McLaren Life banner
Cancel

In the market for a 12c.

4296 Views 30 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  SSO, 
qvpower
I've been lurking around the forum trying to decide if I should pull the trigger on one. What are the pitfalls and problems that owners are experiencing? As to value retention, how does the 12c compare to a gallardo, 458? Hoping to see if the car could be added to my stable should my questions be answered. Thanks :)
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
R
qvpower said:
I've been lurking around the forum trying to decide if I should pull the trigger on one. What are the pitfalls and problems that owners are experiencing? As to value retention, how does the 12c compare to a gallardo, 458? Hoping to see if the car could be added to my stable should my questions be answered. Thanks :)
Click to expand...
Are you in the UK ?
Reply
Save
Like
qvpower
im actually in the usa
Reply
Save
Like
Stewart W
at the risk of stating the obvious....If there is a dealer in your area that would be a great place to start..they ( now ) all have cars being delivered and are in best position to provide current purchasing info...
if in Southeast there is a used car at Collection ..there may be a few other slightly used if waiting is not appealing ...In Fl region , ordering a new car would translate to a 12- 16 months wait....at least that is the word out of Miami...lots of " driving opinions can be searched on this forum "...good luck and welcome.
Reply
Save
Like
HRH
qvpower said:
im actually in the usa
Click to expand...
Which part of the US are you? I can get you into a brand new 2012 (yellow/black). It's the only yellow MP4 in the entire US. The dealer wants 25k over sticker but however I can probably knock that back for you since I have a great relationship with the dealership. Let me know if I can help.
Reply
Save
Like
W
HRH said:
Which part of the US are you? I can get you into a brand new 2012 (yellow/black). It's the only yellow MP4 in the entire US. The dealer wants 25k over sticker but however I can probably knock that back for you since I have a great relationship with the dealership. Let me know if I can help.
Click to expand...
McLaren Philadelphia has cars available at list price;)........pearl white and volcano red:)
Reply
Save
Like
qvpower
Actually I have seen the car acouple of times already, sat in it, and determined that it might be for me. However, I am just trying to figure out how it is faring on the roads , its value retention vs some of the other cars prior to making my decision.
Reply
Save
Like
qvpower
Thank you! I am actually in L.A :) Is this the car at NB? At this point though I am trying to figure out the car compared to a gallardo and 458. I know the G is at the end of its product life cycle and the 458 would probably be the closer comparo.
Reply
Save
Like
texas mongrel
Gallardo residuals in the US are hopeless, you can pick them up for $70s these days. However, IMHO, you should be picking the car out of desire, not finance! View the Bruntingthorpe video posted elsewhere on the forum, it sums up the car perfectly- " if you want something to tug at your heart, maybe go for the Fezza, but if you want the best driving tool in the world, its got to be the McLaren"
Reply
Save
Like
HRH
qvpower said:
Thank you! I am actually in L.A :) Is this the car at NB? At this point though I am trying to figure out the car compared to a gallardo and 458. I know the G is at the end of its product life cycle and the 458 would probably be the closer comparo.
Click to expand...
Yes it's the car at NB. I personally have a Gallardo and the MP4 makes the Gallardo seem ancient. The 458 is a good comparison. It also depends how you are going to use the car and how often are you going to drive it. If you're thinking of putting alot of miles on the car or drive it 4 days out of the week to the office I personally would pick the 458. The reason being the cabin of the 458 is very comfortable and Ferrari really did a good job with I can say everything about the car. After driving the 458 you wouldn't look at a 430 ever again. The MP4 is a little hard to get in and out of for me but if you are not driving the car everyday it's not an issue. Comfort wise it rides very smooth but the cabin is small. In a way it reminds me of my old Exige S but a tad bit bigger. Can't go wrong with either of the cars IMO. Both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Reply
Save
Like
HRH
texas mongrel said:
Gallardo residuals in the US are hopeless, you can pick them up for $70s these days. However, IMHO, you should be picking the car out of desire, not finance! View the Bruntingthorpe video posted elsewhere on the forum, it sums up the car perfectly- " if you want something to tug at your heart, maybe go for the Fezza, but if you want the best driving tool in the world, its got to be the McLaren"
Click to expand...
Please tell me where to pick one up in the $70s. I just sold my 2006 Gallardo with 19,000 miles to an official Lamborghini dealer here in SoCal for over $100k. Even 04's are fetching high $80's wholesale. If I pick one up for $70k I'm sending it straight to Heffner for a Twin Turbo upgrade. Perhaps the cars you've seen or come across in the $70k mark have stories or salvage title?
Reply
Save
Like
qvpower
Actually I have no preference between the italia or the 12C but wanted to focus on finances simply because I would probably change it out pretty quickly in a year or 2... Because I just want something to drive on the weekends but not keep it as part of my permanent stable... Just want to make sure I dont take a bath on the residuals... Both are appealing to me and given my stature, probably not a problem on space...
Reply
Save
Like
6
qvpower said:
Actually I have no preference between the italia or the 12C but wanted to focus on finances simply because I would probably change it out pretty quickly in a year or 2... Because I just want something to drive on the weekends but not keep it as part of my permanent stable... Just want to make sure I dont take a bath on the residuals... Both are appealing to me and given my stature, probably not a problem on space...
Click to expand...
Well if you want to go fast on the weekends, buy the Ferrari. If you want to go really, really fast, buy the McLaren. ;)
Reply
Save
Like
SSO
qvpower said:
Actually I have no preference between the italia or the 12C but wanted to focus on finances simply because I would probably change it out pretty quickly in a year or 2... Because I just want something to drive on the weekends but not keep it as part of my permanent stable... Just want to make sure I dont take a bath on the residuals... Both are appealing to me and given my stature, probably not a problem on space...
Click to expand...
You will take a bath on the 458 if you hold it for two years. On the 12C, hard to tell at this point.
Reply
Save
Like
qvpower
6th element said:
Well if you want to go fast on the weekends, buy the Ferrari. If you want to go really, really fast, buy the McLaren. ;)
Click to expand...
lol. I think speed is relative now to me. Especially with cars across the board being very fast, I just want a car that has good power good looks mid engine that I could drive without making it an event... So on that count, the trio from lambo,ferrari, and mclaren are the logical choices. Im not too picky but would like to make sure i can get rid of it later without taking a bath on the value. That would be foremost consideration... So how would the values of the 12c be? Would it have good resale value? Especially given the small electronic gremlins that have plague the first run of cars, would this effect it in anyway? Just thought I would throw it out there...
Reply
Save
Like
qvpower
Boxer said:
You will take a bath on the 458 if you hold it for two years. On the 12C, hard to tell at this point.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. With the initial teething problems on the car, and not knowing the value retention, thats what is holding me back on pulling the trigger...
Reply
Save
Like
6
qvpower said:
lol. I think speed is relative now to me. Especially with cars across the board being very fast, I just want a car that has good power good looks mid engine that I could drive without making it an event... So on that count, the trio from lambo,ferrari, and mclaren are the logical choices. Im not too picky but would like to make sure i can get rid of it later without taking a bath on the value. That would be foremost consideration... So how would the values of the 12c be? Would it have good resale value? Especially given the small electronic gremlins that have plague the first run of cars, would this effect it in anyway? Just thought I would throw it out there...
Click to expand...
Okay, all jokes aside, here is my unbiased opinion. I think being in North America, you will probably fare pretty well with the 12C. In the UK, it seems they overproduced slightly for the first year and there is currently an inventory of cars (probably some flippers and some who took the brunt of the EU economy). Over here, we only started getting our cars around Nov/Dec, so the market is still less mature and, in general, the waiting list at most dealers relatively longer. As Boxer says, the 458 is likely to drop significantly over the next two years, as the V8 Ferraris hold their value best early on (years 1 & 2) and much less so from then on, as customers trade out of them and the replacement model rumours start winding up. So, to be blunt, you missed the boat on the 458 if you are concerned about resale. Regarding the 12C, the most gremlins were experienced by the early UK adopters, less so in North America, though not to say that every car is yet perfect. On the plus side, Ron Dennis himself has verbalized the intent to keep updating every customer car with any fixes or enhancements resulting from ongoing testing and customer feedback. So far, they are making good on that promise - my own car goes in next week for 3 updates to be completed at once, though I must say I have not experienced any of the gremlins that the updates intend to fix. The point is that I doubt an early car will be seen as any different from a later VIN. Of course, the elephant in the room is the absence of IRIS (GPS and Bluetooth). There is an update, earliest Q3, planned to outfit all existing cars with the system once it has completed development and testing.

If you really need to minimize depreciation I might suggest either a 430 Scuderia or a Gen 1 Gallardo Superleggera. Both fantastic, and already heavily depreciated. Many low mileage examples available, too.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
SSO
6th element said:
Okay, all jokes aside, here is my unbiased opinion. I think being in North America, you will probably fare pretty well with the 12C. In the UK, it seems they overproduced slightly for the first year and there is currently an inventory of cars (probably some flippers and some who took the brunt of the EU economy). Over here, we only started getting our cars around Nov/Dec, so the market is still less mature and, in general, the waiting list at most dealers relatively longer. As Boxer says, the 458 is likely to drop significantly over the next two years, as the V8 Ferraris hold their value best early on (years 1 & 2) and much less so from then on, as customers trade out of them and the replacement model rumours start winding up. So, to be blunt, you missed the boat on the 458 if you are concerned about resale. Regarding the 12C, the most gremlins were experienced by the early UK adopters, less so in North America, though not to say that every car is yet perfect. On the plus side, Ron Dennis himself has verbalized the intent to keep updating every customer car with any fixes or enhancements resulting from ongoing testing and customer feedback. So far, they are making good on that promise - my own car goes in next week for 3 updates to be completed at once, though I must say I have not experienced any of the gremlins that the updates intend to fix. The point is that I doubt an early car will be seen as any different from a later VIN. Of course, the elephant in the room is the absence of IRIS (GPS and Bluetooth). There is an update, earliest Q3, planned to outfit all existing cars with the system once it has completed development and testing.

If you really need to minimize depreciation I might suggest either a 430 Scuderia or a Gen 1 Gallardo Superleggera. Both fantastic, and already heavily depreciated. Many low mileage examples available, too.
Click to expand...
+1, excellent advise. Fully agree with the last two suggestions if you want to avoid a major depreciation risk. The 430 Scuderia is an epic car to drive. It feels faster than either the 458 or 12C even though it on paper it isn't as the delivery of the driving experience is much less filtered.
Reply
Save
Like
qvpower
6th element said:
Okay, all jokes aside, here is my unbiased opinion. I think being in North America, you will probably fare pretty well with the 12C. In the UK, it seems they overproduced slightly for the first year and there is currently an inventory of cars (probably some flippers and some who took the brunt of the EU economy). Over here, we only started getting our cars around Nov/Dec, so the market is still less mature and, in general, the waiting list at most dealers relatively longer. As Boxer says, the 458 is likely to drop significantly over the next two years, as the V8 Ferraris hold their value best early on (years 1 & 2) and much less so from then on, as customers trade out of them and the replacement model rumours start winding up. So, to be blunt, you missed the boat on the 458 if you are concerned about resale. Regarding the 12C, the most gremlins were experienced by the early UK adopters, less so in North America, though not to say that every car is yet perfect. On the plus side, Ron Dennis himself has verbalized the intent to keep updating every customer car with any fixes or enhancements resulting from ongoing testing and customer feedback. So far, they are making good on that promise - my own car goes in next week for 3 updates to be completed at once, though I must say I have not experienced any of the gremlins that the updates intend to fix. The point is that I doubt an early car will be seen as any different from a later VIN. Of course, the elephant in the room is the absence of IRIS (GPS and Bluetooth). There is an update, earliest Q3, planned to outfit all existing cars with the system once it has completed development and testing.

If you really need to minimize depreciation I might suggest either a 430 Scuderia or a Gen 1 Gallardo Superleggera. Both fantastic, and already heavily depreciated. Many low mileage examples available, too.
Click to expand...
Appreciate your thoughts on this. the 458 is a bit too late i agree. The gallardo is at the end of its product cycle. While a 430 scud or super g might be worth it, its not the latest which would be a criteria. However, another concern would be the mp4 demand stateside. Are these cars selling really well? It seems there quite a few of these available stateside as well.... would the mp4 fall similarly to the fate of the gallardo that drops its value like a rock? Or you think its resale would fare better than the g?
Reply
Save
Like
andy c
qvpower said:
Appreciate your thoughts on this. the 458 is a bit too late i agree. The gallardo is at the end of its product cycle. While a 430 scud or super g might be worth it, its not the latest which would be a criteria. However, another concern would be the mp4 demand stateside. Are these cars selling really well? It seems there quite a few of these available stateside as well.... would the mp4 fall similarly to the fate of the gallardo that drops its value like a rock? Or you think its resale would fare better than the g?
Click to expand...
Imo,the 12c would be far safer than the g (new tech and cf tub for starters),as for stateside stocks,they are selling more than anywhere else and the dealers have ordered for their own stock,these are maybe not selling as fast as personal ordered cars as the car is so indivdually speccable many customers are ordering and waiting rather than buying off the shelf!!
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
McLaren Life
McLaren Life is the best McLaren forum to discuss reliability, problems & more for supercar models like the F1, P1, 570, 650, 12C, and 720S!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
(P11) McLaren MP4-12C (P14) McLaren 720S (P13) McLaren 570S McLaren Lounge (P12) McLaren P1 (& F1)
Top