Russ Bowman

Review of McLaren of Philadelphia

I bought a beautiful looking red McLaren in Nov of...

I bought a beautiful looking red McLaren in Nov of 2014. Two weeks later the problems began. The transmission leaked fluid in my garage and as a result the car had to be towed to their shop. Two weeks later because the part had to be ordered from the United Kingdom, the car was returned. The McLaren Philadelphia service manager was always polite, responsive and professional although his dealership never seems to have the parts I need.

When I bought the car I thought for an extra $1000 protection from dings would be a good investment. What the dealer somehow forgot to tell me is that because the car is almost entirely made of carbon fiber, it does not ding. It cracks which is not covered by this extra protection. So a tiny ding smaller than a dime cost $4000 to repair because the paint is "so special" the entire door had to be removed and repainted. This took 10 days. The dealer could tell I was frustrated and offered to buy the car back from me. At first I thought this is a dealer that wants me to be happy. Then I heard the price. They offered me $40,000 less than I paid a couple of months ago. I had only added 1500 miles to the car in part because the car sat in their shop waiting for parts.

Recently a check engine light went on and off so when I brought the car in for it's $2700 2 year service, they looked at that issue. Don't be scared off by the cost of this service, it includes a fresh wiper blade and interior/exterior cleaning. No one drives these cars in bad weather so a new wiper blade is a bit of a joke. Turns out the check engine light issue was serious and now two weeks later the car has been sitting at the dealer while I wait for a part from The United Kingdom. So in the 8 months I have had the car, 4 months were during winter hibernation and 6 weeks were spent at the dealer.

In one very honest conversation regarding these issues I was told by the dealer that I am simply having bad luck with this car. I am writing this review should any reader be considering a McLaren because you may or may not be one of the lucky ones without nearly constant problems. Do not buy one of these cars unless you have another for when it breaks and they don't have parts. Do not buy this car unless you are prepared to suffer an immediate and substantial loss. I have had Aston Martins, a Lambo and a Ferrari, and none has lost so much value so quickly.

The above opinion is based on the facts involved in my experience.