Mclaren MP4 Vs. Carerra GT.

Which one would you get?

  • Porsche Carrera GT

    Votes: 34 40.0%

  • McLaren MP4-12C

    Votes: 51 60.0%
  • Total voters
    85
NSXLuvr

NSXLuvr

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I have been going back and forth between these two cars. I have a deposit on a MP4 at the Dallas dealership but I keep debating if I am making the right decision. Which would you pick?

Background: Own a GT3, NSX and a Spec Miata. Live in a small town(so valet parking etc aren't important). I tend to keep my cars for a long time.

They have similar specs are equally fast(the MP4 is probably quicker). Then again the MP4 is a F458 competitor while a Carrera GT is basically a supercar that you need to fear(which is both a positive and a negative). I don't want just garage art but I don't want to take a big hit on resale either. Maintenance and depreciation is a wash. I.E. MP4 is cheaper to buy and maintain but it will depreciate more than the CGT.

Your thoughts?
 
NSXLuvr said:
I have been going back and forth between these two cars. I have a deposit on a MP4 at the Dallas dealership but I keep debating if I am making the right decision. Which would you pick?

Background: Own a GT3, NSX and a Spec Miata. Live in a small town(so valet parking etc aren't important). I tend to keep my cars for a long time.

They have similar specs are equally fast(the MP4 is probably quicker). Then again the MP4 is a F458 competitor while a Carrera GT is basically a supercar that you need to fear(which is both a positive and a negative). I don't want just garage art but I don't want to take a big hit on resale either. Maintenance and depreciation is a wash. I.E. MP4 is cheaper to buy and maintain but it will depreciate more than the CGT.

Your thoughts?
Click to expand...

I have been in a CGT on the track and besides being insanely fast and insanely hard to drive fast I was not overly impressed.

I would take the MP4. And for what it's worth, I think I would take it over the 458 too. However, the CGT will eventually in 20 years be a collectible for all the Porsche guys that once drooled over it thinking it was the pinnacle of German engineering.

PS: The CGT mx cost will probably be astronomical compared to the MP4.
 
If your looking for the best performance value, the MP4 would be the one. It does 0-100 in 6.1 seconds, and if that doesnt impress you, there are tons of other performance numbers that may...
 
Get the CGT. Historical value alone make this car worth the money. MP4 may be faster, but what's the point? It is not like you'll be flying down the street every time you drive it. PLUS CGT may be an investment while MP4 may not.
 
quarter mile performance of the mclaren is supposed to be 130+ mph-- amazing!!

However, to answer your question, i would take a red CGT over any MP4-- no question but i would need to allocate more money for maint as pointed out above.
 
Ritesh,

Most of the teamspeed/6speed/rennlist folks will tell you to get to get the CGT because they are biased, at the end of the day just get the car that makes you happy.

If you are seriously considering both cars, just take your time, drive the CGT as well as everything that is under the sun at that price range and wait till you drive a MP4-12C before moving forward.

As much as I like Porsche cars, and the CGT, it is not really in the list of cars that I would consider buying, because I know that I would be tempted by the car that will be derived from the 918RSR/Spyder effort that is supposed to be in the mid 200K range, and given how technology progresses that car will probably outperform the CGT in most every aspect and be a whole of a lot more practical and affordable to run relative to the CGT in the long run.

As far as the MP4-12C, I don't have a deposit on a MP4-12C but I have been on their interest list since last year, I would only move forward in placing a deposit and actually ordering one if I get to drive one and feel 100% connected to it. The MP4-12C will probably not retain it's value given the mass production nature of the car, and the lack of heritage of the McLaren brand.

At the end of the day, cars are the "toys" for grownups, I never count resale value as a factor in any of the cars that I purchase.
 
The CGT has a proper manual transmission, which I would prefer over any flappy paddle system.....period.

Brian
 
First of all, I'd love to have your problems of deciding between the two. I really have no good advice either way, both are amazing. I guess if it was me and they were both sitting there, I'd grab the keys to the MP4. But get whatever stirs you.

If you got an MP4 and pulled up in a lot at a meet next to a CGT....how would you feel? ....and the other way around?...might help.
 
I think the MP4 would be a more usable car. I have a good friend who got rid of his F430 a few years back because he felt it was "underpowered" and got a CGT to replace it. The CGT now sits in his garage gathering dust because he's too damn scared of the power every time he takes it out.

He's now considering getting a 458 as he's been extremely impressed by its power and handling on the track (big praise coming from a CGT owner!)
 
I would want to drive both to see how they compare. Especially with one with a big NA motor and one with a smaller turbo motor.
 
TURBO2GO said:
Really??? So the F1 doesn't count? :confused:
Click to expand...

I am a huge fan of the McLaren F1 street car, love the super rare F1 GTR but let's be realistic the MP4-12C is going to be a mass produced car relative to the limited production F1, and technically the MP4-12C has very little to do with the F1 car from the 90's that were raced in LeMans.

If and when the racing version of the MP4-12C becomes successful, then the street version will have some rightfully earned heritage. McLaren knows this and that is why the racing version of the MP4-12C has been in development.
 
Thanks or the replies guys. As much as would love to own a "Supercar" - that is mainly my little boy's ego talking. The reality of owning a supercar and not driving it would pain me. Sadly - the MP4 is going to be far superior from a performance standpoint. I hate that it doesn't have 3 pedals but the way techonology is moving no car is going to be 3 pedals. The MP4 is the future. The question is how involving will it be?

No offence to H20Skier but I don't want to have a collection. Actually let me correct that - I CAN'T AFFORD to have a collection of nice cars. I want a car I can drive. The MP4 in someways seems to be the ideal mix. I just have to get over the resale hit.

A friend of mine told me to buy the MP4. Keep it for a few months, wait till the CGT owners sell their cars for 918's and you could have the best of both worlds - get to sample a MP4 without much of a resale hit and yet get to wait and see if the CGT drops more in value.

Sorry for the long response. I am just "thinking out loud".

Ritesh.

Btw - Any of the locals, ponyboy, Ken are more than welcome to drive it. I am sure you guys can drive most of these types of cars.
 
One of my best friends owned a CarreraGT. It's a phenomenal car, but be aware of the clutch.
His car went out at less than 3000 miles, and it costs $28k or more to replace it.
Do a search and you'll find a lot of owners have had that issue.
However, I have heard from the Porsche dealer mechanic that said this car is not driven like a normal manual transmission. You don't release the clutch and press the accelerator at the same time as you would normally expect.
Just do some research so that you're not taken by surprise should you decide on the CGT. You can PM me if you want more information.

You really can't go wrong with either, but I do think for value, the CGT will only increase in value in a few years.
 
2slow2speed said:
I am a huge fan of the McLaren F1 street car, love the super rare F1 GTR but let's be realistic the MP4-12C is going to be a mass produced car relative to the limited production F1, and technically the MP4-12C has very little to do with the F1 car from the 90's that were raced in LeMans.

If and when the racing version of the MP4-12C becomes successful, then the street version will have some rightfully earned heritage. McLaren knows this and that is why the racing version of the MP4-12C has been in development.
Click to expand...

Just my opinion, but McLaren is not lacking in heritage where it counts, and that is in race car engineering. They have proven they have the chops, and the low cost of the MP4-12C is an amazing innovation in cheaply fabricating a carbon chassis. 1000 hours to handcraft an F1 chassis is now something like 4 hours to resin-inject and bake the new one (if my rusty memory serves me). That makes the lower price an accomplishment they should be very proud of and I find that appealing.
 
I vote for the McLaren (even though I'm a 46 year PCA member). The clutch is operated much like the early (dual disc) NSX (very little or no throttle on clutch release -- don't slip the clutch!). The CGT mulit-disc ceramic clutch bits ARE pricey ($10-$18K) but if driven properly -- even on the track -- should last a very long time..
 
Last edited:
The MP4 is just a more technologically advanced car. Technology moves very fast these days. CGT is just an older design.

I'd get the McLaren.
 
Yawwn said:
One of my best friends owned a CarreraGT. It's a phenomenal car, but be aware of the clutch.
His car went out at less than 3000 miles, and it costs $28k or more to replace it.
Do a search and you'll find a lot of owners have had that issue.
However, I have heard from the Porsche dealer mechanic that said this car is not driven like a normal manual transmission. You don't release the clutch and press the accelerator at the same time as you would normally expect.
Just do some research so that you're not taken by surprise should you decide on the CGT. You can PM me if you want more information.

You really can't go wrong with either, but I do think for value, the CGT will only increase in value in a few years.
Click to expand...

Yawwn is correct about the clutch.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/04q2/porsche_carrera_gt-road_test

The 5.7-liter V-10 engine has about zero inertia. Breathing on the gas pedal sends the revs soaring. Likewise, if you lift off, they plummet. And the engine is all too willing to overpower the rear tires.
The clutch operates like an on/off switch and is tough to engage smoothly. Unlike a regular clutch that has only one friction disc, the GT has four and is about two-thirds the diameter (6.7 inches) of a standard 911 clutch.
It and the dry-sump oil system allowed engineers to mount the engine lower (the crankshaft is only 3.9 inches off the carbon-fiber underbody tray) and reap the handling benefits of a lower center of gravity.
The clutch engages in maybe the last inch of the floor-mounted pedal's travel. The best way we found to get the car rolling was by slowly releasing the pedal without giving it any gas. Every time we added some throttle, the car stalled or we smoked the tires. Pulling into dense traffic produces sweaty palms. The Carrera GT is, however, terrifically durable. We saw one car endure about 40 drop-clutch launches with no ill effect on its performance.
The rest of the car is a pure joy. Flat steel rods join the high-mounted shifter to the transmission and provide a satisfying mechanical feel that makes you glad you have to shift the old-fashioned way.
 
depends shawn do you want a roof off experience-cgt,do you want to shift gears the old fashioned way -cgt, do you want an established car with track record and hopefuly dealer and techs who have been there done that-cgt...you see where I am going with this....
 
The most awesome exhaust note I've ever heard at a Cars and Coffee event was emitted by a CGT.
To me, it seems that history will show that the CGT was the apex of Porsche's street car development.
Yes, there will probably be better and faster cars thanks to technology, but if you're looking for a timepiece that captures a moment when a car company decided to go for broke in designing the most awesome flagship car of their company, then I'd go with the GT.
If it was a Mclaren F-1, I'd say go for that, but I just can't get over the fact that the new McLaren seems like a "step down" from the 1990's F-1
 
Mike-san said:
The most awesome exhaust note I've ever heard at a Cars and Coffee event was emitted by a CGT.
To me, it seems that history will show that the CGT was the apex of Porsche's street car development.
Yes, there will probably be better and faster cars thanks to technology, but if you're looking for a timepiece that captures a moment when a car company decided to go for broke in designing the most awesome flagship car of their company, then I'd go with the GT.
If it was a Mclaren F-1, I'd say go for that, but I just can't get over the fact that the new McLaren seems like a "step down" from the 1990's F-1
Click to expand...

Does anyone remember the 959? All the things that have been said about the "pinnacle" of Porsche development have been said before about that special car. But the fact remains that technology moves on (and seemingly continually faster). It is very likely that the 918 (or a variant) will take the place that the CGT now holds.

I would get the McLaren for all the reasons mentioned before, usability, maintenance, etc. And IMHO while the styling may be a bit conservative, its still a much prettier car than the CGT.
 

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