moab

re: depreciation, I had the same concern so doesn't leasing help with that? You are getting a comparable residual as if you were buying a GT3 and at the end you can just walk away? I have always bought my cars but the 570 is the first car I decided to lease.

RobbieRob

^This, like an AMG or a Maserati(and many others which hold value like a ship anchor), lease them, drive them and beat the snot out of em, give them back to the dealer and let them deal with most of the depreciation. Many don't like this approach but it has always worked for me, especially if you get a lemon. Porsche GT cars I buy.

konaforever

Leasing does help as Mclaren has set relatively high residuals. The problem is when you compare it to the depreciation curve of a GT3. A 4 year lease on a heavily discounted 570s would have been 110k total out of pocket. My WAG estimate of depreciation on a new GT3 is 25 percent to 30 percent on the conservative side. That would be half the total out of pocket give or take.

Manifold

For nice cars which suffer high depreciation, why not benefit from the depreciation curve by buying them a few years used (often with low miles and well cared for)?

Used MP4 can be had for about $105-150K, and used 570 for not a lot more than $150K.

abiazis

Agree with MANIFOLD on high depreciation nice cars.......I bought my SL65 AMG with 17,000 miles and 2 years old, which was a $ 203,000 list car without any ADM to my knowledge for $ 65,000, so the doctor in Arizona who had it took a BIG hit........buying good condition low mileage luxury cars is good advice.......I have bought all Porsches I have owned via CPO program.......the GT cars are different due to track usage......so went with a new one to know what I've really got..........I saved 40K on my Cayenne GTS that had 19K in 2 years, 15K on my 993 that had 9K in 4 years, and 20K on my 996 C4S that had 7K in one year........

I agree with previous posts that Maserati, Bentley, Mercedes/AMG/Lambos......generally take big hits and great for car guys second hand....McLaren seems to be suffering the same fate, but not as severe? Certain Ferrari models also taking big hits but usually after 5 years, i.e. California and 430 as new models come out........

Manifold

^ Some people are hooked on changing stuff frequently, getting the latest and greatest, and getting it new (virgin). They pay dearly for it, and others benefit from their financial hit. Maybe a personality thing.

I went from iPhone 5S to X, skipping all the steps between, and plan on owning the 991.1 GT3 for at least 10 years, putting 120K miles on it in that time, and making as many of those miles track miles as possible. I also plan to never sell our Cayman R, since it's now an "old school" car with the hydraulic steering, N/A 6-cyl, etc. Will probably never sell the '11 C63 either, since the depreciation curve is pretty flat now, and N/A 6.2L V8 is something special which will never be seen in these cars again.

moab

My issue is that until I get comfortable on owing one of these cars post-warranty (which has always been the case with Porsche), I don't want to buy a McLaren. Would rather lease.

Manifold

Understood. But there's the option of trying to quantify that 'risk' by looking at what issues the cars have post-warranty, the frequency of the issues, and the cost of dealing with them. In contrast, with depreciation, there's a known financial hit to be weighed against the benefit of being under warranty. Maybe people can chime in on this thread regarding post-warranty experience with McLarens.

RobbieRob

Buying a used MP4 out of warranty is like playing Russian roulette with the gun pointed at your testies, not going to kill you but when it goes off it will cost you a bunch/hurt. I don't care how much depreciation it has lost, you can keep that thing because if its a bad one, that depreciation will be made back up real quick in repairs.

ipse dixit

Manifold

That doesn't reflect well on McLarens if there's a big depreciation hit under warranty, then a big financial risk post-warranty. Basically, no interval in which it makes financial sense to own the car. With Porsches, I at least have some confidence that they'll do fine post-warranty, whether GT cars or regular Porsches.

CAlexio

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I came here to say this


Also.. you need A LOT of stuff to go wrong before you pay in out of warranty repairs in a mclaren (or almost any car) what you would have lost in depreciation. Again, depreciation is a known quantity when you're buying it used, and is usually huge. The repairs aren't a guarantee and are a much smaller amount.

one somewhat related point.. I drove a 50th anniversary 911 a dear friend lent to me recently for a driving event, while he drove his gt3. I had never driven a non-GT Porsche and was absolutely gob-smacked at the difference to the gt3. There is no question in my mind as to why gt Porsche's don't depreciate like normal Porsche's do. That 50th anniversary, a beautiful and special 911 to be sure, is a completely different animal to the gt3 I'm used to. No comparison, uninvolving, imprecise, gutless, soundless, no grip, no.. anything really. Basically I can't see spending new car money on a 911 which isn't a gt3.. the driving enjoyment value isn't even close. I would buy a used gt3 at almost-new price any day over a new non-GT 911. Or stated another way, I would never buy a non-GT 911.. completely soulless experience, way overpriced for what it offers.

Just reaffirms in my mind after driving Hypercars of all kinds, super sports cars, and Porsche GT cars, what an amazing value and perfect purchase a GT Porsche is. If you can only have one sports car (like me).. a GT-Porsche is the only one to consider. Not a fanboy.. just a believer now more than ever.

No wonder they don't depreciate.. everyone has known all along what I just figured out!

Lebo

obbob

Mclaren's depreciate partially because the company has a track record of replacing their existing models with new ones in rapid succession. Your Mclaren quickly becomes yesterday's news as the new car gets unveiled and launched only a couple of years after you got yours.

Their reputation isn't helped by the whole 675LT Coupe + spider fiasco. Initially Mclaren said there would be no spider, and only 500 coupes. Many people bought the 675LT thinking it would be a rare special model. Then all of a sudden 500 spiders come in, flooding the market relative to demand.

Also their extended warranty sucks. It doesn't even cover the entire powertrain and engine (for $5000 a year...please). And for an unreliable brand, you have to have a good warranty.

rave426

Not sure what going on in here, but the 600LT may end up being the most impressively balanced car of this decade. Design, track performance, road practicality, price...