MP4 prices are really plummeting on resale

I wouldn't mind getting a great deal on a Mac Spyder down the road

 

Get a life

Best

Lee

 

Haha! Perfect.....
Cheers
Kevin

 

William, it is good thing everybody doesn't do what you do and wait to get a good deal on cars, or the Exotic Manufacturers would not have any sales on their new cars, and probably would not create them in the first place. LOL. Saying that, congrats on the Ford GT's, they look terrific.

 

Thanks, Trying to decide if I should get an E type, C2 Vette, or DB9 next

I think the E & C2 are sure blue chips

The DB9 is a beauty though & nicely depreciated

 

Get a Vanquish...a bit more vintage than the DB9 but a much more special car

 

I have to agree with you, although the Transmission is archaic, the car sounds great and it is really special in "S" form.

 

Seriously. William, i really dont see you with a DB9. It's way too common and not really special. Try to find a manual Vanquish (converted by the factory). Autosport Design in NY usually has one or two.

They look much better, sound better and are more special. The DB9 shape has been wh*red out so many times over that it just looks bland now.

 

The factory converts vanquishes to manual? At what cost. Link to cars never knew aston did this for their customers.

 

$25k, was a factory option at the end of the run.

http://www.astonmartin.com/en/aston-martin-works/upgrades/vanquish-options

 

Yes, factory did and probably still does.

Here is one that sold in NY for around $100k.

Autosport Designs

 

Last 2 MC12's on Ebay only reached 180k and both had MSRP's of over 300k......Do you think these will continue to depreciate or is now a good time to buy?

 

Serious question - why are these depreciating so much, so quickly? 2102's with 1,000-2,000 miles for $190? Based on $330 sticker; for a limited production. That seems massive to me.
Kevin

 

PM if you have any questions, I bought mine new back in August 2012.

 

Thank you for the offer of help...I have read and re-read every review and article I can find to educate myself and I think I would enjoy this car. One question that I am having a hard time finding the answer to is what the durability of this engine and gearbox will be under sustained track conditions. I am thinking of converting one to a track car with a roll cage and other safety features

 

I was told that while Ferrari dealers get around 15 cars Mc dealers get near 70 cars

Mc has glutted the market

That's why the depreciation

 

I think that using one as a dedicated track car is an exquisitely bad idea. First, it will be a major undertaking to integrate a roll cage into the carbon tub. Better to simply buy a GT3 version of the MP4. Or better yet buy something like a Riley Mark XXII or Radical. Both will be faster and cheaper to operate than a converted McLaren.

Don't get me wrong, the McLaren is brilliant on track, but if you want a track only car, get a race car. Fewer compromises, lighter weight, easier to maintain.

 

Keith, have you seen the McLaren Can Am track car they are going to build for track use only? They showed it last year at Pebble Beach, looked great.
I guess they are calling it the 12C Sprint.

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20131001/CARNEWS/131009986

 

I already have three dedicated race cars..an RSR, 360 Challenge and Roush T/A Mustang...I want a street legal track car that is also a weapon on the track and is not a Porsche

 

Now THATS what I am talking about! Exactly what I am looking for...Just not at 300k+

 

OK, but personally I use street cars much less on track the more I race. They are slower, heavier (and drive that way), harder to work on, and the weight and power needed to propel that weight consume tires and brakes and other parts at a high rate. I finally broke down and got a Radical SR8 and can basically guarantee it is faster than any street-based race car on track, and having completely removable front and rear clams makes service much easier than trying to work under fenders and leaning into engine bays.

I don't understand why you would want to drive a track car on the street? If you just had to be able to take the Raddy to dinner, you could probably import one as a kit; they can be equipped with headlights and so on, but need a lot of extra ride height on setup to clear bumps and things on the street.

Bottom line is a very fast track car is between awful and unusable on the street and a fast street car on track is not really all that fast and burns through stuff trying to go fast. It is such a luxury to have both I can't see myself ever trying to combine things into a single car.

 

I have seen that, and as cool as it is, the Radical SR8 is more affordable and I can almost guarantee faster. Even today the 2009 SR8 holds the Nordschliefe record and even with 918 and others knocking on the door the SR8 value for a track car is fantastic.

My personal budget estimate for any race car is that whatever it costs, multiply by 2 for the race season expenses. A track car is less, due to less risk of crash damage, but still expect to pay quite a bit to run it. I just don't have the budget to run a 12C as a dedicated track car. I suspect it would probably be over $2K per hour all in to operate. I budget $1k/hour for the Raddy, what with the cost of slicks, engine overhaul intervals and other service intervals, and consider that a bargain for how fast it is.

But my main "old faithful" track car is a simple Turbo Miata. Ridiculously inexpensive consumables and probably under $250/hour to operate on track, maybe less, and that includes fuel. And when I go off or get it filthy in the rain I just chuckle. And dead reliable - I have taken it racing and it has done 4 hour and 6 hour endures without a hiccup. At my home track it takes a pretty fast car like a Cup car on slicks or the like to go significantly faster.

And I should mention that for me a "track" car gets driven at qualifying or sprint race pace. I have no patience for a finicky car that overheats, fades brakes or just can't be driven as fast as it will go for at least 30 minutes at a time. The only street cars I have ever had that let me do that are the Lotus Elise, Mazda Miata and most recently, the FRS/BRZ twins.

All the big power stuff fades brakes and overheats.

 

Its not always about only going as fast as possible.....I want a car I can drive to DE events and drive home and a 12C sounds like it might fit nicely in that position

 

Anathema, I say! If you are willing to be sensible and baby the car on track some, then I do think you'd like the 12C. I can't bring myself to do that, I just have to flog the car as hard as I can at all times. It eventually runs out of brakes and cooling and also chunks street tires. It sure is fun getting there, though! If you have the self control to run at say 90%, I think it would go and go and go and be faster than most cars out there, certainly most street cars.

PS if absolute pace is not that important, look at the Elise or Exige. I still love my 2005 Elise after all these years and it is very impressive on track and reliable to boot.

 

As I get older (slower) I need a car with MORE horsepower so that I can go slow in the corners and NAIL IT on the straightaways!