Rolls Royce/ Bentley owners - why??
Discussion
Haha, dkatwa, what's the worst anyone can say..."NO"..little word, big hit, for some people, I just ride it out with a smile and say thank you anyway and walk away with confidence knowing they are the ones loosing out, get out of earshot and curse lol. I am 41 and have enjoyed many different cars, mostly big engined as I do love V8s, but now I am looking for a luxury GT car as a possible keeper, I've always loved Astons and Bentleys, but never been even close to having the funds to own one , however now more due to unfortunate circumstances I have the means to buy what I want. I met a man in an Aston dealership picking up his new purchase the same day I test drove the Conti GT, and when I asked him why he bought what he did, he politely replied that it was his lifetime present to himself and drove away with a smile like a Cheshire cat. Admittedly he was slightly older than me and obviously a little more flush but it hit home that it was pretty much the same reason for me, and while I have the chance I'm going for it,after all I don't drink , smoke , do drugs, or have any other costly habits, hell I live the life of a monk pretty much,my only other cost is my love of nice cars and my family especially my petrolheaded boys. I have asked a similar question, and I've asked about how a car is recieved by others as these cars do have a certain stigma attached . I don't do eliteism, ageism or snobbery, I believe that these cars should be available to whoever realy wants one and has the funds to have one, not just footballers, fat cats and drug dealers lol.
dkatwa said:
Fantastic t1blk....i suppose knowing that you can afford the car in the first place gives you plenty of confidence to walk up to a dealer for a test drive...the way i see it, it is like looking at a beautiful girl and knowing that, 99.99999%, she will reject you...so one ends up not asking her out....after all, if you don't ask, she can't say NO...!
Still, a turn 50 in a couple of years time and what better way than to treat myself than a nice Bentley....!
Still, a turn 50 in a couple of years time and what better way than to treat myself than a nice Bentley....!
what worries me, t1blk , is that in this country, people get jealous of 'flash' cars and you feel a bit down as a result.....contrast that with the American attitude, where they would say something like 'Hey, nice car...I wonder what I need to do to get one myself'....of course, you get the odd loser everywhere, but in the USA, there is a certain 'can-do' spirit and it is that which attracts me to the USA...i am trying to emigrate over there but it is not easy..still, ideal country to own a Bentley, with fuel at 25p per litre or so....
Maybe the attitude has changed but quite a few years ago I gave some consideration to a Turbo R. We are a family that doesn't consider cars as ornamentation and at least some of us are quite sporting so the need to transport,amongst other things, a single scull arose. Well, the enquiry to the dealer about the availability of a roof rack went down about as well as a severe attack of flatulence at a funeral.
Mercedes Benz, Audi, Jaguar, etc don't seem to see it demeaning to their mark that sporting people might want to transport sporting equipment with their products - quite the reverse - but it was apparent that, at least in the eyes of that Bentley dealer such a thing was quite beyond the pale.
Mercedes Benz, Audi, Jaguar, etc don't seem to see it demeaning to their mark that sporting people might want to transport sporting equipment with their products - quite the reverse - but it was apparent that, at least in the eyes of that Bentley dealer such a thing was quite beyond the pale.
Colin Mill said:
Maybe the attitude has changed but quite a few years ago I gave some consideration to a Turbo R. We are a family that doesn't consider cars as ornamentation and at least some of us are quite sporting so the need to transport,amongst other things, a single scull arose. Well, the enquiry to the dealer about the availability of a roof rack went down about as well as a severe attack of flatulence at a funeral.
Mercedes Benz, Audi, Jaguar, etc don't seem to see it demeaning to their mark that sporting people might want to transport sporting equipment with their products - quite the reverse - but it was apparent that, at least in the eyes of that Bentley dealer such a thing was quite beyond the pale.
You must have caught one on a bad day, iv met more wMercedes Benz, Audi, Jaguar, etc don't seem to see it demeaning to their mark that sporting people might want to transport sporting equipment with their products - quite the reverse - but it was apparent that, at least in the eyes of that Bentley dealer such a thing was quite beyond the pale.
kers in Mercedes than the rest put together, in sales and especially service.dkatwa said:
what worries me, t1blk , is that in this country, people get jealous of 'flash' cars and you feel a bit down as a result.....contrast that with the American attitude, where they would say something like 'Hey, nice car...I wonder what I need to do to get one myself'....of course, you get the odd loser everywhere, but in the USA, there is a certain 'can-do' spirit and it is that which attracts me to the USA...i am trying to emigrate over there but it is not easy..still, ideal country to own a Bentley, with fuel at 25p per litre or so....
Quite right. I moved to the US nine years ago and happily drive and park my Bentley in NY - in all neighbo(u)rhoods. All I ever get is cheers and smiles and thumbs up. People with nothing celebrate it, and aspire. Same goes for some of the other cars I drive. It wasn't the same in the UK, and when I am there now I drive a Corvette I shipped over. That seems to attract Chavs like flies - they all seem to think I want to race; so cut me up and taligate me; not sure why. it's a bit like "if you need to ask, you'll never understand". I have no experience beyond Arnage, but certainly when I worked for RR, there were plenty of cars which were better in ride, handling, performance, etc. But that was always somehow not the point.
the best example I can offer is that no matter how bad a day I've had at work, by the time I've got the Bentley to the car park exit, I really just don't care. No other transport even comes close to this. It's not really a mode of transport to be judged against other modes of transport - it is more fitting to judge it against that cottage in the country, decent holiday or the Chesterfield sofa that you've always wanted.
I remember the "Fast Lane" road test of "The Bentley that handles" - it concluded with the words "the BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar all do so much more than the Bentley - and in the case of the Jaguar at a third of the price. But if we had the money, we doubt we'd spend it that wisely".
the best example I can offer is that no matter how bad a day I've had at work, by the time I've got the Bentley to the car park exit, I really just don't care. No other transport even comes close to this. It's not really a mode of transport to be judged against other modes of transport - it is more fitting to judge it against that cottage in the country, decent holiday or the Chesterfield sofa that you've always wanted.
I remember the "Fast Lane" road test of "The Bentley that handles" - it concluded with the words "the BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar all do so much more than the Bentley - and in the case of the Jaguar at a third of the price. But if we had the money, we doubt we'd spend it that wisely".
I missed this one, but in reply to the original question, there is only one answer: drive one and you will find out. And having driven the new Mulsannne last week, I can confidently say that the Bentley magic is still everything it used to be.
Mercs, BMWs, Audis make some great cars (not sure about a Lexus), but they are just not the same thing. I entirely agree with the analogy from another posting in this thread: if a Mercedes is the best quartz watch in the world, a Bentley is the mechanical watch that the best Swiss workmanship can offer – it does not keep time as well as a good quartz watch, but to many people, it is the one for which they would still pay more. Jaguars are the only thing that come anywhere near a Bentley – they, too, have some of the character of the mechanical watch about them - but they are still a long way off.
Coming back to the Mulsanne, I also drove the Flying Spur Speed on the same afternoon and, while it is undoubtedly a brilliant car, well worthy of the Bentley name, even that is not in the same class as the Mulsanne. On paper, the Flying Spur is the better car, but you only have to get behind the wheel to know why the Mulsanne is half as expensive again.
I would say that the Mulsanne is in a class of its own, but I have never driven a Phantom (apart from the one I used to own, but that was a much earlier model!). However, I suspect that a Phantom is also on the same level. But a Maybach – no way!
Mercs, BMWs, Audis make some great cars (not sure about a Lexus), but they are just not the same thing. I entirely agree with the analogy from another posting in this thread: if a Mercedes is the best quartz watch in the world, a Bentley is the mechanical watch that the best Swiss workmanship can offer – it does not keep time as well as a good quartz watch, but to many people, it is the one for which they would still pay more. Jaguars are the only thing that come anywhere near a Bentley – they, too, have some of the character of the mechanical watch about them - but they are still a long way off.
Coming back to the Mulsanne, I also drove the Flying Spur Speed on the same afternoon and, while it is undoubtedly a brilliant car, well worthy of the Bentley name, even that is not in the same class as the Mulsanne. On paper, the Flying Spur is the better car, but you only have to get behind the wheel to know why the Mulsanne is half as expensive again.
I would say that the Mulsanne is in a class of its own, but I have never driven a Phantom (apart from the one I used to own, but that was a much earlier model!). However, I suspect that a Phantom is also on the same level. But a Maybach – no way!
Edited by Bluebottle911 on Saturday 2nd October 12:00
Bluebottle911 said:
Jaguars are the only thing that come anywhere near a Bentley – they, too, have some of the character of the mechanical watch about them - but they are still a long way off.
I'm not sure about modern Jaguars but I always felt that my Series 2 XJ was more like being at home than travelling. Indeed what 2Woody said earlier about the Bentley had considerable resonance for me with that car.Sadly, on the demise of my Series 2 I found that the XJ40 model that was by then current just didn't quite do the same for me so I went to a BMW which is not the same at all. If the Jaguar was somehow like being in a portable outpost of your living-room the BMW was like being on the Nuremberg underground - Teutonic, safe, clean, efficient, reliable... but a long way from home
Edited by Colin Mill on Saturday 2nd October 13:48
Colin Mill said:
If the Jaguar was somehow like being in a portable outpost of your living-room the BMW was like being on the Nuremberg underground - Teutonic, safe, clean, efficient, reliable... but a long way from home
From my own recollections of Jaguar and BMW ownership, I would say that was absolutely spot on! And the Bentley is the like the Jaguar, it's just that the furniture comes from a better class of antique dealer. Having taken a close look at the new XJ, I got the same feeling - they still do wood and leatehr so much better than the Krauts.Colin Mill said:
If the Jaguar was somehow like being in a portable outpost of your living-room the BMW was like being on the Nuremberg underground - Teutonic, safe, clean, efficient, reliable... but a long way from home
From my own recollections of Jaguar and BMW ownership, I would say that was absolutely spot on! And the Bentley is the like the Jaguar, it's just that the furniture comes from a better class of antique dealer. Having taken a close look at the new XJ, I got the same feeling - they still do wood and leather so much better than the Krauts.Edited by Bluebottle911 on Saturday 2nd October 18:36
I'd have to say that the Continental GT is probably one of the best drives i have ever had, even with the Mulliner Spec with the 20" Wheels the drive was superb, smooth and comfortable or sporty and aggressive when you wanted it.
My dad has always been a Mercedes S Class man and although i do love the S Class i don’t think the drive or finish is anywhere near the Bentley level.
I had a CL63 for an extended test drive when i was choosing between the GT and the CL the Bentley was head and shoulders above the CL.
As someone else said, getting in the car and driving out of the car park to start a journey was always a pleasure that i looked forward too.
I have to say for pure visual impact and dominance on the road i think that the Arnarge takes some beating and is a car i would love to have.
My dad has always been a Mercedes S Class man and although i do love the S Class i don’t think the drive or finish is anywhere near the Bentley level.
I had a CL63 for an extended test drive when i was choosing between the GT and the CL the Bentley was head and shoulders above the CL.
As someone else said, getting in the car and driving out of the car park to start a journey was always a pleasure that i looked forward too.
I have to say for pure visual impact and dominance on the road i think that the Arnarge takes some beating and is a car i would love to have.
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