1995 Bentley Turbo S or R ?

[graemel]

For quite a while I have been hankering after a Bentley Turbo. I remember reading a post on here that suggested that from memory model year 1995 or 1996 where the best in terms of refinement and handling. I gather the S has more power than the R. Through more turbo boost?. I'm guessing they are the same physical size. Any real life experiences would be very much appreciated. Is the S the better car.
Inspection is paramount. I have a good friend who looks after my cars who cut his teeth at Hiller Hill in the 70's. So I know Brian knows his onions.

[Bluebottle911]

S is rare, so my guess is you will end up paying a rarity premium that isn't really justified by the relatively small difference between R and S (about 20 bhp if my memory serves me right). And because it is rare, there may be less chance of finding a good one in whatever may be your colours of choice, because you will have so few from which to choose. However, if you do find a good one, I imagine it will hold its value better.

[CONTI T]

hi
from what i have found with the big bentley turbo r/s/rt is its the luck of the drawer in performance i have had some that go alright and others that have a real snap to them very sweet throttle responce etc so go roadtest a few first value wise maybe one of the rarer models will hold money better but by the same token i think you will pay a premium for it

[Balmoral Green]

Looking at prices an 'S' is quite a premium over an 'R', what price exclusivity eh? You could certainly get a minter of an 'R' and have a lot of change left over a middling condition 'S'. As CONTI T has said, they can be a tad inconsistent in the ooomph department too, I have driven some real flyers, whilst others have felt like a normally aspirated Mulsanne or Spirit. My own car goes off the boil every few years, and has to have a bit of a fettling to restore power. Knock sensors, injectors, boost pressures tested and looked at etc, a new turbo, and so on. Great cars, get one that has been loved, yet hard driven, with loads of bills and history. Don't worry too much about miles if you're going to keep it, you get a better car for less money. Miles only matter if you're reselling soon. Low mileage under used cars can be a huge money pit too, they need everything doing, whereas a well used car that's been about has usually had it all done, maybe twice!, and that's better than never.

Good luck.

BTW, if you're dealing with Hillier Hill, you'll be OK, good people.

Edited by Balmoral Green on Friday 18th November 09:54

[graemel]

Many thanks for your replies, very much appreciated. The mid 90's turbo's all seem to be around the £15 to £20K mark. A phenominal piece of kit for a relatively ridiculous some of money. I know that with such a purchase there is the risk of a potential financial crisis. Apart from the dreaded tin worm are there any particular weak points to look for. If you have a moment take a look at these.
first an R
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2846955.htm
then a S
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3378417.htm

[CONTI T]

Balmoral Green said:

Looking at prices an 'S' is quite a premium over an 'R', what price exclusivity eh? You could certainly get a minter of an 'R' and have a lot of change left over a middling condition 'S'. As CONTI T has said, they can be a tad inconsistent in the ooomph department too, I have driven some real flyers, whilst others have felt like a normally aspirated Mulsanne or Spirit. My own car goes off the boil every few years, and has to have a bit of a fettling to restore power. Knock sensors, injectors, boost pressures tested and looked at etc, a new turbo, and so on. Great cars, get one that has been loved, yet hard driven, with loads of bills and history. Don't worry too much about miles if you're going to keep it, you get a better car for less money. Miles only matter if you're reselling soon. Low mileage under used cars can be a huge money pit too, they need everything doing, whereas a well used car that's been about has usually had it all done, maybe twice!, and that's better than never.

Good luck.

BTW, if you're dealing with Hillier Hill, you'll be OK, good people.

Edited by Balmoral Green on Friday 18th November 09:54

hi balmoral, i just bought a 89 turbo r its red with cream interior, its an absolute dog but has a current mot so i used it as a smoker for a bit gave 6k for it mainley because it has 17" wheels on it that i want for a real mint 89 car in red that i have, what i am getting round to is it drives f..king magic its a mover handles nice and the brakes work well yet i have had really tidy examples and they did not drive anythin like as well,

still say that turbo r,s are disgustingly cheap bentley should buy them then destroy them when they are cheaper than circa 12k the cars in my opinion dont deserve to be such cheap machines,
continental gt,s are heading that way as well seen them at 30k now,,,,,,, naughty

[ADP68]

The turbo s in the ad is being sold as well through my mechanic, n sandell. He's very good, so if I was choosing, I'd buy it rather than the r, as I have no knowledge of the car or vendor and also because it is rarer and hence should command a premium on disposal. the points made by the other posters are also valid, so depends if you want a keeper, a 2 year hold or bragging rights on rarity!!

[Balmoral Green]

CONTI T said:

i just bought a 89 turbo r its red with cream interior, its an absolute dog but has a current mot so i used it as a smoker for a bit gave 6k for it mainley because it has 17" wheels on it that i want for a real mint 89 car in red that i have, what i am getting round to is it drives f..king magic its a mover handles nice and the brakes work well yet i have had really tidy examples and they did not drive anythin like as well

Sometimes, you can't go wrong with a cheap snotter that goes like stink!

[graemel]

Again many thanks for your thoughts. The missus would like something powerful. She averages 15000 miles a year. Apart from brief flurtations, most of her miles have been in Smart Cars. Four in total and the later two the Brabus variety. Now as mad as it sounds I want to put her in a car that she can enjoy at sensible speed. Important for me as well as we both suffer from a heavy right foot. My thought with the Bentley Turbo is that it would have a great chill out factor to it. Such a sense of occasion. You don't feel enticed to drive it fast for most of the time. All I have to do now is talk her into it. Wish me luck

[bergxu]

Graeme,

Greetings from The Colonies. I just sold my '96 Turbo R this past Friday. While it was a great car, I had sunk $12K+ into it this past year and honestly, although I know the performance isn't all there, I like the aesthetics of the earlier cars (20,000 and 30,000 series) cars better (i.e. classic door mirrors, 15" rims with 'baloon' tires, non-auto dimming rear view mirror, taller grille, etc..), so I've got my eye on a '90 out in California--Silver on Grey, not my favorite combo, but it is a car that has been well driven (105K miles) but also cared for by the same RR specialist for ages. Oh, and it has a fab McIntosh hi-fi system in it, which no doubt, must have cost a king's ransom when it was put in (I would guess $6-7K!!).

And I'll agree with others here that performance of any car can be hit or miss. My first Turbo R, an '89, was decent in that department, my '96 was better, but wasn't staggeringly faster like I thought it would be. I'm having a PPI done on this '90 in CA this week so we'll see how it checks out and with any luck, I should be back into an R in no time flat

[tonys]

graemel said:

Again many thanks for your thoughts. The missus would like something powerful. She averages 15000 miles a year. Apart from brief flurtations, most of her miles have been in Smart Cars. Four in total and the later two the Brabus variety. Now as mad as it sounds I want to put her in a car that she can enjoy at sensible speed. Important for me as well as we both suffer from a heavy right foot. My thought with the Bentley Turbo is that it would have a great chill out factor to it. Such a sense of occasion. You don't feel enticed to drive it fast for most of the time. All I have to do now is talk her into it. Wish me luck

Smart car to Turbo R/S - have I read that correctly?

[graemel]

Good luck with the 1990 car. Tonys I'm not winning at the moment. Well not just Smart Cars. Over the years she has had a 560 SEC, Alpina B3 3.3, X5 4.6iS and a 993C2S. Another Alpina seems to be her weapon of choice. bks, what I need to do is buy the Turbo S, then hide her Smart car so she has no choice but to drive it. Easier said than done.

[ADP68]

surely it's not that hard to hide a smart car?

[tonys]

graemel said:

Good luck with the 1990 car. Tonys I'm not winning at the moment. Well not just Smart Cars. Over the years she has had a 560 SEC, Alpina B3 3.3, X5 4.6iS and a 993C2S. Another Alpina seems to be her weapon of choice. bks, what I need to do is buy the Turbo S, then hide her Smart car so she has no choice but to drive it. Easier said than done.

Ah, I know the feeling; mine doesn't like them either. Cannot give a specific reason, just doesn't really like them. What do women know?

You could always try putting the Smart car in the boot, I'm sure it will fit.

[graemel]

She's got two. A 58 plate and a 53 plate that we keep as a spare and often on loan to a mate who keeps smashing his 1994 Clio up or it has a mechanical failure of some kind. In fact last Saturday I drove the Clio, he neglected to tell me it had no brakes. Well not unless you pumped the brake pedal vigorously.

[Bluebottle911]

bergxu said:

Graeme,

Greetings from The Colonies. I just sold my '96 Turbo R this past Friday. While it was a great car, I had sunk $12K+ into it this past year and honestly, although I know the performance isn't all there, I like the aesthetics of the earlier cars (20,000 and 30,000 series) cars better (i.e. classic door mirrors, 15" rims with 'baloon' tires, non-auto dimming rear view mirror, taller grille, etc..), so I've got my eye on a '90 out in California--Silver on Grey, not my favorite combo, but it is a car that has been well driven (105K miles) but also cared for by the same RR specialist for ages. Oh, and it has a fab McIntosh hi-fi system in it, which no doubt, must have cost a king's ransom when it was put in (I would guess $6-7K!!).

And I'll agree with others here that performance of any car can be hit or miss. My first Turbo R, an '89, was decent in that department, my '96 was better, but wasn't staggeringly faster like I thought it would be. I'm having a PPI done on this '90 in CA this week so we'll see how it checks out and with any luck, I should be back into an R in no time flat

Wise man.

[bergxu]

Bluebottle;

Well, I pulled the trigger. I figure it'll keep my Cloud II happy enough.

It should be here any day now, first order of business is sorting a few minor things that the PPI picked up on. Fortunately, the worst of that will be new tires and sadly, there is a backorder from Avon, so who knows when I'll be able to acquire new boots for her...