MCLAREN 720S OR 488

You probably didn’t ask the right question . Mac dealer doesn’t have to do the track inspections . Ask them for the checklist and you can either do it yourself or have a race shop local to you do it . As long as you document it with the checklist then the warranty is god to go

 

No QC problems on mine from the factory. Fit & finish generally excellent. No electrical gremlins or rattles, at least yet. So far I'm very impressed. It's a later VIN# so hopefully some of the early production foibles have been corrected. I'll report back if anything changes.

Having a dealer with a well regarded service department definitely facilitated my decision to get into a 720S, not sure I'd have taken the risk otherwise. Expanding their dealer network, or even better licensing 3rd party service centers, would help help the marque a lot, I think.

 

When you push the performance envelope, it takes a lot of r&d and engineering resource to limit the reliability downside. Eventually they will get on top of it but while they are still young, I could believe that there is a lot of pressure on engineers to keep pushing performance. My own Mac was fairly trouble-free for 11,000 miles but there is apparently a growing reputation for unreliability. I’m hearing that from other owners who have asked around, not from personal experience.

 

If you are referring to me as a nonsense posting McLaren hater, then please re-read my post. Or, please take the time to read the following.

I am a fan of Mac engineering, performance, and innovation - and hope to own one some day, sooner rather than later. But, for anyone who has done a modicum of research or has merely paid attention, the Mac, in general, lacks in reliability - and its resale values stand as glaring proof. The failures are legendary. Any personal attacks on this matter are baseless and out of order.

Just something to think about: There is an Fchatter here who told the story of losing 35% on the resale of his Mac. He owned it for approx. one year and was not even the first owner. This story speaks directly to Mac reliability. Not nonsense from a hater.

So, please, if there is a takeaway message: At this level, I admire all of the fabulous machinery. I have no hate. Period. Presently, I am a Mac fan, lying in wait. In the meantime, will enjoy my 488. Life is good.

 

Ooh...thats good to hear. Hows the "on-track" reliability during the heat of summer?

 

Sometimes people see/read/hear what they want to that will conform to what action or lack of action they want to do.

There is a lot of fake news by people on car forums that blatantly distort information. The 35% that you talk about is from a person whom I believe lives in Australia and who knows if that is even true.

Maybe just my observation but the many people who talk about depreciation or lack of it either buy used cars where someone or multiple people already took the bullet or people who believe the deprecation or lack of deprecation hype and haven't felt it yet.

The forum has been relatively quite about the resale values of the 488 for many months and there is a good reason for that. I'm sure many owners who see first time buyers taking deliveries of 488 in the last few months are starting to think what will happen to their car value when it comes time to sell it.

All of this doesn't have anything to do with how good the car actually is. There is just a lot of choices out there and re-sale value of exotic cars are generally down and will stay this way unless a whole bunch of new people enter the exotic car buying experience.

I was talking to one of my good friends yesterday. A serial buyer of ferrari cars for the last 10 years and he said he is done with ferrari. It has nothing to do with how good the car is/are. He doesn't buy them to say he owns ferrari's, or to join clubs or use it to market/product his services. However, in his 10 year buying experience he has lost a lot of money and never been offered a limited edition model car. The final straw was that the dealer told him to expect to lose $70K on his two year old F12 and that he would have to pay a 10% consignment commission which would furthur the loss. The way to reduce it to 5% is to buy a lusso (take another $75K bullet) and that may get him a pista. He's done with ferrari now.

None of the above actually has to do with how good ferrari/mac is but his experience is becoming typical of ferrari owners/buyers. They just don't post on these forums or if they are on here they don't share this information for obvious reasons.

 

Highest air temperature was 80 degrees or so. (first time I tracked it was in September). No issues with on track. In the past I'd rarely drive any car to the track. You never know what can happen (mechanical/accidents/brake pads, etc., keeping unnecessary miles off the car) but have driven the 720s to the track, tracked it and drove it back home multiple times. Depending on the track the round trip would be 220, 130, 310 miles.

 

I have a one year old 488 with about 5k on the clock. I have another car coming and thought about trading in the 488, last month was offered around £10k less than I paid. Ended up trading another car instead, just didn’t fancy being without the 488 Spider over the summer. I had a three year old FF that I held for two years and about 13k miles, depreciation was about £20k. Lost nothing on my 360, made a packet on CS, lost about £10k on 430, similar amount on a California over 2 years and about 10k miles (actually very surprised at that one), my Speciale is worth at least what I paid for it and probably a little more. Had one McLaren, bought it brand new with a £50k discount (right at the end of the year, they were a couple of cars short of target), still lost a further £50k over two years and 11,000 miles. If you love the car enough you will pay it - I know that a brand new Lusso that I ordered over 2 years ago and arriving soon will lose about £80-£100k over the 4-5 years I will have it. But I consider that to be worth it because I love the car and the other Ferraris have been pretty good value. The Pista will probably not cost me much, nor the 812. Overall it’s not a bad experience.

No doubt you can lose plenty of money buying any brand of expensive cars, but I don’t think McLaren’s reputation is completely unfounded.

 

Referring directly to anyone who is making a 720 reliability comment, looking for facts to support pro/con. I have no dog in this hunt.
Besides, they all come with a warranty.
Depreciation was not my topoc of interest.

 

I'm not in the market for a 488 or 720, but if I had to make a choice I'd go 488. The 720 just doesn't speak to me like the 675LT, 650 or even the 570 does. All of these cars are ridiculously fast, and so to me it's not a matter of overall performance and which one is faster.

Completely ignoring performance for a moment, the 488 is simply a more beautiful car to my eyes. I think the 720 is ahead of its time and will grow on me, but I still prefer a more muscular look with some more defined lines; in many respects that's why I prefer the 430 versus the 458 from some angles.

I love the McLaren brand as a whole, but that's my opinion.

 

Right now there are 26 new and used 720s on cars.com. Given how few have been imported that number seems rather high.

 

I think its a great time to be a buyer of these used "super cars". Lots of ~300k MSRP type cars becoming available in the second hand market, and not sure there are that many buyers. I would imagine, that the buyer of a used 250k car, could also swing 300 for new, so I'm curious to see what the recycle rate is going to be. From the 2008 era r8s and then 458s, there are lots of great options, just not sure sure there are that many buyers in the second hand market at the prices these are rising to new. Look at how many performantes there already are, and GT3s/RSs, 458, 488, huracans, 570s, 675s.....healthy supply. Maybe the cars will finally start to get driven as they were intended.

 

Thank you!

 

I provide POV and feedback when someone posts. Seems normal for a forum, eh?
Wallflowers are boring Nap.

 

"No dog in this hunt," but you sure do bark a lot.

 

Completely agree. I'm keenly interested in GT3 RS's when they are $150k and 720s in the $200k's

 

How does this even remotely address what I wrote? Just looking to lecture the next guy in line or tell someone how it really is? No, thanks. And, try keeping your non-sequiturs down to 100 words or less.

 

Please feel free to check with someone over here who deals in these cars before crying fake news. I would also advise taking a seat first before asking how much your Mac is worth. Bring a box of tissues with you as well.

 

I can tell you, you wouldn't want to but a Mac here. Just google car sales and you will see for yourself. Different countries. Nearly all the Mac's for sale are private i.e NOT DEALER as I can tell you take another 15-25% of that price. Interesting there are hardly any Ferrari Private sale ? Hum

We pay nearly 35% more than in the States for our luxury cars.
Ferrari has the name and they don't depreciate as much.
We don't have as many cars here and they hold their value.

BTW our dealers don't give us a bottle of vasaline and tell us to pull down our pants. Must be a States thing as Nicolas Cage said Too many bloody wankers with too much money


FYI the cheapest 458 2010 with approx. 18 Image Unavailable, Please Login ,000 Miles( I did the conversion ) is $390,000 AUD or if you wish $300,000 USD

 

Exciting to read, once again we have reached the point that the McLaren has a higher depreciation than the Ferrari.
(for some reasons, the Ferrari community really likes to stress this point...)
Howsoever, that does not make the 488 a more exciting car to drive. When it comes to pure driving behavior: the McLaren is simply the better and more capable car, the superior product. Not unimportant when buying a sports car, that's worth a few dollars.

So, I have to leave now, today is the first perfect spring day. That means I want to drive and enjoy my two toys (a Ferrari and a McLaren, as a Swiss one has to be always "neutral"...), the Ferrari only briefly not to risk the "nearly zero" depreciation and the McLaren until my butt hurts, its horrific depreciation is included in the purchase anyway.

 

Most Macs come with a 5 gallon drum of grease as std equip - some gets used at time of purchase and, over the ownership period - the remainder is used when you try and unload it. Those who I know who've been there done that say the experience is a definite once r. It seems to be the kind of car you need to prepare yourself for a serious ass flogging otherwise spare yourself the misery and stick with the more given quantities - keeping in mind most of these types of cars are depreciating assets anyway. Just the Mac leaves you butt naked with a red raw rear end.

 

Understand redcaruser, but even stranger, Mac owners don't like Ferrari and other communities reminding them what's in store (depreciation wise) yet the "ex Mac owner" can not keep quiet over how badly they got raped. This is a funny situation no?

 

My conclusion after reading this long thread, I want a Mac even less now then before this thread started

 

Your experience is not reality in the US. FF's losing 50% in 2 years, 488's (not spiders) losing about 15-20% in year 1. I think 360s and older Ferraris there is less downside, this was my experience when buying and selling. BTW, I bet the 12c's and 650's stay relatively flat from where they are today as they are a lot of car for the current money. For the Lusso, they will lose over $50 day 1 in the US, where are seeing it already.

As long as your happy with what you bought and have enjoyed it is all that matters.

 

Its irrelevant anyways, in the uS the 720 is holding pretty strong actually much much better than the 488, F12, Lusso, etc. It might be different in other countries.