Ritesh... That wasn't enough of a reason for me to justify the $16K!:eek:[/QUOTE said:
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Finally got my car!! Pics inside!
- Thread starter Ritesh
- Start date
Congratuatlions Ritesh!
I was at the Cars and Coffee here in Santa Clara Saturday morning, and saw an MP4-12C with the same color as your car at the show. He left around 10am, and I didn't get a chance to take some pics, but hopefully Batmans was able to. Beautiful to behold when he drove off.
I was at the Cars and Coffee here in Santa Clara Saturday morning, and saw an MP4-12C with the same color as your car at the show. He left around 10am, and I didn't get a chance to take some pics, but hopefully Batmans was able to. Beautiful to behold when he drove off.
Please reference my previous thread to give you some idea of my thoughts:
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146140
My detailed review about the 12C: I apologize in advance for the ramblings and also for my dyslexia!
RAMBLINGS: If you read the Carrera GT Vs. McLaren thread then you have some idea of my thought process. My inspirational phrase all my life has been “Someday I am going to make it in life and buy a Ferrari”. It may sound superficial but it has been a great motivating tool. It has helped me focus on the goal of being a successful physician and businessman. I had to modify that simple phrase in my 20’s. When I was in my teens and early 20’s my racing hero was Ayrton Senna and he drove a McLaren Honda. The years of McLaren dominating F1 with Senna and Prost, the famous 1st lap at Donnington park in 1993, the in car video of his flying lap in a McLaren Honda at Monaco are all are ingrained in my brain(those of you who were too young to see these events really missed out). Since I wasn’t ever going to be able to afford a McLaren F1 I couldn’t say “Someday I am going to buy a McLaren”. The closest I could come to being a McLaren – Honda owner would be to own a NSX. I was able to accomplish that in 2003 when I bought my beloved 1998 NSX. Fast forward to Winter of 2011 when the first previews of the MP4-12C(still sounds like a fax machine:redface:- Curse you Jeremy Clarkson!) started to come out. It sounded promising but the F458 Italia is so spectacular that how could McLaren match it in their first true production car. I was reading an article about the 12C in EVO magazine and was amazed. The next morning I called the Park Place dealership in Dallas and asked was does it take to put a deposit on the 12C. Unlike Ferrari of Dallas (they want you to buy a used car before you can buy a new car), Park Place just asked for a $25K refundable deposit. I wired them the money 2 days later.
I eagerly waited all summer hoping the car would be in USA by September. I got to see it at a launch party in July and finally got to test drive in Oct/2011. Within 15 minutes of the test drive I was sold! I was able to spec out my car by Dec/2011 with est. arrival time of May/June 2012. Since this was McLaren 1st true production car and since this is after all a British carmaker (Lucas electrics come to mind:wink
, I told my sales agent to tell the factory to take their time. I had no desire to be one of the 1st owners of the car. I got the call in early March that my car would be in the Dallas dealership by end of the month. I had arranged for the car to have a detail and Full clear bra before I picked it up. I took care of the paper work and hoping to have the car by 1st week of April. Sadly, due to a series of screw ups and miscommunications, I wasn’t able to get my car for 3 weeks after I had technically bought it. I posted pics that wknd. Since then I have drive the car for over 2000 miles. I have taken to work, done some spirited drives, a DE and taken it on a couple of road trips. The car has many strengths and some weaknesses. It is far from perfect but it truly is an engineering marvel and absolute blast to drive.
INITIAL DRIVING IMPRESSIONS: To start the car you have to have the key inside the car and press the big center start/stop button. The car snarls upon start up with a deep growl as the RPM’s settle in the 1500 – 1700 range. It will easily get the attention of your neighbors 3 houses down. The driver’s ergonomics are simple and quite sophisticated. The telemetry to the right of the center tachometer shows water/oil temp and it starts out in blue and as the car warms up the digit display will change colors to grey. I usually wait for it to get to grey before I leave my drive way. The 12c has 3 suspension and power settings. The car always starts out in Normal Handling and Power setting with automotive transmission. Once you push the button to put it in drive the car slowly starts creeping forward. It’s a bit odd and unnatural feeling in the beginning but you get used to it. In comfort modes and full Automatic mode the car shifts quickly, smoothly at 2700 – 3000 RPM and will usually be in 6th gear by 30 MPH and 7th by 37-39 MPH. This is ideal for leaving your subdivision without attracting too much attention and for morning trips to work. You can get on the phone, listen to music, drink you cup of coffee (something I won’t ever do in my car). The car is calm, the suspension very complaint. It rides like a 3 series. It’s a bit stiff due to the short wheelbase but quite comfortable. You come to a stop and you can hear the PACC making hissing sounds. It’s a bit odd and disconcerting but you get used to it. I don’t even hear it anymore but my wife still notices it. To switch to sport or track modes you have to hit a big orange button marked Active. It lights you the Handling and Power modes. It also lets you decide if you want it to stay in Automatic or Manual shift mode and rear spoiler position. I usually put it in Sport/Sport/Manual when I go for a spin.
ACCELERATION: When you 1st step on the gas the car has just a hint of turbo lag but as soon as you hit 2000 RPM….. Its ON! There is no wheel spin, no real drama, the car just launches forward. The car accelerates with what feels like an endless supply of TQ. It pushes you back on your seat. It’s not like a Dodge viper but it isn’t a NSX either. The thrust is quite linear, a bit violent yet somewhat deceiving. You have to pay attention to the 8500 RPM redline and the speedometer. The car is so damn fast that the speedometer will quickly increase in increments of 10. Passing cars on country 2 lane roads makes you giggle like a Japanese school girls. It is quite fun and also a bit scary. The 12C is able to make up distance so quickly that you can scare other people on the road. I have taken it up to some ridiculous speeds and it just doesn’t let up. The car keeps pulling hard and most of the times the driver(namely me) will get scared and back off before the car runs out of steam. I just drove it the past wknd and it jumped from 35 to 90 so quickly that it scared my wife and got my heart racing!!:biggrin: Need further proof: Watch the Motor Trend Drag race 2 video and see for yourself.
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146140
My detailed review about the 12C: I apologize in advance for the ramblings and also for my dyslexia!
RAMBLINGS: If you read the Carrera GT Vs. McLaren thread then you have some idea of my thought process. My inspirational phrase all my life has been “Someday I am going to make it in life and buy a Ferrari”. It may sound superficial but it has been a great motivating tool. It has helped me focus on the goal of being a successful physician and businessman. I had to modify that simple phrase in my 20’s. When I was in my teens and early 20’s my racing hero was Ayrton Senna and he drove a McLaren Honda. The years of McLaren dominating F1 with Senna and Prost, the famous 1st lap at Donnington park in 1993, the in car video of his flying lap in a McLaren Honda at Monaco are all are ingrained in my brain(those of you who were too young to see these events really missed out). Since I wasn’t ever going to be able to afford a McLaren F1 I couldn’t say “Someday I am going to buy a McLaren”. The closest I could come to being a McLaren – Honda owner would be to own a NSX. I was able to accomplish that in 2003 when I bought my beloved 1998 NSX. Fast forward to Winter of 2011 when the first previews of the MP4-12C(still sounds like a fax machine:redface:- Curse you Jeremy Clarkson!) started to come out. It sounded promising but the F458 Italia is so spectacular that how could McLaren match it in their first true production car. I was reading an article about the 12C in EVO magazine and was amazed. The next morning I called the Park Place dealership in Dallas and asked was does it take to put a deposit on the 12C. Unlike Ferrari of Dallas (they want you to buy a used car before you can buy a new car), Park Place just asked for a $25K refundable deposit. I wired them the money 2 days later.
I eagerly waited all summer hoping the car would be in USA by September. I got to see it at a launch party in July and finally got to test drive in Oct/2011. Within 15 minutes of the test drive I was sold! I was able to spec out my car by Dec/2011 with est. arrival time of May/June 2012. Since this was McLaren 1st true production car and since this is after all a British carmaker (Lucas electrics come to mind:wink
, I told my sales agent to tell the factory to take their time. I had no desire to be one of the 1st owners of the car. I got the call in early March that my car would be in the Dallas dealership by end of the month. I had arranged for the car to have a detail and Full clear bra before I picked it up. I took care of the paper work and hoping to have the car by 1st week of April. Sadly, due to a series of screw ups and miscommunications, I wasn’t able to get my car for 3 weeks after I had technically bought it. I posted pics that wknd. Since then I have drive the car for over 2000 miles. I have taken to work, done some spirited drives, a DE and taken it on a couple of road trips. The car has many strengths and some weaknesses. It is far from perfect but it truly is an engineering marvel and absolute blast to drive.INITIAL DRIVING IMPRESSIONS: To start the car you have to have the key inside the car and press the big center start/stop button. The car snarls upon start up with a deep growl as the RPM’s settle in the 1500 – 1700 range. It will easily get the attention of your neighbors 3 houses down. The driver’s ergonomics are simple and quite sophisticated. The telemetry to the right of the center tachometer shows water/oil temp and it starts out in blue and as the car warms up the digit display will change colors to grey. I usually wait for it to get to grey before I leave my drive way. The 12c has 3 suspension and power settings. The car always starts out in Normal Handling and Power setting with automotive transmission. Once you push the button to put it in drive the car slowly starts creeping forward. It’s a bit odd and unnatural feeling in the beginning but you get used to it. In comfort modes and full Automatic mode the car shifts quickly, smoothly at 2700 – 3000 RPM and will usually be in 6th gear by 30 MPH and 7th by 37-39 MPH. This is ideal for leaving your subdivision without attracting too much attention and for morning trips to work. You can get on the phone, listen to music, drink you cup of coffee (something I won’t ever do in my car). The car is calm, the suspension very complaint. It rides like a 3 series. It’s a bit stiff due to the short wheelbase but quite comfortable. You come to a stop and you can hear the PACC making hissing sounds. It’s a bit odd and disconcerting but you get used to it. I don’t even hear it anymore but my wife still notices it. To switch to sport or track modes you have to hit a big orange button marked Active. It lights you the Handling and Power modes. It also lets you decide if you want it to stay in Automatic or Manual shift mode and rear spoiler position. I usually put it in Sport/Sport/Manual when I go for a spin.
ACCELERATION: When you 1st step on the gas the car has just a hint of turbo lag but as soon as you hit 2000 RPM….. Its ON! There is no wheel spin, no real drama, the car just launches forward. The car accelerates with what feels like an endless supply of TQ. It pushes you back on your seat. It’s not like a Dodge viper but it isn’t a NSX either. The thrust is quite linear, a bit violent yet somewhat deceiving. You have to pay attention to the 8500 RPM redline and the speedometer. The car is so damn fast that the speedometer will quickly increase in increments of 10. Passing cars on country 2 lane roads makes you giggle like a Japanese school girls. It is quite fun and also a bit scary. The 12C is able to make up distance so quickly that you can scare other people on the road. I have taken it up to some ridiculous speeds and it just doesn’t let up. The car keeps pulling hard and most of the times the driver(namely me) will get scared and back off before the car runs out of steam. I just drove it the past wknd and it jumped from 35 to 90 so quickly that it scared my wife and got my heart racing!!:biggrin: Need further proof: Watch the Motor Trend Drag race 2 video and see for yourself.
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HANDLING/STEERING: The steering wheel feel over boosted in comfort mode. I felt I was using a X-box wheel but all you have to do is switch to Sport or Track on and it become a completely different car. The steering wheel is more direct, turn in response is much quicker. Full track mode is fun but quite dangerous in a 600 HP Mid Engine RWD. You better know what you are doing. I did a DE with the car and the combination of DCT, Brake steer, PACC makes the car a vehicle for speed. It doesn't feel as "involving" as the GT3 but it is much more confidence inspiring. I still feel that the GT3 had much better steering feedback BUT unlike the GT3 the 12C can be a GT car when you need it and an all out track car when you want it.
DCT: IMHO the DCT on the Ferrari is superior. It is smoother off the line and downshifts are a bit faster. However the Ferrari has had its share of issues. So far I haven't heard of any issues on a 12C.
RELIABILITY ISSUES: The 12c isn't perfect. So far I have had 2 major issues. The first one was a check engine light. The car was driveable but had a hesitation on start up. It turned out to be a faulty fuel line inside the fuel tank. It required 2.5 week stay at the dealership. The sad part is that the car was delivered with a check engine light. That was quite dissappointing. The dealership sent a flat bed truck to my office. They are very very careful and are experts at loading a McLaren(which isn't really a good thing). The 2nd issue was much more dramatic. I went on a road trip with my wife to Austin. The trip was wonderful. The last day the Valet guys couldn't get the car to start up. The door was unlocked but you couldn't start the car. It kept giving a warning saying the key wasn't in the car(which it was). I called the dealership service dept., McLaren roadside assitance and got them to send truck. It was parked in an underground garage so getting it on a flat bed was quite an ordeal. It took all together 5 hours to get in touch with dealership, get Road side assitance, get a truck and have it loaded. I rented a car from Enterprise while my car was being sent to McLaren - Dallas. It turned about to be a faulty Body Control Module(It recognizes your key) when you are in the car. It took a week to fix that one. Since then the car has been perfect. No other issues. I haven't had to add any oil or anything like that. The Navigation still doesn't work and the Radio antenna is worthless but that is supposed to be fixed this October.
To be continued....
DCT: IMHO the DCT on the Ferrari is superior. It is smoother off the line and downshifts are a bit faster. However the Ferrari has had its share of issues. So far I haven't heard of any issues on a 12C.
RELIABILITY ISSUES: The 12c isn't perfect. So far I have had 2 major issues. The first one was a check engine light. The car was driveable but had a hesitation on start up. It turned out to be a faulty fuel line inside the fuel tank. It required 2.5 week stay at the dealership. The sad part is that the car was delivered with a check engine light. That was quite dissappointing. The dealership sent a flat bed truck to my office. They are very very careful and are experts at loading a McLaren(which isn't really a good thing). The 2nd issue was much more dramatic. I went on a road trip with my wife to Austin. The trip was wonderful. The last day the Valet guys couldn't get the car to start up. The door was unlocked but you couldn't start the car. It kept giving a warning saying the key wasn't in the car(which it was). I called the dealership service dept., McLaren roadside assitance and got them to send truck. It was parked in an underground garage so getting it on a flat bed was quite an ordeal. It took all together 5 hours to get in touch with dealership, get Road side assitance, get a truck and have it loaded. I rented a car from Enterprise while my car was being sent to McLaren - Dallas. It turned about to be a faulty Body Control Module(It recognizes your key) when you are in the car. It took a week to fix that one. Since then the car has been perfect. No other issues. I haven't had to add any oil or anything like that. The Navigation still doesn't work and the Radio antenna is worthless but that is supposed to be fixed this October.
To be continued....
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Love it. More!
I was surprised to see the Mclaren place 3rd against the 458 and the Z06.
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I was surprised to see the Mclaren place 3rd against the 458 and the Z06.
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this is some good reading ! thanks for posting... and more please.
Ritesh..tell us about the dealer experience ie.....service interval,how do they treet you,where did the techs come from and how did they learn to service this car...what and how much oil goes into it,you know the dirty details of this unique auto......
ah - this is the good stuff! thanks for taking the time to write it
- Joined
- 19 March 2003
- Messages
- 3,442
Thank Ritesh, after reviewing your personal Mclaren and sitting in it while you noted the functions, I had to sit calmly and get into my loley car while you drove off. The exhaust video sample cracks my phones speakers LMAO.
Sorry to hear about your departure from Austin, must have been a bummer drive home.
Sorry to hear about your departure from Austin, must have been a bummer drive home.
Better link to the R&T article.
I disagree with many things about the article but have to agree with some of them too.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/c...-zr1-vs-ferrari-458-italia-vs-mclaren-mp4-12c
I disagree with many things about the article but have to agree with some of them too.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/c...-zr1-vs-ferrari-458-italia-vs-mclaren-mp4-12c
That car has to be like dude catnip. :tongue:
- Joined
- 27 June 2003
- Messages
- 4,618
LMAO! There is no p***y magnet installed in the NSX - I'm also curious if the Mclaren has this feature! :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:lol
Sorry I haven't had time to finish up....
SUMMARY:
PRO'S:
1. Absolute mind bending, time wrap speed acceleration. Other than a Veyron.... I would say nothing else will give you this type of pull. The 911 Turbo doesn't have the high RPM's. Many others sound better but absolutely no other car can make 0-150 MPH runs as quick as this car.
2. Swiss arm knife personality: Luxury GT(great for road trips) to sports car to Track car.
3. Great Handling.
4. Excellent, elegant yet simple interior.
5. Good Trunk space.
6. Excellent Dealer service.
CON'S:
1. RESALE!!! The car is already being listed for $40K below MSRP on the used car market. That means you can get a used one for $50K below MSRP(and most of the car are low mileage). That means I lost $50k already in 5-6 months. That's a NSX or a decent 911 in 6 months. That really hurts. Now I know why the Ferrari guys buy a Ferrari and don't drive them!! It hurts the resale.
2. Electrical Gremlins: Car didn't start once. A few times the car's stereo wouldn't work. These issues are minor but get old. They also don't match Ron Dennis' Promise and McLaren's ethos of being OCD perfectionists. The car should have been close to perfect at launch time. The Nav not working, Radio sucking etc and not acceptable. Sure they are minor issues but they don't fit with all the Marketing BS about McLaren being OCD and the Production centre is like an clean, sterile OR. Blah blah blah.
Finally: Would I buy one again..... Absolutely!! BUT I would wait and buy it used for $30-40K off! IMHO the 12C is a much better car than the F458 and fits my personality better(i.e - not a garage queen, can be taken on road trips etc).
Hope this helps. I will post some pics in the future.
BTW - My buddy with the 12C with the Orange lip got a F458 spider last month. He brought it to our little Cars and Coffee and the Ferrari decided to spill all its Windshield washer fluid just as he was parking the car. I was afraid it was the coolant which it wasn't. He hadn't even hit anything. It just decided to throw up! It was kinda sad and funny at the same time.
SUMMARY:
PRO'S:
1. Absolute mind bending, time wrap speed acceleration. Other than a Veyron.... I would say nothing else will give you this type of pull. The 911 Turbo doesn't have the high RPM's. Many others sound better but absolutely no other car can make 0-150 MPH runs as quick as this car.
2. Swiss arm knife personality: Luxury GT(great for road trips) to sports car to Track car.
3. Great Handling.
4. Excellent, elegant yet simple interior.
5. Good Trunk space.
6. Excellent Dealer service.
CON'S:
1. RESALE!!! The car is already being listed for $40K below MSRP on the used car market. That means you can get a used one for $50K below MSRP(and most of the car are low mileage). That means I lost $50k already in 5-6 months. That's a NSX or a decent 911 in 6 months. That really hurts. Now I know why the Ferrari guys buy a Ferrari and don't drive them!! It hurts the resale.
2. Electrical Gremlins: Car didn't start once. A few times the car's stereo wouldn't work. These issues are minor but get old. They also don't match Ron Dennis' Promise and McLaren's ethos of being OCD perfectionists. The car should have been close to perfect at launch time. The Nav not working, Radio sucking etc and not acceptable. Sure they are minor issues but they don't fit with all the Marketing BS about McLaren being OCD and the Production centre is like an clean, sterile OR. Blah blah blah.
Finally: Would I buy one again..... Absolutely!! BUT I would wait and buy it used for $30-40K off! IMHO the 12C is a much better car than the F458 and fits my personality better(i.e - not a garage queen, can be taken on road trips etc).
Hope this helps. I will post some pics in the future.
BTW - My buddy with the 12C with the Orange lip got a F458 spider last month. He brought it to our little Cars and Coffee and the Ferrari decided to spill all its Windshield washer fluid just as he was parking the car. I was afraid it was the coolant which it wasn't. He hadn't even hit anything. It just decided to throw up! It was kinda sad and funny at the same time.
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Ritesh, I arrived at work super early this morning and read your write-ups as I had little else to do due to system outages. Thanks for the enlightening read! The car sounds absolutely amazing, but like most exotics, so different than an NSX (and not just in terms of performance). I've only seen one orange MP4-12C in person, and it was while I was leaving a C&C in my NSX. However, it looked absolutely stunning! I would love to sit in one sometime, and maybe get a ride if I'm really lucky. Enjoy your beauty!
Congratulation Ritesh! Nice color!
