Looking to buy a used Mulsanne

Looking to buy a used Mulsanne

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Davetherave95

Original Poster:

102 posts

109 months

Wednesday 3rd August 2016
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Hello everyone, I've been looking at buying a used Bentley for a while now. I'm torn between an early Mulsanne or a slightly newer v8 continental GT coupe and would love some advice from any owners out there!
Reasons behind my dilemma:
I want the Bentley for comfort and luxury, mostly short weekends away and the occasional need for 4 seats. Handling and speed isn't really a priority for me. Comfort and ease of driving is though.
I know it's not going to be cheap to run, but servicing/economy is a factor for me.
I wondered if the size of the Mulsanne made day-day driving a difficulty, for example reversing out a drive and parking in supermarkets/multi-storey etc?
Also is there much a difference in real life fuel economy and servicing between the 2? Are the seats in the back of the GT ok for a 2-3 hour trip for 2 adults or is that a definite no go?
I love the look of both cars and it looks like reasonable examples of both can be had for around 100-110k mark. I would appreciate any advice/thoughts from you guys, especially anyone who has experience of both models.
Cheers

dunebuggy

50 posts

122 months

Wednesday 3rd August 2016
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The Mulsanne is looooooong
To be honest I wouldn't recommend one as a main use car (car parks etc) becuase it is very big indeed. It's a great "occasion" can and certainly a wonderful GT but...for round town you'd just get frustrated and be afraid of pranging it all the time even with the sensors and cameras. It's not made for that.

The Conti GT can do the day to day (and I use mine for exactly that).
The rear seats can fit children comfortably for long periods and smaller adults to medium sized adults could do reasonably long trips in them. They are pretty comfortable actually...the two door thing is more the issue than the size of the seats.

My 5'7'' daughter fits happily behind my 5'11'' driving position (when carrying our 6'1'' son on rare occasion we do that in the Conti).


Davetherave95

Original Poster:

102 posts

109 months

Thursday 4th August 2016
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Thanks for the info. Is yours the v8 or w12?
I really do love the Mulsanne, I feel it's such a lot of car for the money right now. Just a shame about the gargantuan size!
Good news about the back seats in the GT, obviously much better than the ones in a California.
I'm going to pop to the local dealer in edinburgh and hopefully get a comparison of both models side by side.

Modificata

531 posts

253 months

Thursday 4th August 2016
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I dont have direct experience of the Mulsanne, but I have a late Arnage T and may be able to offer some advice. Im a huge fan of RR & Bentley cars and had wanted one for a long time, and although I like the Continental series I knew it would never satisfy me. What I wanted was the solid build quality, the luxurious interior, the mejestic exterior, and the wafting comfort that only comes with the larger more traditional (and proper) Bentleys. The Continental would always have been a compromise.

The Mulsanne is steps ahead of the Arnage but everytime I sit in the Arnage I think wow. Everyone thinks wow, and if they didnt get why I purchased it before, they certainly get it once they step on board. Its an epic place to sit.

We use ours for everything. Its been to Tescos, shopping in London, long distant driving or even short trips for a takeaway. They are big cars to park but not difficult to drive.

If you want a really good car but the Continental. If you want something that you deliberately take the long route home in, that'll be the Mulsanne.

cardigankid

8,849 posts

219 months

Thursday 8th September 2016
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Over the past few weeks I have had this growing desire to own a Mulsanne, for all the reasons that the last poster and the OP stated.

It is a Grand Bentley in the tradition of Grand Bentleys. It has the 6.75 litre V8. It has luxury on an epic scale. It may be long, but it looks good in the same way that the former Brooklands looks good. From the rear, and from the front and the quarters it is a masterpiece of automotive design, way ahead of the RR and unmistakeable Bentley - reminiscent of the 8 Litre just as they said back at the launch. I feel that nothing else is going to hit the spot.

Nearly new items represent what looks to me like unbelievable value. For a car which lists at £225k there are cars with a couple of hundred miles up up for around £150k. I know there has been a facelift but IMHO the facelift is crap and makes it look like a Maybach. I'd rather have the original front end design.

Am I losing it? Or has everyone else except me, the OP and the last poster already lost it?

jeyjey

220 posts

104 months

Friday 9th September 2016
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The face-lift has certainly put the pre-face-lift cars at an attractive price. And the interiors are glorious.

(I'm also an old-school Bentley man, although my budget only runs to the Arnage. Great car, though.)

Cheers,
Jeff.

matt5791

381 posts

133 months

Friday 9th September 2016
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It is a great car, but it's much more conventional in design and much more "ordinary", in my opinion, than the older big bentleys. It just feels like a more ordinary car because of this. The door handles are plastic - close your eyes and you could be opening the door and stepping into an Audi. It just doesn't have the same feel as before.

allister

569 posts

154 months

Saturday 10th September 2016
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matt5791 said:
The door handles are plastic - close your eyes and you could be opening the door and stepping into an Audi. It just doesn't have the same feel as before.
I'm 99% sure the door handles aren't plastic, I've got a 4 month old Mulsanne Speed sat in the garage, I'll go and check later but I'm almost certain that's not the case and they are metal.

In response to the original question on this thread, like many others have said, I too had always wanted a flagship Bentley and at the moment they are fantastic value.

This is because Bentley are providing a lot of support to the dealers to help them move the outgoing models - In short, they're doing a clearance sale on what's left to make way for the new facelift model.

So what is it like to own one..... Well as I said, mine is only 4 months old and has covered less than 1,400 miles. It really is a fantastic car and does feel more up to date than the Arnage which I also love (although it's nothing like an Audi). Everything in the Mulsanne is what it appears to be - wood is wood, metal is metal etc.

It's beautiful to drive and feels very special - You hear people talking about Bentley's providing a sense of occasion, it definitely does that. The Mulsanne is also incredibly rare which gives you that exclusivity.

Downsides..... Well for me there is one in particular.

As someone else has as already mentioned, this car is very long....... You will find it almost impossible to fit it in to any regular parking bay and there's no way you'd want to leave it in any public multi-storey car park, even if you could get it in, unless you don't mind coming back to dents and scratches in the side of your car doors.

This unfortunately means every journey needs to be carefully planned and you need to know where you're going to park when you get to your destination (that's if you want to keep your car in perfect order, which I do).

This can be a bit of a pain and can put you off driving it. For example, a couple of weeks ago I went to New York for the weekend, Heathrow is approximately 140 miles away but as much as I wanted too start my weekend away with a trip in the Bentley, I daren't leave it in Heathrow's multi-storey car park. Aside from the risk of damage from cars parked alongside, the front end will definitely over hang the space by a good couple of feet, leaving you open to front end damage.

To give you another example, a couple of months ago I nipped in to Waitrose, I parked as far away from the shop door as possible where there were plenty of bays, enabling me to take up two spaces without annoying anybody, however, when I stepped out the car, due to the length and the rear end, I found I was actually parked over four spaces!!

For me that's the only downside and something to consider, unfortunately I feel I can't use it quite the same as a normal car, meaning ownership Is not quite as carefree.

With regards to the Continental as an option.... I don't want to offend anyone who has one, as they are still a very nice car but I was taken by my local dealer to Bentley's factory in Crewe in a brand new Continental Flying Spur and all I can say, is that it is a very, very different car and in a totally different league to the Mulsanne - But then I guess with £100k difference in list price, you'd probably expect that.

Davetherave95..... You say you want a Bentley for Comfort and Luxury, if that is what you're really looking for, then the Mulsanne is the only car for you.

Edited by allister on Saturday 10th September 11:26

Balmoral

41,775 posts

255 months

Saturday 10th September 2016
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allister said:
matt5791 said:
The door handles are plastic
I'm 99% sure the door handles aren't plastic
They aren't, they're proper Graham Williams just like on the Arnage or old SZ's.

But this sort of detail is interesting, some people notice it whilst others do not, some people care whilst others do not.

I notice that the veneers in the GT/Spur models just don't feel right (and when I say feel, I don't mean just touchy feely either, I mean the feel/ambience whilst sitting in the car and fondling nothing is noticeably different). The reason why is because the veneer is pressed onto an aluminium substrate in the GT/Spur rather than a solid timber substrate.

The Mulsanne is still very much a proper Crewe built Rolls Royce.

allister

569 posts

154 months

Saturday 10th September 2016
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Balmoral said:
allister said:
matt5791 said:
The door handles are plastic
I'm 99% sure the door handles aren't plastic
They aren't, they're proper Graham Williams just like on the Arnage or old SZ's.

But this sort of detail is interesting, some people notice it whilst others do not, some people care whilst others do not.

I notice that the veneers in the GT/Spur models just don't feel right (and when I say feel, I don't mean just touchy feely either, I mean the feel/ambience whilst sitting in the car and fondling nothing is noticeably different). The reason why is because the veneer is pressed onto an aluminium substrate in the GT/Spur rather than a solid timber substrate.

The Mulsanne is still very much a proper Crewe built Rolls Royce.
Thank you for the confirmation regarding the handles Balmoral.... I thought they were.

You're also absolutely right about the veneer in the GT/Spur being pressed onto aluminium substrate, they mentioned that when I visited the factory - Apparently the Mulsanne as you say is solid timber.... From memory I believe they use solid walnut.

cardigankid

8,849 posts

219 months

Sunday 11th September 2016
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I went in to the local Bentley dealership at the weekend for a look, and the door handles are metal, sure enough.

They had a 'facelift' model in the showroom. Generally it is stunning - what an interior - can't see much need for an LWB this is super deluxe in the back. What occurred to me as I looked in was that WO Bentley started as a locomotive designer and this car would be like having your personal Orient Express. I still seriously dislike the facelift but I need the discount they are applying to the pre facelift models in some cases. At the full price there is no way this works for me. IMHO this car is a purer design than they have had for many a year, far classier than the equivalent Rolls, perfect from every angle if you accept and like the sheer scale of the thing. In addition there seem to be very very few of them on the road. This is one to have. I believe that you can buy a facelift conversion for the previous model. If this is so you can presumably fit the old radiator onto a facelift model, which is what I would do if I can't get one now.

Allister - I see that you bought the Speed model. Would you recommend us to do the same? I agree that you would not use this in certain environments, but I have to say that size or not I wouldn't be leaving a Bentley at the airport. Would you not use a chauffeur, at least for the day?

Any suggestions as to colour and spec? Most importantly, can you share any pics of your Mulsanne Speed with us?

matt5791

381 posts

133 months

Tuesday 13th September 2016
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Balmoral said:
hey aren't, they're proper Graham Williams just like on the Arnage or old SZ's.

But this sort of detail is interesting, some people notice it whilst others do not, some people care whilst others do not.

I notice that the veneers in the GT/Spur models just don't feel right (and when I say feel, I don't mean just touchy feely either, I mean the feel/ambience whilst sitting in the car and fondling nothing is noticeably different). The reason why is because the veneer is pressed onto an aluminium substrate in the GT/Spur rather than a solid timber substrate.

The Mulsanne is still very much a proper Crewe built Rolls Royce.
I don't want to start an arguement about door handles! - the Mulsanne would definitely be my choice out of the modern day Bentley line up.

But, the door handles are 100% not the same as the fantastic handles on Arnage. They feel like plastic - unless the 3 cars I have looked at had different handles. Just open the door on an Arnage (or Spirit, Turbo R etc) and compare. The doors on the older cars feel like you just opened a Chubb safe, unlike the modern era where they feel like an A8 or something like that.

They would probably argue it's for weight saving reasons - which isn't unreasonable to be honest.

Edited by matt5791 on Tuesday 13th September 17:56

RichardAVogel

10 posts

109 months

Tuesday 13th September 2016
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Too much misinformation!!!

I owned a 2003 Continental R (2006-2013) a 2013 Mulsanne (2012-2015) and currently a 2009 Brooklands Coupe (2014- ). The Continental R was a mechanic's dream - $20k to $30k in repairs and maintenance every year. The Mulsanne went in once per year on schedule with not a single mechanical fault. The Brooklands has had no problems save for a faulty oil pressure sending unit that was relatively inexpensive to replace.

I ran the Mulsanne for 14,995 miles, and returned it two months early at the end of the lease. I started out wildly enthusiastic about the car, and at the end put extra miles on just so I could (mentally) justify giving it back early. By that time I had purchased one of the 180 Brooklands in the US, and wanted to use it more often. I am, at heart, a two person Brooklands Coupe romantic, and not a four door take all your friends out to dinner and act as Chauffeur with immense room to marvel at the luxury in the back seat type.

All metal trim on the outside AND inside of the Mulsanne is stainless steel - every piece. Door handles included. BUT: the door handles are hollow, and that puts them at a disadvantage when compared to a solid block of metal. All push buttons on the console are glass (unique in my experience). All cowhide is from northern European animals. All interior wood is glued to mahogany substrates (look at the end of the door waistrails, which are reddish brown typical of mahogany. All gauges and displays are overlaid with clear plastic.

Each car iteration comes with advances in performance, reliability and manufacturability - and the expected manufacturing cost reduction. 27 (or so) vegetable tanned cowhides in the Brooklands. Smaller pieces of leather are inspected and cut by computer in the Mulsanne and reduces this to 20 (or so) hides. The tanning is now "environmentally friendly." The defective portions of the hides are in unseen locations. If you look at the chassis of the Mulsanne you see a computer designed marvel that will withstand any abuse. The Brooklands has two immense rails running down the outside of the chassis. Both cars are equally rigid, but the Mulsanne is designed by engineers using Volkswagen software to fit the modern world. Nevertheless, the Mulsanne is the first Bentley to be completely designed from the ground up in 80 years.

Please remember: YMMV and all cars mentioned are way better than a Studebaker.

allister

569 posts

154 months

Wednesday 14th September 2016
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cardigankid said:
I went in to the local Bentley dealership at the weekend for a look, and the door handles are metal, sure enough.

They had a 'facelift' model in the showroom. Generally it is stunning - what an interior - can't see much need for an LWB this is super deluxe in the back. What occurred to me as I looked in was that WO Bentley started as a locomotive designer and this car would be like having your personal Orient Express. I still seriously dislike the facelift but I need the discount they are applying to the pre facelift models in some cases. At the full price there is no way this works for me. IMHO this car is a purer design than they have had for many a year, far classier than the equivalent Rolls, perfect from every angle if you accept and like the sheer scale of the thing. In addition there seem to be very very few of them on the road. This is one to have. I believe that you can buy a facelift conversion for the previous model. If this is so you can presumably fit the old radiator onto a facelift model, which is what I would do if I can't get one now.

Allister - I see that you bought the Speed model. Would you recommend us to do the same? I agree that you would not use this in certain environments, but I have to say that size or not I wouldn't be leaving a Bentley at the airport. Would you not use a chauffeur, at least for the day?

Any suggestions as to colour and spec? Most importantly, can you share any pics of your Mulsanne Speed with us?
Hi Cardigankid

In terms of which model, I think they're all great - I very nearly bough a Mulliner Driving Spec car which was also beautiful, I think in terms of power, there's probably not a great deal in it, whether you've got 500bhp or 530hp, either will probably suffice. With regards to a chauffeur, I suppose it's a thought but I'm not a great passenger and I'm not sure I'd trust anyone else driving it.

My car in terms of colour / spec I'm afraid is very controversial..... Since the age of 19 (oddly enough) I'd always wanted a Dark Sapphire, Dark Walnut, Magnolia Leather Bentley (at that time it was the Turbo R model). However, upon inspection of the equivalent Mulsanne at time of purchase, it just did seem right for me at 45 years old, less so for my wife who is 38 - It just felt too much like an older gentleman's car.

So in the end I went for a colour called Extreme Silver - You'll either love it or you'll hate it - For many, particularly on here, it seems to be the latter and I accept that, as I understand it's not a typical Bentley colour. I concluded my colour choice after a lot of thought, because I wanted it to look like a car I owned, rather than a car I was the chauffeur of, which I think some of the blues, blacks and silvers can do if you're not careful.

Again in terms of spec, I kept it quite simple, as this was a car I was buying to drive, rather than one to sit in the back of. So for me there are no rear picnic / i-pad tables, no rear entertainment system, as we have no children and even if we did, I'm not sure I would have chosen it anyway, as in-car entertainment dates so fast, I think if anything, it makes the car feel dated at time of sale, rather than adding any kind of benefit.

After much deliberation, I went for a Speed model. The interior colour I went for is also slightly unusual, as it is 100% Linen Leather, Beluga Carpets (with Piano Black Wood). I chose this as I like a bright clean cabin - Most of the Speeds you will see are two tone leather (usually Linen and Beluga) or just Beluga, so I was lucky to find a brand new one that was neither black, nor two tone leather.

I do have a sunroof which I really wanted, (although please bear in mind if you're buying, a Mulsanne sunroof rather disappointingly doesn't slide / retract, it only tilts!!), the car also has other bits and bobs in addition to the standard high spec. So in short, the car for me has everything I do need and nothing I don't. If I'm honest, I would have quite liked a wine cooler but you have to remember, in light of the hefty discount I received, this wasn't a car I was able to fully spec myself, so therefore, there had to be a little bit of flexibility and that was my one compromise.

I have attached an image link and a youtube video link for your viewing:

http://thumbsnap.com/f/URrkgyzP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8ZhXZNoPq8




Edited by allister on Wednesday 14th September 00:53

Balmoral

41,775 posts

255 months

Wednesday 14th September 2016
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matt5791 said:
the door handles are 100% not the same
RichardAVogel said:
the door handles are hollow
Well, there's our answer Matt smile

stain

1,053 posts

217 months

Wednesday 21st September 2016
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I've just walked past JB in London and they have a pre-reg car with 74 miles showing for £169k. That must be £100k off!

LWG95

61 posts

103 months

Saturday 24th September 2016
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Richard,

Interested to read that you have a 2009 Brooklands, So do I, details are shown on Page 2 of this subject, heading 'Bentley Brooklands'. I had a Conti R in 1995, then an Arnage followed by two Flying spurs, now the 2009 Brooklands. The coach-built qualities of the Brooklands never fails to impress, everything is solid and substantial, great craftsmanship and quality.

Only 390 were built in 2009, 293 of which were LHD and 97 in RHD configuration, so I guess that more of the LHD ones went to the USA then anywhere else.

In my opinion these are future classics and likely to increase in value over time....

Best regards.

enjoythemusic

217 posts

151 months

Saturday 24th September 2016
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Sorry to report yet doubt any modern Bentley will become collectible in a way they gain value over original msrp, unless of course you're forgetting about currency devaluation 50 years from now. Modern Bentley cars simply have no real status in the collector market, and frankly, very few vintage ones do unless you go back many decades. The VW Group German/British version of Bentley simply lacks the prestige.

RichardAVogel

10 posts

109 months

Wednesday 14th December 2016
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2011 Launch Specification includes: 21-inch Classic Alloy Wheels, Ambient Interior Mood Lighting, Bright Stainless Steel Door Pillar Finishers, Bright Stainless Steel Matrix to Lower Bumper Apertures and Front Wing Vents, Flying 'B' Radiator Mascot, Hand-Stitched Leather Storage Case, Jewel Fuel Filler Cap, Rear View Camera, Ventilation and Massage to All Seats, Shade Band to Tinted Windscreen, Veneered iPod Drawer and Minor Gauges Panel, Veneered Picnic Tables - $19,860.