Rolls Royce Silver Spirit or Bentley Brooklands / Turbo R
Discussion
I've had all kinds of fast cars over my 52 years. I'm doing my first SAC next week and have decided my racing days are over. I drive an Outlander PHEV and a BMW 320i cabrio. I need a Rolls / Bentley in my life. I want a toy for rare outings. Could be a CL 500 or some S class. But I have a Rolls / Bentley hankering. Looking to spend about 10k and whatever it costs to keep it on the road annually. I've seen a lot of Spirits and I understand they are a bit sticky in terms of resale. At 10k I don't want to waste too much time driving all over the country - what's going to put the biggest smile on my and my daughter's face ? Any input gratetfully received.
At 10K anything BUT a RR or Bentley!
I spent a fortune on my Brooklands R LPT (£25 thousand ) over three years and then it repaid me by blowing its head gasket, another £6K so I got shot. I wish, in all honesty, I'd never seen the bloody thing! They are fantastic things when right but repairs cost an arm and several legs and there are not that many places who can, or will work on them. You are really in the hands of the specialists and they can charge like wounded rhinos!
There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Bentley (or RR)!
I would suggest you do some research into the model you want and the prices that 'decent' ones go for, there really is little point in buying a cheap one as it will bankrupt you - mine did!
I spent a fortune on my Brooklands R LPT (£25 thousand ) over three years and then it repaid me by blowing its head gasket, another £6K so I got shot. I wish, in all honesty, I'd never seen the bloody thing! They are fantastic things when right but repairs cost an arm and several legs and there are not that many places who can, or will work on them. You are really in the hands of the specialists and they can charge like wounded rhinos!
There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Bentley (or RR)!
I would suggest you do some research into the model you want and the prices that 'decent' ones go for, there really is little point in buying a cheap one as it will bankrupt you - mine did!
I would suggest you drive one first, if you haven't aready done so. If you like fast cars, you might not gel with the handling, particularly those other than Turbo Rs, or perhaps those with handling packages.
Do you really mean that you'll pay whatever it costs each year? The previous poster's costs are not normal but they do show what it could cost. His issue with headgaskets tends to negate the view that the issue only affects the higher output post-1994 cars (ie those after Cosworth took over engine production). The Brooklands R LPT (light pressure turbo) put out approx the same bhp as the early Turbo Rs.
The Spirits are 'more wafty' than the Bentleys due to different suspension. Active ride (from Spirit 11 IIRC) also makes a difference.
There are some really nice ones about but the ones I've seen tend to be in the £20-30+k bracket, not 10. That's not to say they aren't about , though. It's worth doing some research on the spec changes, ie fuel injection, active ride (2 versions, original defaults to firm if problems), various engine and mangement system changes from the early 90s.
Do you really mean that you'll pay whatever it costs each year? The previous poster's costs are not normal but they do show what it could cost. His issue with headgaskets tends to negate the view that the issue only affects the higher output post-1994 cars (ie those after Cosworth took over engine production). The Brooklands R LPT (light pressure turbo) put out approx the same bhp as the early Turbo Rs.
The Spirits are 'more wafty' than the Bentleys due to different suspension. Active ride (from Spirit 11 IIRC) also makes a difference.
There are some really nice ones about but the ones I've seen tend to be in the £20-30+k bracket, not 10. That's not to say they aren't about , though. It's worth doing some research on the spec changes, ie fuel injection, active ride (2 versions, original defaults to firm if problems), various engine and mangement system changes from the early 90s.
You could take the view that you only live once and depreciation against a newer car is really debatable.There are some good cars out there for 10k if your are open minded about colour etc and have somebody good look at it before buying you can strike lucky.
I have had a 1986 Bentley Continental for 8 years and with the help of a good local garage have kept it running with minimum cost. If your proactive sourceing parts they can be reasonable. They are not space shuttles and my garage say they much prefer to work on them rather the endless string of Range Rovers and modern stuff with complex electrical issues.
Don’t get me wrong I bought a Bentley Continental GT and after 3 years I nearly had to sell the the wife. Endless costly electrical issues and sent a Bentley specialist kids to Eton on me. The older cars without the gizmos are in my view easier to look after.Owning one is special and your a long time dead!
I have had a 1986 Bentley Continental for 8 years and with the help of a good local garage have kept it running with minimum cost. If your proactive sourceing parts they can be reasonable. They are not space shuttles and my garage say they much prefer to work on them rather the endless string of Range Rovers and modern stuff with complex electrical issues.
Don’t get me wrong I bought a Bentley Continental GT and after 3 years I nearly had to sell the the wife. Endless costly electrical issues and sent a Bentley specialist kids to Eton on me. The older cars without the gizmos are in my view easier to look after.Owning one is special and your a long time dead!
Having driven both variants of the SZ The main diffrences
1) The Spirit ( i have a1990 Spirit II) just likes to cruise at 65-70
The turbo R on the other hand ( my mate had one) will see your next speeding ticket very quickly. It just says 'Press the right hand pedal very hard'
The ride of the Spirit is softer that the Turbo at speeds up to bout 50, then it firms up due to the active ride
BUT it is nice to waft along behind the well formed rear of Emily
1) The Spirit ( i have a1990 Spirit II) just likes to cruise at 65-70
The turbo R on the other hand ( my mate had one) will see your next speeding ticket very quickly. It just says 'Press the right hand pedal very hard'
The ride of the Spirit is softer that the Turbo at speeds up to bout 50, then it firms up due to the active ride
BUT it is nice to waft along behind the well formed rear of Emily
I am in North London, and you are welcome to drive my 1990 Bentley Turbo, and see if it adds the smile you are looking for. However the SZ series all rust, and wth the newest ones now being 20+ years old you are looking at a continuing running cost for bits and pieces that have failed due to age/design fault/built-in obsolesence.
Only today I am pondering whether to push the button on 8k's worth of body repairs and a re-spray, having spent 20k on mechanicals and electrics (and some bodywork) since 2012 to get everything running as it should.
You have to love the styling town to go SZ, and there is a lot out their on the road that could give you the feel-good factor other than an SZ.
Cheers.
Only today I am pondering whether to push the button on 8k's worth of body repairs and a re-spray, having spent 20k on mechanicals and electrics (and some bodywork) since 2012 to get everything running as it should.
You have to love the styling town to go SZ, and there is a lot out their on the road that could give you the feel-good factor other than an SZ.
Cheers.
Yes, just remember, many of these cars on the market because the seller can not / does not want to afford the repairs.
If in good mechanical condition, they are superb - but many have been run down so much, unless you spend a lot on them, you are not getting the driving experience you should be - and so, in my view, no point in owning the car.
Personally, I think it makes sense to spend more money on a car that is genuinely in good condition. And get a pre-inspection purchase from an experienced specialist.
If in good mechanical condition, they are superb - but many have been run down so much, unless you spend a lot on them, you are not getting the driving experience you should be - and so, in my view, no point in owning the car.
Personally, I think it makes sense to spend more money on a car that is genuinely in good condition. And get a pre-inspection purchase from an experienced specialist.
Hi there all ,
I am looking at buying a Bentley at around £10k also.
After looking at Triumph Stags at £10k which both I looked at , where £5k cars but as classics have increased so much in the last 4 years , I’ve decided to look at another British icon , the BENTLEY .
There a 3 on various sites all around £10k and one in Nottingham for £9k, but distance is a problem , as it looks very nice , but it’s miles away.
Any help would be great ,
Thanks, oh I am in Kent
I am looking at buying a Bentley at around £10k also.
After looking at Triumph Stags at £10k which both I looked at , where £5k cars but as classics have increased so much in the last 4 years , I’ve decided to look at another British icon , the BENTLEY .
There a 3 on various sites all around £10k and one in Nottingham for £9k, but distance is a problem , as it looks very nice , but it’s miles away.
Any help would be great ,
Thanks, oh I am in Kent
I'm not trolling here...but I get the impression that with SZ cars or anything earlier - really need to be garaged / dry stored to avoid the worst ravages of rust.
I couldn't face being at the mercy of RR/Bentley repair costs so went V12 German.
I'm aware that there are great independents out there - but even with secondhand parts - the labour costs appear frightening.
I'm sure plenty of owners have bought good cars, stayed on top of the maintenance & had few issues - but surely they're better suited to being a garaged summer-use weekend driver?
I couldn't face being at the mercy of RR/Bentley repair costs so went V12 German.
I'm aware that there are great independents out there - but even with secondhand parts - the labour costs appear frightening.
I'm sure plenty of owners have bought good cars, stayed on top of the maintenance & had few issues - but surely they're better suited to being a garaged summer-use weekend driver?
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