Why Not A Buy A Bentley?

[Wash_Me]

I been looking at Bentley on ebay and saw that 1980 to 1988's are about the same price as new Toyota. I know repairs and insurance would be alot more for a Bentley but it would be sweet to have one.

[lawrencea]

Bentleys and Rolls are high maintanince. I drive 2 stretch Rolls Royces For Weddings, the upkeep on these cars are very high. If you ever buy one make shure its perfect because if it needs work it will cost a lot of money

[Accumulator]

Heh heh, I have a soft spot for RRs and Bentleys and I've looked into them a bit.

Good case of "buyer beware", especially the PRE- Turbo R Bentleys (that's the "pre-'88" catch, why those are so cheap). They're "badge-engineered" RR Shadows/Spurs and have sorta complicated foibles. Hydraulic systems that can be a pain, odd designs that can complicate maintenance (like on some, you gotta remove the wiper motor, etc. just to check the tranny fluid!), and other quirks. And they drive like what they are, obsolete luxo-barges. You gotta really WANT one, and really APPRECIATE the build quality or you'd be making a big mistake.

Heh heh, I DO want one, and I DO appreicate the quality, I have a good mechanic, and I could afford the upkeep, BUT, I STILL resist the temptation. Thank goodness for Auid A8/S8s, if not for them, I'd probably have a Bentley or two.

The Turbo R was such a big deal when it came out because it was the first really good-driving Bentley in ages. The late '60s Bentley T1s through the mid '80s Mulsannes are cheap for a good reason

Turbo-Rs are different from the earlier models, really good, cool cars, but NOT low-maintenance or inexpensive to keep healthy.

If you take good care of them, these RR/Bentley cars (even the early ones I've just criticized) really CAN last forever. But you gotta have a GOOD mechanic with marque-specific knowledge and experience. NOT really something you can learn-by-doing, even if you're good at that kind of stuff.

[bretfraz]

Originally posted by lawrencea
Bentleys and Rolls are high maintanince. I drive 2 stretch Rolls Royces For Weddings, the upkeep on these cars are very high. If you ever buy one make shure its perfect because if it needs work it will cost a lot of money

Exactly right. Buying cars like a Bentley or Ferrari or any other exotic car is kinda like buying an airplane. Its not so much the cost of admission, its the cost of maintenance and regular care and feeding. I mean, its not like Pep Boys will stock most parts for that car. And factory trained mechanics don't work for $8/hour.

But if you have a great local mechanic and can afford to run it, Bentleys are wonderful cars.

[Accumulator]

Bretfreaz- Good analogy with the airplane That's why so many exotics are in such crappy condition.

[Mr. Clean]

Originally posted by bretfraz
And factory trained mechanics don't work for $8/hour.

Whose factory trained technicians do? It is not uncommon here to see $80/hour shop rates.

My vote would be for the new Bentley Continental GT, priced at @ $150, but hey it's your money I'm spending

[TOGWT]

Quote: Why Not A Buy A Bentley?
~One mans opinion / observation~

When Rolls was asked why his vehicles were so expensive and how did he come up with the price, he said,
” Whatever the market will stand”

The market for these vehicles is for people with a lot of disposable income, not the type of person who does his own servicing (besides as was already pointed out they are made to be very complex to avoid this happening).

Why doesn’t everyone drive a RR, its not so much the initial cost (although that rules one out for me LOL) but the cost of maintenance?

~Hope this helps~


Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/

justadumbarchitect * so i question everything*

[Dom]

I bought an old Ferrari (1975 308 GT4) for a reasonable price (about the cost of a new fully loaded honda accord), so I know roughly what would be expected.

First off, are you a car guy? I mean a real car guy. Willing to spend hours on the net and elsewhere finding out little tips and tricks to maintain your baby. Willing to do the little maintenance items yourself, since you know that a trip to the mechanic is going to be at least $1000.

That's really what it's about. Being a car guy that loves the car for what it is, not its eventual resale value. You are going to spend alot of money on maintenance that you will likely never get back if you decide to sell the car. So, you are going to be doing it purely for love of the car.

Other issues: Comfort- an older car is not a new car. Radio: Sucks (but hey, the sound of the engine is like a symphony to me). Airconditioning: Sucks. Interior: Spartan. In my case, I have a carbureated car, so I get fuel smells. To me, the smell of gas is like an aphrodesiac. To others...

Oil leaks: If your italian car isn't leaking oil, it means that the sump is empty. British cars are even worse.

With an older car, there is always some little thing that needs to get fixed/improved/updated. Especially when it comes to electronics. Some people suggest that on an older car, take out the fuses every six months and clean with contact cleaner.

Maintenance: Routine mainenance can be really expensive if you have someone else do the work. The reason for this is 1) Parts are usually expensive (though alot of times, you can cross reference parts to other cars) 2) Labor- Oftentimes, access to vital parts is difficult if not impossible. So you tear up half the car just to access the alternator, for example. To give you an example of actual costs on my ferrari (and bently prices will be similar). - After I bought the car I got the 30,000 mile service performed, installed an electronic ignition, and installed a new exhaust. These were expected items for me when I bought the car. Mechanics bill: $6000. Yep, that's three zeros after the number six. And pretty much what I expected. Granted, this sort of bill will only happen every five years or so (if you are lucky), but when it does, you better be prepared to shell out the dough.

I've been lucky, I got a good car (had a mechanic inspect the car before I bought it- an absolute must). No big issues, just minor issues that I've been able to do myself. I've done oil changes myself (9 quarts of oil), fixed little electric gremlins, changed spark plugs (the front bank on a rear engined car is a real pain), etc. The only other mechanic issue I had was a failed alternator. The alternator rebuild was cheap. But the labor to get to the alternator was ~$500.

I spend alot of time/money on this car (my wife calls it the mistress). Money that could have been better spent on college funds for the kids, new kitchen for the wife, etc., etc.

Why do I do it? I love the car, love italian cars, and wanted a ferrari. To hear/feel the car at wide open throttle is orgasmic. It's all worth it to me when I drive it. Also, I am very lucky that my wife supports my obsession. As soon as my kids get old enough, I hope that they will be out there in the garage with me.

If you think you will feel that way about a bently, then go for it. If not, it's just going to be another money pit that you will sell off in a couple of years (and likely at a loss).

Dom

[Accumulator]

Mr. Clean- DON'T get me going on the new Continental GT . Since Porsche/Audi/VW owns Bentley, I was sorta hoping /sorta fearing that my Audi dealer might start selling and servicing them...

[Wash_Me]

I guess I'll just keep on dreaming but I dream about buying a Benz now I have one. Paying $6000 for repairs on a car would freak me out.

btw is there any message fourms for Bentley?


Doh I just saw the topic is jack up, it should say "Why Not Buy A Bentley?"

[LightngSVT]

Thanks for the info Dom, as it is my gaol in the next 1-3 years to purchase an older Ferrari. I was hoping to get into a 348, but most likely the late 308's or 328's will be whats in my price range. Is the maintenance the same on the newer exotics?

[Dom]

LightningSVT,

The maintenance will be similar for all of the 308/328/348 cars. Not sure about 355, but I believe they will be similar as well. The newer cars have FI instead of carbs, which does make the cars more reliable. Of course, with newer cars, you also get electonics issues, so you never win.

The big maintenance issues on these cars is the 30,000 mile belt change/valve adjustment (major service). Typically these services tend to run $3000-5000. The nice thing is, if you only drive your car 5000 miles a year, you can stretch out that service interval.

Hope this helps.
Dom