Ferrari 458 vs Bentley CGT Reliability & Cost of Ownership

I have a 2010 Bentley CGT and it's been bulletproof. I bought it with 3k miles on it and it now has 31k miles. I have not had any issues whatsoever and it is a very comfortable car. I'm actually selling it now to get a 458 though. I have the itch for a super car again and only have room for one expensive toy at a time.

 

I sold my 2008 Bentley GTC to get a 458spider - only problem is these Fcars are addictive and also hazardous to your bank account - I have an FF arriving next week :0) !!!

 

You can get a Bentley in a convertible...could be more of an all year round car for me. However, I suspect the FF would be more nimble, loud and fun to drive but not as much fun as a 458.

Need to drive them to find out which works best for you.

I decided to order an RS5 with Mich Pilot SS all weather radials as my winter car to take skiing. $79k 450 hp Na V8. Can put skis through the pass through. Love it but no FF! 458 spider is my summer car.

 

I have some perspective that may be interesting. Hard core sports F-car guy and racer of Porsche cars as well as GT3 cars. I bought a Supersport Convertible Bentley (at age 40) because i thought it offered the perfect combination of aggressive looks, power, dynamics, and convenience to carry my wife and 2 young kids around. Loved it. Massive road presence. More looks than an exotic F-car. Lovely interior. 4-WD.
It delivered on much. But is vastly different to a 458. Which would I love more? (Having never owned a 458 but have owned 430S and 355). Impossible comparison. I have only 1800kms on my Supersport and due to relocation have put it up for sale, but when viewing the car in showroom recently I only wanted to ship it to my holiday home such that I love it, even tho I've promised myself the holiday home car is either a GT3-RS or a Speciale, such was the impression of seeing my SS again!
If you're looking for weekend canyon drive with a lot of twisties buy the F-Car. If you're looking for a possible daily driver with exotic appeal and excitement, look at the hard core Bentley's that offer both sides.
So I guess my inconvenient conclusion is BUY BOTH if you can!

 

Buy the Ferrari and take a taxi to your meetings. Being on time is the best way to impress a client. I had a Bentley GT and to me it was boring. I now have a Mclaren and it is great! I too am also looking to add a 458 because it is what I want not what I think would be appropriate.
Also, the Bentley will drop value like a stone and you will probably sell it whereas the 458 you will probably keep. I really hope you go with your heart and get the Ferrari!

 

If anyone wants a nice clean well maintained and documented Bentley CGT my 2010 is for sale. Just shoot me a PM.

 

Bentley CGT? I've never had experience with one since I'm neither a rapper nor 80 years old.

 

Pretty stupid and pointless comment.

 

Re: Appropriateness for business meetings. My answer is neither. Both will send the wrong message (too ostentatious). I agree with the comment about being on time is the most important thing. I would suggest you get a nice regular car and then compliment it with one of these.

As to which one, its almost chalk and cheese.

Bentley is about (pardon my use of a Rolls term) wafting about, and has wonderful fit and finish and pretty mediocre electronics (not bad but just ok). Its very comfortable and has massive road presence, because it is massive! And it drives fairly massive. I took one for a weekend and I just found I was always conscious of the weight and people looked at me like I was one of the "evil people who ruined the economy in 2008." I even had someone make that comment to me... But you can't control what other people will say or do and that was just a slight misfortune. I found the paintwork to be exceptional and the people from Bentley were terrific. The included car cover, battery tender, etc were all of the highest caliber. However, my wife and kids loved the ride quality. I was borrowing a convertible and where I live the roads have lots of little irregularities and are not smooth and the cowl shake was worse than I'd have expected. The car otherwise felt solid but on a bumpy road I kept saying to myself: "Yep, its a convertible". And the convertible top was of extreme high quality and the real glass rear window is a nice touch.

The Ferrari is all about being a jr supercar. Its got supercar looks, its got supercar moves, its lithe, its loud (sonically and visually) it becomes an extension of your brain. The electronics are also just OK- maybe on par with the Bentley. But given the more focused nature of the 458 vs the Bentley, to me the lack of cutting edge electronics such as nav and blindspot etc in the 458 doesn't seem like the deficiency as it does in the flying B (at least the one I borrowed lacked blind spot its been a few years). The driving experience is really one of the truly remarkable driving experiences of any jr supercar in recent memory and the styling really is a high watermark for Ferrari and Pininfarina. I've yet to get a negative comment with the 458 but I do sometimes get people in Infinitis and Lexuses (or is that Lexi) and Subarus?!! trying to race me. I just waive them by. I usually point to my phone and pretend Im on the phone. I don't want to engage in that kind of road behavior. When stopped I usually get people asking about what its like to drive and people are just excited to see a Ferrari. We all know the stories about Ferrari not always being the most customer friendly company and the tender, the car cover, and even the paint job are mediocre. But the car itself.... its epic. I am convinced the 458 Italia and its iterations will be viewed as a modern classic. Like how we look back fondly on the 308.

Over the years I have found I prefer the more sporty Ferrari cars and I've learned to (as best as I can) navigate some of the nonsense. So in my case its an easy choice. But I cannot tell you the Bentley is wrong for everyone. It just comes down to what you're looking for. Hope this helps.

 

What a coincidence...I think the same about 90% of what I read on here.

 

lol

 

The guy simply wants to know from owners what your actual out of pocket costs have been while owning the car...depreciation should not be included as a factor because of you couldn't ever sell the car it would still be worth to you want you paid for it.

From what I know depending on your usage and if you have a warranty the Bentley GT could cost anywhere from $500-$3500 a year to maintain says Beverly Hills Bentley and the 458 anywhere from $800+ If you have a warranty your costs will be lower when it comes to parts that break or stop working.