Bought a 720s! My 1st "supercar" Wish me luck!!
Discussion
Back in March I put a deposit on a 2018 570s at Rybrook in Bristol.
|https://thumbsnap.com/ruJKmBiq[/url]
I was so excited, at this point the closest I had been to a car of this level was when I had my V8 F-type or my V12 Vantage (manual) Having had 5 Lotus's, that sort of driving character really suits me, so to those in the know you're probably not surprised why I fell for the 570s so much. So deposit down, agreed p/x on the F-Type, but managed to sell privately within a few days, then lockdown hit. My posts on here about my 570s were filled with comments like "I'm brave" "bad time to buy." So I wobbled, no way did I want my first supercar experience to be marred by losing 10's of 1000's over the coming 12 months. Even just the worry could take the edge off....
Rybrook were great, refunded my deposit and said come back to us when you're ready to buy. So far, my experience with Mclaren dealers very positive, I would definitely come back. But now I had sold my F-type, I wanted something for the summer. Always had an itch for an NA V10, that exhaust note... So ended up buying a 2011 R8 V10 Spyder (manual)
Lovely car, looked great, sounded great, but I just didn't gel. Within weeks I found myself back on autotrader looking at "supercars" again. That then lead to a lot of time spent at weekends visiting various dealers looking at all sorts of car, Huracans, 458's, 600LT's, 650s's, GT3's, F12's, 488's. I spread the net really wide. I'd read some stories that had me questioning Mclarens (like that 650s owners diary on here) I wasn't sure what route to take, depreciation played on my mind quite a lot, I'm not a millionaire, just someone who has tried to play it smart with cars and built up a car pool, but didn't want to undo all that work in one purchase. Drove so many over the months, so many miles and days used up (although was a lot of fun
) and each time I come away and my head ruled the decision, always came up with a reason I shouldn't purchase.
Then I arranged to see a 720s, lovely 2019 one at McLeeds. Really nice spec, full PPF, 1 owner, really hopeful.
But when we come to do the figures they offered me over 10k less for my R8 than I knew I could get for it privately, it soured things a bit, could tell the sales guy had given up, no test drive so I left thinking well there's my answer, I'll need to stop looking until after I sell the R8 privately. But at this point I felt I wanted to experience that car a bit more so thought, I'll park this until spring.
I kept a tentative eye on the market anyway, then on one Thursday morning I spotted a lovely Blade Silver 720s just added to Autotrader at Mclaren Manchester.
This car looked fantastic in this colour, got that feeling in my stomach, could this be it?! Only 3,500 miles, a December 18 car so the revised model, the all important Performance spec and other key options including the range topping super-ligher weight wheels. Gave them a call and arranged to view the next day. Mentioned on the R8 group that I might sell, had someone message straight away and we just about agreed a deal...... was this fate!!
So left home at 7.30am for the drive up to the north west. Decided I'd make an event out of the trip so drove the Exige up, not sure what went through their mind when the person turning up to view their £150k Supercar rocks up in this......
Anyway, I turned the corner into McManchester and there it was, right in front of me. They'd pulled a blinder and parked it out front.
It had so much presence, I was blown away. Really liked that colour on the car too. I do like the bright colours, especially that orange, but imo this colour just gave it that bit more class. Less shouty if you like. I wanted a light colour to show off the curves, so this was perfect. But that wasn't the best bit, I handed over my drivers license and before I knew it, we were out in the car. First time in a 720. Got the car warmed up, swap seats and now I'm driving. This thing really is next-level stuff, I put my foot down and never felt anything like it. Not just the acceleration, but how composed it felt, even on our uneven, bumpy roads. I had a good test drive. I'd read peoples thoughts that although they're quicker than the Sports series they lack the engagement, I couldn't disagree more, and this is from someone who is used to driving Lotus. Everything about the drive was enjoyable, even just short shifting, driving on the torque is fun in its own way, and it picks up so quick.
We pulled back up at the dealers and my mind was made up, I have to have this car in my life!! And looking back I realise that all those other test drives, where I talked myself out of buying the car, let my head rule, that was because deep down my heart wasn't there. Because when it was there, when it is......f
k the head..... Depreciation? Who gives a f****ng f**k, life is short, it's worth it for the enjoyment...blah blah blah.
So we went in and talked money, pretty much reached an agreement so just the deposit left to pay. I was aware I still had the adrenaline rush from the test drive, thought I would just take the 2-3hr drive home to calm down, just make sure I was happy to commit to spending this, then call them and put the deposit down when I got home. So promised to call later. I also messaged the guy who had offered me an ok amount for my R8 and told him "deal" So he was super happy too. This was working out great....
As I left the dealer I happened across the Ferrari dealer next door. At this point I had been strongly considering a 458 Spyder, thinking that would be a more financially sensible decision to make. I hadn't driven one yet so knowing what I'm like, if I just paid the deposit on the 720s, it would spoil it a bit if I part of me wondered if I should've bought a 458 Spyder. So popped in to see if they had any and they did.
Lovely car to look at, good spec, took it for a drive..... felt like a hot hatch compared to the 720s I had just been in, steering didn't feel as direct, gear change was good but felt just a bit inferior, I don't know, older tech DCT perhaps?
So it was definitely the right thing to drive this, I knew the 720s was the car for me. So headed home. 2hrs later and even thinking about my drive and I'm grinning from ear to ear, just had that super-excited feeling, knew this was the right car. Then disaster struck..............
My phone started ringing, it was McManchester, I pulled over and called back. In the few hours that had gone by, someone else had called up about the 720 and paid a deposit unseen. I was devastated. I'd tried to be a little sensible and just give myself a bit of time to calm down and now it had bitten me in the arse. I proper threw the teddies out of the pram and vowed that's it, I'm not looking anymore, humpphhhh.
That was the Friday. The not looking anymore lasted about an hour, then when I did start looking but nothing grabbed me like "my Mclaren" had. Silver lining at least I'd decided it had to be a 720s, so made my search easier, but pickings of decent spec 720's were slim, and within an hour I realised nothing on the market right now would cut it. So instead I used the time I'd normally spend searching for cars, on Youtube watching 720s videos...... and fell even more in love. Why are these cars so cheap!!??!!
But then on Wednesday, I had a call from McManchester, apparently the guy who had paid the deposit was showing signs of wobbling himself. They gave him until the next day to confirm, failing that, I get another chance!! So needless to say the next 24hrs went quite slowly! But I got a call, the car was mine if I still wanted it? F**k me, do bears sh*t in the woods?! Take my money. Deposit paid there and then. Arranged to collect the following Friday. The next week you would expect to have gone slowly, but I overcomplicated everything by financing this as cost effectively as possible and caused myself a stress fest...... well it made the time go quick I suppose!
So next Friday arrives, alarm goes off at 5am (needn't have set it as I was waking up every hour anyway!) Myself and the missus drive to the station to get the train up, so we can drive back in it together. Arrived 4hrs later at McManchester and spot a car under a cover in the showroom, is it mine?!
Sorted all the paperwork out, insurance, etc, all this was a blur. Even typing this out I can feel the butterflies in my stomach. Couldn't believe it was happening. Finally everything sorted and we walk over to the handover bay to the car. And I pulled the cover off.....
https://youtu.be/Tb-ll_wxnis
(Apologies the video is on its side at the start for a few seconds, need to give some video taking coaching to the missus )
And then the point they drive the car out of the showroom and around the front, to hand you the keys and you get to drive away in your 720s for the first time!!! Is there a better feeling in the world?! (yeah I'm that sad when it comes to cars )
https://youtu.be/uOw8oOOonb4
I'll never forget this time, just driving away, through the local towns and villages to head across to the Peak District for the scenic drive home, you feel like a rockstar, the car gets so much attention, people are filming it, taking pictures, nudging their friends in the street to turn around to look at the car, you can see cars approaching from the opposite direction and occupants pointing the car out to each other. I was sat in the drivers seat driving this thing and it didn't feel real, how is this happening to me?! We made out way through the Peaks and stopped at Hassop Station Cafe for some lunch. I hadn't eaten all day yet still wasn't hungry. Managed to park right in front of where we ended up sitting, perfect....
Just sitting there looking at it, thinking it is mine?!? I'll never forget the feeling. I was so happy, I knew this thing had the potential to bite me hard, but at this point, as far as I was concerned it was worth the risk. Lets see over the coming months and hopefully years of ownership, I still think this way
My intention is to update this thread with my ownership experience, so other potential owners considering one can see a real-life ownership experience. It would be easy for me to just post up when things don't go to plan, but I am going to try to post up all my experiences, not just with the cars, but with other owners, McDealers, specialists and the supercar scene in general. Also how will my work colleagues and boss react to this?! It is not normal for people in my company to rock up in a less than 2yr old supercar!
More updates to follow (and the rest won't be as long-winded as this!!
More pictures with more to follow on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marknash99/
|https://thumbsnap.com/ruJKmBiq[/url]I was so excited, at this point the closest I had been to a car of this level was when I had my V8 F-type or my V12 Vantage (manual) Having had 5 Lotus's, that sort of driving character really suits me, so to those in the know you're probably not surprised why I fell for the 570s so much. So deposit down, agreed p/x on the F-Type, but managed to sell privately within a few days, then lockdown hit. My posts on here about my 570s were filled with comments like "I'm brave" "bad time to buy." So I wobbled, no way did I want my first supercar experience to be marred by losing 10's of 1000's over the coming 12 months. Even just the worry could take the edge off....
Rybrook were great, refunded my deposit and said come back to us when you're ready to buy. So far, my experience with Mclaren dealers very positive, I would definitely come back. But now I had sold my F-type, I wanted something for the summer. Always had an itch for an NA V10, that exhaust note... So ended up buying a 2011 R8 V10 Spyder (manual)
Lovely car, looked great, sounded great, but I just didn't gel. Within weeks I found myself back on autotrader looking at "supercars" again. That then lead to a lot of time spent at weekends visiting various dealers looking at all sorts of car, Huracans, 458's, 600LT's, 650s's, GT3's, F12's, 488's. I spread the net really wide. I'd read some stories that had me questioning Mclarens (like that 650s owners diary on here) I wasn't sure what route to take, depreciation played on my mind quite a lot, I'm not a millionaire, just someone who has tried to play it smart with cars and built up a car pool, but didn't want to undo all that work in one purchase. Drove so many over the months, so many miles and days used up (although was a lot of fun
) and each time I come away and my head ruled the decision, always came up with a reason I shouldn't purchase. Then I arranged to see a 720s, lovely 2019 one at McLeeds. Really nice spec, full PPF, 1 owner, really hopeful.
But when we come to do the figures they offered me over 10k less for my R8 than I knew I could get for it privately, it soured things a bit, could tell the sales guy had given up, no test drive so I left thinking well there's my answer, I'll need to stop looking until after I sell the R8 privately. But at this point I felt I wanted to experience that car a bit more so thought, I'll park this until spring.
I kept a tentative eye on the market anyway, then on one Thursday morning I spotted a lovely Blade Silver 720s just added to Autotrader at Mclaren Manchester.
This car looked fantastic in this colour, got that feeling in my stomach, could this be it?! Only 3,500 miles, a December 18 car so the revised model, the all important Performance spec and other key options including the range topping super-ligher weight wheels. Gave them a call and arranged to view the next day. Mentioned on the R8 group that I might sell, had someone message straight away and we just about agreed a deal...... was this fate!!
So left home at 7.30am for the drive up to the north west. Decided I'd make an event out of the trip so drove the Exige up, not sure what went through their mind when the person turning up to view their £150k Supercar rocks up in this......
Anyway, I turned the corner into McManchester and there it was, right in front of me. They'd pulled a blinder and parked it out front.
It had so much presence, I was blown away. Really liked that colour on the car too. I do like the bright colours, especially that orange, but imo this colour just gave it that bit more class. Less shouty if you like. I wanted a light colour to show off the curves, so this was perfect. But that wasn't the best bit, I handed over my drivers license and before I knew it, we were out in the car. First time in a 720. Got the car warmed up, swap seats and now I'm driving. This thing really is next-level stuff, I put my foot down and never felt anything like it. Not just the acceleration, but how composed it felt, even on our uneven, bumpy roads. I had a good test drive. I'd read peoples thoughts that although they're quicker than the Sports series they lack the engagement, I couldn't disagree more, and this is from someone who is used to driving Lotus. Everything about the drive was enjoyable, even just short shifting, driving on the torque is fun in its own way, and it picks up so quick.
We pulled back up at the dealers and my mind was made up, I have to have this car in my life!!
And looking back I realise that all those other test drives, where I talked myself out of buying the car, let my head rule, that was because deep down my heart wasn't there. Because when it was there, when it is......fk the head..... Depreciation? Who gives a f****ng f**k, life is short, it's worth it for the enjoyment...blah blah blah. So we went in and talked money, pretty much reached an agreement so just the deposit left to pay. I was aware I still had the adrenaline rush from the test drive, thought I would just take the 2-3hr drive home to calm down, just make sure I was happy to commit to spending this, then call them and put the deposit down when I got home. So promised to call later. I also messaged the guy who had offered me an ok amount for my R8 and told him "deal" So he was super happy too. This was working out great....
As I left the dealer I happened across the Ferrari dealer next door. At this point I had been strongly considering a 458 Spyder, thinking that would be a more financially sensible decision to make. I hadn't driven one yet so knowing what I'm like, if I just paid the deposit on the 720s, it would spoil it a bit if I part of me wondered if I should've bought a 458 Spyder. So popped in to see if they had any and they did.
Lovely car to look at, good spec, took it for a drive..... felt like a hot hatch compared to the 720s I had just been in, steering didn't feel as direct, gear change was good but felt just a bit inferior, I don't know, older tech DCT perhaps?
So it was definitely the right thing to drive this, I knew the 720s was the car for me. So headed home. 2hrs later and even thinking about my drive and I'm grinning from ear to ear, just had that super-excited feeling, knew this was the right car. Then disaster struck..............
My phone started ringing, it was McManchester, I pulled over and called back. In the few hours that had gone by, someone else had called up about the 720 and paid a deposit unseen. I was devastated. I'd tried to be a little sensible and just give myself a bit of time to calm down and now it had bitten me in the arse. I proper threw the teddies out of the pram and vowed that's it, I'm not looking anymore, humpphhhh.
That was the Friday. The not looking anymore lasted about an hour, then when I did start looking but nothing grabbed me like "my Mclaren" had. Silver lining at least I'd decided it had to be a 720s, so made my search easier, but pickings of decent spec 720's were slim, and within an hour I realised nothing on the market right now would cut it. So instead I used the time I'd normally spend searching for cars, on Youtube watching 720s videos...... and fell even more in love. Why are these cars so cheap!!??!!
But then on Wednesday, I had a call from McManchester, apparently the guy who had paid the deposit was showing signs of wobbling himself. They gave him until the next day to confirm, failing that, I get another chance!! So needless to say the next 24hrs went quite slowly! But I got a call, the car was mine if I still wanted it? F**k me, do bears sh*t in the woods?! Take my money. Deposit paid there and then. Arranged to collect the following Friday. The next week you would expect to have gone slowly, but I overcomplicated everything by financing this as cost effectively as possible and caused myself a stress fest...... well it made the time go quick I suppose!
So next Friday arrives, alarm goes off at 5am (needn't have set it as I was waking up every hour anyway!) Myself and the missus drive to the station to get the train up, so we can drive back in it together. Arrived 4hrs later at McManchester and spot a car under a cover in the showroom, is it mine?!
Sorted all the paperwork out, insurance, etc, all this was a blur. Even typing this out I can feel the butterflies in my stomach. Couldn't believe it was happening. Finally everything sorted and we walk over to the handover bay to the car. And I pulled the cover off.....
https://youtu.be/Tb-ll_wxnis
(Apologies the video is on its side at the start for a few seconds, need to give some video taking coaching to the missus
)And then the point they drive the car out of the showroom and around the front, to hand you the keys and you get to drive away in your 720s for the first time!!! Is there a better feeling in the world?! (yeah I'm that sad when it comes to cars
)https://youtu.be/uOw8oOOonb4
I'll never forget this time, just driving away, through the local towns and villages to head across to the Peak District for the scenic drive home, you feel like a rockstar, the car gets so much attention, people are filming it, taking pictures, nudging their friends in the street to turn around to look at the car, you can see cars approaching from the opposite direction and occupants pointing the car out to each other. I was sat in the drivers seat driving this thing and it didn't feel real, how is this happening to me?! We made out way through the Peaks and stopped at Hassop Station Cafe for some lunch. I hadn't eaten all day yet still wasn't hungry. Managed to park right in front of where we ended up sitting, perfect....
Just sitting there looking at it, thinking it is mine?!? I'll never forget the feeling. I was so happy, I knew this thing had the potential to bite me hard, but at this point, as far as I was concerned it was worth the risk. Lets see over the coming months and hopefully years of ownership, I still think this way
My intention is to update this thread with my ownership experience, so other potential owners considering one can see a real-life ownership experience. It would be easy for me to just post up when things don't go to plan, but I am going to try to post up all my experiences, not just with the cars, but with other owners, McDealers, specialists and the supercar scene in general. Also how will my work colleagues and boss react to this?! It is not normal for people in my company to rock up in a less than 2yr old supercar!
More updates to follow (and the rest won't be as long-winded as this!!
More pictures with more to follow on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marknash99/
Edited by AstonExige on Tuesday 29th December 16:22
Congrats, that's a hell of a jump if I read correctly!
Stunning car, I genuinely believe from a technical and performance point of view McLarens are the best in the market right now, not even Ferrari with their specials can compete.
Really happy for you, nice to read on genuine body reactions when in these kind of situations, huge emotions, it'll get even better and better with time. These are unforgettable experiences, not even depreciation can pay.
Stunning car, I genuinely believe from a technical and performance point of view McLarens are the best in the market right now, not even Ferrari with their specials can compete.
Really happy for you, nice to read on genuine body reactions when in these kind of situations, huge emotions, it'll get even better and better with time. These are unforgettable experiences, not even depreciation can pay.
Edited by RBT0 on Tuesday 29th September 17:53
Heartiest congrats and a great story, blade silver a rare colour on the 720s but it suits it really well, fantastic looking machine! I've enjoyed my 570s for 9 months now and its been a brilliant experience, hasn't been all plain sailing with some issues that were covered by warranty but the car just seems to draw so much positivity from the general public a 720s will be even more than that again. Look forward to your updates and pls get out and drive the wheels off it!
Epic post!
I think everyone that reads it shall do so with a smile.
Takes me right back to my mac ownership journey; I negotiated with the owner for months; he kept changing his mind about selling it.
When I finally sealed the deal it was the best drive home ever.
Don't think i need to tell you to 'enjoy'
I think everyone that reads it shall do so with a smile.
Takes me right back to my mac ownership journey; I negotiated with the owner for months; he kept changing his mind about selling it.
When I finally sealed the deal it was the best drive home ever.
Don't think i need to tell you to 'enjoy'
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