94 McLaren for sale

[2cooljay]

In the new edition of the Dupont Registry there is a 94 Mclaren for sale. Its the first car in the exotic section. I just thought you guys would like to know.
Oh yeah, Shaq's cadillac escalade is for sale to. Its one sweet truck. There's also a pagani Zonda somewhere for sale in there.

[hermunn123]

i've been looking for one to buy!!!

thanks jay!

[Mclaren F1]

:silly2: joy! i gotta get that issue

[2cooljay]

Its a sweet ride. It says its a one owner car. I think that i am in love. Is is normal to fall in love with a car? Who cares!!!!

[S Brake]

Originally posted by 2cooljay
Oh yeah, Shaq's cadillac escalade is for sale to. Its one sweet truck.

its a denali

[JE123]

I looked at that issue when I was in Barnes and Noble. When I saw the McLaren F1 I sighed and said "One day we will be together." I think I need help.

[XOTech]

Gentlemen, I must admit this will sadden you all, but the McLaren listed in the DuPont is SOLD. It was sold just Tuesday. I have been negotiating for that very car for the past week or more for my client, but it has sold to someone here in the states before my client was prepared to proceed. It is a remarkable car. I have seen the car in person a little more than a year ago in Europe with its previous original owner for a different client that found the colors were not agreeable to his liking. However, it is sold and destined for the East Coast of the U.S.

Do not be disappointed, however, there are other cars out there for sale. Currently there are 4 other cars that are available.

[hermunn123]

Originally posted by JE123
I looked at that issue when I was in Barnes and Noble. When I saw the McLaren F1 I sighed and said "One day we will be together." I think I need help.

i do that too, so i hope its not bad.

[USA Racer]

I think everybody thinks that way when they look at an F1. :o

[2cooljay]

i know i do!!!!

[csa]

I have been following this thread for a while. While the McLaren F1 has amazing performance numbers, I wonder how keen everyone would be to own it after trying to live with it for a week or so.

Getting in and out of the central driver's seat is a chore.

Servicing is impossibly expensive. Needlessly so. It's a BMW v12 that any decent mechanic should be able to work on. But McLaren won't release the diagnostic software. Hooray for them, but I managed to snag a copy. The thieves should be including a laptop or handheld computer too, at the prices they charge.

It's easy to drive at sane speeds, but overtaking is difficult. You can't look around the car ahead of you from either side unless you swing the car out and cross the lane marking...dangerous to say the least. With a left or right hooker, this is not a problem on one side at least. But what's the point of spending a million bucks to drive at sane speeds. So let's talk about driving it like it's supposed to be driven.

It's easy to drive at insane speeds...if you are willing to risk your license and your life. And if you are confident about the car's limits. Remember, it still obeys the laws of physics. And at the speeds a McLaren F1 lets go--I want to be your insurance beneficiary if you aspire to such stupidity.

If you take it to a track, it's good fun, but it's a limited, controlled environment, and I get sick of going around in variations of a circle after some time. You want the world to be your playground, don't you. I know I do.

If I had an amazing car, I would want to scream across Australia, north coast of Africa, South African coastline, European countrysides, most of America and Canada, and a few places in South America too. And take in a bunch of mountain passes on most continents. As long as this was the majority of driving, then, yes, a track day or two at some famous tracks would also be very welcome. Especially with an experienced instructor.

Most people who have McLarens have the means to keep it on a yacht or charter a plane and take it to these places. Why don't they? Why do they stick with Mercedes and Ferrari? Because that actually works. Whereas with a McLaren, your life ends up revolving around the car instead of it enhancing your lifestyle. Even when it's in your garage and you are abroad, there's endless phone calls and faxes to the factory, who seem to expect you to be impressed with the fact that you are dealing with McLaren.

You also expect a high level of fit and finish in a McLaren--this is not there for the most part, but at least it's acceptable. The airconditioning system, however, just plain sucks. And the styling is nice from the rear, but honestly, the front is a bit duck-billed platypus-like. And those huge headlights are outdated and heavy. As are the tyre profiles. The brakes are also outdated, although they are very good until they fade. I hear they have finally come up with a carbon composite unit, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's the Porsche turbo or Ferrari F50 brembos. Hardly something you can say McLaren should get accolades for.

The shifter is just decent. And I don't generally care for electronic shifters, but a fantastic unit should be standard in a car of this calibre.

It was innovative for its time and thereby noteworthy, but it's easily something to be admired from a distance. You can admire the Golden Gate bridge without wanting to own it. Why not the same with the McLaren F1? You can get 90% of the same sensations with any used USD100,000 supercar. That's not out of reach for most people who have been working in a decent job for sometime and are willing to make some sacrifices.

There's people out there who buy Formula 1 cars and display them in carpeted garages. I would have thought that people who aspire to one day own one of these cars would be similar. I think most of you are very impressed with the fact that it costs over USD1 million. That may be impressive in itself, but you don't buy a car for its price tag. Rather, the price tag should be indicative of the value and service received. In McLaren's case, the price tag is simply the result of them making too few cars and trying to recover their costs through them.

If McLaren had made 10,000 of these cars, and sold them for USD200,000 each, and they were commanding over USD500,000 today, then yes, it would be testimony to the car's superiority. Right now, it's just a very limited supply that is causing the high prices that these cars command. Especially in the US, where there's further obstacles to getting them into the country and driving them legally (two separate issues). But people with the resources to buy a McLaren have the means to pull strings and bring them in easily and get them on the road somehow (legally). Some of these methods are: diplomatic passport, dealer or manufacturer plates, show and display exemption, racing carnet, temporary import renewed annually, traveling museum display, etc., etc. If they are willing to do illegal stuff, they just have to fly it into a private airfield in Mexico, Canada, or the USA, and change the VIN to some car such as an Ultima or kit car that is legally registered. The only risk would be insufficient insurance, which I am sure their deep pockets would not care about. I have even heard of tricks around that!

To answer everyone's first question, yes, I had access to one for a couple of months. I thrashed the hell out of it with the owner's permission, both on the track, and on roads all over the middle East. It was hot. And pointless. The only person who was happy was the owner, who thought he was becoming a good driver by being my passenger, and the guy who sold us a new set of tyres every week.

Finally, rich Arabs are the most reckless drivers I have ever seen. I have incredible street-racing memories of Lamborghinis versus superbikes, F40s in protracted powerslides, etc. But when things went wrong, they went horribly wrong. I personally saw 5 fatalities and 2 cases of permanent paralysis in my 2 months in Dubai. And I read about hundreds more fatal accidents. Such carnage makes you realize the sheer folly of being overly seduced by magazine tests and fancy articles that present these exotic cars in romantic stories. They either ignore or gloss over the dangers of propelling a human body to 200 mph and beyond.

Thanks for reading.

[hermunn123]

Thanks for reading.

no problem.

after reading your post, i have changed my mind about owning an F1. i don't want to own one.... i'd prefer 2!!! i don't think anyone or anything can change the fact that this is my all time favorite car. i'd still do almost anything to see/drive/own one.

hey, that gave me an idea... XOTech: do you need a little intern to sharpen pencils or do other various annoying jobs for you?

[S Brake]

you read all that??? i stopped after the third paragraph
i'd also enjoy an internship

[JE123]

Originally posted by csa
Thanks for reading.

Nice post. I don't think that I would want to own a McLaren F1, unless everything was free. Because that is a lot of money unless you have and endless bank account. I would love to drive one though.

[XOTech]

I must say that csa has captured the thoughts of many current and previous McLaren owners. The costs of the car are quite astounding, no question. The ability to deal with the car on a daily basis is nearly impossible and more likely not wise. The McLaren offers an owner undeniable claim to owning the fastest production car made (currently) and an exclusivity that is unmatched in the class of exotic car ownership. However, it really isn't meant to replace the car used to drive to work everyday.

I am sure most of you have heard the stories of a German businessman that purchased a McLaren and drove it to work daily for some time, perhaps still today. His service visit revealed repeated stretches of more than 200mph on a nearly daily basis as well. That is a man that has come to terms with using the car for a precise and rewarding use. Few others have that liberty or ability to pilot the McLaren in such manner. Most owners never do or really even want to. The respect for the McLaren is such that abuse is not really an issue. As csa has pointed out, if one wants to enjoy the g's of a well sorted out car on a track, there are better cars for such abuse that can handle it without damaging the car and at far cheaper prices.

All that known, that usually doesn't affect enthusiasts from pursuing ownership, myself included. The fact of the matter may be that once exposed to the experience, it may be short lived or put up with as part of the McLaren reality.

All this aside, reality with nearly any exotic requires a special set of rules different from any other car in terms of treatment, driving tactics, and service and expenses expectations.

As for the internship, I thank you for the offer. I am sure I could find some pencils that need sharpening. Truth be known, the only glamour in the exotic car industry is in the shows. The rest is a lot of research and phone calls, homework. The shows are the culmination of each owner after having spent his money on his dream car amongst so many other similar cars and owners. If any of you have never attended the Concorso Italiano in California each year, that is a trip like no other and most certainly worth the time.