Buying a Bentley Turbo R
Discussion
The Bentley Turbo R is an iconic vehicle that looks right from all angles and will possibly become a classic at some date.
The purchase and running can be prohibitive to the ordinary Joe but in my case (ordinary Joe) I saved for years and bought the very best I could afford which was a 1997 Turbo R which was end of manufacture of that particular model.
I do not drive it in the rain and have cleaned all sills and especially the arches and keep them that way.
Spraying WD40 on any areas of underside I can reach and with great care have hid stone chips and a scratch quite well.
The parts do not get cheaper as a car gets older so be prepared for almost any eventuality and if car has around 60k on clock, if it has not already been done expect a head gasket problem, this is an arm and a leg and wallet too job even with an independent but I had some quite good quotes from main dealers too so don't dismiss them for a minute just for the sake of asking.
Electrics can be a headache and as mentioned elsewhere door locking can and possibly will be an issue, I actually had one of the door buttons going up and down like a yo-yo for a while, a quite bizarre sight.
The actual joy of driving this huge hunk of metal is the defining experience, smooth, quiet and so responsive for such a big car and the performance staggers even experienced drivers, as one said to me, to be doing a hundred miles an hour and a Turbo R passes you can be disconcerting experience.
Buy the best you can afford, budget for about 3 to 4k per year just in case the next to worst happens and quite a bit more if the very WORST does happen!
There are some very reasonable insurance deals out there, shop around, make them realise you are doing them a favour and you will get what you want for a good price especially if you have a garage or private drive and keep the mileage well down, mine is insured for 3k miles per annum and that works out less than a lot of smaller engine cars.
Stick to the darker colours for effect, Racing Green is the best of the greens and the dark blues are a treat.
Avoid the reds as they fade even on a Bentley, gold for show, white for weddings and black for undertakers as far as I'm concerned.
The pale colours are pretty good and some of the silvers are attractive but grey not a good look.
Above all enjoy your car, its a slowly disappearing breed and for looks knocks spots off the new models which seem to have lost that "classic" Bentley presence on the road, there are a lot of Turbo Rs that have been lost to rust, uneconomic repair bills and accidents and prices are very slowly edging upward.
The main thing is you own a world class vehicle which was possibly over 100k when new, just look at how many Turbo Rs there are on sale nationally compared to the newer models, that really says it all for me.
Sussex Del.
2015
The purchase and running can be prohibitive to the ordinary Joe but in my case (ordinary Joe) I saved for years and bought the very best I could afford which was a 1997 Turbo R which was end of manufacture of that particular model.
I do not drive it in the rain and have cleaned all sills and especially the arches and keep them that way.
Spraying WD40 on any areas of underside I can reach and with great care have hid stone chips and a scratch quite well.
The parts do not get cheaper as a car gets older so be prepared for almost any eventuality and if car has around 60k on clock, if it has not already been done expect a head gasket problem, this is an arm and a leg and wallet too job even with an independent but I had some quite good quotes from main dealers too so don't dismiss them for a minute just for the sake of asking.
Electrics can be a headache and as mentioned elsewhere door locking can and possibly will be an issue, I actually had one of the door buttons going up and down like a yo-yo for a while, a quite bizarre sight.
The actual joy of driving this huge hunk of metal is the defining experience, smooth, quiet and so responsive for such a big car and the performance staggers even experienced drivers, as one said to me, to be doing a hundred miles an hour and a Turbo R passes you can be disconcerting experience.
Buy the best you can afford, budget for about 3 to 4k per year just in case the next to worst happens and quite a bit more if the very WORST does happen!
There are some very reasonable insurance deals out there, shop around, make them realise you are doing them a favour and you will get what you want for a good price especially if you have a garage or private drive and keep the mileage well down, mine is insured for 3k miles per annum and that works out less than a lot of smaller engine cars.
Stick to the darker colours for effect, Racing Green is the best of the greens and the dark blues are a treat.
Avoid the reds as they fade even on a Bentley, gold for show, white for weddings and black for undertakers as far as I'm concerned.
The pale colours are pretty good and some of the silvers are attractive but grey not a good look.
Above all enjoy your car, its a slowly disappearing breed and for looks knocks spots off the new models which seem to have lost that "classic" Bentley presence on the road, there are a lot of Turbo Rs that have been lost to rust, uneconomic repair bills and accidents and prices are very slowly edging upward.
The main thing is you own a world class vehicle which was possibly over 100k when new, just look at how many Turbo Rs there are on sale nationally compared to the newer models, that really says it all for me.
Sussex Del.
2015
Scotty2 said:
Is that your grey one in the background?
Yes that's my wheels. Don't know who's dumped that other thing in the foreground. Bet that doesn't run all day on a couple of gallons of paraffin out of the domestic heating oil tank.Andy
Edited by andypocock on Monday 22 June 21:15
Quick update...
A month into ownership and 1000 miles completed as I wanted to use it as much as possible to uncover any issues.
So what are the issues?...air injection pipe corroded..£320 supplied and fitted by a local RR/Bentley specialist...erm and that's it. Fuel pump's a little noisy, but I'll probably do that myself being a tight Yorkshireman.
Every, and I mean "EVERY" journey is a little adventure whether that be down to the shops or a few hundred mile round trip.
Fuel consumption is hovering around the low twenties which is brilliant considering it's size/weight and that's including a few "spirited" drives. No oil/water used and no strange clonks, bangs or squeaks.
I've gone into this with my eyes wide open having owned TVR's and V12 Jaguars and have to say that I should have done it years ago!!!
If you're thinking of buying one, do it now!!! Don't park it up and stare at it, use it (this was echoed by the specialist too).
Hope this helps.
A month into ownership and 1000 miles completed as I wanted to use it as much as possible to uncover any issues.
So what are the issues?...air injection pipe corroded..£320 supplied and fitted by a local RR/Bentley specialist...erm and that's it. Fuel pump's a little noisy, but I'll probably do that myself being a tight Yorkshireman.
Every, and I mean "EVERY" journey is a little adventure whether that be down to the shops or a few hundred mile round trip.
Fuel consumption is hovering around the low twenties which is brilliant considering it's size/weight and that's including a few "spirited" drives. No oil/water used and no strange clonks, bangs or squeaks.
I've gone into this with my eyes wide open having owned TVR's and V12 Jaguars and have to say that I should have done it years ago!!!
If you're thinking of buying one, do it now!!! Don't park it up and stare at it, use it (this was echoed by the specialist too).
Hope this helps.
biglump said:
Quick update...
Fuel consumption is hovering around the low twenties which is brilliant considering it's size/weight and that's including a few "spirited" drives. No oil/water used and no strange clonks, bangs or squeaks.
It's amazing how economical they are on fuel, certainly post Zytec (96 model year) They are nothing like as thirsty as I was expecting - I have a 96 Cont R and get similar mpg. It's an incredibly efficient engine, considering what it delivers and what it has to haul around! Probably why the design has continued to evolve to this day.Fuel consumption is hovering around the low twenties which is brilliant considering it's size/weight and that's including a few "spirited" drives. No oil/water used and no strange clonks, bangs or squeaks.
Those of you who've had top flight Mercedes such as the V12 variants & a Turbo R - how would you compare the experiences?
I can see a Mercedes S600 /CL600/S65 etc being extraordinarily fast (for a big car), technologically superb but of course lacking the Bentley's aristocratic presence, exquisite interior & character. I would imagine that on balance the flagship Mercedes is more durable and cheaper & quicker to repair - is that the experience of those of you who have had both?
I can see a Mercedes S600 /CL600/S65 etc being extraordinarily fast (for a big car), technologically superb but of course lacking the Bentley's aristocratic presence, exquisite interior & character. I would imagine that on balance the flagship Mercedes is more durable and cheaper & quicker to repair - is that the experience of those of you who have had both?
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