Supercar Club

[Il8]

Hi guys,

I’m new here so please be gentle. I’ve got to a point in my life where I can actually consider owning/driving a supercar.

I’ve thought long and hard about this but the investor in me feels like it’s a lot of outlay and cost for a vanity project (I like nice, fast cars but I’m not a car nut). I’ve decided that cause I couldn’t make a decision about which supercar to buy, I’d go down the supercar club route.

It really appeals to me cause it’s affordable, let’s me drive an array of cars and it’s cheaper than owning one.

Now I’ve searched the web and these forums and saw some old opinions from years ago about some of the clubs, I’m here for more of an up to date view on them, what they’re like, which ones have the newest up to date cars, good service and won’t go bankrupt!

I’ve narrowed down to 2 P1 International or Auto Vivendi, I’ve looked at the top 2 memberships for both and they both seem really good, any opinions or reviews on the 2 would be most welcome.

For anyone who says I should just buy one, I’ve thought long and hard about this but for what I want, and for my circumstances, I really like this idea, so my mind won’t be changed!

[davek_964]

Il8 said:

Hi guys,

I’m new here so please be gentle. I’ve got to a point in my life where I can actually consider owning/driving a supercar.

I’ve thought long and hard about this but the investor in me feels like it’s a lot of outlay and cost for a vanity project (I like nice, fast cars but I’m not a car nut). I’ve decided that cause I couldn’t make a decision about which supercar to buy, I’d go down the supercar club route.

It really appeals to me cause it’s affordable, let’s me drive an array of cars and it’s cheaper than owning one.

Now I’ve searched the web and these forums and saw some old opinions from years ago about some of the clubs, I’m here for more of an up to date view on them, what they’re like, which ones have the newest up to date cars, good service and won’t go bankrupt!

I’ve narrowed down to 2 P1 International or Auto Vivendi, I’ve looked at the top 2 memberships for both and they both seem really good, any opinions or reviews on the 2 would be most welcome.

For anyone who says I should just buy one, I’ve thought long and hard about this but for what I want, and for my circumstances, I really like this idea, so my mind won’t be changed!

Er - I'm pretty sure it's not cheaper than owning one unless you were thinking of buying brand spanking new and suffering depreciation. Membership costs are high, and at the end of it you have no asset. But each to their own.

[PompeyReece]

Il8 said:

For anyone who says I should just buy one, I’ve thought long and hard about this but for what I want, and for my circumstances, I really like this idea, so my mind won’t be changed!

Well I wouldn't go that far but I would ask if you've engaged in detail supercar owners and fully understood the pro's and con's of that vs. a supercar club?

For example, you might want to reassess your assumption it's cheaper.

Just want to make sure you have considered all the options, especially as you appear new to the supercar game, of which there are many!

[Jules360]

Looks very expensive to me. Looking at the P1 website, say you go for the Monaco membership. That's 16,200 for the year (ignoring the one off sign up fee). You use your 1000 points for 7 weekend on a group 4 car, 4 low season and 3 high. Your daily mileage allowance is 50 miles.

So you have a car for one weekend in 8, for about an hour a day. You get to do a total of 1,050 miles all year. That's over 16 quid a mile.

[Wozza]

I can't understand why people DON'T always do this first. To me its a no brainer. You get to drive these cars properly over a few hundred miles rather than a 10 mile test drive which gives you nothing but first impressions.

I was in your position 3 years ago and had assumed I would buy a Ferrari 458 as my default 'I can now buy my own supercar'. However i joined Autovivendi ahead of making my final decision and thank goodness i did.

I decided to build up to the 458 by trying the Mclaren 12C first. All the magazine and PH reviews i had read about this car were that it was too clinical and no character - but over 300 miles i was blown away by it. By the ride, the driving position, the performance, everything. Wow how good was the 458 going to be now!

Then I got a Huracan out and in the first 15 minutes you feel like a rock star! The noise, the drama... However after a couple of hours the appalling seats were killing my back and the drive was feeling all rather one-dimensional - for me, the Mclaren was much more engaging to drive.

Finally the 458. I collected it from the club house and drove out towards some of my favourite roads. Oh dear. The driving position didn't work for me. The mapping on the motorway was annoying me and in the end i hated the way the valves were closed or OOOPPPPENNNNNNNN...

I bought a Mclaren 650s and recently swapped up to a 720s. I'm still a member of Autovivendi today and took the Huracan Performante out last week - much better than the original Huracan and a truly thrilling car - but for ownership, I'm still a McLaren man.

300 miles in each car will give you time to 'get used' to the car in the same way that owning that car will. The car club membership will quickly pay for itself and sadly, in the world of supercar depreciation, the actual cost of the club is pretty reasonable!

Highly recommended and enjoy your decision making!


Marc

[Cheib]

Couple of great posts there.

[sparta6]

Wozza said:

I can't understand why people DON'T always do this first. To me its a no brainer. You get to drive these cars properly over a few hundred miles rather than a 10 mile test drive which gives you nothing but first impressions.

I was in your position 3 years ago and had assumed I would buy a Ferrari 458 as my default 'I can now buy my own supercar'. However i joined Autovivendi ahead of making my final decision and thank goodness i did.

I decided to build up to the 458 by trying the Mclaren 12C first. All the magazine and PH reviews i had read about this car were that it was too clinical and no character - but over 300 miles i was blown away by it. By the ride, the driving position, the performance, everything. Wow how good was the 458 going to be now!

Then I got a Huracan out and in the first 15 minutes you feel like a rock star! The noise, the drama... However after a couple of hours the appalling seats were killing my back and the drive was feeling all rather one-dimensional - for me, the Mclaren was much more engaging to drive.

Finally the 458. I collected it from the club house and drove out towards some of my favourite roads. Oh dear. The driving position didn't work for me. The mapping on the motorway was annoying me and in the end i hated the way the valves were closed or OOOPPPPENNNNNNNN...

I bought a Mclaren 650s and recently swapped up to a 720s. I'm still a member of Autovivendi today and took the Huracan Performante out last week - much better than the original Huracan and a truly thrilling car - but for ownership, I'm still a McLaren man.

300 miles in each car will give you time to 'get used' to the car in the same way that owning that car will. The car club membership will quickly pay for itself and sadly, in the world of supercar depreciation, the actual cost of the club is pretty reasonable!

Highly recommended and enjoy your decision making!


Marc

This is sage advice.
It also applies when choosing a partner

[PompeyReece]

Wozza said:

I can't understand why people DON'T always do this first. To me its a no brainer. You get to drive these cars properly over a few hundred miles rather than a 10 mile test drive which gives you nothing but first impressions.

I was in your position 3 years ago and had assumed I would buy a Ferrari 458 as my default 'I can now buy my own supercar'. However i joined Autovivendi ahead of making my final decision and thank goodness i did.

I decided to build up to the 458 by trying the Mclaren 12C first. All the magazine and PH reviews i had read about this car were that it was too clinical and no character - but over 300 miles i was blown away by it. By the ride, the driving position, the performance, everything. Wow how good was the 458 going to be now!

Then I got a Huracan out and in the first 15 minutes you feel like a rock star! The noise, the drama... However after a couple of hours the appalling seats were killing my back and the drive was feeling all rather one-dimensional - for me, the Mclaren was much more engaging to drive.

Finally the 458. I collected it from the club house and drove out towards some of my favourite roads. Oh dear. The driving position didn't work for me. The mapping on the motorway was annoying me and in the end i hated the way the valves were closed or OOOPPPPENNNNNNNN...

I bought a Mclaren 650s and recently swapped up to a 720s. I'm still a member of Autovivendi today and took the Huracan Performante out last week - much better than the original Huracan and a truly thrilling car - but for ownership, I'm still a McLaren man.

300 miles in each car will give you time to 'get used' to the car in the same way that owning that car will. The car club membership will quickly pay for itself and sadly, in the world of supercar depreciation, the actual cost of the club is pretty reasonable!

Highly recommended and enjoy your decision making!

Marc

If the above joining and membership fee figures are correct, do you really need to spend approx. £20k to test out which supercar you like most? My feeling is no but if you can and have the patience, why not?!

If I could afford that amount of money I'd just buy the one I like after a test drive and then exchange it if I don't like it! All part of the fun

Ah to be in such a position!

Edited by PompeyReece on Friday 29th June 13:12

[AinsleyB]

I looked into it, but felt the one off joining fee plus the annual fee was way too high for the limited access / mileage I would get.

Also, you can do a lot of reading here and talking to owners to get a massive amount of info before hand. Sure, you wont actually get to drive the car, but you could find out about driving positions, visibility etc. just by sitting in one. Some owners might be happy to take you for a ride if you asked.

When you own the car you will find its always there when you need it, so like last night - empty roads, dry weather and I needed a pint of milk. Somehow the nearest shop turned out to be 80 miles away

You cant book a ride in your supercar club for that.

[Il8]

Thanks for all the opinions guys.

So my choice between P1 and Auto Vivendi is my big thing now, so P1 seem to have more cars, is cheaper but their “points” value on the highest package is quite low at 1000.

Auto Vivendi have a decent car collection, offer much more “points” and more of a lifestyle service, but more than double the price of P1.

These are the things I’m currently weighing up.

[Shnozz]

davek_964 said:

Er - I'm pretty sure it's not cheaper than owning one unless you were thinking of buying brand spanking new and suffering depreciation. Membership costs are high, and at the end of it you have no asset. But each to their own.

It's relatively easy to add up to membership figures with these sort of cars I would imagine.

I worked out with my old Vantage its £5k a year ish before I turn a wheel. Insurance, tax and a parking space add up quickly. I appreciate not everyone will have the costs of parking but I suspect a great deal of the car club members are city based rather than in the country with plentiful space.

London parking is probably £300 PCM minimum I would have thought? Anyone care to comment.

Then a central postcode insurance policy.

Then maintenance which can easily bring about a £5k bill...

If you go for a newer car under warranty then no repair bill but then first registration tax and then likely depreciation exposure.

All in all I don't think the old £10k membership costs were all that expensive when you consider all aspects. If there was a car club close to me I would be keen, not least because I sporadically use a car (perhaps once a month) and do <3k miles PA. I enjoy cars so don't want to hire a Mondeo for those occasions where I do enjoy the car but equally my annualised costs to do such low miles so infrequently add up to more than could be considered value.

[s2000db]

I looked at this a while back, and couldn’t get my head round the figures tbh...
However have a look at renting cars, it works out much cheaper with less of the onerous t’s and c’s, though possibly the choice won’t be as vast...

[BlackR8]

I also looked at this as an option.

I think for someone that only drives their supercar a handful of times a year (of which there are many!) or has the challenge of high costs or risk with parking, security, insurance etc then it is a viable option. IIRC if you can get time off during the week to enjoy one you get more bang for your buck so thats what I would have done.

[AinsleyB]

What sort of "supercar" are you thinking of ?

Some are quite cheap, others are daft money.

[James_B]

Jules360 said:

Looks very expensive to me. Looking at the P1 website, say you go for the Monaco membership. That's 16,200 for the year (ignoring the one off sign up fee). You use your 1000 points for 7 weekend on a group 4 car, 4 low season and 3 high. Your daily mileage allowance is 50 miles.

So you have a car for one weekend in 8, for about an hour a day. You get to do a total of 1,050 miles all year. That's over 16 quid a mile.

I looked into P1when it opened, and had the visit by one of the very attractive young sales ladies.

I did like most things about it, but the mileage allowance just made it pointless for me. I live in Central Lindon (which is where their cars are), you need to do the best part of twenty miles each way just to find the start of some nice roads.

[Il8]

AinsleyB said:

What sort of "supercar" are you thinking of ?

Some are quite cheap, others are daft money.

Something 3-6 months old, convertible, budget of £500k, so I had a wide range, I was edging towards a Aventador SV Roadster, but I factored in, how often I’d drive it since where I live I can’t park it anywhere, keeping it secure overnight, the worry of someone damaging it and a few other factors.

After considering all that, I thought I’d just spend £20k a year and have fun in a range of supercars and just hand them back when I’ve had my fill. If I end up falling in love with something, I can always buy it.

[James_B]

Il8 said:

Something 3-6 months old, convertible, budget of £500k, so I had a wide range, I was edging towards a Aventador SV Roadster, but I factored in, how often I’d drive it since where I live I can’t park it anywhere, keeping it secure overnight, the worry of someone damaging it and a few other factors.

After considering all that, I thought I’d just spend £20k a year and have fun in a range of supercars and just hand them back when I’ve had my fill. If I end up falling in love with something, I can always buy it.

I think that if you were looking at that budget then it’s definitely worth trying one of the clubs. You’ll get to have a proper try in a selection of good cars, and in a much better environment than a test drive.

[Il8]

Thanks mate, any idea which one? I think they’ll end up costing quite similar, it seems P1 might have the better selection of cars, but Auto Vivendi has the whole “experience”, seems to be better reviewed and hasn’t gone out business in the past.

[AinsleyB]

Budget of £500k, can't park it where you live.................. Why not move house to somewhere nice, good roads, big man cave. Then spend way less than that on say a couple of cars. Perhaps a track day weapon and a nice super car, or an almost supercar. Thats a big budget that seems hampered by not having a garage.

[Il8]

It’s cause I live between 3 cities and 2 countries &#128553;