Spied in the classifieds £70k Mclaren, £34k Ariel

I’ll stick my neck out and assume that showrooms reopened last Monday and, since then, everyone has been seized by the idea of spoiling themselves and buying something outrageous. What could tempt you? How about a Mclaren MP4-12C?

As with a used car at any price point, but especially with something as expensive and rarefied as a 12C, details matter. Our find is a later 2012 car with the uprated (616bhp) engine and all the software improvements that the earliest models should have had. Saying that, the modifications were thankfully retrospectively applied by Mclaren to earlier cars.

Our 12C has done 40,000 miles, which is more than most, but it has full Mclaren service history and just one former keeper. Blue isn’t the most exciting colour, but on the other hand, it’s a rare shade that won’t draw unwanted attention, if that’s possible.

When new, including the £20,000 worth of extras that its buyer chose, this car cost around £190,000, so paying £69,995 surely doesn’t represent a bad saving at all.

Admittedly, the 12C is shaded by later Mclaren models, not least the 720S. However, a 2018 example of one of these will set you back twice as much as our discovery.

If you’re tempted by the idea of owning a 12C, it’s worth checking on your test drive that its warning lights don’t suddenly spring into action. It’s alarming when this happens, but pulling over and restarting the car after a couple of minutes should ensure that they go out and stay out.

Also give the hydraulic suspension a thorough workout: the accumulator can fail, although it’s not expensive to replace – at least in Mclaren terms.