1801    <<    Message Index    >>    1803
Number: 1802
From: Marquis Grove <infosyssec@y...>
Date: Tue Dec 10, 2002  7:02 am
Subject: Re: [ASC McLaren ] Looking for McLaren

Body:
Hi Eyes

Let me take a shot at this...

The McLaren is certainly a unique car, with limited production numbers and
unique body styling to
give it a plus feature in the visual category.

The main strength of the McLaren Mustang is the fact that the vehicle is based
on the 5.0 ( 302
cubic inch ) high output Ford engine and transmissions. As such the vehicle
has a guaranteed and
ready supply of autoparts well into the future. Unlike for example a vehicle
like a Jaguar
convertible whose body parts and mechanical parts demand top dollar at present
and for which the
future availability of parts will diminish over the years.

The McLaren Mustang can be taken to the local Pep Boys or the local Ford
dealership for mechanical
repairs. In short there will always be parts for this car and people who can
readily and cheaply
work on them.

The weak point of the McLaren Mustang is that 'from the factory' they were
designed for 'looks'
rather then performance. The McLaren is a looker, as compared to a Saleen or
Roush that have
performance enhancements that give them more power over the stock McLaren or
stock Mustang models
of the same years.

That having been said, the auctions on eBay are not necessarily an indicator of
whether the market
for McLaren's is soft or strong. On one hand the 'better' examples of
McLaren's do not usually
end up trading on eBay - which in many cases is used as a resource of last
resort to sell off a
McLaren. The higher end McLaren's make their appearances in AutoTrader.com and
in higher prestige
publications like the Dupont registry.

Secondly, with regards to the eBay auctions, you must appreciate that the
majority of buyers on
eBay are 'looking for a bargain'. As such they are notoriously CHEAP - or
looking to 'get
something for nothing'. These are the same circus clowns that post $1000 bids
on 2002 model
cars.

Thirdly, many of the bargain hunters seeking out a 'Mustang convertible' simply
do not appreciate
the difference in original cost or the styling difference between a McLaren
Mustang and an LX or
GT standard issue Mustang convertible. As such, when bidding and given the
opportunity to acquire
a 'convertible' on eBay they are not really interested in the distinction
between the two cars -
their motivation is to simply get the 'most car for the least dollars'

Now let us put this in the perspective of the standard eBay buyer who is
seeking out a summer
convertible.... in the model years of the McLaren there are basically three
types of rag tops
that they will be looking at :

a) the LX convertible - which was the entry or cheapest level - and may have a
4 or 8 cylinder
engine or

b) the GT convertible - which was the upgraded level and would definitely have
a V8 engine or

c) the McLaren Mustang - which was the limited edition or top of the family in
the convertibles.

Now... assuming that three identical mileage and condition vehicles of the A, B
and C category
appear on eBay. If you could obtain any of the above vehicles for $5000 - you
would obviously
opt for the C - as it is the limited edition vehicle and had the highest
initial cost when first
sold by the dealership. This is simply getting the most bang for your buck.

Now... assuming that three identical mileage and condition vehicles of the A, B
and C category
appear on eBay again. In normal auction circumstance the A vehicle being
originally the cheapest
from the factory will go for a lesser dollar then the B - which from the
factory was worth more to
begin with. In turn the B vehicle will go for a lesser dollar then the C -
which from the
factory was worth more to begin with.

This having been said, the bargain hunters will always opt for price and that
would eliminate the
McLaren from being sold on eBay at top dollar. However, that is not to say
that a 'mint' and low
mileage McLaren would not find top dollar on eBay given the right
circumstances. But the fact
that eBayers are notoriously cheap and seeking bargains distorts the view of
the market for these
vehicles.

In our little McLaren family... we have three classes of McLarens. The road
pig, the daily
drivers and the jewels.

The 'road pigs' are those McLarens that were abused to hell or simply used to
hell with litle care
or regard to their long term preservation. These vehicles USUALLY show up on
eBay - as the avenue
of last recourse to unload them.... which is where I picked up mine ;). These
are the lowest cost
entry McLarens. Not really suitable for restoration up to concours level -
but definitely a
reasonable entry vehicle where a limited investment can rejuvenate the vehicle
to a level where it
is eye candy to look at and be fully enjoyed in its usage.

The 'daily drivers' are those McLarens that have been fully enjoyed, racking up
high miles, and
for which the owners took some level of pride in maintaining the vehicle
mechanically and
physically. These represent the mid cost entry McLarens. They appreciably
take less dollars to
rejuvenate and are highly suitable for use as a daily driver in the loving
hands of the next
owned. These vehicles have the opportunity to be readily restored up to a
concours level - but
nonetheless the high mileage will always be held against them and prejudice
their ability to ever
fetch the top dollar ( or even recover the money that was invested in them to
bring them up to the
concours level ).

The 'jewel' level are those McLarens that have been painstakingly cared for
over the years and
have very very low mileage. These represent the high end cost in the McLaren
family and fetch
the top dollar when being bought and sold. The vehicle owned by Sandy would be
a good example of
this class of McLaren - ultra low mileage and extremely well maintained and
stored - suitable for
musuem display. This is probably the only McLaren that should be looked at
for INVESTMENT
purposes - as the limited production of the original run of vehicles, combined
with the
diminishing number of vehicles in such condition ensures they will fetch top
dollar when they are
resold.

Now let us roll all this information back into responding specifically to what
you stated your
requirements are for a car : "I would like something that will increase in
value"

You did not state whether you planned to USE the car and enjoy it. This will
obviously affect the
answer to your question.

If you plan to USE the vehicle - then you should be looking at the B category
of vehicles. As
such you would be able to drive around, enjoy the car and at the time you go to
sell the car it
may be possible that the cars value will have either maintained its original
cost or even gone up
slightly.

If you plan to NOT USE the vehicle then you should be looking at the C category
of vehicles. As
such you would be pretty confident that the McLaren you have stored away safely
in some warehouse
will be steadily increasing over the years - like money in a bank account. A
top level C class
vehicle would be considered a fairly safe investment.

But I should buffer my comments with something my 'daddy' told me a long time
ago - cars don't
make money they take money. In some cases and with a careful decision you
might strike upon the
rare combinations of a vehicle that give it an inherent value that can only
rise over the coming
years. In the best of cases you might end up with a vehicle that appreciates
at a respectable
level - even while you are driving and enjoying it. I think given my little
tale so far, you can
see how the A, B and C level cars cover each of those niches or requirements.

So is the market soft for McLarens ? No. I think you have just been
watching the A level road
pigs duking it out in the auctions with Mustang LX and GT convertibles - and
the perspective of
seeing bargain hunters looking for a deal.

So what is the best year for the McLaren's ? I believe that our illustrious
leader Sandy would
be better positioned to answer that. But for myself, I have a leaning toward
the higher
production model year of 1988 - where there were the most cars made.

But look at the McLaren's in two distinctive groups / and possibly three. You
have a major
distinction between the pre-1987 McLarens and the the post-1987 McLarens.

You also have a major distinction between the Mustang McLaren's and the Capri
McLarens. Although
my Capri McLaren brothers may not agree with me, I believe the market is SOFTER
for the Capri
McLaren's then the Mustang McLarens. This is simply a reflection of the
discrimination that
occured in the marketplace between the two marques. If the Capri from
'Mercury' had been as
popular as the Mustang from Ford ( in the eyes of the general population ) then
there would still
have been a Capri in the Mercury product line up. Instead it died and
transitioned to a totally
different vehicle.

The post-1987 McLaren's were based on the 'FOX' body Mustangs. As such there
is a religious,
almost CULT clique of fanatics devoted to the FOX body Mustangs. This
fantatism is the reason why
there are so many secondary and repro manufacturers providing standard parts
and upgrade
performance parts for the 1987 to 1993 Mustangs. As such the McLaren's from
1987 to 1990 benefit
from this large selection and availability of competively priced parts.

Oh well... those are thoughts off the top of my head. Not bad for a fast pass
draft. Hopefully
I have given you some insight into what I saw in the McLaren when I made the
choice. I had
weighed going back to the TR6 from Triumph to get my convertible kicks ( a
vehicle that I had
previously owned a number of ) - but the economics of the McLaren over the
Triumph made the choice
a no brainer... the McLaren is a distinctive looking vehicle, with great eye
appeal, limited
production, easy availability of parts and with a good forcast for future parts
availability.
Having the cult status of being based on a Mustang FOX body also helps to
ensure interest in this
limited production vehicle for years to come.

Best wishes

Marq
http://www.snpx.com/mclaren <- my McLaren going from 'road pig' to 'the daily
driver level' ;)
--- "alligatoreyes_2000 <alligator_eyes@h...>"
<alligator_eyes@h...> wrote:
> Gentlemen(and Ladies also),
>
> I have been following auctions on eBay and checking out the various
> on-line vehicle sales sites for a short while now as I am considering
> the purchase of one of these as a daily driver.
>
> It seems to me that the market for the McLaren is quite soft. Can
> someone explain this: as these cars are certainly unique and
> relatively rare? While I'm not looking for a "collector" per se I
> would like something that will increase in value. I feel that these
> cars fit this profile but am interested in the lack of market demand.
>
> Can anyone offer an explanation? And if I might also ask the best
> year to purchase from a relability standpoint.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Eyes
>
> __________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com

	Replies	Name/Email	Yahoo! ID	Date	Size
1805	Looking for McLaren - Part II - 10k miler white now on eBay !	Marquis Grove	InfoSysSec	Tue  12/10/2002	5 KB
1806	Re: Looking for McLaren - Part II - 10k miler white now on eBay !	Sandy Block <cigarsandy@c...>	cigarsandy	Tue  12/10/2002	6 KB
1807	Re: Looking for McLaren - Part II - 10k miler white now on eBay !	James Gibat-Thoroski	jgibatthoroski	Tue  12/10/2002	3 KB
1898	Re: Looking for McLaren	alligatoreyes_2000 <alligator_eyes@h...	alligatoreyes_2000	Wed  1/15/2003	16 KB
1899	Re: Looking for McLaren	Sandy Block <cigarsandy@c...>	cigarsandy	Wed  1/15/2003	20 KB