Trade f12 for 720s? Wil I regret?

Hi all,

as title has stated, is f12 to 720s a downgrade? I love the f12 sound and daily usability. Maybe I am getting bored, but recently enamored by the 720s and it’s looks But I hear it’s clinical and not as reliable.and of course not v12.

last but not least, hard to be subtle even in a neutral color due to unique silhouette and once those doors swing up!. Harder to get takeout or park at grocery store I imagine.

I love cars but like to be low key, are the above issues all in my head?

brainstorming and confused. Love to hear your thoughts.

alternatives? I don’t want to go over $300k and don’t want a huracan.

For perspective.
have a 992 gt3 coming for track and daily a Amg gt63s edition 1 on rainy days and f12 on regular days.

Thanks for reading!

 

Have you driven the 720S? If not, you probably should. I took several extensive test drives and could not get myself to fall in love with it. I could not imagine given a F12 up for a 720S. That said, I absolutely love my 765LT, as it fixed all the 720S shortcomings (mainly how it sounds and how it drives).

 

f12 values have bottomed, the 720s have not.

keep the f12 and do a short term lease on a 720s, or wait 1 more year for 50k off.

 

I sold my F12 a couple of years ago I regret it and bought a new one..... personally I would keep the F12 it is such a great sounding F12.. the 720s is a totally different car.... good luck on your decision

 

Thanks for feedback. I Sat in a 720. Never driven. Don’t think I could find a 765lt at msrp- at that price more options come to mind.

What would I like better and dislike on the 720s comparatively? As devils advocate, Surely some things are better on the 720s. Tracking and acceleration of course - but what else?

 

Too me, the 720S has two main party tricks, and neither are that important to me. First party trick, it has extreme acceleration. If you like 0-JAIL in about 3.2 seconds, that’s your car. As far as I am concerned, acceleration is pretty low on my list of priorities in a street car. Second party trick, unusual comfort in a super car. To me the car was not rowdy enough, but I tend to lean more towards that gnarly “race car” feel. Again I would drive the car. I know many who just were never able to connect with the car. Meanwhile, the F12 is freaking modern masterpiece. I had one before I traded it towards my 812 a couple years ago.

 

I have had both. ~7000 miles on the F12 and ~3000 miles on the 720S coupe. They are very different cars so it depends on what you’re looking for.

From my perspective, F12’s strengths are sound, style, ease of ingress/egress, naturally aspirated power delivery, luxury. 720S’ strengths are outright performance, steering feel, lightweight dynamics, and performance oriented calibration philosophy.

Issues wise, I think most cars have their own unique ones. F12 has the potential paint issue by the rear mesh. 720S door top panel glass is prone to cracks (McLaren should cover switching to CF) and suspension accumulators don’t have the most reliable track record.

 

Drive an 812 before you decide


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720s is much lower to the ground so you will have that go-kart feeling, feels much faster, mid engine, you will probably take curves much faster due to the impression of more grip.

butterfly doors are fancy, styling is more exotic

if you are older or heavier then it becomes a chore to drive everyday

 

I enjoy driving the F12. I enjoy looking at the 720s. 720s for me will be a garage art piece. F12 will be the car to drive if I had no particular destination. it's an envious "problem" to have.

 

Simple solution. Get them both!!

 

Whatever you do, DON'T buy a 720. Fit and finish wise they're a joke and in addition to that they're in the dealership's garage more than in your own.

 

I had an f12 - had it for one year. Drove it for 4,400 miles. I thought it was a great car. Like most cars; not a forever car. Buy, drive, enjoy, sell, go into another one.

I purchased 720s a few years later. Drove it for 8,000 miles. It's the best overall supercar below hypercar. Had it for 3.5 years. Sold it, moved onto another car. Not a forever car (my opinion is that none of these cars below hypercar are anywhere near forever cars).
720s is very popular with people. Many of them were sold and really put mclaren on the map.

as an aside; Sold f12 after one year (bought brand new); lost close to $100,000 (MSRP $372K). Had 720s (brand new) for 3.5 years with many more miles, higher spec., many more made. I lost more.

 

Interesting the point about the paint issue on the F12, I had the issue and Ferrari fixed it for free.

As for the 720, yes it looks cool, it just does nothing for me drivewise but I don't really like the way any McLarens drive...to me they are just souless...

 

the 720s is nice enough and my 78 year old friend has one and loves it ..but the real fun is seeing that he can get out of it ( i have a video always makes me feel better...Watching it) but am not allowed to post it.. .. To me the 720S is of no interest .. I personally like the PISTA far more than the 720s and well I also like the F12 as I said previously ..

 

my vote is F12 for reasons stated. never driven a 720s. own an f12. so extremely bias. i just took it on a 1200 road trip and i don't think i will ever sell it. its everything you could ever want.

 

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Are you kidding? a 720S is like a spaceship from another planet compared to a F12.

.

 

I appreciate all the feedback. I just drove back from work and man does it scream! with windows down On a hwy w concrete barrriers.

Seems general consensus is pass for now as grass is greener on the other side until you are on the other side.

what would be a better replacement for an f12?

I am not sold on 812 looks yet but have driven one and it is more refined and stable on a track. Interior is 90%the same. I won’t feel like it’s a drastically different/ change of a car.

 

The 720s is obviously very fast.

Having said that, not much comes close to an F12 in terms of exhilaration and aural experience; and it’s also very fast.

I sold my F12 only because I got an 812, which is a bit more refined but overall a better car.

I would say to keep the F12 and get the 720. They check different boxes.

Speaking from experience, Mclarens get boring after a few months.

Nothing better than a NA V12.




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Sounds like you have an itch to scratch.

And I think that when you 992 GT3 come you are going to be nicely divided up with 3 different cars.

I say in your line up there is plenty of room for the F12.




May the Horse be with you

 

I have had both at the same time, and eventually sold my F12. Outside the issues that popped up with the F12 (Radio, turn indicators - there is a post on my rants on the electronics and how Ferrari chose to deal with them) it was a rock solid mechanically and I drove it for 4K miles. Loved the looks, and the sound. Hard to beat any Ferrari 12 IMO.

The 720s is a very different car probably better compared to any mid engine Ferrari, with more performance (think Pista/F8). What I could not believe, which nearly defies physics - is how it puts power to the ground compared to the F12 or any other rear wheel drive car I have owned. I have 5K miles on my 720s and have been extremely happy.

I summarize in this way: At drive out events, I often let other drivers (with experience) drive my cars. The F12 was only the 3rd car I have owned that I did not feel comfortable doing that. Just a little too much on the right pedal, and the F12 would get squirrelly. Tame as can be all other times if you wanted it to be. Great looks (I think only the 60s F-cars have a leg up in the looks department) and very GT comfortable.

The 720s put power to the ground like no other car I have driven, even better than the 812 advancement (which really improved on the F12). I sold my F12 after a few months of buying the 720s, as I just wasn't driving it as much and just didn't like the way it put power to the ground. There was a time, that that raw feeling was something I would have enjoyed more. With over 700hp, I really did not want to feel that - out of control in a second feeling.

I have had no issues with the 720s, and after 2+ years plan on keeping it until something else comes along that I am interested in. I got to drive a friends F8, liked it, but the 720 IMO is still more car. I couldn't be happier with it. I replaced the F12 with more of a DD sports car, and bought a Porsche 992 C4S (Manual Transmission).

I can honestly say, I have not been bored at all with the 720s, I rarely keep a car more than 2-3 years, and I am keeping the 720s for at least another 2 years which would be 5+ (until I find something as fun to drive). I would also say out of the exotics I have had over the years, from putting a smile on my face the 720s is in my top 3 enjoyable, fun, etc. that I have had. And by far one of the quickest cars you can own outside of a hyper car. However, even my porsche which is 200+ HP less, is more than enough power and speed to do what you need to unless you are trying to set a track record...

As far as value/depreciation. I lost a lot on my F12 about 100K (at the time I sold it) as another poster mentioned as well - which now the prices have stabilized a bit - actually up from when I sold mine. But you typically loose on any Front Engine F-car. My 720s is roughly worth what I paid for it 2+ years ago (covid induced increase). I do think once the craziness of covid pricing is over the 720s will come down significantly. But honestly, outside the limited edition cars, most cars today will go down.



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Finally an intelligent review from a 720S owner. and I'm guessing a very handsome man too.

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great color choice on the 720 and f12

 

Just did a 360 mile trip in my F12 which I now have for 3 years. and OMG is that thing fast... in Race or CT off when the tyres are hot ( above 40 C) and you have good fast sweeping roads..then its bonkers fast...and with 200 cell cats and novitec exhaust and tune, it simply sounds freakin incredible. Ocassionally i get a golf gti or something chase a bit but when i give it the full beans I noticed the extreme incredible sound "stuns" some of these drivers behind and they don't follow, I think they in shock of that unleashed engine sound .. and it looks sooo good....cant think of any better more fun car and they gonna go up in value a lot soon

 

I've had both and enjoyed them equally. They are very different cars so it really depends on what you plan to use it for. The F12 can be a daily super car as its more low key and has plenty of storage. The 720 is a sports car and a very exotic looking one at that. Nothing low key about it all and faster than just about anything out there. The tech in the F12 is from an 80's Nissan while the 720 is much more current and it actually works well i.e. BT, cameras, radio, etc. Fit and finish and overall dependability are about the same. Neither ever left me stranded but each have their quirks. If you are getting bored make the move, you can always get another F12 or 812 down the road.