Thinking of selling my Phantom for a Bentley GT

I have had the Phantom now for almost 2 years. I called my dealer and they have a GT that I like. I am also going to my local dealer to see what they have. Of course the mrs thinks i am crazy. Her thinking is the Phantom is paid for so why loose more money by trading it in. Its just that, before I purchased the RR, I was set on a GT. Boys and toys......

I do have one complaint about the RR. Some might not believe this but I am getting real tired of the gawking from driving the RR. Every time I go out, I have at least some one person ask what year is it.... How much. I had to go to 10% tint to stop the peering eyes. It gets real tiring when you want to be left alone. I don't want to be ****** but I like being to myself at times. I wonder if you get the same from a GT? I had less in my Ferrari which I liked. Or maybe its because I was going to fast to notice

What are your guys thought on "upgrading" to a GT.

 

You bought a Phantom and didn't expect to draw attention??!

But yes, GT's, at least in the Chicago area are fairly common and don't draw nearly as much attention as a Phantom.

 

Agreed.

Although I'd have a hard time going to a GT from a Phantom. Phantom is more exclusive and not as many on the road as the GT.

 

Where I live, my GT is about as common as a Benz it seems so nobody pays attention (except certain women). I see phantoms and Ghosts far far less often so turn my head when they drive past.

If I leave my area in my GT though, it gets a LOT of attention.

 

Hey now there are some who buy cars cause they like the car and pay attention to wow look at me factor

No but seriously yeah I knew that but to this extent..... No.

Rapture..... you referring to ladies that see a Bentley and see dollar signs?

I just test drove a GT. It was raining so hard to drive hard but I liked it. I am looking at a Speed in Cali.

 

What you have sir is a concern that imho is irrelavant. You (lets assume) have a car that you knew would attract attention but now you feel your self imposed importance/personal safety has made the car a safety factor, right?

Buy a Miata and a cheap pair of sunglasses, problem solved.

 

Veering off in the wrong direction. Im just trying to figure out if I want to swap the RR for the GT. Both are impecable cars. Both fit my style. I already have many friends saying stay with the RR cause I would be down grading if I went to a Bentley GT. But that is not my concern. I own the RR out right so I wouldn't pay out of pocket so no concern there. I guess it's car ADD again.

I might just have to buy another Ferrari and you know you can never go wrong with a Fcar

Buy another Ferrari now and buy the GT when we move and get more garage spaces.

 

Or become a poser and get a Lambo.... Just kidding. I like the Murci and Gallardo.

 

You should consider taking more time to enjoy your Phantom.
I often miss the cars I sell or trade-in on other cars.

Like the Sheryl Crow song says:
"It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got."
.

 

i am finding this thread semi-laughable.

 

The Bentley is also more fun to drive. My Bentley does get attention and the occasional question but I do not believe it would get as much attention as a RR. It certainly doesn't get the attention of my old Lambos for which I am very grateful for.

 

+1

 

And its free

 

Very wise Toggie...... Not sure what case is but I just get bored with toys very fast. And yes I do classify cars as toys and not as a means of pure transportation.

 

Indeed. But you would expect them to see dollar signs when they see you in a Ferrari as well. But only the Bentley consistently attracts female attention from all ages of female. I have been asked for a ride by a girl barely in her 20s (I hope she was not younger) and just 2 weeks ago asked "does that beautiful car have room for a single mom?"

My Ferrari gets the occasional comment from a young girl, but that is about.

 

Getting a GT would be a downgrade from the Phantom.

I say keep the Phantom, it is such a unique car. The BGT is a nice car but it doesnt have the same cachet, presence as the RR.

 

Might be getting off track, but how good is the build quality/reliability of the Phantom? I've heard its not so great, and ride quality isn't better than a Jaguar XJ.. Any truth to this?

 

You know I hate to say this but it drives like a very big 7 series. But saying that it is built better in my opinion. And most of that is due to the materials used. When you pay the same price as an average house in Atlanta, you would expect that. I have driven down to the condo down in FL twice and it was very comfortable. The crazy thing is parts are the same as the 7 series but cost twice as much. For example the rear view mirror broke. I ordered a new one. It was like $1400. It was double what a mirror cost for the 745. It even had a bmw logo on the inside. Hum..... As far as reliability, once again as the same as my previous BMW's. Service is determined by my key. I think its like every 9000 miles or 12 months. That is oil change etc. I would say in maintenance cost average per year around $1500. My horn died so $300. Both my batteries died but covered under warranty from RR. Broke one headlight from a rock, $5000. Shirling rug cleaning per year, $350. Heard stories of doors sagging as a common problem but mine are great. They are getting very affordable now so you guys should see more used models on the streets.

Hope that answered your question.

 

I call then Buckhead Betties here. Seems like such a trend here where I meet (due to my friends cause they are all single) young girls that are looking for guys with money. Its a shame really cause they are so attractive. The funniest day was a young girl literally jumped into my spider while stuck in traffic from a football game. Her friend followed and we ended up at my friends hotel. Hotel BAR that is I am happily married.

raptor.... from reading your previous posts, you sound like a true "driver." Can you share the seat of the pants feel from your GT? After several years ownership, is the interior feeling dated to you now?

Thanks

 

I got tired of the attention too. Truck and van drivers craning their necks to look and almost steering into me. Girls flashing me (don't get me wrong, that was nice, but really, it too got old). Guys asking who I am, what I do, how much it cost, etc., etc. So, some techniques I developed:
- For all questions, if I was not in the mood to answer, it was simply "I don't know, it's my brother's car".
-If someone was approaching, I would put my cellphone to my ear and start being very busy talking.
-For the more persistent, who waited for the phone call to end, I would walk into a building, etc.

I was once asked if I minded being asked a few questions, and when I said, "Sorry, yes, I am very busy right now" (and I really was), the guy stood there with his mouth open, unable to believe his ears, and then proceeded to keep trying to talk to me. I just ignored him and after a few minutes he left. You can be polite, you can be brusque, but you have to be firm. I cannot bring myself to answer the same question(s) 1,000 times.

I don't know how Jay Leno does it. He actually manages to be nice all the time, and patiently answers everyone's questions. I was going nuts after a few hours with him on a few separate occasions. He is a far, far better man than I and is genuinely interested in meeting people. I wish I could do that too, but I can't, especially when I know that most people's questions can be answered with a simple google query from their phone. Price, performance, options, availability, history, it's all there in far better detail than I could ever provide.

As for RR vs. Bentley, think long and hard, then do what you want. Who cares about money or what others think? Those are not important considerations. Your answer should come from within. Personally, I would switch, but I would make sure that I got my fill of the RR first. I have driven both, and I prefer the Bentley, though it does not compare to a Ferrari for driving involvement. I think Bentley plus F-car make a nice combo. RR with a chauffeur would be nice, at times, but I prefer to drive and I don't like the attention either. Nothing to do with self-importance, I generally just like being private and not the center of attention.

 

Since your RR is a white one, one of the fun things you should do before you sell it is donate it to be used in a wedding.

Ask a local bridal shop to recommend a beautiful bride that has a limited wedding dress budget and send that person a note saying the RR can be used for the trip to the church and then to the reception.

It would mean a lot to that young couple.

Take lots of pictures of the event and post them here.
.

 

Now that is class. If you were standing next to me right now I would applaud for you

 

Great write up...

 

I have driven a friend from their reception to their hotel after their wedding once. That brings back memory. I had a pic of one of her friends who was on another season of Big Brother. She was chatting with my wife at a table, I took a pic and didn't realize it showed her private. It is on my computer somewhere. My friend said to save it cause she was back on the show and I could sell it. Ahhhh... I said I don't roll like that. She was kidding... I hope!

 

No I am not. I used to race motorcycles and won several championships, so I have always been sensitive to squids (i.e. motorcycle posers who pretend to be good on sportbikes). So because I know the difference between a real motorcycle rider and a squid I am cognizant that I am not a true "driver."

I have taken just a couple of track schools (Audi R8 and Aston Martin and AMG schools). While I was one of the fastest students at those schools and that probably puts me well above average as a driver, it does not make me a "true" driver. I know very little about fixing cars or how they operate, other than the basics from physics classes. To boot, on tracks where I have ridden a stock sportbike around with ease, I am a good 30 seconds or more per lap slower in an exotic car while thinking I am about to kill myself! I have been driven around by real drivers and even when doing my best to fake it, don't begin to resemble them as children. There are real "drivers" on this board, but I am not one of them, although I wish I were.

As for the GT, in terms of performance, what I love about it most is that you can be just floating on air in it at 50mph while listening to opera music and then hit the sport mode, tighten the suspension, and punch it, and by the time you say holy****enhausen, you are going 150 and it still feels like you are still just crusing to opera music. As for the interior, I have had mine for 5 years now and it feels the same as when I first bought it. The Nav seemed dated to me (compared to my Audi's) until I recently bought a Cadillac Escalade, who's NAV makes my Bentley's look like a product from the future. I will replace it, eventually, with the exact same model.