They have smoothed the QP into a great car. At first it was awkward (I remember it took about 2 days to shift from gear to gear), and the styling had some rough edges. Now I only hear good things about it.
I worked for Bentley for almost 3 years in sales. Maintenance will be the same regardless of whether you buy new or pre-owned. If you buy a new(er) one at least it will have warranty to cover any issues that may occur. Typical service is around $3k-$4k/year. I'd say that if CPO is an option it's worth the extra cost for your piece of mind. Also, when you do decide to pull the trigger, have a Bentley service advisor run the VIN for you and find out if it's had any service issues and what. As for model years to stay away from, they are all great. It depends on what creature features you want. The newer the GT, the more features. A 2004 isn't going to have vacuum doors/trunk, back up camera, SIM card slot for your phone, DVD navigation, Mulliner package, and a bunch of other options that become standard over time. If you just want a GT and don't care for any bells & whistles, sure get an 04, expect for the Speed and other new variants, they all are W12 with 552hp. Personally I'd want a 2006 or newer for the nicer options. The Continental Series are great cars and can be used as daily drivers. Some people get lucky and put tens of thousands of miles on them issue free and some people get unlucky and get major issues with only a few thousand miles. It's kind of hit or miss with these cars. I had one client buy a GT & Flying Spur at the same time, I think in 07 or 08 and he had to bring both cars in to completely redo the electrical wiring in both cars. It was covered under warranty because they were both brand new, but his cars were down for about a month each. There was a recall affecting at least hundreds of Bentley between certain VINs. My bf had a 2006 Flying Spur he bought from the dealer in Vegas a couple years ago. For some reason the wires for the back up sensors were cut and it was going to cost thousands to repair so when it was time to sell it, he just sold it as is instead of dealing. Other than that, we had the car for almost 12k miles and it was pretty issue free. Little things do cost a lot to fix on these cars though. They can be complicated to fix and parts and labor have a premium, because after all, it is a Bentley. 'You have to pay to play.'
"you have to pay to play." I like that. For sure, always a chance to get a lemon. That is one benefit of buying used. Thanks for the advice on checking the vin with a Bentley tech. I would have just checked the car fax and taken the sellers word, or the CPO which sometimes can miss something. Im a guy and don't normally use this word to describe cars, or at least a car I want for myself, but that GT Supersport was sexy as hell. Also aggressive looking at the same time. When i test drive the Quattroporte, it will have to impress me in many different ways cause i am not 100% sold on the looks yet. It could grow on me though. Thanks for your input.
Supervixen, what year did they add the sim card option for the factory phones? And are phones standard or options on the GT's? Thanks
I don't recall exactly, but it was while I was with the company. Somebody else will have to confirm, but I believe it was 2007 or 2008. A lot of older people had trouble figuring out how to use the SIM card on their own, but if you're tech savvy and read the owner's manual it's not too tough. They took away the phones when they introduced the sim card slot. You don't want the phone anyway. It was Nokia and like $700 for the one that's specific for Bentley cars.
looks real good. I like the blk for 93K. I wonder if these are auction "won" prices or wholesale prices.
I have a few friends who own Quatroporte's. They complain about some dependability problems, but otherwise love those cars. One went from an M5 to one just last year. I can ask him for a comparison. They are very beautiful and drive great (I have driven one). I would not compare them to the GT. New they cost $70-$90k less than a GT so not a fair comparison. Ignore the guys that say a GT is a Phaeton. Yes the basic W-12 engine block and a few other bits were sourced the same, but that is where things stop. People who say they are the same cars have never driven both (I have), read that in a magazine somewhere, and are the same folks who say a Saleen and a basic Mustang are the same car, and a 911 and 911 Turbo, a BMW 325 and M3, and an A4 and an RS4. You get the idea. I am an Audi lover, owned an RS4, and am looking for an R8, but a Bentley GT is in another league from any S8, S5 or other touring Audi. No comparison. The GT does not have any direct competition, which is why I have no interest in replacing mine.
Yeah would live to hear the comparison. I was out last night and talked to a friend who has a 08 Bianco Quattroporte and he said he loved it. Did your friends tell you what the reliability issues were? And model years. Thank you
Ok. Correction. Only 1 of the 3 has actual real complaints about his Quatroporte (various electrical and other problems). He is selling it and plans to replace it with another car. The one who went from an M5 to a Quatroporte says he likes it so far (has had it about a year), but noted that it does not perform like an M5, but is a nice change. That is not surprising. My RS4 could run circles around my Bentley on twisty roads and keep up with it on the straights (until 155mph that is), but I still always found myself wanting to drive the GT. If you are looking to spend $70-$80k, you might be better off with a near new Quatroporte than a 6 yr old GT. My 4 yr old one drives great and still looks brand new, and eBay prices for that year are shockingly cheap for a car that cost $200k new, but still around $90k for one with increadibly high miles to $105k for one with more normal miles so still above your price range. Even '05's are going for $80k-$100k so you would be looking at '04 GT's vs '08-'09 Quatroporte's for your price range. Note that the prices for '06 coupes quoted earlier are auction prices, which are for folks with broker/dealer licenses and not retail. The eBay prices are reserve or buy-it-now prices. Starting prices tell you nothing.
Yeah, me too. Well not an ex racer nor instructor but weekend warrior. Only sport bike is a R6 for track only. Trying to hit Barber Motorsports Park soon. Yeah the Quattroporte is more realistic for me cause of the 4 doors but I will tell you that Im one of those guys, after a test drive, if the car excites me, I will fork out more to get it. Hopefully I'll get to see the 06 out at my local dealer. That's at 94k which I guess is a good price. Im gonna definetly stay away from the 04's though. As far as the broker license, my brother in law has one so maybe I will try it out. Just don't know I want to buy an exotic car from a auction. I saw an add on eBay where the guy said he just had the 60k service on a GT and cost $12K.
Ok, huge correction. I was refering to Gran Turrismos, not Quatroporte's. Sorry. My friends own Grand Turrismos. Those are gorgeous cars. I do not think Quatroporte's are anywhere near as nice and would be a huge step down from a GT.
I raced various models of R6's for 6 years and been to tracks all over the US, but never Barber. I hear it is an awesome track.
Barber is a proper track. The facility is pretty nice. I just remember seeing nice green grass and no patches around the bends. Wish it could incorporate a long straightaway to hold a world class event. Yeah actually Im the opposite. I find the Gran Turismo missing some elements. Nose and back is nice but from the side it is just dead. Looks very long with big wheel wells with tiny wheels. One thing also is the factory wheels look very out of place with the car. The interior is nicer than the Quattroporte for sure. And yes the Quattroporte is not in the same category with the GT I feel. Would you say the Maserati's is sport first then luxury and the Bentley is luxury then sport?
Jennie and I test drove one several years back. Inside the performance is great and it does have a very regal interior. Back then I liked the looks pretty good too, however, just last week I came up to one on the street and it kinda took me back how pedestrian the design has aged. It just isn't that striking compared to what you could get for that money in a Ferrari, Maserati, or Aston Martin (if you want to stay British).
yup Rob i feel the same. Whats surprising, at least to me, is seeing so many "young" people behind the wheel.
Not really a step down,performance is nearly identical and QP is a more expensive car for car afterall.
I must admit, that the last time I saw a Quatroporte (probably a few months ago), I thought it was a Buick. It would be a big skip for me, but to each his own.
Do you mean compared to a Bentley GT Continental, or to a Gran Tursimo? Performance is not that close for either comparison. Price for a new Q is $135k vs. $122k for a Gran T S vs. $200k for a Bentley GT (new versions are closer to $250k). 0-60 is for a new Q is 5.3 sec compared to 4.9 sec for a Gran T S and 4.5 sec for a Bentley GT (the new versions are 4.3 and 3.7) Engine is 4.7L V8 for a Q and Gran TS vs. 6.0L V12 for a Bentley GT Power is 433hp for both the Q and Gran T S vs 550 for a Bentley GT (the new versions are 600 and 621hp).
You guys are correct. The QP could be mistaken for a Buick. Doesn't Buick have those fender side vents like the QP? I like the front but not so much the back. The more you think it about it, isn't the Bentley more of a super ultra luxury car/class, and the Maserati a step down, but above the BMW and Benz? It's unfortunate cause the Ferrari, Maserati's parent company, are considered exotic. I guess the big question is..... Is Maserati's QP an exotic car? None the less, for some reason, I don't think i will feel like Im driving my dads car in the GT compared to when i drive the S class. Probably not in the QP either.
Gran Turismo of course,Bentley is in a different league. Had the Speed for last couple years and got spoiled by that car. After that one ,any current Maserati just would not do it for me ,I could not live with their total lack of torque.
So where could you go after the GT? 599GTB or a Phantom? If i got super wealthy and then lost the wealth, i think i could deal with living in a smaller home, but don't think i could down grade my cars. I could never go from my fcar to a Nissan Gt-R per say. Has anyone seen more in detail the next generation GT?
