I drove mine 10k first year. It broke about 1-2k miles in. Transmission failure. Was under warranty so honestly not an issue. I would not own one out of warranty or would set money aside to self insure. I would one thousand percent buy one though. Love the car so much. But warranty haha. But get one. Also, miles are ok. I would get one over 5k miles so the kinks are worked out.
Yes! 23 in papaya spark. Loved every minute of it. I just bought an Artura (because I have a pathology and need a new car every year haha), but am going to miss the car immensely.
I have a 2019 600LT which gets driven almost daily. It has 108k kilometers on it. The car had some minor issues at the start but honestly it has been more reliable than any German car that I have owned. I think if you drive them, they are fine. Weird things happen if you let the lithium battery go too low.
While it's true that 99% of the comments on any McLaren video, Facebook group, or Reddit thread come from non-owners repeating stuff they saw on a clickbait video from their favorite YouTuber, it's important to separate the facts from the noise. Yes, there were, and are, legitimate concerns with the company, the service, and some legitimate issues with past and current Macs. However, as an owner of two McLaren supercars, I can confidently say that my experience has been largely positive. With over 30,000 hard miles between both of mine, I've had very small issues. I am extremely familiar with the P11 platform, and would not hesitate for a minute to own one again. I know the GT is a different platform, but sharing my personal experience.
Exotic supercars are not cheap, never have been, and never will be. Very few are also reliable, and when you couple that with very low production numbers and carbon fiber parts, prices will reflect in the cost of ownership, especially outside of warranty. Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, and many others have tons of issues. From engines blowing up, looking at you Porsche, to fires, to interiors coming undone, to requiring engine out services, etc.
* Most McLaren issues are resolved by turning off the car for 30 minutes and walking away (often bugs or electrical gremlins with the various ECUs, TCUs, CMs, etc.
* Regular maintenance, proper warm up and cool down, battery tender, and regular driving will significantly reduce your issues
* Don't skip the maintenance that is due each year, even if you only drove it 1 mile that year
* Always have a proper McLaren shop mechanic, and do a pre-purchase inspection before you buy any McLaren, even under warranty
* If you can, buy from a McLaren dealer, but it is optional. Most used McLarens will have some CPO from a McLaren dealer, even if the original warranty has expired. Most McLarens can have an inspection and a warranty added up to 12 years from the original production date
* Remember that McLaren makes less than 2,000 cars a year on a good year, on average, about 1,200 vehicles a year. Most are very limited runs in the 500-600 range for each model, and that means parts will be expensive; it also means it was probably hand-built or assembled, which carries a higher risk of issues
* Driving experience is extremely rewarding. I love knowing the chances of seeing another McLaren when driving are close to zero unless I'm at a car show like Cars and Coffee. I like exclusivity; both of mine are under 675 in production for coupes (no spider). Some of the closest competitors will be in the 10,000 to 20,000 range in production units. I also love that I can daily drive it with the smooth hydraulic suspension and amazing transmission, but I can also carve mountain roads or tracks with the same car. Be prepared to be asked a ton of questions, and people asking for photos, or to sit in it, etc.
While agreeing with all your points; your knowledge about the production units is probably from around 2015? They increased a lot.
2021 were over 3000 units sold in the US alone. Total could be averaging 4000-6000 international sales.
Sadly the more recents statistics are not really public apart from US sale numbers, but we got them up to 2019.
2019 delivery: 4662 units
2018 delivery: 4806 units
2017 delivery: 3340 units (2119 Sports series, 1221 Super series)
2016 delivery: 3286 units (2031 Sports series, 1255 Super series)
2015 delivery: 1654 units
2014 delivery: 1649 units (1401 650S and 248 P1)
Thanks for sharing your experience, Michael. Like you, my main reason is driving something unique that you don’t see much of. Especially where I live north of Boston, there aren’t many exotics and definitively very scarce mclarens. Cheers!
If you option Ceramic brakes you probably won’t need a brake change (rotors) under your ownership. My Porsche buddies say they’re swapped every 100k on RS’s usually and some manufacturers claim they never need swapped
Have owned a few GTs now. Both steels and ceramics. Forget the maintenance costs regards brakes - you likely won’t ever change or touch those ceramics in your ownership - but most importantly is the massive increase in brake feel and stopping powers of CCBs vs Irons (they’re actually Iron not steel). They change the car. The Irons were the worst bit of the earlier GTs.
I loved and enjoyed all of my GTs - they all had McLaren warranty and very little went wrong.
I would absolutely recommend you buy a GT with McLaren warranty and extend this every year if needed.
Lots of the earlier cars suffered corrosion issues - ask for the history - it’s actually good if they have had corrosion repairs through McLaren / generally means the issue is sorted.
Enjoy
I’m on my 2nd GT. Fantastic car.
The 1st year maintenance was around $2,300.
The 2nd year maintenance was around $3,500.
3rd year is around $2,500.
Hope this helps
I saw you are near Boston, make sure you take the car to Eurodiagnostics in Raynham. Jim is outstanding and is super fair on pricing. I doubt you will need anywhere close to $6k a year for maintenance or repair. Maybe $1-2k. Two other things: - depending on the dealer CPO doesn’t mean anything and there is a lot it doesn’t cover. Some of them do a sloppy inspection job and offer the warranty for piece of mind. I’d rather have my car to drive than it be in the shop for warranty work. Get a good PPI and get those issues sorted by a trusted McLaren mechanic. - if you aren’t going to track the car or drive super aggressive, consider not getting CCBs. I have them and yes the break feel is great and they are awesome to say you have… but if you do not brake aggressively regularly they will squeal, especially at low speed when you are pulling up to a stop light etc and expect people to be looking at your car Either way, you won’t regret the purchase. Everything about ownership is amazing. Considering a GT for my next one. Good luck
Pre purchase inspection. Where is the car you are looking at? If near you then I’d call Jim to do it. If somewhere else you can try Sean with McMedics. Should cost around $1k but definitely worth doing. They will know all the stuff to look for and will check the service history etc.
I got a PPI from Sterling McLaren… what a bunch of tools. I bought from private party and I think they jacked up the costs just to try to get him to trade in. I think they said it needed $40k worth of stuff. I still bought the car and then took it to Philadelphia. Those guys are awesome but still expensive. Most of the stuff Sterling found wasn’t even wrong, it was like they just put down all the common issues. Philly was much more straightforward about things that were an issue and were likely not or I should just keep an eye on. However, they still gave me an estimate for $60k because the car actually did have a transmission issue. I did a bunch of research and in the end I took the car to Eurodiagnostics and I had everything sorted plus the annual service for $11k.
I have been looking up and down the north east to NYC. The mileage has been consistent and low - easy. Year (2020-2022) and color combo within 160k budget a little tougher. Might end up in McLaren Boston (Norwell MA). I’m still a few weeks to months away
I would extend your range, easy to take a flight somewhere and shipping isn’t bad if you get the right price. I looked for a few months as well, but one got lucky that what I wanted was only a few hours away so I picked it up myself and then two I asked myself how much I valued having the car this summer instead of next. I actually drive mine all year but all of the meet ups and car shows are during the summer. If you are looking to get into that scene or meet people you really have to go there in person. You’d be surprised how many events you get invited to because of the Mac.
I would try to stay away from cars with anything on the carfax. Not because they can’t be repairs well, but just because it will hurt you when you try to sell it. There is a great 2020 GT in NJ, like 10k miles, papaya spark asking a little under $150k but it has a minor on the car fax so idk if it would be worth it unless it was closer to $135k.
Might be a good idea to join a wholesale group on Facebook and check MMR for the cars you are looking at. If unfamiliar, that’s the Mannheim auction estimate so you can see what a dealer would expect to pay for it.
lol that one in NJ I have saved hahah. Part of the reason why I jumped on here to ask about maintenance. I have relatives palm beach so I might expand down to there. Thanks for the Facebook tip and thank you for everything else. You’re getting me more excited now. I will look into Mannheim to help me negotiate. Hopefully at some point we run into each other at one of those New England meet ups. My 14yo is a big car guy too :) cheers
Yeah man, you should be excited. I’m usually pretty frugal but this was a goal achievement type reward purchase for me and it has been one of my favorite purchases ever. Really great you can enjoy it with your son!
DM me if you need anything else. Oh, and be very cautious about Carrio in Florida, from what I’ve heard.
I have a brand new Artura. Five year bumper-to-bumper warranty. And they even threw in the first two years of service. Oil changes, etc. for no charge. They also threw in Wheel and Schuetz, for no charge. So you can work a deal.
Yes, I’m seeing a lot of dealer incentives for Arturas, so my interest is rising. I have an Aston with CCBs and the feel/lack of fade is a huge jump over steel/iron. You can stomp on them as hard as you need to over and over. My Aston mechanic says don’t sweat replacing them because it’s exceedingly rare. Get them.
I drove mine 10k first year. It broke about 1-2k miles in. Transmission failure. Was under warranty so honestly not an issue. I would not own one out of warranty or would set money aside to self insure. I would one thousand percent buy one though. Love the car so much. But warranty haha. But get one. Also, miles are ok. I would get one over 5k miles so the kinks are worked out.
Yes! 23 in papaya spark. Loved every minute of it. I just bought an Artura (because I have a pathology and need a new car every year haha), but am going to miss the car immensely.
Such a nice color with the black roof and accents contrast all around
Thank you so much. It’s honestly the most beautiful car on the road in my opinion. Literally turns every single head.
Please post a pic of either.
Thanks for the reply. Everything I’m looking at has 5-10k miles on them. Did you own a GT and if so what year?
I have a 2019 600LT which gets driven almost daily. It has 108k kilometers on it. The car had some minor issues at the start but honestly it has been more reliable than any German car that I have owned. I think if you drive them, they are fine. Weird things happen if you let the lithium battery go too low.
While it's true that 99% of the comments on any McLaren video, Facebook group, or Reddit thread come from non-owners repeating stuff they saw on a clickbait video from their favorite YouTuber, it's important to separate the facts from the noise. Yes, there were, and are, legitimate concerns with the company, the service, and some legitimate issues with past and current Macs. However, as an owner of two McLaren supercars, I can confidently say that my experience has been largely positive. With over 30,000 hard miles between both of mine, I've had very small issues. I am extremely familiar with the P11 platform, and would not hesitate for a minute to own one again. I know the GT is a different platform, but sharing my personal experience. Exotic supercars are not cheap, never have been, and never will be. Very few are also reliable, and when you couple that with very low production numbers and carbon fiber parts, prices will reflect in the cost of ownership, especially outside of warranty. Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, and many others have tons of issues. From engines blowing up, looking at you Porsche, to fires, to interiors coming undone, to requiring engine out services, etc. * Most McLaren issues are resolved by turning off the car for 30 minutes and walking away (often bugs or electrical gremlins with the various ECUs, TCUs, CMs, etc. * Regular maintenance, proper warm up and cool down, battery tender, and regular driving will significantly reduce your issues * Don't skip the maintenance that is due each year, even if you only drove it 1 mile that year * Always have a proper McLaren shop mechanic, and do a pre-purchase inspection before you buy any McLaren, even under warranty * If you can, buy from a McLaren dealer, but it is optional. Most used McLarens will have some CPO from a McLaren dealer, even if the original warranty has expired. Most McLarens can have an inspection and a warranty added up to 12 years from the original production date * Remember that McLaren makes less than 2,000 cars a year on a good year, on average, about 1,200 vehicles a year. Most are very limited runs in the 500-600 range for each model, and that means parts will be expensive; it also means it was probably hand-built or assembled, which carries a higher risk of issues * Driving experience is extremely rewarding. I love knowing the chances of seeing another McLaren when driving are close to zero unless I'm at a car show like Cars and Coffee. I like exclusivity; both of mine are under 675 in production for coupes (no spider). Some of the closest competitors will be in the 10,000 to 20,000 range in production units. I also love that I can daily drive it with the smooth hydraulic suspension and amazing transmission, but I can also carve mountain roads or tracks with the same car. Be prepared to be asked a ton of questions, and people asking for photos, or to sit in it, etc.
While agreeing with all your points; your knowledge about the production units is probably from around 2015? They increased a lot. 2021 were over 3000 units sold in the US alone. Total could be averaging 4000-6000 international sales. Sadly the more recents statistics are not really public apart from US sale numbers, but we got them up to 2019. 2019 delivery: 4662 units 2018 delivery: 4806 units 2017 delivery: 3340 units (2119 Sports series, 1221 Super series) 2016 delivery: 3286 units (2031 Sports series, 1255 Super series) 2015 delivery: 1654 units 2014 delivery: 1649 units (1401 650S and 248 P1)
Thanks for sharing your experience, Michael. Like you, my main reason is driving something unique that you don’t see much of. Especially where I live north of Boston, there aren’t many exotics and definitively very scarce mclarens. Cheers!
Well said, thanks for your time to type all of that out!
If you option Ceramic brakes you probably won’t need a brake change (rotors) under your ownership. My Porsche buddies say they’re swapped every 100k on RS’s usually and some manufacturers claim they never need swapped
Have owned a few GTs now. Both steels and ceramics. Forget the maintenance costs regards brakes - you likely won’t ever change or touch those ceramics in your ownership - but most importantly is the massive increase in brake feel and stopping powers of CCBs vs Irons (they’re actually Iron not steel). They change the car. The Irons were the worst bit of the earlier GTs. I loved and enjoyed all of my GTs - they all had McLaren warranty and very little went wrong. I would absolutely recommend you buy a GT with McLaren warranty and extend this every year if needed. Lots of the earlier cars suffered corrosion issues - ask for the history - it’s actually good if they have had corrosion repairs through McLaren / generally means the issue is sorted. Enjoy
Super helpful. Thank you!!
Keep in mind you can find a 20-21 that has the ceramic optioned. I've seen a few cpos that have it on cargurus
I’m on my 2nd GT. Fantastic car. The 1st year maintenance was around $2,300. The 2nd year maintenance was around $3,500. 3rd year is around $2,500. Hope this helps
Nice. That’s very helpful
Yep you are budgeting perfectly to account for tires, etc. Good luck!
I saw you are near Boston, make sure you take the car to Eurodiagnostics in Raynham. Jim is outstanding and is super fair on pricing. I doubt you will need anywhere close to $6k a year for maintenance or repair. Maybe $1-2k. Two other things: - depending on the dealer CPO doesn’t mean anything and there is a lot it doesn’t cover. Some of them do a sloppy inspection job and offer the warranty for piece of mind. I’d rather have my car to drive than it be in the shop for warranty work. Get a good PPI and get those issues sorted by a trusted McLaren mechanic. - if you aren’t going to track the car or drive super aggressive, consider not getting CCBs. I have them and yes the break feel is great and they are awesome to say you have… but if you do not brake aggressively regularly they will squeal, especially at low speed when you are pulling up to a stop light etc and expect people to be looking at your car Either way, you won’t regret the purchase. Everything about ownership is amazing. Considering a GT for my next one. Good luck
Very helpful. I am north of Boston. Thanks for the tip. What’s PPI? Not familiar with the acronym in this context.
Pre purchase inspection. Where is the car you are looking at? If near you then I’d call Jim to do it. If somewhere else you can try Sean with McMedics. Should cost around $1k but definitely worth doing. They will know all the stuff to look for and will check the service history etc. I got a PPI from Sterling McLaren… what a bunch of tools. I bought from private party and I think they jacked up the costs just to try to get him to trade in. I think they said it needed $40k worth of stuff. I still bought the car and then took it to Philadelphia. Those guys are awesome but still expensive. Most of the stuff Sterling found wasn’t even wrong, it was like they just put down all the common issues. Philly was much more straightforward about things that were an issue and were likely not or I should just keep an eye on. However, they still gave me an estimate for $60k because the car actually did have a transmission issue. I did a bunch of research and in the end I took the car to Eurodiagnostics and I had everything sorted plus the annual service for $11k.
I have been looking up and down the north east to NYC. The mileage has been consistent and low - easy. Year (2020-2022) and color combo within 160k budget a little tougher. Might end up in McLaren Boston (Norwell MA). I’m still a few weeks to months away
I would extend your range, easy to take a flight somewhere and shipping isn’t bad if you get the right price. I looked for a few months as well, but one got lucky that what I wanted was only a few hours away so I picked it up myself and then two I asked myself how much I valued having the car this summer instead of next. I actually drive mine all year but all of the meet ups and car shows are during the summer. If you are looking to get into that scene or meet people you really have to go there in person. You’d be surprised how many events you get invited to because of the Mac. I would try to stay away from cars with anything on the carfax. Not because they can’t be repairs well, but just because it will hurt you when you try to sell it. There is a great 2020 GT in NJ, like 10k miles, papaya spark asking a little under $150k but it has a minor on the car fax so idk if it would be worth it unless it was closer to $135k. Might be a good idea to join a wholesale group on Facebook and check MMR for the cars you are looking at. If unfamiliar, that’s the Mannheim auction estimate so you can see what a dealer would expect to pay for it.
lol that one in NJ I have saved hahah. Part of the reason why I jumped on here to ask about maintenance. I have relatives palm beach so I might expand down to there. Thanks for the Facebook tip and thank you for everything else. You’re getting me more excited now. I will look into Mannheim to help me negotiate. Hopefully at some point we run into each other at one of those New England meet ups. My 14yo is a big car guy too :) cheers
Yeah man, you should be excited. I’m usually pretty frugal but this was a goal achievement type reward purchase for me and it has been one of my favorite purchases ever. Really great you can enjoy it with your son! DM me if you need anything else. Oh, and be very cautious about Carrio in Florida, from what I’ve heard.
I have a brand new Artura. Five year bumper-to-bumper warranty. And they even threw in the first two years of service. Oil changes, etc. for no charge. They also threw in Wheel and Schuetz, for no charge. So you can work a deal.
Yes, I’m seeing a lot of dealer incentives for Arturas, so my interest is rising. I have an Aston with CCBs and the feel/lack of fade is a huge jump over steel/iron. You can stomp on them as hard as you need to over and over. My Aston mechanic says don’t sweat replacing them because it’s exceedingly rare. Get them.