and the rest, as they say, is history! I now find myself in May, having gotten married, sorted financing and now just having to find the right car! Being based in South Wales, actually getting time to go and view cars in the flesh and test drive them will likely take a weekend break with the Mrs to sort.
The idea of ownership only came about after a chat at the start of the year with my (then) fiancée about hiring one for our honeymoon; a quick look at hire costs had me wondering how much one could be bought for and the rest, as they say, is history! I now find myself in May, having gotten married, sorted financing and now just having to find the right car! Being based in South Wales, actually getting time to go and view cars in the flesh and test drive them will likely take a weekend break with the Mrs to sort.
T350 Al said:
Fair comment. I've toyed with the idea of a main dealer car, but will likely go Indy (most likely Thorney at this stage). Current preference is for the 570GT and I've seen a few come up on private sale for £8k - £10k less than dealer prices, so completely agree dealer margins are high. I just can't quite bring myself to take the plunge on a car without a warranty, at least for the first year. It's (obviously!) my first foray into the marque, so there's a lot of unknowns for me that are making me cautious.
Another point to consider is Thorney cars are usually not much cheaper than main dealer prices and sometimes even more expensive, plus their cars are SOR so might be less scope for negotiation. Also their warranty has a claim limit of £10k, so is not as comprehensive as a main dealer's. PinkHouse said:
Another point to consider is Thorney cars are usually not much cheaper than main dealer prices and sometimes even more expensive, plus their cars are SOR so might be less scope for negotiation. Also their warranty has a claim limit of £10k, so is not as comprehensive as a main dealer's.
Thanks, that's really helpful. The only problem is there doesn't seem to be many Main Dealer cars in my price range (max £95k) and those that are, seem fairly low spec or have uninspiring colour combos. The MD warranty would be great peace of mind, but if I don't love the car it would be a bit of a waste. Of course, I'm not going to rush just to buy one for the sake of it, but I'd love to find one sooner rather than later!
PinkHouse said:
Another point to consider is Thorney cars are usually not much cheaper than main dealer prices and sometimes even more expensive, plus their cars are SOR so might be less scope for negotiation. Also their warranty has a claim limit of £10k, so is not as comprehensive as a main dealer's.
Just to be clear, the Thorney limit is £10k because their approach is they can fix any issue for under £10k vs the dealer approach which is "throw it away and replace with new" on certain items.Gassing Station | McLaren | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff