RE: Dulcet V12 goodness for less | Six of the Best

[Firebobby]

Jag for me please and with the wheels. Wafting down to the south of Wales in the summer rain at 20mph evokes a lost era. A time when roads were smooth and devoid of cars

[zsdom]

I hope whoever buys that £19k Bentley stops off at a chemists on the way home for some lube.

DBS is properly lovely, it’s just a shame about the resale silver & black

[stuart100]

I like the 599 but it’s just too wide for me to enjoy on our roads. Not sure about DBS width but it’s on my list for my next car.

SL65 were always ultra rare like the SL600 and a big premium new. SL55s and 63s much cheaper and abundant.

[Red6]

Aston Martin DBS for me, with Eva Green as my companion. You lot can fight over the rest.

[cerb4.5lee]

I'd go for the DBS out of that lot too. I like the idea of the Merc as well, but not at that money though.

[NigelTVR]

That’s a great list, all are a good shout but I love that Jag

[Slightlybald]

Wynn Duffy said:

CountyAFC said:

£85k for that old Merc?

All I can say is there is hope for my 2003 SL500!!!!
But seriously, as much as I do love my SL, it has its issues, ABC, SBC, water leaking into the boot......

I would rather put the money into a Ferrari 458, and keep £40K for repairs, or a 612...

Edited by Wynn Duffy on Saturday 6th July 08:53

Not sure where you are seeing a 458 for £45k, but if you can let me know, I'll be off to buy three right away ...

[Chubbyross]

andy43 said:

GeniusOfLove said:

An SL600 would be 80%+ of the car for 20% of the cost if you wanted to go in that direction.

I do love a V12.

An SL55 would be all you’d need at 10k upwards.

If you buy a V12 you have to be able to hear the investment, so either Aston or Ferrrrrari for me I think.

I’m totally with you on the SL55. One of the finest exhaust notes out there. A V12 is wasted on this car.

[Bobupndown]

The Jag please, or maybe an even more understated Daimler Double Six of the same era.

[trails]

Slightlybald said:

Not sure where you are seeing a 458 for £45k, but if you can let me know, I'll be off to buy three right away ...

Was about to post the same...I'll just be taking a single car though

[Rat_Fink_67]

To say the the SL65 is "just" an old Merc is selling it a bit short to be fair.

612hp, nearly 740lb-ft of torque, 0-60mph in 3.6, against the factory figure of 4.2 (when you can get traction ) and 0-100mph in 7.5-8.0 seconds! Less than 100 examples to pick from of course, and they were £140,000+ new.

I'm a bit biased, because during my time when I lived in the Middle East, I was fortunate enough to spend a fair bit of time behind the wheel of several S, SL, CL & G 65 models, and they're definitely a step above. The R230 SL600 and SL55 models are amazing, and I myself am considering an SL55 at the moment, but the SL65 has to be driven to be appreciated. Bespoke brakes and ABC dampers, mechanical LSD and ferocious torque; the figures alone may only suggest fine margins over the 600, but I love the 65.

A 20 year old SL is easy to dismiss, and clearly it'll still come accompanied by the usual R230 foibles and issues, but it's a fantastic car.

[scenario8]

I’ve always thought a 599 would be such a lovely thing. Still do. Nice sober colour, please.

Since im asking, the funds to maintain it would be nice, too.

[Mr-B]

I had a WTF moment reading the Mercs price , thought it must be a typo, didn't realise they were so rare but still can't see how it costs 4 times the Bentley with not too dissimilar miles and 3 years younger. I'll take the DBS anyway, still a good looking design even today.

[chris116]

As noted above the 599 and Ghost would make a great pairing.

The Fying Spur is a alot of car for the money, assume the level of Bork is terrifying.

That generation of DBS has never really appealed for some reason.

Always SL55 > SL65 for me for that SL model.

[Gordon Hill]

Have 458's dropped to 45 grand now? Who knew?

[rivercar1981]

I can't deny the lure of a V12.
I'm an Aston man and Rapides are a steal at the moment.

It fits the family, which I need and feels genuinely special.

I love it. More sporting than the other saloons in this list, which I wanted, but can lollop along and cruise really nicely.

For me it does everything I want in a toy. Takes the family, and can be driven spiritedly and enjoyed when the mood takes.

Cruise to the alpine passes in comfort and then attack them when there. Ideal balance.

Understated and elegant with a hint of muscle, perfect Aston design imho.

[S600BSB]

The depreciation on the Flying Spur is bonkers!

[LotusOmega375D]

chris116 said:

The Fying Spur is a alot of car for the money, assume the level of Bork is terrifying..

Why would you focus on the Bentley for Borkfactor? It’s done less miles than most of the others and is about £70k cheaper than the other modern cars listed. Buy it for £19,800 and keep the remaining £70k in the bank for a rainy day that may well never come.

[Gordon Hill]

LotusOmega375D said:

chris116 said:

The Fying Spur is a alot of car for the money, assume the level of Bork is terrifying..

Why would you focus on the Bentley for Borkfactor? It’s done less miles than most of the others and is about £70k cheaper than the other modern cars listed. Buy it for £19,800 and keep the remaining £70k in the bank for a rainy day that may well never come.

Indeed, the level of bork factor for all of them is equally scary, but then if that's the main problem then you can't afford to run one so shouldn't buy one.

[E-numbers]

Similarly had a shock at the AMG SL, thought it would be £35-40k! And while not a fit for this list, SL55 every time!

It’s a shame that PH doesn’t make more of an effort to have a spread of prices in these articles- I’m sure that would make them more interesting. Not everyone has £80k to drop on a car. I can see that they’re not all £80k, but there are V12s across a whole price range!