[slumdog]

Hi

Am contemplating becoming a part of the MP4-12C family soon.... but the question is, deeply discounted 2012 Coupe or a 2013 Spider.

The coupe lines are sleeker in my opinion, and I am generally not a spider person but having the flexibility with no technical downside and decent aesthetics vs the coupe is making me rethink. Took a test drive a few weeks ago in a coupe and was blown away in town and on country roads so this is going to happen, it's just a question of which one and when!

So the questions... this would be a daily driver for me, though I will keep the current car for Winter salty roads and ski trips....
* Does the storage under the tonneau on the spider match the storage on the rear shelf of the coupe?
* For those who have the lifting system on their MY13 cars, and have tried the MY12 cars as well, is it really necessary?

The only thing really making me err toward a MY13 car is the lift system for practicality as a DD.

Thanks for the info so far and for any views on my decision.

 

[Calvin C]

I was asking myself the same question. I will go with a 2012 coupe. I love convertible but dont like the attention too much. I know, drive a toyota if I dont want the attention. Hehhe, Ive had a 300zd tt, nsx, gtr and all have tints. With the nix-t, i never took the top off. Wife likes the convertibles, but she wont be driving it. And i cant justify spending another 80-100k for something i wont be using much for. It does look sweet though. if you are looking at 2013 cars, it may not be much more for coupe or spider. so if u like the spider and its only 20k difference, i may go with spider. for me, im looking at 2012 coupe or it would have to be 2013 spider so thats a big difference in price.
good luck.
lc

 

[jkheit]

I went through the same decision process.

What region are you from? For example, I live in NYC. Had a targa for the last 5yrs and never took the top down even once. The weather during the summer can be brutal, and frankly, I prefer the AC. However, if I lived in CA, I could easily see leaning towards the spider as it would much more enjoyable weather wise.

I agree that the coupe is sleeker (as it's higher top speed will attest).

I'm also a fan of the swipe doors, but know many are not.

For me buying new was important. If buying new for you is also important, that may be tough at this point as there are few to no 2012 new leftovers (although realistically I consider anything under 500 miles to be essentially new as well, and you may still find a few 2012' with low miles like that).

I imagine the delta to be around 90k at this point, and for me, it tilted things towards the coupe (as all the above tilted to the coupe as well). I think I'm well within the minority here that prefers the coupe's looks to the spider. Although that's splitting the hair pretty finely as the spider is gorgeous as well.

You can't go wrong either way.

 

[Calvin C]

Hi JK, NYC eh? How do u drive wioth all them potholes and cabs? Scary as heck. I use to live in NY Queens. Im in NJ now.

I heard spme problems witht he swip. So thought the button may be better on the 2013's. BUt I do like the clean look of the 2012. No one will know how to open door so I will need to assist. hehehe
lc

 

[slumdog]

Thanks for the thoughts.

@Calvin definitely agree, for me the attention in a convertible is something I'd rather not have, and I would probably never use it unless I had a passenger who wanted it so..... best to save the 80k USD and avoid it. That price is too high for a "just-in-case" feature I would only use from time to time.

@jkheit, me too, the coupe lines are cleaner, the roof swoops more, the rear window shape is great, the little air intakes behind the quarter windows are perfect, and the swipe is something they should not have removed post-MY12, definitely something I would prefer to have over the rubber button.

I am in Switzerland, so it's a bit more expensive than in the US and I would have perhaps 4 months of good weather vs rain and snow, so a convertible is definitely not a must.

There are a few new MY12s around here, the delta used vs new MY12 is probably 55k USD, then new MY12 vs MY13 spider is another 50k USD.

What do you think to test drive models - would they have been over abused with 7-8k miles on the clock, and so would a private used vs mclaren qualified be better? What if a used car has been driven on the track a few times - does the engine need a decent wearing-in time before being driven hard?

Appreciate the replies

 

[andy c]

Thanks for the thoughts.

@Calvin definitely agree, for me the attention in a convertible is something I'd rather not have, and I would probably never use it unless I had a passenger who wanted it so..... best to save the 80k USD and avoid it. That price is too high for a "just-in-case" feature I would only use from time to time.

@jkheit, me too, the coupe lines are cleaner, the roof swoops more, the rear window shape is great, the little air intakes behind the quarter windows are perfect, and the swipe is something they should not have removed post-MY12, definitely something I would prefer to have over the rubber button.

I am in Switzerland, so it's a bit more expensive than in the US and I would have perhaps 4 months of good weather vs rain and snow, so a convertible is definitely not a must.

There are a few new MY12s around here, the delta used vs new MY12 is probably 55k USD, then new MY12 vs MY13 spider is another 50k USD.

What do you think to test drive models - would they have been over abused with 7-8k miles on the clock, and so would a private used vs mclaren qualified be better? What if a used car has been driven on the track a few times - does the engine need a decent wearing-in time before being driven hard?

Appreciate the replies

The engine is pretty bomb proof,and this car was designed for the track,so any small amount of track work would mean nothing,just check for damage underneath to see if it has been abused more than usual,its also unlikely that test drive models get that much abuse anyway as the customers are usually more carefull than long term owners as they generally have short drives and are really not that aware of what this car can do ,so don't get to use the full beans imo. So at this stage in the life cycle pick what car floats your boat as they are all still under warrenty!

 

[slumdog]

Thanks Andy that is precisely what I wanted to hear

The reason I asked about tracking it - the dealer said that they had taken the car I test drove to a track actually, as the front badge had been removed to make way for a wrap on the bonnet.

Incidentally, de badging looked great as everyone crossing roads was totally lost as to what kind of car it was

 

[andy c]

Thanks Andy that is precisely what I wanted to hear

The reason I asked about tracking it - the dealer said that they had taken the car I test drove to a track actually, as the front badge had been removed to make way for a wrap on the bonnet.

Incidentally, de badging looked great as everyone crossing roads was totally lost as to what kind of car it was

Where in Switzerland slumdog,we have a few members there

 

[slumdog]

You have a message Andy

 

[jkheit]

Hi JK, NYC eh? How do u drive wioth all them potholes and cabs? Scary as heck. I use to live in NY Queens. Im in NJ now.

I heard spme problems witht he swip. So thought the button may be better on the 2013's. BUt I do like the clean look of the 2012. No one will know how to open door so I will need to assist. hehehe
lc

The car is actually great in NYC. My old vette had magnetic suspension, but even in the softest setting, you got rattled. The Mac really smooths things out, while still really feeling the road. It's some kind of witchcraft! ☺

The cabs are not too bad. They eventually relent. The true horror are the busses. They don't see you and even if they do, they don't care. I've seen at least 5 accidents with busses turning in to get to the Lincoln tunnel, crunching a car next to them. Not sure what hole they find the drivers for those things, but I've had the them get way too close, so I just stay out in front, or way behind, but try never to be next to them unless I'm sure I can pass by.

 

[jkheit]

Thanks for the thoughts.

@jkheit, me too, the coupe lines are cleaner, the roof swoops more, the rear window shape is great, the little air intakes behind the quarter windows are perfect, and the swipe is something they should not have removed post-MY12, definitely something I would prefer to have over the rubber button.

I am in Switzerland, so it's a bit more expensive than in the US and I would have perhaps 4 months of good weather vs rain and snow, so a convertible is definitely not a must.

There are a few new MY12s around here, the delta used vs new MY12 is probably 55k USD, then new MY12 vs MY13 spider is another 50k USD.

What do you think to test drive models - would they have been over abused with 7-8k miles on the clock, and so would a private used vs mclaren qualified be better? What if a used car has been driven on the track a few times - does the engine need a decent wearing-in time before being driven hard?

Appreciate the replies

Wow, I think the delta of a new vs used (low miles <500) in the US is about $10k.

Re: abuse. I think odds are, generally, most of these cars are babied and garage queens. My problem, particularly in the US, is that US drivers are atrocious. I mean just the pits of the earth. Particularly around the NJ area. Just heinous. And that results in all kinds of unseen abuse in hitting things, pot holes, abusive driving traits (mis gearing), poor maintenance, getting the car misaligned and not fixing it, then driving hard on it and straining parts in ways that won't manifest themselves till later. So I don't trust it at all. I'd like to think I would feel differently in Europe where people are just orders of magnitude better drivers. That said, I probably still wouldn't.

So new is very important to me. I just cannot trust the provenance of a car driven by someone I don't know. That would be very different if it were one of my buddies that I knew was a really good driver and kept the car up.

Anyway, I believe if you get private you still get the remainder of the warranty, but what I'm not sure of is if it affects the warranty negatively in some way. If not, I would have it checked out by a Mac dealer before buying to be sure things are ok.

And lastly, yes, there is a break in period of 1000km where you're not supposed to over rev, or go over 150mph. I believe, after that, you're free to do what you like.

 

[slumdog]

Wow, I think the delta of a new vs used (low miles <500) in the US is about $10k.

Yep I think it's pretty expensive here. I'll have another chat with the dealer and see what he can do. Let you know what the numbers and specs are like at the weekend. My budget is about 200k USD with some leeway upwards for a new car, from what I have read here this should be reasonable for the MY12 coupes, but the listing prices for the McLaren Qualified car with 10k km on the clock starts at 236k when you convert local currency to USD, and we have lower taxes here.... makes sense doesn't it!

Hopefully these are only suggested prices and can be negotiated to more realistic levels.

 

[Calvin C]

Slumdog, I gotta add. The spider is growing on me )C=
Now Im as confused as you were.
lc

 

[slumdog]

Just read your thread on the same question - and you have me confused again!

I have 3 options.... used coupe, from early 2012 so might need some attention under warranty.... or new coupe from "some time" in 2012, or new spider.... 50k usd between each more or less.

Despite the confusion the coupe still has me under its spell. The lines on the coupe swoop more, it's more spacious inside, and really I would probably never use the roof down as I don't like the attention...

Slowly whittling the decision down to 2 cars... let's see how the negotiations go.

Good luck on your decision too!

 

[Mikeyb]

slumdog, if I may,

are you buying from Geneva or zurich? or abroad?

 

[slumdog]

Zurich - I would have issues reselling an imported car in Switzerland later so have to buy one here. Could buy from Geneva but Zurich is more convenient.

 

[Calvin C]

Slumdog, I was also struggling between a 2012 coupe and 2013 spider. I decided to go with the 2012 coupe today. Its being delivered on Wednesday from McLaren Philly. Had a blast test driving the spider, but 2 humps behind the rear seats was a major blind spot for me. The spider is beautiful, but i cant justify spending an additional 80-100k for the spider. Maybe Ill trade for a spider in afew years. But for now, im very happy with my decision to go with a coupe.
good luck with your decision. eitherway, u cant go wrong. Its a beautiful car!
lc

 

[cka]

I have the coupe and the spider. With the roof up the lines of the coupe is obviously nicer. Because of the CF tub, they both handle about the same. With the roof down, it's nice and you get to hear the engine. If you are a prior owner of porsche, you will probably be happy with the standard exhaust but if you like your car loud like i do, the sports exhaust is a must. Good luck on your decision. The 12C is a wonderful car to drive.

 

[Ritesh]

I have owned both IMHO the spider looks better. It doesn't have the glass hatchback look and instead has more colored body panels and Carrera GT style look. Plus you get to hear the engine roar more when u put the back window down a little.

The major downside to spider is that you lose the ~2.5 cubic feet of space behind the seats.

 

[slumdog]

Argh! Ritesh your Carrera GT comment messed with my head, it's so true and comparing the Spider with the coupe is a mistake - it should be compared with other spiders and against those it is spectacular!

Thanks for the replies and insights, this is all really useful information. However for budget reasons I think I will go for a coupe right now, even though I was shown a great offer on a Spider the other day.

Generally I don't like the attention and exposure in a convertible, though the F1 humps on the 12C spider really give a sense of enclosure and privacy that would work very nicely.

Perhaps in a year or two I could "upgrade"

Will let you know how the shopping goes over the next few weeks...