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McLaren 12C test drive

Joined
23 October 2000
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Location
Saint Augustine, FL
I got the chance to test drive the 12C yesterday. Omg. What a car. It really reminded of a next gen nsx. It had a very similar feeling. It is the first car I have ever driven that had a view of the road from the drivers seat that matched the nsx.

The ride quality is outstanding. Felt way better than my nsx on bc's. It is the best suspension I have ever been in for an exotic.

The shifter is fantastic. It's super fast, but also in full auto mode it was amazing.

The power. Wow. It is Fast. Really fast. Fastest car I have ever driven. I was expecting it to push you back in the seat more, but it moves. We hit 140mph like nothing.

I will say my nsx sounds better. ;)

In closing, I want this car. I'm hoping they are somewhat affordable in 5 years. It is easily the best daily driving super car I have ever driven.

I am so jealous of you Ritesh!!!!!!
 
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Haha.... Is this Facebook where you can tag me?

It is easily the best car in the exotic market. It really is the proper evolution of the NSX(if the NSX was launched today). It's comfortable for long distance trips, had decent storage space and quiet when you need it to be. Then you switch the dial to sport/track and step on the GO pedal. Holy Chit!!!!! The car launches forward and doesn't slow down till about 140! The Spider is better than the Coupe since the CF tub eliminates any potential cowl shake. I have plenty of friends, internet buddies who say they would rather have the F458. I have driven both and find that the Ferrari is best at creating drama for the sake of drama. It is red, sounds great and oversteers quickly so feel like you are really driving a beast. But I don't ever see my buddy drive his Ferrari to Dallas(110 miles). He owns a 12C and a F458 spider. He usually takes his 12C or one of his other cars.

Weaknesses: Resale, RESALE!! The exhaust note is not melodic, its too industrial. New production quality issues.

Wait till the 650S reviews come out....I think the journalists will be satisfied this time.
 
I drove the Spyder. It had 500 miles on it. Pretty awesome. I wonder what they will be worth in 5 years. How is the maintenance and reliability?
 
I had a chance to experience the 12c recently also. Should/might have some track days with one later this summer if I'm lucky- at least sitting shotgun haha.

Yes, this should have been the next NSX but if the new NSX is anything like the P1 then the NSX will make the 12C feel a tad analog. Which is not a bad thing in my book. I'm very eager go see how the NSX drivetrain will perform.

I was shocked how strict McLarens warranty program is. If you so much as have a screw modified they void it! That's what I was told at least...

BTW... You will love better suspension on the NSX. Ignorance is bliss until you try something better. I love my dampers on the NSX and felt the 12c could have been a tad more compliant on the street setting.
 
Weaknesses: Resale, RESALE!! The exhaust note is not melodic, its too industrial. New production quality issues.

really? I have been looking on ebay. prices have held up pretty well. Looking forward to "upgrading" but prices are still quite high.
not to hope that your car depreciates but hope that one day the price does come down a little more.
 
really? I have been looking on ebay. prices have held up pretty well. Looking forward to "upgrading" but prices are still quite high.
not to hope that your car depreciates but hope that one day the price does come down a little more.

Resale will drop heavily from the $200+ price when new, but I don't think these cars will be sold south of $100k for a very, very long time.
 
was shocked how strict McLarens warranty program is. If you so much as have a screw modified they void it! That's what I was told at least...
That's a bit anecdotal, the McLaren Automotive dealers' new-vehicle 3-years/unlimited-miles limited warranty support is the same as any other new-car warranties. Any notable/objectionable modifications can void the warranty (namely straight-pipes/test-pipes/modded-cats/aftermarket-exhaust/ECU-tune/non'spec-tires/etc). There is the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act
which "protects" the consumer from unfair voiding of the warranty, as well. Also, there's the option to extend the original limited warranty on a year-to-year basis if the model is CPO and/or you're under warranty coverage.

Wanna know how cool McLaren is as a company? They encourage you to track it.

Anywayz... yea, 12C Coupes aren't crazy-crashing depreciating if looking at the original MSRP of ~$230k'ish. Once adding the (over-priced) options to the build and applicable TTL, the as-delivered price can get up there (encroaching $300k). For such builds, dealers were comp'ing buyers $40k-$50k within the past year. Generally speaking, most secondhand market transactions of a preowned/titled 12C coupe are around $185k-$205k for examples with some mileage (not showroom/garage dust-collectors). I believe it to be a long-term ~$175k+ ride for years to come, depending on the mileage/condition/history. It's just too well built/engineered offering way too much performance/handling to drop to a more "modest" residual amount. Obviously, there will be exceptions.

The arrival of the P13, aka MY15 (namely "Baby Mac") meant to compete with the non GT/turbo versions of the 911 will likely dictate the 12C valuation in the longrun in terms of a "floor."

The 650S model has blurred the future of the 12C, seemingly it's being reported that the 12C will remain in the lineup but only order-able directly from the factory.
 
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It is a modern day turbo NSX, just wish Honda built it. :(
 
I was kinda hoping that values over the next three years would drop into the $125-135k range following suit of the F430, especially since the car "potentially" is being replaced. I understand there is a lot of speculation going either way whether or not the model will continue, and only time will tell. I don't plan on being able to afford one until that happens.....so for now I will continue to drool....lol. Now when we start talking P1....the drool becomes a slobber.
 
I was kinda hoping that values over the next three years would drop into the $125-135k range following suit of the F430, especially since the car "potentially" is being replaced. I understand there is a lot of speculation going either way whether or not the model will continue, and only time will tell. I don't plan on being able to afford one until that happens.....so for now I will continue to drool....lol. Now when we start talking P1....the drool becomes a slobber.

Or when you start talking cheeseburger in your case too :biggrin:
 
Resale was an issue initially. MSRP $280+K cars were selling for $205-215K with in 6-8 months. Since then prices have stabalized.

Its going to be a LONG while before they are in the $125K range. The car competes with F458. Some would say(ME) that is better than F458. If you get the Spider then it is light years superior to the F458(see cowl shake thread on Fchat). Sticker prices for 12C's are in the $275K - $325K range depending on options. They might not have a waiting list like new Ferrari V8's BUT Most everybody would agree that it is a tremendous bargain/value when compared to the Gallardo/F430 and their prices are in the $125 -175K range. Ferrari has a $75K car - the 360, a $120 - $190K car - F430, and a $210 - 375K car - the F458. McLaren has no older model that would dictate a drop in values so I seriously doubt you will see prices below $175K for a while.
 
Right now, on Ebay at least, most 12' models are all under $200k.....so that would put them considerably lower for wholesale. Depends really on what goes on with 650s and P13 and the state of economy as well. What is the actual ownership cost like? Meaning general maintenance also any reliability issues?
 
It was nice of McLaren to offer original buyers of the 12c a software upgrade to the new HP level.
 
Least they can do when your $275k+ car takes almost a 30% hit in a year or less:rolleyes:

But in all seriousness I think they are making the best cars on the planet right now. Hopefully I will be able to acquire one in the next 3-5 years.

Anyone want to buy a really nasty NSX? Lol
 
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I drove the Spyder. It had 500 miles on it. Pretty awesome. I wonder what they will be worth in 5 years. How is the maintenance and reliability?

If I were in the market for a paddle car it would be my front runner. In talking with a local about his 458 and 12C, he favors the McLaren without question. As for pricing in 5 years, I would say they will be in the $140-$150 range as by then it could be 1.5 gens back. If you assume the 650S is a half gen and the "13C" is the then new must have model. If Ferrari pricing is any indication, the "old" model takes a serious beating when the new one comes out. 348-355-360-430-458
 
I had a chance to get a ride yesterday in a McLaren MP4 12C at Sebring.

Funny, on Saturday I was assigned as instructor for this car but I asked to be assigned to something slower. I think I was wrong to pass up this opportunity. Anyways, on Sunday I asked for a ride since the driver got signed off solo for Sebring.

OMG, what an amazing car. Acceleration was fierce but nicely controlled, the transmission was so fast, the car seemed to behave quite nicely, fairly neutral, the brakes were really, really good.

As much as I love to snap off heel-toe downshifts, and like working three pedals, I must admit that manual transmissions in performance vehicles are obsolete. I really hate to admit this, but after this ride, I am convinced. I'd driven F360 with F1 transmission and was underwhelmed. Since then the technology has gotten so much better. For driving enthusiasts with a nostalgic bend, this is sad, but objectively I can't justify a shift lever and a third pedal when auto-shifting with dual clutch systems are this good.

Otherwise the car also seemed very civilized.

As far as performance, I have not traveled faster in a car than I did yesterday. (My frame of reference is not all the extensive, though, since the other "fast" cars I have been in were a C6 Z06 at Sebring and a Porsche 911 GT3 on the street, so take this with a grain of salt.) I don't know for sure but I estimate speed at the end of the 3500-ft back straight at Sebring to be somewhere around 150-160 MPH. Really glad the brakes were up to it, and they absolutely were.

Color me impressed. Hard to say something that costs that much is a good value, but dang, this car is probably worth the price of admission.
 
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Is the 12C and P1 comparable or totally different animals?

I have a pretty in depth knowledge of the F458 and other F-cars but know little about McLaren. At a recent car show there was a few McLaren's but don't even know which model that was....this is the one I saw:


Ritesh any pics of your rides you want to post up?
 
^+1

The P1 is on a different planet with the LaFerrari and 918. While the P1 and 12C both have a 3.8L V8, they are completely different blocks. Same for the chassis and suspension.

What a great time to like cars...
 
Some McLaren 101...

P11 ('12-'14 12C Coupe/Spider ~$250k+, '15+ 650S Coupe/Spider ~$300k+): MR/RWD, 3.8L TT, 625-650hp, CF mono cell, composite exterior; competitors: 458, Gallardo/Huracan (and R8-V10, 911 GT2)

P12 ('14+ P1 ~$1.25M+): MR/RWD, 3.8L TT, 725hp petrol + 175hp electric-assist/e-mode = 900+ hp, CF mono cage, CF exterior; competitors: LaFerrari, 918 (and Agera, Huayra), non-roadgoing "P1 Track" in development for 20'ish units

P13 ('15+ "TBD" ~$165k+): MR/RWD, 3.8L TT, 500hp, CF mono cell, aluminum exterior; competitors: NSX-v2, 911 GT3/C4S (and R8, California-GT)

P14 ('17+ "TBD" ~$500k+): MR/RWD, Aventador-competitor, 1-tier above 12C/650S and 1-tier below P1
 
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Is the 12C and P1 comparable or totally different animals?

I have a pretty in depth knowledge of the F458 and other F-cars but know little about McLaren. At a recent car show there was a few McLaren's but don't even know which model that was....this is the one I saw:


Ritesh any pics of your rides you want to post up?

That's not a p1. That's the new mclaren 650s, which is a super up version of the mp4-12c with a p1-like front fascia.
 
FCF6074E-5950-427D-B8C0-F01EEE51B958_zpsvp7rt9fm.jpg


Am I the only one that sees that nose vent exactly like the new NSX??!

In fact I see a lot of new NSX in these proportions. Are Honda and McLaren sharing a bed already?
 
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thanks for the education, one thing is for sure, McLaren needs a better way to name their cars, so confusing! If I was going to spend $500k ~ 1M, it better have a cooler name like LaMcLaren P1000 :)

Well none of these cars are on my radar anytime soon, I'm done with cars for a while....
 
^+1

The P1 is on a different planet with the LaFerrari and 918. While the P1 and 12C both have a 3.8L V8, they are completely different blocks. Same for the chassis and suspension.

What a great time to like cars...

+1000000 it is a wonderful time to like cars. IMO McClaren, Porche and Pagani have stolen the Thunder from Ferrari these days. The 458 and 458 Special are beasts and the F12 for a front engine car is epic but they lack a certain characteristic that makes the P1, Hyura and even the 918 epic. Not a fan of the LaFerrari. If I had the resources right now I would pick the 12C or 650S over the 458 or 458 Special. Lamborghini on the other hand have something special with the Aventador and Huracan. For the first time ever Lamborghini has outfitted a car with a dual clutch transmission (Huracan)
 
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