[Samjlevy]

Hello everyone,

So I'm looking to buy my first McLaren, a 720s.

I've been browsing for a few weeks now, my budget is around £150k and ideally I want approved used from McLaren to get the warranty and peace of mind.

I've found one in that has taken my fancy, it's a 2018 model with 17000 miles on it for £142,900, maybe a little more miles than I initially wanted.

Below is the spec of the car, is there anything that is missing that is really essential?

720S COUPE
ONYX BLACK
"67" PLATE
17000 MILES

ET0101AUDIO12 : Audio System - 12 Speaker
EX1502SC0021E : Exterior Special Paint - Onyx Black
EX2201GG_DOORUPPER : Exterior Door Upper - Gorilla Glass
EX2901SPEXH : Sports Exhaust
EX3101SHADWPK : Stealth Pack
EX9501SCLATCH : Soft Close Doors
IN0206TECH_001 : 720S Trim - Black Alcantara
IN0401NO_SILL_FIN : Sill Panel - Carpet
IN0501ELECSEA : Electric and Heated Memory Seats
IN0501STDSEAT : Standard Seats - Manually Adjustable
IN0601STD_SB : Seat Back - Carbon Black
IN1001STD_COL : Steering Column - Adjustable (Manual)
IN1701CF_PRIMARY_COMP : Primary Interior Components - CF
IN1801CF_SECONDARY_COMP : Secondary Interior Components - CF
IN25010001LSW : Steering Wheel - Carbon Black Leather
IN2602CF_SW_PADDLE : Steering Wheel Paddles - MSO Defined
IN3001SEATBELT_BLK : Seatbelt - Black
IN6001CF_DOOR_INSERT : Door Insert - Carbon Fibre
IN9801P1MPHCLUSTER : Instrument Cluster - MPH
PK2001MONO_DP : Visible Body Structure - Dark Palladium
PT010114_COUPE : McLaren 720S Coupe
PT0201MY2018 : 2018 Model Year
PT0301010R : Europe
PT0401010004L : Vehicle Specification - United Kingdom
PT0501RHD : Right Hand Drive
PT0601OMENG : Owners Manual - English
PT0701SYSL_ENGLISH : System Language - English (UK)
PT1001FLOORMAT : Branded Floor Mat Set
PT9901433MHZ : 433Mhz Frequency for TPMS and Keys
SS0101PTS : Parking Sensors (Front and Rear)
SS0201PSREVCAM : Parking Sensors and Rear Parking Camera
SS0501ALARM_VOL : Volumetric Alarm
SS0701SURRVIEW : 360 Degree Park Assist
SS1001SATTRAC : Vehicle Tracking System
SS1502VEHICLE_LIFT : Vehicle Lift
WB0101LWTFRGW_R_OPT : 10-Spoke Super-Lightweight Forged Wheels
WB0201WHLFIN_PGW : Wheel Finish - Stealth
WB0301CCMB : Carbon Ceramic Brakes
WB0401CALI_CLR_BS : Calipers - Black with Printed Logo
WB1001STD_TY : Tyres - Pirelli P ZERO
WB9901TPMS : Tyre Pressure Monitoring System

Thanks in advance,

Sam

 

[Samjlevy]

Ha shame I didn't know this a month ago, I had a deal on a brand new spider and put my 2019 coupe on Collecting cars, then Mclaren decided they weren't making any cars this year and pulled all discounts on new cars- lots of swearing happened but thankfully mine didn't reach the reserve, if i'd have had a buyer lined up before it would have been in time to do the deal. to answer your question, take a good look at the gorilla glass for cracks, they are 3k to replace, the only ones to avoid from a resale point of view are the luxury spec (leather seats) as dealers will tell you, they just don't sell, you will be out of original warranty so budget for about 4k a year on warranty. if you can get one with the mclaren swoosh in sliver rather than orange, those are built after 2019 (if you see a 2019 car with a red swoosh its sat around in a warehouse for a few years).
Mainly its down to colour and spec and thats largely a personal preference thing, black cars don't seem to sell as well (autotrader is full of them) but if you like black thats all good (personally I think you lose a lot of the lines of the car in black).
142k for an 18 plate with that mileage seems about right if you like the spec,

Thank you for the response. That is a shame, I'd love to get one off someone on this forum. So the one I'm looking at is a 3 owner vehicle, it has just had the gorilla glass replaced and is currently getting the bonnet painted at McLaren for stone chips. It comes with a 12 month extended warranty included in the price as it is coming directly from McLaren Leeds. I'm a fan of black, I didn't really want a bright colour or white, so for me it's either black or grey. The spec I am not massively concerned about, really I just want sports exhaust and lift, I just wanted to make sure the resale wouldn't be hit too hard for having no carbon and not being a performance spec car.

 

[Samjlevy]

performance spec is just Primary carbon pack one and few other toys, i wouldn't focus on that to be honest and on the darker colours like black a lot of the carbon exterior parts don't stand out much at all. on the resale sure some people want to buy a fully loaded every carbon bit you can get, but some don't, like yourself some just want to enjoy the car and any extra carbon is a bonus but not essential. some of the dealers are putting the prices of used cars up by 5-10k which is a bit cheeky, mainly because they know there is no new stock coming. if leeds is giving you 12 month warranty in the price then its going to be fine as they'll have checked it over, personally i'm not a fan of getting it from an independent, some people are fine with that though. with that mileage its been driven a lot so all the bugs will have been ironed out, first few thousand miles in mine was a nightmare, went back for lots of niggles, last 10,000 have been faultless. its not a BMW that will just never go wrong but equally its an amazing car and you'll love it. keep an eye on oil consumption they all use it. other than that not much to say if its Mclaren used approved etc.

Thanks for that information, I did wonder what the Performance spec was. I'm going to put a refundable deposit on it to secure and go and take a look when it comes out of the body shop. I guess that fact it had 17,000 miles on it was worrying me, but I think I'd still prefer one with slightly more miles direct from McLaren rather than an independent dealer. It's got most of the spec I would want including the MSO paddles and sports exhaust, and the inclusion of a 12 month warranty, I think it's priced quite fairly looking what is currently available on the market. They did actually put it up by £5k since the weekend but have agreed to honor the original price. Funnily enough my daily driver is a BMW M5 and it has actually been quite problematic...

When I was shopping around the items on my list were:

• The colour, my choice was Volcano Red and was the biggest driver for me personally
• Spider vs Coupe, jump in price but wanted to the extra audio sensation from the engine with the top down and surprisingly the ability to lower the rear window, gives.
• B&W sound system, big step up if you like your music
• Lift, although I've never had cause to use it yet as the ground clearance is too bad, more than a friends Lotus
• Reversing camera minimum but 360 would have been nice
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Carbon mirrors for the contrast with red
• Electric adjustable comfort seats, so I don't have to play the seat adjustment game after the wife has been driving
• Tracking, keeps the insurance cost down, couldn't believe £330 from Admiral.
• 1 year min manufactures warrantee

Something I was looking for but wouldn't be deal breaker was Performance spec, as liked the Alcantara + carbon pack 1.

The model I ended up with had a few extra bits, mainly internal carbon pieces which was just bonus, a 2 year warrantee and single owner and low mileage, but not too low

Yes, colour is reasonable important for me, I really want black which I know most that come up for sale are anyway. The rest of the spec on the one I'm looking at seems good, it's got lift, 360 camera, reverse camera, sports exhaust and a few other bits, so it's not completely base. Really it's just missing the carbon packs and a few other cosmetic bits which I'm not overly concerned about.

Looking forward to joining the McLaren club!

 

[Samjlevy]

Thank you very much Dave.

Looking forward to finally being a 720s owner!

Funnily enough I was actually looking for an AMG GTR, but they have crept up in value to a point where it makes sense to spend the extra on a 720s, and let's be honest, there is no comparison between the two really.

 

[Samjlevy]

@cars4enjoying Thanks again for all the advice, I've put a deposit down on the black one, can't view it until it comes out of the body shop but it sounds like a good one, it's been bought and sold by the same McLaren dealer, only reason the previous owner sold is that he picked up a 600LT.

@Elmbo Good luck with the hunt!

 

[Samjlevy]

if its just had a front end respray, i'd get it PPF'd mine has done 12k now and not a single chip or mark on the paint. its a bit of an extra cost (mine was 3k at Topaz) but totally worth it
Enjoy the car!

Did you get the whole car done or just the front end?

 

[Samjlevy]

I'm just considering upping my budget to get a newer car with less miles.

There is a Lantana Purple one at McLaren Manchester (2 minutes from my house) with 11k on the clock, it's a 2019 car, pretty much the same spec as above with a few more extras including Exterior Carbon Pack 1 for £164k. I really wanted a black car, but I'm going to look at this one to see what the purple looks like in the flesh.

 

[Samjlevy]

So I’ve found another black one, it’s done 9700 miles which I think is perfect for a 2018 car. Enough to have all the issues sorted but not too many. Spec is a little better, the only thing with this one is that it has the 4 speaker stereo which I understand is garbage. It’s got ext carbon pack 1 and a few more extras.


ET0101AUDIO4 : Audio System - 4 Speaker
EX1504MC0005E : MSO Defined Ext Paint - Abyss Black
EX2201GG_DOORUPPER : Exterior Door Upper - Gorilla Glass
EX2801CARB_DM : Door Mirror - Carbon Fibre
EX2901SPEXH : Sports Exhaust
EX3101SHADWPK : Stealth Pack
EX3401CF_HOOD_VENT : Hood Air Intake – Carbon Fibre
EX4301CF_RRDECK : Rear Deck/Engine Covers - MSO Defined CF
EX4601CF_FRT_INTAKE : Front Air Intake - Carbon Fibre
EX5901CF_RR_SIDEINLET : Rear Fender Air Intakes - Carbon Fibre
EX9501SCLATCH : Soft Close Doors
IN0202PERF_001 : Perf Trim - Black Lthr/Alcantara
IN0401STD_ROCK : Sill Panel - Standard
IN0501ELECSEA : Electric and Heated Memory Seats
IN0601STD_SB : Seat Back - Carbon Black
IN1001ELEC_COL : Steering Column - Electric
IN1701CF_PRIMARY_COMP : Primary Interior Components - CF
IN1801CF_SECONDARY_COMP : Secondary Interior Components - CF
IN25010019LSW : Steering Wheel - Jet Black Leather
IN2602CF_SW_PADDLE : Steering Wheel Paddles - MSO Defined
IN3001SEATBELT_BLK : Seatbelt - Black
IN6001CF_DOOR_INSERT : Door Insert - Carbon Fibre
IN9701AMBI_LIGHT : Ambient Lighting
IN9801P1MPHCLUSTER : Instrument Cluster - MPH
PK0102PERF : By McLaren - Performance
PK2001MONO_DP : Visible Body Structure - Dark Palladium
PK3001PACK_EXT1 : Carbon Fibre Exterior Upgrade - Pack 1
PT010114_COUPE : McLaren 720S Coupe
PT0201MY2018 : 2018 Model Year
PT0301010R : Europe
PT0401010004L : Vehicle Specification - United Kingdom
PT0501RHD : Right Hand Drive
PT0601OMENG : Owners Manual - English
PT0701SYSL_ENGLISH : System Language - English (UK)
PT1001FLOORMAT : Branded Floor Mat Set
PT3501BATCHRG : Battery Charger - Lithium-ion
PT9701LUGGSTRAP : Luggage Retention Strap
PT9901433MHZ : 433Mhz Frequency for TPMS and Keys
SS0101PTS : Parking Sensors (Front and Rear)
SS0201PSREVCAM : Parking Sensors and Rear Parking Camera
SS0501ALARM_STD : Standard Alarm
SS0701SURRVIEW : 360 Degree Park Assist
SS1001SATTRAC : Vehicle Tracking System
SS1502VEHICLE_LIFT : Vehicle Lift
WB0101LWTFRGW_R_OPT : 10-Spoke Super-Lightweight Forged Wheels
WB0201WHLFIN_PGW : Wheel Finish - Stealth
WB0301CCMB : Carbon Ceramic Brakes
WB0401CALI_CLR_BS : Calipers - Black with Printed Logo
WB1001STD_TY : Tyres - Pirelli P ZERO
WB9901TPMS : Tyre Pressure Monitoring System

 

[Samjlevy]

I have also heard the basic stereo isn't great, but can't comment myself, so I would suggest test for yourself see what you think. I can say that for the care the B&W upgrade is good though.

I think I’m being too picky in all honesty. I’ll probably make do with the standard stereo if the car has the right spec and miles which this one does.

 

[Samjlevy]

One more option, very well priced, 2021 car with 1,100 miles on it. I'm just not sure on the colour, it's got no sports exhaust and also a leather interior, but apart from that the spec is very good.

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[Samjlevy]

Lots of carbon on their, as you say the only quirk is the leather interior but that seems minor. That said if your not keen on the colour you might never be truly happy?

No, I really do not like that colour on the photos, which is a shame as it's very well priced, I can't find another similar spec, miles and year for under £200k. I'm just wondering if the colour may look better in the flesh. Black is really the only colour I want to be honest. I think I'll try and negotiate on the 2018 car which is up for £158,990, if they will do a deal on that car I think it is the perfect spec for me, apart from the stereo, but that's not a deal breaker, I really only use the stereos in my car for background noise.

 

[Samjlevy]

You can always put a wrap on it and make it any colour you like

That was the other option, but then I'm looking at £7k for a good wrap. It's a tricky one, go for a car in a colour I'm not keen on, but one with a good spec, very low miles and newer, or go for an older car with more miles in a colour I really like.

 

[Samjlevy]

can't be that much. For a PPF yes, you'll pay that but a colour wrap is usually half that. Unless you're going to put a ppf under the colour wrap

Or our prices here in NL are way lower than the uk... You'll pay less than 3k euro for a full colour wrap of a car like this.

You are correct, it's around £2500 to wrap. Very interesting, that may change things...

 

[Samjlevy]

Change my mind again. I've bought it, they sent me a video and the colour with the carbon actually looks stunning, very different, great spec on the car with low miles and a year old.

Very happy, I think it was the right decision, the price over the 2018 car ended up being £10k after adding the extended warranty, this comes with 2 years of factory warranty and a much better spec.

 

[Samjlevy]

Congrats! Thats an amazing price for such a young car. I'm jealous of the prices you guys are paying in the UK. Here on the mainland they are quite a bit more expensive...
I've almost bought mijn as well. Getting contract on Monday and transport has been arranged!

Thank you! The closest I could find with similar miles and age was £205k, and the spec was really missing on it, so this really seems like a very good deal. It only went up for sale last night so managed to get in there quickly. Also glad it still has 2 years factory warranty left on it. I pick it up next Sunday. The only thing it is missing that I really wanted is the sports exhaust, but worst case this can be added on by McLaren for £5200, or I could go aftermarket but don't want to risk warranty.

Congratulations as well!!

 

[Samjlevy]

Congrats @samjlevy I know you’ll love the car and as you said an amazing price for the spec and age!

Thank you, I'm over the moon. Very happy with the colour, I did a complete U-Turn when he sent the video of the car, really makes the carbon pop.

Thanks!

Looks like we might then get our cars at the same time. But mine needs to be transported about 1000 miles but hopefully will arrive next weekend. Factory warranty is indeed great. Fortunatly mine also has almost 2 years of extended warranty on it. Which also covers accumulators over here I've understood from my local dealer . But original factory warranty is obviously always better.

The extended does indeed cover the accumulators in the UK and Europe which is the main thing to be honest!

 

[Samjlevy]

Nearly went back on this deal as a Storm Grey car popped up in Leeds, similar spec but a Performance so Alcantara instead, with 3,000 miles on it for £185k, so £10k more.

Decided to stick with the Flux car to be a bit different, and also value for money is better in my opinion. Collection is on Sunday, very excited, can't wait to get her home!

 

[Samjlevy]

Picked her up today, it looks amazing in the flesh, the colour is like a pearl champagne, really like it. The car is amazing, drove it 400 miles today and enjoyed every minute. There is a couple of alignment issues with one of the doors and slightly at the top of the bonnet, and a few rattles when the stereo is turned up so it’s going it to McLaren Manchester to get sorted, but apart from that I can’t fault it, what an incredible car.

 

[Samjlevy]

Congrats @samjlevy we do expect some pics

If you haven't seen there is a UK owners club which you might be interested in joining. I can't vouch for it yet but I did join today and look forward to meeting some new folks with similar interests in this fantastic cars.

Pictures coming soon! Just need to get it cleaned after the long (but fun) drive back from Glasgow to Manchester.

I'm about to join actually, but I need to wait for the V5 to come through as proof of ownership, looking forward to getting out on some events, hopefully see you there!

 

[Samjlevy]

Got it straight in for a full alignment, difference is astonishing. These guys seriously know there stuff, they’ve done all my cars including a GT3RS, highly recommended for anyone in the UK. He took some picture for me, can’t really see the colour too well, but it looks amazing in the flesh.