The 720S is the strangest bargain in the supercar market. On the road it gives away nothing to cars costing multiples of its price — several magazine road tests of the era put it ahead of them — yet depreciation has made it accessible to buyers who would never have considered one new. The catch is that the same soft values that create the opportunity have pushed some cars into ownership that couldn't really afford to maintain them. The 720S market is a quality lottery, and this guide is about rigging the draw.
What you're buying
Launched in 2017 as the second-generation Super Series car, the 720S pairs a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (710bhp) with a carbon-fibre Monocage II tub and McLaren's interlinked hydraulic Proactive Chassis Control II suspension — no anti-roll bars, and a ride/handling combination nothing else at the price matches. Coupé from 2017, Spider from 2019, in Standard, Performance and Luxury trims (Performance being the carbon-heavy, most common and most resaleable spec). Production ended in 2022 when the revised 750S replaced it.
Mechanically the news is better than the marque's early reputation suggests: the engine and gearbox are robust, and the 720S generation is meaningfully better built than the 650S and 12C before it. The issues are mostly electrical, hydraulic and build-quality niggles — real, documentable, and mostly preventable with history and warranty.
Known issues, honestly stated
- Electrical gremlins. The most common complaints: sensor faults, warning lights that come and go, infotainment (IRIS) freezes and slow starts, battery drain on cars that sit. Most have known fixes and software campaigns — which is why a full dealer or specialist history matters more on this car than on almost any rival.
- Proactive Chassis Control. The interlinked hydraulic suspension is brilliant and bespoke. Accumulators and sensors can fail; symptoms are warning messages, uneven stance or a harsh ride. Repairs are manageable with the right specialist and painful without.
- Folding roof (Spider). The retractable hardtop mechanism needs to be watched through several cycles on inspection — hesitation, misalignment or wind noise afterwards are negotiating points.
- Doors and seals. Dihedral door mechanisms and their seals wear; water ingress into the door or footwell is a known annoyance. Check the carpets.
- Consumables at supercar prices. Tyres, carbon-ceramic discs and pads, and the big services are priced like the £220k car it was, not the price you're paying. Budget a realistic annual figure and treat any car sold with "just serviced, nothing needed" scepticism unless the invoices prove it.
- Accident history on a carbon tub. The Monocage tolerates repairs the register never sees. Paint readings, panel alignment and — on any doubt — a specialist's opinion on the tub are mandatory. A properly repaired car can be fine; an undisclosed one is unbuyable at market price.
The warranty question decides the purchase
A used McLaren's value proposition rests on the McLaren Extended Warranty. Cars still under original or extended cover — or cars that will pass the inspection required to join the programme — are a fundamentally different ownership prospect from cars outside it. The inspection can be done pre-purchase, and a car that fails it has told you the price was wrong.
Our rule on any 720S mandate: warranty status confirmed with the network before the shortlist, not discovered after the purchase. If you take nothing else from this guide, take that.
Spec and colour: what holds value
- Performance trim leads the market; its carbon exterior pack is what buyers picture when they picture the car.
- MSO paint and MSO Defined options carry real premiums — verified against the build record, as with any marque, because "MSO" appears in listings more often than on build sheets.
- Strong colours (Papaya Spark, Belize Blue, Mantis Green, MSO heroes) outperform silver and plain black by a distance on this car — it wears colour well and the market knows it.
- Sports exhaust, front lift, 360 cameras, electric/heated memory seats: the everyday options that make cars sell faster.
- Coupé vs Spider is preference rather than hierarchy; Spiders carry a modest premium and a roof mechanism to inspect.
Values in the UK
Again, we don't print numbers that will be stale in a quarter. The stable facts: the 720S depreciated hard from new, the curve has flattened as the 750S repriced the range above it, and the spread between the cheapest and best examples at the same mileage is wider than on any comparable Ferrari — which is exactly where the danger and the opportunity both live. The cheapest cars in the classifieds are cheap because the market has already inspected them. For a live view on the spec you want, ask.
Inspecting a candidate
- Full history corroborated with McLaren's records — campaigns, recalls and software updates confirmed done, not assumed.
- Warranty status and extension eligibility confirmed in writing.
- Diagnostic scan by a McLaren specialist — stored faults tell the car's real story.
- Suspension behaviour through its modes on a proper test drive; listen for accumulator complaints.
- Paint readings all round; tub inspection on any evidence of repair.
- Roof cycles (Spider), door operation, window drop behaviour, carpet moisture.
- Consumables audit: tyres, discs, pads, next major service — priced into the offer.
How sourcing changes the outcome
The 720S is precisely the car where a sourcing mandate earns its fee: wide quality spread, decisive warranty mechanics, and the best examples selling through specialist and owner networks before they're ever photographed for a listing. A McLaren sourcing mandate means the warranty check, the diagnostic history and the tub questions are answered before you fall for a car — and the negotiation is done by people holding this quarter's real transaction prices.
Tell us the colour, the trim and the budget — start an enquiry and we'll tell you what's actually out there.