MP4 prices are really plummeting on resale

Same thing I have noticed, it is almost too fast. My wife mentioned since the 616 HP upgrade how much faster it felt to her, and it now scares her. First car she has ever said that about.

 

I think all of these posts about McLaren depreciation miss a key point--Ferrari's depreciation curve is completely unique in the production car world. No other mark has ever matched it. To think (or have expected) that McLaren would replicate Ferrari's curve right out of the box is unrealistic--no matter how good the car is. Even if McLaren had severely limited their production as the Mayor suggests, I'm not sure they would be depreciating much less. Achieving what Ferrari has takes many years, if not decades, of brand building. Just building fewer cars doesn't do it (I exclude company's who produce less than 100 vehicles per year--you can always find a small number of ultra rich who will buy something only because it's rare and expensive).

As someone who is considering both cars, I am struggling quite a bit. I really like the McLaren, especially at its price point, but I'm terrified of the uncertainty that comes with buying into a new brand. Neither car is a stretch for me, but why lose more money than you have to? Ferrari seems like the "smart" choice for that reason.

 

We have put about 500 miles on ours since we bought it a month ago. My impression so far is that it is a very fast car and the handling is incredible. Just got home with it and a road that I take other cars at 60 and have to work at it, the MP4 was effortless at the same speed.

Acceleration is spectacular and the road feel of the steering is only comparable to a Lotus in my opinion.

My personal opinion is the car may drop to 150K but I doubt it will go lower then that. Either way we plan on driving ours as much as we can as it is the most enjoyable car we have to drive.

 

Another reason not to sell mine. By the way, as an owner of a 12C, I still love the 458 as well.

 

Does anyone have experience with current 2013 prices for mclaren spiders? Dealer quoted me 35k off a car with a 306k msrp. Is anyone seeing more than that?

Dealer says no changes for 14 other than new iris (post from earlier in this chain is not the 2014, it's the "scuderia" version that's coming in 15).

 

12% off a spider? That's a great deal.

There's a new one at Newport for $289K. I don't know if they are apples to apples though.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=115697992&listingRecNum=4&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26mkId%3D47903%26stkTyp%3DU%26rd%3D100000%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId%26zc%3D89109%26rn%3D0%26

 

Pagani is the only one that comes to mind.

 

The Ford GT also.

 

Bugatti too.

 

That is more of a stand alone model category, not a trend through the brand. I don't think a Pagani has ever really depreciated.

 

Very surprising about the discount on the Spider. I honestly thought these were basically sold out.
Is this an isolated case?
Kevin

 

All cars that less than 100 per year are sold.

 

No. Most dealers I have checked have 1 or 2 new 2013s on the floor.

 

??

The value of used Veyron's have fallen a LOT.

 

Feeling fast is good and safe. The thing I don't like about CGT's is that they feel so smooth that they feel to me a lot slower than they are. I was cruising in one at what I thought were fast highway speeds and when I looked at the speedo I found I was going much faster than I thought I was. The good thing on the road about Classic Cars is that at 60 they feel like they're going 95.

Loud exhaust actually makes you drive slower. If you drive with ear plugs you'll drive a lot faster in the same car.

 

Stability is boring - even with cars

Jay Leno commented on the same subject while reviewing an aircooled 911. The fact that the new cars zing through the gears in a matter of seconds and it's not as fun or rewarding as old sportscars driven fast on normal streets. Amen.

This is also a big part of the reason why the Toyota GT86 is praised so much these days. Taking the focus away from the horsepower race and back to usable performance where the driver can drive 9/10 on the street...

I know some owners here prefer the F430 Spiders over the 458 Spider because it feels more alive and sportscar like at normal speeds than the newer model.

 

I donnot like my 458 as much as my 360 or my 430. Those cars were exciting to drive the 458 is not.

Some of the problem is you cannot get a manual transmission the other part is the car feels like an American sedan.

Lee

 

How long is the warranty on the 12C?

 

3 years unlimited miles.

 

I agree on all of the above.

 

Thanks - why I'm asking is that I'm wondering what's going to happen - and what service costs are going to be like - when these cars start coming off warranty. The issue I see is that there isn't a secondary independent repair shop network (like Porsche, Ferrari etc) that has been built up over the past 50 years. With such a small dealer network - and I think the only place capable of servicing these, will the inevitable small issues become expensive regular headaches. Tough to answer I know....
Kevin

 

Well so far so good, but the Dealer here in OC has been pretty outstanding.

 

I heard McLaren raised the prices on parts quite a lot last spring ..... so take that into consideration also.

 

All the speculation on depreciation and upkeep is not unlike any new car. You simply can't own and drive a new car for "free" and at some point you have to either jump in and pay or otherwise you are perennially on the fence and waiting for that unicorn deal where you don't lose money. Plus you are not all that interested in the car if your focus is on what happens when you sell it.

 

Well I'm at least 2 years away from a purchase, so I'm keeping an eye on this market, etc. with no mclaren history to learn from, this is all new for everyone.
Will be interesting to watch. For me the nearest dealer is 150 miles away, so that's a big consideration....
Kevin