About to buy Turbo R

[fromserenity]

Hello All,


I'm about to purchase my very first Bentley shortly, and it's going to be the glorious Turbo R. I found one from Belgium, but there are some issues I'd like to check with more seasoned Bentley afficionados first.

The car is a -92 Turbo R LWB with 39.000km and FBSH (according to kms). Lovely colour combination, i.e. black on black, exactly what am I looking for. The condition is excellent, apart from a few tiny bubbles around the decals on the boot lit.

However, the last service had been done in -97 with 36.000km on the clock. This scares me. Just 3.000km in 14 years and no service. I had the PPI done at the local Bentley dealers, and here are the remarks (copy/pasted from the report):

- bleeding of the brake oil
- adjusting the handbrake
- switch for the engine bay lightning has to be replaced
- fixation for the battery is missing
- rust on ending plate luggage compartment
- rust at the rear badge
- windscreen wiper mechanism to be further checked
- rust on the radiator calender
- distributor belt to be replaced
- rear windows do not work => further electrical diagnose to be done
- central locking does not work => further electrical diagnose to be done
- traces of rust on the rear axle => to be treated, no safety thread
- plastic cover in the luggage compartment broken
- also noted, that the last service was done in december 1997 at 36.000km

That's it! What do you think?

The car gave me a very good feeling and my intuition was positive. I really like it and can't stop thinking about it.
It's becoming an obsession to me, I can't stop thinking about the car!

Thank you for your comments and advice in advance!

[AndrewW-G]

So in short, its a car that needs a major Hydraulic service, a few electrical issues to be fixed and some body / paintwork. I'd be budgeting at least £5-6k to bring it back to good health.

Could be a good car, could be a terrible car, just go into it with your eyes wide open

[kwak]

Is this car you are talking about? http://nl.autoscout24.be/Details.aspx?id=193477441

I'm not one of the experts, but compared to some cars in the PH classifieds, that seems quite a bit of money for a car without history for 14 years.

[fromserenity]

kwak said:

Is this car you are talking about? http://nl.autoscout24.be/Details.aspx?id=193477441

I'm not one of the experts, but compared to some cars in the PH classifieds, that seems quite a bit of money for a car without history for 14 years.

Yes, this is the car!

They have promised to sort out most of the problems in their own workshop, but the scheduled maintenance is still to be done.

RHD cars, like those listed in PH Classified, are a lot cheaper than LHD ones. There are couple of similar cars listed in Germany, asking prices being between 20.000 and 30.000EUR.

In case I bought the car, ould you recommend me having all the work done at Bentley's or in an independent specialist? I'd go for the latter (based on my experience with classic Porsches). I've been eyeing this website: http://www.silverhillinternational.com/home.html .

[kwak]

Is there any special reason you want left hand drive?
about the maintenance: I can't answer that, but there are a few very knowledgeable people here, just be patient, they will see the thread.

[fromserenity]

kwak said:

Is there any special reason you want left hand drive?
about the maintenance: I can't answer that, but there are a few very knowledgeable people here, just be patient, they will see the thread.

I'm not living in the UK and driving a RHD in Europe just doesn't feel tempting to me.

[fromserenity]

I have just received a quote from Silver Hill. They say, that sorting out the list above and giving the car a major service will set me back between 8.000 and 10.000EUR. plus VAT.

Edited by fromserenity on Thursday 8th September 10:54

[Rollcage]

Was that before or after you bent over?

Must be some hellishly expensive parts in that list.

[POORCARDEALER]

fromserenity said:

I have just received a quote from Silver Hill. They say, that sorting out the list above and giving the car a major service will set me back between 8.000 and 10.000EUR. plus VAT.

Edited by fromserenity on Thursday 8th September 10:54

WHAT!!!!!???

It should be half of that figure....if you cannot get it done for a sensible amount bring it to the UK and have the work carried out....looks like basic recomissioning work to me.

[ADP68]

How about this one:
http://www.peterjarvis.net/index.php?page=shop.pro...
It is also LHD. Get someone from the RRBSA to do the PPI: http://www.rrbsa.co.uk/memblist.html
at the very least, you should call someone from the list and get a quote for the jobs listed.

[Batrover]

I agree with the others. There are other cars out there. However much you adore the car you have seen, the price asked is ridiculous,even for LHD, and there has to be a huge issue over why the car has been inactive for so long. Having said that, I bought the first Turbo R I sat in, but I was lucky. I also spoke to the specialist who had serviced the car for the past seven years,who told me I would be nuts not to buy it. The Peter Jarvis car is certainly worth a look. Good luck,whatever you decide

[bergxu]

Also keep in mind, a Bentley main agent is bound to pick the car apart, both to cover their a$$es and to relieve you of some excess cash. These aren't fine china, they can handle being used like "normal" cars...i.e. you don't *need* to replace the water hoses and belts when RR says, it's just that they suggest these intervals to prevent issues from occurring, which, given the cost of the cars, is understandable {from their point of view}, however think of all of the Mercs, Audis, BMs, Jags, etc...which trundle along just fine for tens or hundreds of thousands of miles on just good old routine maintenance (and keeping weary of things too, so don't take my words as "ignore stuff"). I have a '96 Turbo R which I drive on a daily basis, it has 89K on it, runs and drives beautifully, everything works, no rust, no issues, nada. Great car. Yes, I maintain it more stringently than I do my XJ6, and sure, when fresh fluids are called for, it gets them, but beyond that, I treat it like I would anything else and not once in umpteen years of ownership has the car left me stranded or needed to go into the workshop for anything unforseen. I've rebuilt the front end, replaced the steering rack, done all of the typical stuff to my car that they all need doing. Yeah, there were a few biggies along the way (heater matrix, namely), but I expect those things will happen, so they get dealt with when need be, but it always amazes me how many people are so caught up in replacing parts that are perfectly serviceable and how scared they are if the air filters in the car, even though they only have 2K miles on them, 'need to be replaced' (with ones on the shelf that were probably just as old!). Anyways, sorry for the rant, but what I'm getting at is don't be scared off by the PPI list, take it to a good indie who knows RR/B and is also more practically minded and the car will be just fine.

Keep in mind too, that if you are relatively technically competent, there is much you can do on the car yourself, and I spot a few things on that PPI list that I bet most anyone could do at home in their shed!

Good luck, hope you join us, you won't be disappointed.

Edited by bergxu on Monday 19th September 14:32

Edited by bergxu on Monday 19th September 14:34

[Bluebottle911]

The Peter Jarvis car looks a MUCH better bet to me.

[fromserenity]

The search continues!

I've now located a really nice -98 Bentley Turbo R LWB, and the dealer sent me a few pictures. Everything else looks great in the pictures, but what's wrong with the left corner of the panel on top of the front bumber (please see the picture)? Is it bent, or is it my eyes? In my opinion it indicates, that the corner has suffered from a light shunt. What do you reckon?

Thank you for your comments!

[williamp]

Yes it looks that way- compared to the other side, its raised slightly. You need to ask:
1) Why?
2) Why isnt is now back to normal?

[tonys]

Yes, it does look out of alignment, although it may be nothing much at all, or indicative of something bigger. If the rest sounds/looks reasonable, at least you know that it needs to be looked at more closely.

[buyer&seller]

Apart from the damage, there is something not right here. That, I'm sure, looks like a 1997 model year car, which were finished by Summer 97 to make way for the Turbo RT. If it was an Turbo RT it would have a different grill, a chrome moulding in the centre of the bumper and from what I can see in the picture different wheels, there are other changes betwen the two. It is a possibility it may have been a car that had been stored before being registered in 1998 but I'd be asking a few questions. An RT usually demands a premium over the 97 model car, so make sure you don't pay top price as it won't be worth any more than a 96 or 97 registered car IMHO.

[fromserenity]

Thank you very much for your comments!

I will go and inspect the car myself in around two weeks time. If it looks good enough, I'll have it properly PPI'd. I hope to find a reliable explanation for the bumper issue.

As buyer&seller pointed out, it's not -98. My mistake, I should have read the ad more carefully. First registration was done in January 1998. I don't know what year the car is, but I'll find out.

In the meanwhile, you may see the ad and more pictures here:

http://www.autoscout24.eu/Details.aspx?id=masiwgfr...

It looks good to me! It ticks all the boxes, i.e. it's LWB, black outside, reasonable mileage, has picnic tables and has nice interior colour (though, black is more preferred by me, nice contrast anyway). Added bonus is, that it's a later model. I don't like the new bumbers and mirrors as much as the earlier, more petite ones, but that shouldn't be a problem, really. All in all, this car gives me a good first impression. I hope it talks to me, when I get there.

If you have any comments, please feel free to air them. Thank you!

Ah, one more thing. The price is reasonable, even if high by the UK standards. The first Turbo R I saw (please see the first post in this thread), was -92, nice car, but in my opinion too little kms and "only" 7000eur cheaper. And the PPI bill wasn't clean enough for that price, in my opinion.

I don't now how long did it take for you to find your perfect Turbo R, but my project seems to take rather long time. But that's part of the fun! Finding my perfect 911SC took me four years, but I made it in the end and was more than pleased. If I was after an easy motoring solution, I'd lease a brand-new Golf. For me, finding the perfect car is all about listening to my heart and analizing the feelings I have when I sit in it and drive it.

Have a good weekend you all!

[Brooklands R]

You can get a lot of information from the chassis VIN. Here is an explanation:
http://khup.com/download/13_keyword-bentley-contin...

[2708420018]

There is a wealth of information on this site

http://www.rrsilverspirit.com/models/index.htm

This gives the history of all models in great detail

Paul