540C a viable option?

[jamesgareth]

So I'm driving a Lotus Emira - V6 (auto - dodgy left knee). Had the 2L turbo Emira before that - swapped for the noise. Either one's a great car though obviously I prefer the V6 though the 2L turbo is in fact the quicker machine.

But.

You know.

There's always that thought. The next car. Much as I love my Emira - and I REALLY do love it - I saw this 540c the other day and played around with a calculator and the back of a fag packet and my finger in the air..... It seems top end price wise - but that I presume is all the carbon and it's a 2019. But it's not exactly being sold by a McLaren dealer which is a bit of a worry.... but it sure looks nice.

So - assuming I can scrape the money together....... if I get it checked out by either V. Engineering or Thorney - before I buy it - or get something signed saying if it doesn't check out I get my money back or they pay for whatever it needs doing.... and assuming I pay for at least one years worth of solid warranty (£4K assumably) - then I'm thinking I can't go far wrong.....

Or can I?

Thoughts on a postcard.

Here's the car I am looking at.

[simon_j]

jamesgareth said:

So I'm driving a Lotus Emira - V6 (auto - dodgy left knee). Had the 2L turbo Emira before that - swapped for the noise. Either one's a great car though obviously I prefer the V6 though the 2L turbo is in fact the quicker machine.

But.

You know.

There's always that thought. The next car. Much as I love my Emira - and I REALLY do love it - I saw this 540c the other day and played around with a calculator and the back of a fag packet and my finger in the air..... It seems top end price wise - but that I presume is all the carbon and it's a 2019. But it's not exactly being sold by a McLaren dealer which is a bit of a worry.... but it sure looks nice.

So - assuming I can scrape the money together....... if I get it checked out by either V. Engineering or Thorney - before I buy it - or get something signed saying if it doesn't check out I get my money back or they pay for whatever it needs doing.... and assuming I pay for at least one years worth of solid warranty (£4K assumably) - then I'm thinking I can't go far wrong.....

Or can I?

Thoughts on a postcard.

Here's the car I am looking at.

It’s probably not got as much carbon as you think. There doesn’t appear to be any internal carbon packs. McLaren didn’t offer a carbon bonnet on the 540c so it’s either an aftermarket part or a wrap.

As it’s near Manchester you’re probably best to take it to McLaren Manchester as it’s only down the road. One of the McLaren dealers is offering deals on cars with lapsed warranty if that’s the way you want to go. It’s discounted to the same price as a car already under warranty.

Check the VIN to see when it was built. It might have been built in 2019 and registered in 2019 or it may have been built earlier than that but not registered until 2019.

[jamesgareth]

simon_j said:

It s probably not got as much carbon as you think. There doesn t appear to be any internal carbon packs. McLaren didn t offer a carbon bonnet on the 540c so it s either an aftermarket part or a wrap.

As it s near Manchester you re probably best to take it to McLaren Manchester as it s only down the road. One of the McLaren dealers is offering deals on cars with lapsed warranty if that s the way you want to go. It s discounted to the same price as a car already under warranty.

Check the VIN to see when it was built. It might have been built in 2019 and registered in 2019 or it may have been built earlier than that but not registered until 2019.

Thank you. Very useful information.

Would Manchester McLaren be as thorough as V. Engineering or Thorney with their pre-purchase inspections?

Am I slightly paranoid in thinking only those two are to be fully trusted?

[simon_j]

jamesgareth said:

simon_j said:

It s probably not got as much carbon as you think. There doesn t appear to be any internal carbon packs. McLaren didn t offer a carbon bonnet on the 540c so it s either an aftermarket part or a wrap.

As it s near Manchester you re probably best to take it to McLaren Manchester as it s only down the road. One of the McLaren dealers is offering deals on cars with lapsed warranty if that s the way you want to go. It s discounted to the same price as a car already under warranty.

Check the VIN to see when it was built. It might have been built in 2019 and registered in 2019 or it may have been built earlier than that but not registered until 2019.

Thank you. Very useful information.

Would Manchester McLaren be as thorough as V. Engineering or Thorney with their pre-purchase inspections?

Am I slightly paranoid in thinking only those two are to be fully trusted?

I’ve never had a problem with them in the last seven or eight years. Although I know John I’ve never used him purely because it’s a long trip to Silverstone. V are very good but I think you’ll struggle to get availability. I spoke to John about a month ago and he said that they were booked up well into October. It all depends on who you intend to buy your warranty from as they’ll have to be the ones to inspect it.

[davek_964]

Although Thorney and V are both well capable of doing an inspection I think you will struggle to get it booked in to either so I think you probably need to assume that in your plans.

[justin220]

I've owned an Evora (I guess similar to the Emira) and then a 540C.

I absolutely loved both for different reasons, but the 540C is in a completely different league. It was like the Evora turned up by 10.

If you like the 'Lotus' feel, you'll love the McLaren. I would budget for a warranty at least for the first year or two though.

Fantastic cars and can't see them dropping much further in value. Running costs are significantly higher than the Lotus though.

On that specific blue car, its maybe just the advert but it looks to be missing the nose lift which I'd class as a must have option.. (looks to have the stalk but it isn't mentioned so may just be a poor advert.. worth checking!) Also missing the extended wheel paddles which I think were part of an interior pack.

Edited by justin220 on Tuesday 22 September 08:43

[Smooth Smith]

As others have said, I think you'll struggle to get booked in at V or Thorney at reasonably short notice. I'd add Jack Webb Motorsport to that list also, for a pre purchase inspection, as they seem to be making good ground in the McLaren world and I've heard lots of good things.

If your intention is to get an aftermarket McLaren warranty, I think you would have to have it inspected at a main dealer anyway. I doubt that they would be as thorough as the specialists mentioned above, but you might not have a choice if you're going the aftermarket warranty route.

[jamesgareth]

justin220 said:

I've owned an Evora (I guess similar to the Emira) and then a 540C.

I absolutely loved both for different reasons, but the 540C is in a completely different league. It was like the Evora turned up by 10.

If you like the 'Lotus' feel, you'll love the McLaren. I would budget for a warranty at least for the first year or two though.

Fantastic cars and can't see them dropping much further in value. Running costs are significantly higher than the Lotus though.

On that specific blue car, its maybe just the advert but it looks to be missing the nose lift which I'd class as a must have option.. (looks to have the stalk but it isn't mentioned so may just be a poor advert.. worth checking!) Also missing the extended wheel paddles which I think were part of an interior pack.

Edited by justin220 on Tuesday 22 September 08:43

Thanks Justin. A few comments and questions if I may.

I was thinking of factoring around an extra £5000 a year running costs compared to the Lotus - is that about right? I get around 22mpg from the Emira - I'm thinking for the kind of driving I do (short journeys crap local twisty roads) - around 16-18 for a MC. Is that about right iyo?

Plus - any thoughts on who are the best people for a warranty.? Obviously there's Thorney - but is anybody else as good?

Cheers.

James.

[jamesgareth]

simon_j said:

I ve never had a problem with them in the last seven or eight years. Although I know John I ve never used him purely because it s a long trip to Silverstone. V are very good but I think you ll struggle to get availability. I spoke to John about a month ago and he said that they were booked up well into October. It all depends on who you intend to buy your warranty from as they ll have to be the ones to inspect it.

Thanks Simon.

So there are options on a warranty yes? Who do people use here? Apart from Thorney of course.

And re a pre-inspection - is it relatively normal practice that you get some sort of written statement saying if the car when inspected comes back with a host of issues they either pay for that to be fixed or give you your money back? Is that a relatively normal thing?

The Lotus has been so good I didn't even bother renewing the warranty once the 3-yr Lotus one ran out - but with a MC I am not so sure about that - especially for the first year or two before I get to see if I can trust the thing.

[davek_964]

If my 650 cost me £5k a year - let alone £5k more than the running costs of the Lotus - I'd set fire to it and claim on the insurance!

You might have bad years, but that sounds very high to me (unless you're planning to have a warranty all the time).

[200Plus Club]

jamesgareth said:

So I'm driving a Lotus Emira - V6 (auto - dodgy left knee). Had the 2L turbo Emira before that - swapped for the noise. Either one's a great car though obviously I prefer the V6 though the 2L turbo is in fact the quicker machine.

But.

You know.

There's always that thought. The next car. Much as I love my Emira - and I REALLY do love it - I saw this 540c the other day and played around with a calculator and the back of a fag packet and my finger in the air..... It seems top end price wise - but that I presume is all the carbon and it's a 2019. But it's not exactly being sold by a McLaren dealer which is a bit of a worry.... but it sure looks nice.

So - assuming I can scrape the money together....... if I get it checked out by either V. Engineering or Thorney - before I buy it - or get something signed saying if it doesn't check out I get my money back or they pay for whatever it needs doing.... and assuming I pay for at least one years worth of solid warranty (£4K assumably) - then I'm thinking I can't go far wrong.....

Or can I?
coffee morning at JWM
Thoughts on a postcard.

Here's the car I am looking at.

Whereabouts are you based ? There's a McLaren coffee morning at JWM on 17th Oct so you could probably get a passenger ride in one on the morning perhaps and also pick their brains if you wanted about servicing/inspection.
Whatever you buy if its not under mclaren warranty then get a ppi done or agreement in writing to correct any faults found and get a post purchase inspection done ASAP. I did just that, highlighted two cracked hinges nowsorted.

[jamesgareth]

davek_964 said:

If my 650 cost me £5k a year - let alone £5k more than the running costs of the Lotus - I'd set fire to it and claim on the insurance!

You might have bad years, but that sounds very high to me (unless you're planning to have a warranty all the time).

Hmmm. £5K to run a MC? Really. On the Emira - I budget £800 insurance - £640 on the tax - £900 on services (ave over 5 yrs) - £400 on tyres - and £1800 on petrol (5000 miles a year @ 22mpg). Which is all adds up to £4500

So if I swap to a MC..... The petrol alone will be an extra £700 (I do a lot of miles it's my only car - I have bikes but it's the only 4-wheeled thing in the garage - guessing on 16mpg for the way I drive and how short a lot of my journeys are) - then a warranty at around £3500 - So there's an extra £4200 right there without even getting into extra servicing/tyres etc.

I guess if you're not fussed with the warranty then that's a huge chunk removed - but reading what V Engineering say they are all for putting £3-5K away each year as a 'just in case' fund (if you don't have a warranty)

So I can't see how I could run that 540c for £5k if the Lotus already costs me almost that anyway.....

But heck - you're the one with the experience not me - so who knows.

I guess it's one of those 'Do you feel lucky?' things.

[jamesgareth]

200Plus Club said:

Whereabouts are you based ? There's a McLaren coffee morning at JWM on 17th Oct so you could probably get a passenger ride in one on the morning perhaps and also pick their brains if you wanted about servicing/inspection.
Whatever you buy if its not under mclaren warranty then get a ppi done or agreement in writing to correct any faults found and get a post purchase inspection done ASAP. I did just that, highlighted two cracked hinges nowsorted.

Yeah thanks but I am WAYs away from there. Down in Petworth on the Surrey/Sussex border.

Nice idea though.

Sounds like a PPI is vital whatever which way I go.

[davek_964]

jamesgareth said:

davek_964 said:

If my 650 cost me £5k a year - let alone £5k more than the running costs of the Lotus - I'd set fire to it and claim on the insurance!

You might have bad years, but that sounds very high to me (unless you're planning to have a warranty all the time).

Hmmm. £5K to run a MC? Really. On the Emira - I budget £800 insurance - £640 on the tax - £900 on services (ave over 5 yrs) - £400 on tyres - and £1800 on petrol (5000 miles a year @ 22mpg). Which is all adds up to £4500

So if I swap to a MC..... The petrol alone will be an extra £700 (I do a lot of miles it's my only car - I have bikes but it's the only 4-wheeled thing in the garage - guessing on 16mpg for the way I drive and how short a lot of my journeys are) - then a warranty at around £3500 - So there's an extra £4200 right there without even getting into extra servicing/tyres etc.

I guess if you're not fussed with the warranty then that's a huge chunk removed - but reading what V Engineering say they are all for putting £3-5K away each year as a 'just in case' fund (if you don't have a warranty)

So I can't see how I could run that 540c for £5k if the Lotus already costs me almost that anyway.....

But heck - you're the one with the experience not me - so who knows.

I guess it's one of those 'Do you feel lucky?' things.

OK - I assumed we were just talking servicing / repair costs - if you're including petrol, MOT, insurance etc. I guess it's different.

I don't know what I spend if you add all of those things together. My insurance is peanuts at £450 (kept outside, 7k miles), RFL is something like £760.

Tyres are a chunk but McLaren's are very tyre friendly - I drove my first 650 very hard and could still get 15k miles comfortably out of a set.

Servicing isn't usually too bad at an Indy - probably averages £1k-2k I guess with some expensive years and some cheap.

But warranty is an annual chunk, and something I don't bother with these days. Given that - then yes, it probably is going to be more than £5k

[jamesgareth]

davek_964 said:

OK - I assumed we were just talking servicing / repair costs - if you're including petrol, MOT, insurance etc. I guess it's different.

I don't know what I spend if you add all of those things together. My insurance is peanuts at £450 (kept outside, 7k miles), RFL is something like £760.

Tyres are a chunk but McLaren's are very tyre friendly - I drove my first 650 very hard and could still get 15k miles comfortably out of a set.

Servicing isn't usually too bad at an Indy - probably averages £1k-2k I guess with some expensive years and some cheap.

But warranty is an annual chunk, and something I don't bother with these days. Given that - then yes, it probably is going to be more than £5k

Great thanks. I was probably being on the cautious side - having just plugged the main details into my friendly AI it is suggesting the MC would cost £2-5K more per year to run than my Lotus. So we're in the right ballpark.

[200Plus Club]

My next service at Mclaren will be about £850-900, possibly slightly cheaper at an indy but its cheap for a supercar, last service was £1650, I paid that for a big service on my R8 v10.
Road tax is only £200 pa on the mclaren

[simon_j]

jamesgareth said:

simon_j said:

I ve never had a problem with them in the last seven or eight years. Although I know John I ve never used him purely because it s a long trip to Silverstone. V are very good but I think you ll struggle to get availability. I spoke to John about a month ago and he said that they were booked up well into October. It all depends on who you intend to buy your warranty from as they ll have to be the ones to inspect it.

Thanks Simon.

So there are options on a warranty yes? Who do people use here? Apart from Thorney of course.

And re a pre-inspection - is it relatively normal practice that you get some sort of written statement saying if the car when inspected comes back with a host of issues they either pay for that to be fixed or give you your money back? Is that a relatively normal thing?

The Lotus has been so good I didn't even bother renewing the warranty once the 3-yr Lotus one ran out - but with a MC I am not so sure about that - especially for the first year or two before I get to see if I can trust the thing.

I personally continue to use the McLaren warranty. Some years you lose out but other years you save money. For me it’s just convenience as they might pick something up during a service and it gets fixed under warranty. Last year I had one weeping front shock and they replaced both full front suspension units. The only thing I can remember paying for outside of warranty was for a leaking aircon pipe.

What the garage selling the car will agree to will give you an idea of their faith in the car. If they don’t agree to fixing any problems found I’d walk away. Whether you get your PPI costs back if you don’t buy is between you and the dealer.

Most of the time you’ll get away with not having a warranty but you will get big bills occasionally so plan accordingly. Once you do buy make sure you use it and keep it on trickle charge. As Sam said check if it’s got a lift as it makes life easier on the days you do need it.

[andymc]

davek_964 said:

If my 650 cost me £5k a year - let alone £5k more than the running costs of the Lotus - I'd set fire to it and claim on the insurance!

You might have bad years, but that sounds very high to me (unless you're planning to have a warranty all the time).

my 650 just needed a service in the 2 years I had it, £1500

[TISPKJ]

200Plus Club said:

Road tax is only £200 pa on the mclaren

I was going to say, not the B all and end all but nice if you can, think it starts April 2017 .... not sure the end date but approx 2 year window from memory.

My 12c was 700 0dd ? 720 is 200 (On the 6th year onwards)

[andymc]

davek_964 said:

If my 650 cost me £5k a year - let alone £5k more than the running costs of the Lotus - I'd set fire to it and claim on the insurance!

You might have bad years, but that sounds very high to me (unless you're planning to have a warranty all the time).