Considering an Arnage T

[Modificata]

Thinking about buying an Arnage T and currently trying to negotiate on a car. I noticed that most cars an an Aluminium and Wood interior, but the car I am looking at has just a wood interior. Is there a preference amoungst owners as to which spec is preferred? Personally i probably lean more towards the wood, but any thoughts out there?

[12 POT]

In my Arnage T the turned aluminium finish is only used on the dashboard area, i.e. around the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, the door caps are solely wood. I would confess to having been unsure about the turned aluminium when I first saw it, as I thought it was a little bit over the top, nonetheless, it has grown on me. On balance, I would probably choose an entirely wood finish throughout the car if I were being given that option, however, I was buying my Arnage T pre-owned so a compromise was necessary.

I have personally seen one Arnage T without the turned aluminium treatment to the interior, so it is possible to find them, although, I wouldn't know how many cars were specified to be solely wood.

[Modificata]

12 POT said:

In my Arnage T the turned aluminium finish is only used on the dashboard area, i.e. around the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, the door caps are solely wood. I would confess to having been unsure about the turned aluminium when I first saw it, as I thought it was a little bit over the top, nonetheless, it has grown on me. On balance, I would probably choose an entirely wood finish throughout the car if I were being given that option, however, I was buying my Arnage T pre-owned so a compromise was necessary.

I have personally seen one Arnage T without the turned aluminium treatment to the interior, so it is possible to find them, although, I wouldn't know how many cars were specified to be solely wood.

Most of the cars I have seen have been with Aluminium on the dash and doors. Yours sounds very unique and a good balance. I don’t dislike the Aluminium but do prefer the wood, the quality of which is on a different level!
This particular car is an early T so that might explain the wood only spec. In fact it’s a little strange as information I have found suggests the T was launched in 2002, but this car was first registered in Nov 2001. The HPI report definitely has the car registered as an Arnage T, and the interior is updated to the new “version 3” interior, so its defiantely an Arnage T. Maybe its one of the launch cars.
I have to say despite having previously had and have some interesting cars, including a Ferrari in the stable, the thought of owning a proper old school Bentley has me nervously excited! Its such a statement car and certainly not subtle.

[buyer&seller]

Modificata said:

Most of the cars I have seen have been with Aluminium on the dash and doors. Yours sounds very unique and a good balance. I don’t dislike the Aluminium but do prefer the wood, the quality of which is on a different level!
This particular car is an early T so that might explain the wood only spec. In fact it’s a little strange as information I have found suggests the T was launched in 2002, but this car was first registered in Nov 2001. The HPI report definitely has the car registered as an Arnage T, and the interior is updated to the new “version 3” interior, so its defiantely an Arnage T. Maybe its one of the launch cars.
I have to say despite having previously had and have some interesting cars, including a Ferrari in the stable, the thought of owning a proper old school Bentley has me nervously excited! Its such a statement car and certainly not subtle.

Standard spec was dark stained walnut and the aluminium dash was one cost option and the doors another, you could only have the doors if you had the dash. The car you are looking at will be a pre-production car registered to the factory as a demo, fleet etc the first cars the dealers saw were from February 2002 and the R followed up in April. If I were you I'd be more concerned with the history than the interior trim and finding out if the engine has had the camshafts sorted, which is a hugely expensive job.

[Modificata]

[quote=buyer&seller]

Standard spec was dark stained walnut and the aluminium dash was one cost option and the doors another, you could only have the doors if you had the dash. The car you are looking at will be a pre-production car registered to the factory as a demo, fleet etc the first cars the dealers saw were from February 2002 and the R followed up in April. If I were you I'd be more concerned with the history than the interior trim and finding out if the engine has had the camshafts sorted, which is a hugely expensive job.
[/quote]

Thanks for the info. Confirmed my suspicions that the car was one of the first Arnage Ts. I don’t think that is a particularly bad thing especially given that so much time and miles have passed since to iron out any potential problems.

This particular car has had Full Bentley history from new. Regarding the camshaft it hasn’t been done but I am already factoring that into the price. I am assuming that I will need to carry that out. I will be taking my mechanic with me on Saturday to assess and perhaps complete the deal. I will probably be looking to do any engine work myself (with the help of my mechanic). Might sound a bit crazy, but I completed a major service on my Ferrari last year (inc cambelts etc), so pretty reasonable with a spanner.

[WelshBentleyBoy]

There is a very comprehensive guide on this site

http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=52&i=2913...

This will highlight a great many things to look for.

I was also sceptical about the aluminium trim when I bought mine but I have got used to it and would not swap for wood. You could always go for an "R" which would give you the wood. The T is an out and out sports saloon. Have a look at the Clarkson video! The "R" is more of a luxury tourer but still no slouch. You could also look at a RR Seraph. I quite fancied one but my son said people would spit on me!

[Modificata]

WelshBentleyBoy said:

There is a very comprehensive guide on this site

http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=52&i=2913...

This will highlight a great many things to look for.

I was also sceptical about the aluminium trim when I bought mine but I have got used to it and would not swap for wood. You could always go for an "R" which would give you the wood. The T is an out and out sports saloon. Have a look at the Clarkson video! The "R" is more of a luxury tourer but still no slouch. You could also look at a RR Seraph. I quite fancied one but my son said people would spit on me!

Lol that last comment made me laugh. It would definately have to be the Arnage T for me as its the right amount of sportiness. I've been digging into the history of this car and something quite unusual came up. Looking through the MOT history online I noticed it had a private plate that looked very familiar. Sure enough it turns out that I used to see this car parked up all the time near Harley Street. Walked past it many times! Small world. Could be a sign.

[DVR]

Modificata said:

I have to say despite having previously had and have some interesting cars, including a Ferrari in the stable, the thought of owning a proper old school Bentley has me nervously excited! Its such a statement car and certainly not subtle.

So true, I was in the same boat as you. Nervously excited describes it perfectly. I am in my 2nd year of ownership now and could not be happier.
They are truly 'one of a kind' cars. Nothing else compares and when you ride in it, it simply makes you happy wafting along and see the world go by.
And when in your garage you continue to admire the bombastic elegance.

[Modificata]

DVR said:

So true, I was in the same boat as you. Nervously excited describes it perfectly. I am in my 2nd year of ownership now and could not be happier.
They are truly 'one of a kind' cars. Nothing else compares and when you ride in it, it simply makes you happy wafting along and see the world go by.
And when in your garage you continue to admire the bombastic elegance.

Gosh. If i was in two minds before that picture has sealed it. Thats a beautiful picture.

Am I the only one who thinks that unlike the new Bentleys, the Arnage looks perfect from every angle?

Thanks for sharing. Appreciate the comments. What wheels are those? They look interesting...

[DVR]

Thanks for the compliment.
I agree , there is not a bad angle to be found on the Arnage. Together with the 2008 Brooklands it is the most beautiful and coherent Bentley ever I feel. It will age extremely well imo.

The wheels are 9X20 with 255/40R20, the stock size of the Arnage final edtion.
Although the wheels are not for everyone I like them and think they look very nice on the car.



Still, soon they will be replaced with a 21" set.
Although OEM size and good looking I feel 20" is just a tad too small on the Arnage. So 21" will be perfect (for me).

Edited by DVR on Friday 23 January 17:30

[matt5791]

It's a fantastic looking car - superb colour. The only thing I've never been able to get on with on the Arnage are the lights either side of the rear number plate. But your car seems to get away even with this!

Unfortunately, I think the wheels just look horrific and totally destroy the car's wonderful lines - sorry. I just feel there are very few cars that can get away with the wrong wheels, without looking like the owner's trying too hard to make the car something it isn't. I just HATE wrong wheels. But that's just my personal opinion, of course.

[Modificata]

DVR said:

Thanks for the compliment.
I agree , there is not a bad angle to be found on the Arnage. Together with the 2008 Brooklands it is the most beautiful and coherent Bentley ever I feel. It will age extremely well imo.

The wheels are 9X20 with 255/40R20, the stock size of the Arnage final edtion.
Although the wheels are not for everyone I like them and think they look very nice on the car.



Still, soon they will be replaced with a 21" set.
Although OEM size and good looking I feel 20" is just a tad too small on the Arnage. So 21" will be perfect (for me).

Edited by DVR on Friday 23 January 17:30

Well i do think they look good. Different. Remind me the of BMW M5 Alloys

[Modificata]

No go on the Arnage T. Went and had a look today and it just needed too much doing to it. I estimated about £10K worth of work to bring it to standard which would have put it at the same price as a 25K mile car. Shockingly bad example to be honest.

[Modificata]

I thought I would share some of my findings based on the Arnage T I went to see. Hopefully this might help some people who may be looking at this car, or other cars in the future. This car had the dreaded engine problem and required a camshaft and tappets replaced.

The car needed a lot of work/time/money spent on it. Here is a summary of my costings:
Major Service: £1600 (independent) / £3,500 (Dealer) – not clear if this was the same job or more involved.
Reprofiled camshaft replacement – Parts only: £500
Tappets (16) – Parts only: £3,600
Engine Labour work: minimum: £1,000
Tyres: approx. £800
Brakes (Discs + Pads. Front + Rear) – Parts only: £950
Front side light (Cracked on car) – Parts only: £500
Engine belts – Parts only: £50

As you can see cost was £9,000 and is really a minimum total cost. There will be other things to come out such as water pump, AC Re-Gas, etc etc. This car also was leaking fuel onto the engine (!) so one or more of the fuel hoses will need to be changed. Easily this car will soak up £10k. It also needed a full interior and exterior detail and possibly alloys had some corrosion.

Im used to high maintenance costs but the Bentley is in a different arena. Parts prices are crazy!

Hope that helps.