£55k on a 550 or a 612? Vote before reading the thread!

£55k on a 550 or a 612? Vote before reading the thread!

Poll: £55k on a 550 or a 612? Vote before reading the thread!

Total Members Polled: 415

612 (Manual): 20%
612 (F1): 18%
612 (Not fussed either way): 14%
550 (Only manual available): 48%
Author
Discussion

mirage5512

312 posts

202 months

Saturday 6th October 2012
quotequote all
I forgot to mention I got a 612 because I have two young sons that I want to be able to take out and a 550 599 wouldn't get used so much. I also done a euro trip in my 360 spider when I had it and would like to do the same next year perhaps. I went from Rotterdam to Turin, Monaco, Barcelona, Marbella, Isla canela near Portugal, Madrid then home via Bilbao. Best 20 days I ever had away and you have to do it once if you're able.
Hi bluebottle, what's the turbo r like as I'm considering one as I would like to see what the old world Bentley rr platform was like before they get way too old and I'm considering adding it as my everyday car. (I only commute a couple of miles a day)
I'm sure mario wasn't being serious btw.

A Good Name

92 posts

141 months

Saturday 6th October 2012
quotequote all
Mario149 said:
5) It has 4 seats: personally, half the jollies I get from my Fcar now are when I take other people out in it. Being able to jump in the car with my gf *and* a couple of mates/a couple to do a road trip/day out would be pretty awesome, more the merrier! Can also get them to chip in for fuel then and all wink
I voted 612, because of the above. For me, the thought alone of having a V12 Ferrari that can take three friends and me over serious distances in supreme comfort puts a smile on my face. In fact, I think the whole idea of a four seat Ferrari is slightly silly and I love it for that.

I actually just wrote a blog about the FF and how, for this very reason, I find it so appealing. (http://voiturecouture.blogspot.co.uk/)

Mandatory Fields

52 posts

139 months

Saturday 6th October 2012
quotequote all
Pork said:
612 still to depreciated, 550 is a modern classic, probably heading north from here on.

I like both but if I didn't *need* four seats, a 550 would be the front runner.
+1

voted 550 before I read anything.

Cerbieherts

1,651 posts

140 months

Saturday 6th October 2012
quotequote all
Mario149 said:
Very interesting, thanks smile And for slight O/T comparison, how would you compare 550 reliability on the whole to 355 reliability? i.e. which ones would you see in for unscheduled work more, bearing in mind that (judging by number of cars for sale on PH) there seem to be about twice as many 355s as 550s floating about?
Pretty much identical in terms of amount out of schedule repairs as the 355, lots of technology (abs, electronic shocks, motronics etc) are shared across the range of whatever era of car you look at, although the 550's tend to be heavy on brakes, engine mounts and suspension bushes as there's a hefty v12 up there...612 underpinnings are better made.

tomtom

4,221 posts

229 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Aesthetically, the 612 is newer and arguably cooler, but the 550 has a certain something... That said, I've driven 550s and thought they lacked a certain something, so whatevs.

It's 3.30am and I don't know what I'm saying, basically. Buy a Stradale.

roygarth

2,673 posts

247 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
mirage5512 said:
what's the turbo r like as I'm considering one as I would like to see what the old world Bentley rr platform was like before they get way too old and I'm considering adding it as my everyday car. (I only commute a couple of miles a day)
I'm sure mario wasn't being serious btw.
I bought a 1996 Turbo R last year and have done 9,000 miles since using it as a daily driver. Great fun, it has to be done...only downside is 15/18! But if you factor in relative lack of depreciation versus what I would normally buy eg. a 5 Series BMW and fact that it only cost £15k....over 2/3 years the cost of ownership should look reasonable, especially when you consider what you get - 2.5 metric tonnes of walnut, leather, V8 6.75 Turbocharged engine! Buy a 96 onwards (385BHP and 0-60 sub 6 seconds!)) short wheelbase for 'better' looks and handling - get the long wheelbase if you're planning on doing some weddings! :-)

Jam Spavlin

909 posts

184 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
550 purely on looks!

Mario149

Original Poster:

7,749 posts

177 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Bluebottle911 said:
Oh dear, has someone stolen your saucer of milk? I was simply saying that, as well as voting in your poll, I had actually made the decision to buy a 550 and, by a curious coincidence, I did so on the same day that I read your thread; and that a 612 had not figured in the decision process that led to my purchase. I then made a tongue in cheek gibe about 612s, because of their size, which I did not expect anyone to take seriously, let alone as a boast about my car ownership: the fact that I do own more than one car is hardly anything about which to boast in a form where many people do exactly the same, and in many cases far more expensive ones than mine.
I'm very sorry for any offence caused, I thought the smileys made it clear I was only joking. Please accept my apologies! beer

That'll learn me for trying to be funny on the internets hehe

Edited by Mario149 on Sunday 7th October 08:28

Bluebottle911

811 posts

194 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Mario149 said:
I'm very sorry for any offence caused, I thought the smileys made it clear I was only joking. Please accept my apologies! beer

That'll learn me for trying to be funny on the internets hehe

Edited by Mario149 on Sunday 7th October 08:28
No offence taken, but I thought perhaps I had better clarify in case I had caused offence. Can't find an appropriate smiley, so this will have to do

driving

Bluebottle911

811 posts

194 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
mirage5512 said:
Hi bluebottle, what's the turbo r like as I'm considering one as I would like to see what the old world Bentley rr platform was like before they get way too old and I'm considering adding it as my everyday car. (I only commute a couple of miles a day)
Where do I start? The phrase "drawing room on wheels" probably just about sums it up. It is a lovely, comfortable place to be, beautifully furnished with old world charm, the smell of fine old leather, hardly any plastic in sight, lots of chrome on brass switches that feel "just so", no parts bin items (unlike Arnage, which is littered with BMW stuff), generally very satisfying in an old-fashioned way. When it comes to "old fashioned", that also sums up the chassis, which is basically 1966 technology with a few updates, so you can forget about words like "rigidity". But it is the engine that is the heart and soul of the car, and that, of course, goes back even further, to 1959 - but is none the worse for it, as it endows the car with a wonderful wafty feeling that few others can offer; and with almost seven litres of engine and a sizeable turbocharger, when you do put your foot down its does not disgrace itself, surging forward on a massive wave of torque that really puts a smile on your face - just like a Ferrari, but for completely diffrent reasons!

In 1994, during a brief career as a motoring journalist, I wrote in a road test report after Richard Chrlesworth was kind enough to lend me a new Spur for a long weekend, "this may not be the best car in the world, but it is certainly the most splendid", and I think that applies to the Trubo R, too, with knobs on. I also wrote that the 4-speed box was forever hunting between 3rd. and 4th., so I would have preferred the older, 3-speed number, though whether this would apply to the TR, I don't know.

Personally, I would go for an earlier car (I did). A '90 model is sufficiently modern to have useful conveniences like EFI, ABS and Active Ride, and its own dash instad of a warmed-over T2 version, but old enough to retain two things which are, IMO, part of the character of this car: 15" wheels with 65 section tyres (the larger wheels with lower profile tyres found on later cars improve the handling, but ruin the ride and, for me at least, this car is about ride, not handling) and the column shift - there never was a RHD Bentley (manual or automatic) in which one changed gear with the left hand before 1992 or thereabouts, when they put the shift on the centre console in the belief that it made it seem more "sporty". All the Bentleys I have owned and all the R-Rs too, come to that, going back to 1929 (sorry, Mario, I'm boasting again wink ), have had a right hand gearshift - it's in the genes!

Before any one accuses us of hijacking this forum to talk about Bentleys, perhaps you should ask your question in the RR&B section, where you will get many more, and diverse, views on the subject.

But one last point - they are as cheap as chips: BQF picked his up for £3,600 at auction (and it hasn't blown up yet!).

Edited by Bluebottle911 on Sunday 7th October 13:39

paul0843

1,914 posts

206 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
I can see attraction of 550, a 2 seater v12'and owned one for over 4 years,but
i must admit 612 is growing on me..
In the right colour,with the right wheels the look awesome
and more modern than 550..
If i was in the market for a v12,i would not discount them.
For similar money you will also have a car nearly 10 years newer

Mario149

Original Poster:

7,749 posts

177 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
paul0843 said:
I can see attraction of 550, a 2 seater v12'and owned one for over 4 years,but
i must admit 612 is growing on me..
In the right colour,with the right wheels the look awesome
and more modern than 550..
If i was in the market for a v12,i would not discount them.
For similar money you will also have a car nearly 10 years newer
Had a dark grey 612 pull up next to us on Wandsworth roundabout today, did look the business. They look far better in real life than in pictures. I still think the back end is not nearly as good as it could be, but it is growing on me. I think the fundamental problem is that nothing I get is going to be as pretty as my current 355 hehe

jimmyslr

797 posts

272 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Has anyone got experience of where an Aston Vanquish S might fit into this mix? I'm not sure how good the rear seats are but they exist and the Aston seems to get good write ups. At the time it was a 575 competitor/beater, or so the write-ups say. You can also get them with a manual box. I recognise that they're not 55k though, but they seem to "get more love" than a 612 so are holding value better (that's my inference anyway).

Cerbieherts

1,651 posts

140 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
The rear seats in an Aston (any Aston made after the db7 exept Rapide) only work if you saw off the legs and heads of your passengers...
The Vanquish wouldn't touch a 575 and the gearbox was awful unless you find a manual..

Edited by Cerbieherts on Monday 8th October 07:48

Camlet

1,131 posts

148 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Bez was quoted recently in the Telegraph talking about the launch of the new Vanquish. When referring to the old Vanquish, Bez surprisingly said "I changed 200 things [on the car] and even then it burned through gearboxes". So there you have it, leave well alone. Mind you if I were a current owner I'd be more than a little miffed at Bez's comments. Up there with Gerald Ratner's deli counter.

Cheib

23,067 posts

174 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Cerbieherts said:
The rear seats in an Aston (any Aston made after the db7 exept Rapide) only work if you saw off the legs and heads of your passengers...
The Vanquish wouldn't touch a 575 and the gearbox was awful unless you find a manual..

Edited by Cerbieherts on Monday 8th October 07:48
There are two or three manual Vanquish's up for sale at the moment. Anyone ever driven one ? Is it a good conversion ? Imagine Works must charge a fortune for it!

Cerbieherts

1,651 posts

140 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
IIRC it's about 15k for the works service conversion. They change the gearbox for a db7 vantage one, cut a hole in the Carbon-fibre tunnel to accept a db7 stick, different clutch and flywheel, plus trim alterations, different pedalbox and different ecu software, so it's a fair bit of work! I never liked that f1 system, it used the same stuff as the 360 with bits of 355 and was controlled by two switches with bent up bits of garden wire inside the gearbox. Later ones were better but still awful compared to the 575 and 355 f1. Ferrari designed their gearbox to be either manual or f1. The gearbox in the db7 and vanquish was the unit from the Dodge viper.

jimmyslr

797 posts

272 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Cerbieherts said:
IIRC it's about 15k for the works service conversion. They change the gearbox for a db7 vantage one, cut a hole in the Carbon-fibre tunnel to accept a db7 stick, different clutch and flywheel, plus trim alterations, different pedalbox and different ecu software, so it's a fair bit of work! I never liked that f1 system, it used the same stuff as the 360 with bits of 355 and was controlled by two switches with bent up bits of garden wire inside the gearbox. Later ones were better but still awful compared to the 575 and 355 f1. Ferrari designed their gearbox to be either manual or f1. The gearbox in the db7 and vanquish was the unit from the Dodge viper.
I read a few reviews of the manual conversion and they all seemed very positive, suggesting "this was how it should have been from the start". Granted, reviews of top end models are often positive and coloured by the need to keep manufacturers sweet. I might pop along to Nicholas Mee and see for myself

bertie

8,545 posts

283 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Surely if you want a manual Aston fo very similar money you can get a DBS which is a far nicer drive than a Vanquish.

Back on topic, get a 612!

Mario149

Original Poster:

7,749 posts

177 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
bertie said:
Back on topic
About bloody time! biggrin I genuinely can't believe it's basically 50:50 split between 612 and 550

ETA: i guess the good news is I'd therefore be right whatever I might choose. That fits in nicely with the fact that I'm always right about everything else wink .... hehe