McLaren discontinues 12C, offers owners free upgrade

If you want a special paint though, they are cheaper than other exotics I'm pretty sure.

Someone just posted his mso order and paint was 16k for custom color. He showed me the various swatches they made for him and they made some pretty sweet paints.

I'd say paints are pretty fair as far as the competition is concerned. Probably even cheaper for really unique stuff.

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I've driven a 12C Spider and agree it is a marvel to drive. But for me the looks don't match its prowess. Whereas the sexiness of the 458 Spider can make up for some of its short falls....one being cowl shake over imperfect roads. I like that McLaren is addressing the esthetics issue with the 650.

Depreciation?? Did you say depreciation?? My FF is perhaps the best Ferrari...if not the best car I've ever driven. Depreciation be damned!!

 

Well, time isn't going to change how it looks...

If the price doesn't matter and the rest is great, not much else to consider.

And if that's the case, buy the 650 instead if you like the looks better.

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They can:

Special Order Paint - Page 2 - McLaren Life

 

I think he meant to say I move to a ghetto city Detroit where nice things get destroy so I keep my MP4 in my other investment property which in another sketchy neighborHood. His car would more than likely get stolen before he runs into an accident.

 

No, I know.... but it's not on their list of available colors.

 

if McLaren just called the 650 a 2015 12C I bet we wouldn't be having this conversation. Which goes back to poor marketing/corp office decision making.

Personally i like the 12Cs and living in LA wouldn't have a problem getting one. Having a nearby service center of course helps with peace of mind on servicing. I can understand those in most of the rest of the country having serious thoughts about being so far from authorized service locations.

 

Great point!
Please be careful if you want to proceed forward with purchasing a 2012 MP4 because a dealer friend of mine just took one in on trade for $145,000. There was never a transaction in regards to MP4 -12c and it is not a good sign which translates to even the dealers know they will have a hard time getting rid off it. That slashing 30% off of MSRP on nee MP4 -12C in Australia is another epic episode of Mclaren poor marketing. Take care!

 

^^ I meant there was no Manheim auction transactions which translates to no demand for the MP4 -12C. It is a fast car but it is suffering to maintain value. No wonder Champagne 612 is trying to dump the car but no bite yet. Just take a look at the parking lot in Motor Miller and Mclaren Philadelphia. Plenty of unwanted new and used MP4 -12c.

 

I wouldn't use the word unwanted. There are quite a few 12c s for sale. Have you checked the 458s for sale? How many are there? I wouldn't call those unwanted either. They are still desirable.

 

First, no auction transactions does not mean there is no demand. There are no transactions for F12s or 2013 FFs, does that mean there is no demand for these vehicles?

Second, there are several recent manheim auction transactions for the 12C, you're getting bad information.

 

once in a while i check out ebay and autotrader to look at prices for a few ferraris, 12cs and other models... i don't see the 12cs lingering - they seem to sell fairly quickly, probably as they are a good value at $175K (IMO).

 

They're a ridiculously good value at that price!

 

Agreed! Someone bought one with about 3K miles for $173K from a private party.

Anything under 190 is a super deal for this car if it's in good shape.

 

+1. Textbook analytical fallacy. Auctions are where you find the unwanted cars. Absence suggests that it is in demand.

 

Auctions: bid vs. Ask

No bid either very high ask or the more dangerous: no bids

 

I found a couple of spiders listed for around $229,000 which is starting to be a nice deal over a ~$329,000 458 spider.

 

Link?

 

I found them on cars.com

 

I have enjoyed the banter and sometimes less than friendly kook-aid drinkers from both marques. Being objective, I can see both sides. Some random thoughts

I do believe Mclaren Automotive is profitable to dispel "The Mayor's" statement and will continue to be a viable car company delivering exciting products and technology for years to come. I also believe competition helps all brands become better...let's face the facts, Lambo and Ferrari built junk 20 years ago, practically no dealer networks, customer service which did not exist, waiting weeks for parts, engine out service and horror stories. Can anyone imagine Lamborghini today if Audi did not buy them, same goes for Ferrari without the deep pockets of Fiat. Would the cars be as reliable today if it weren't for the NSX sending a shot across the bow saying you can build a reliable and maintainable almost super car. The F355, not exactly the best car Ferrari ever made was orders of magnitude better than the 348 because of the NSX and Porsche Turbo...so let's all give Mclaren a break for now and judge them in 10 years considering the 12C is their first volume car.

As for marketing, are we all forgetting one of the worlds largest spectators events each and every Sunday played out around the globe for 20 weeks or so every year? I do live in the bubble of So Cal so with a grain of salt no one is confused by the Mclaren brand over a Lambo or Ferrari. There are two Mclaren dealers within 75 miles and a strong growing community of owners. My local dealer Mclaren of NB seems to have no problem selling cars and attracting former Ferrari owners like me and Porsche owners wanting to trade up.

We can all lament the fact the MP4-12C had some start up issues and yes Mclaren saturated the market hurting prices, and so on...all well debated. If the early buyers somehow thought they were buying a car they could drive free for two years then flip it for what they paid, they should have bought the 458 back in 2010. Reality is the 12C is not the next Mclaren F1 and if we are lucky it will depreciate a little less than most. And a little fact lost on this debate...not too long ago Ferrari said they would not build more than 3,000 cars, that went to 5,000 and in 2012 they build 7,318 cars They backed off in 2013 to slightly less than 7,000 but that was not to protect the buyers, it was to protect the P/L...So was this being completely honest with the owners regarding exclusivity? Don't want to break your hearts but car companies are in this business to make money for the shareholders, investors, etc...not the buyers of their cars.

Lastly and in full disclosure. I have owned V12's Ferrari's and V8's and when I sold my 360 I was considering a 458, Turbo S or SLS GT. SO in the end I decide on a new late build 2013 12C spider with all the 2014 upgrades. Was I upset with the 650S announcement and discontinuing the 12C, not at all. I used this fact to buy an outstanding car and to get considerable discount. It was because the 650 was announced that I got a fantastic car at great price. I've had the car for one month and absolutely love driving it...It's not an investment, it's meant to be driven and enjoyed. If I wanted an investment, I would have left the money in the market.

My two cents,

MB

PS for those that question the styling relative to other super cars, I get plenty of looks and pictures taken...never got that with the 360. Couple of pictures
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Not usually a fan of matte black or contrasting black roofs....but that looks fantastic!!

 

Fantastic Christian use it in good health. I think remember seeing that car at McLaren NB a while ago.

 

Yes, that's the car...McL-NB at my request changed the wheels to Superlights, they had already added the 2014 Parrot navigation upgrade and somewhere between the factory and landing on the showroom floor they added the MSO carbon fiber air brake/spoiler. I recently added the wrap and put skid plates on. Can't think of anything else I might want to change or add for now. I guess I might consider in June the backup camera system, not likely to spend the money for Sat Radio...really enjoying the car.

Christian

 

Christian, I have the Super Light Weights on my car. I also had them do the skid pates the 2014 Parrot Navigation (HUGE UPGRADE) and I ordered the Backup Camera but not the Sat Radio (use iPhone blue tooth streaming anyway). In addition, going in June for the 650S upgrades.

 

Yes, a friend of mine recently traded in his F430 in for a 12C and we brought it out on our normal weekend drive with my F355. It seems, with the 12C, we had never seen the type of attention and interest from other people, when I usually drive with a group of Ferrari owners. We literally had 3 young ladies come up to us and ask if they could take pictures with our cars within the span of about 15 minutes. When asked which of the cars they liked out of the two, the black car (Mclaren) or the red car (Ferrari)...all said they loved the black car and preferred it with no hesitation. One was actually a miss America Regional candidate (or so she claims), and the queen of the parade that was join through our town that day. Apparently she owns a prom dress store near the coffee house where we had our cars parked. She said she changed into one of her best dresses just to be able to take pictures of the cars. Two other mid-aged women drove by the cars and asked if they could get pictures of the cars for their children. I really think the McLaren "gull-wing" doors intrigue most people, while Ferrari's actually seem "rich prick" cliche to many.