Germancar1

True some of the best with VW parts sticking out of them. That isn't what a Bentley is about either. I didn't say I wouldn't buy a Bentley Conti because of that. If I were a buyer in that space I'd buy something else because the Bentleys are just plain ugly as hell to me, especially the Coupe. My CLK didn't cost Bentley money either nor does it have "cheap bits" all over the place. That is total BS.

M

Juice it

Looks like the public doesn't agree with you considering the huge success the new Bentley's are enjoying! Also,how could you possibly have an issue with the Bentley interior and be happy with the crap in that CLK? The wood alone looks like plastic laminate and the window switches are 10cent pieces of plastic. I have a Gclass with that same crap in it so don't tell me they aren't cheap!

transferred

This superior tone seems rather out of place. GermanCar1 has not made any personal attack, simply stated that he doesn't like the look of the GT and Cont. Of course, the new Bentley's have been an amazing success and I don't agree with all this "an S4 is just a VW and a Bentley is just an Audi etc" rubbish that some people come up with but at the end of the day it's just a hunk of (rather expensive) metal so there is no need to get on your high horse.

Enjoy your car but don't resort to what is effectively mocking other members with rather more modest garages.

"Juice it" manages to run some equally exquisite machines yet brings to the table a much kinder and less confrontational attitude.

absent

If only you could put a little bit more effort in reading the entire post you would realize that my answer was not "mocking" anyone just answering to a statement that "only new people were buying Continentals,old traditional ,Arnage owners despised the VW Bentleys".
I simply disagreed ,so please ,do not look for a meaning that was not there to begin with....

vraa

Guys lets keep it respectful.
Remember on an internet forum it's very hard to convey tone of voice, understand that guys and give each other the benefit of the doubt

Germancar1

That is because "the public" doesn't have a clue about the true Bentleys, at least not this singer/rapper/athlete group that have made the Continental family so popular. Any and everyone can afford one now because they price of admission has dropped from 225k to 160k or so. Again, a CLK doesn't cost Bentley money, nor MB ever boast about its interior. We all know MB had its dark moments in interior crafting. Why does this have to turn into some personal BS? This isn't about me having a problem with the interior of the Bentley. I was merely pointing out that all these people hollering "exclusive" need to think again. The Continentals aren't bespoke like the Arnage is, was my point. Of course the Bentley has a wonderful interiors, but it isn't as "exclusive" as some here would have you to believe. I personally think they're some ugly VW ish looking cars, but hey they say "Bentley" so that is all that is needed for most.

M

absent

Well, at least we agree that we disagree....

Juice it

The only person you are convincing is yourself. The last time I checked everyone and their brother weren't buying 160k plus cars as you seem to suggest and the number of Bentley's on the road is still a tiny fraction of cars sold so they are still very exclusive. As far as Bespoke interior goes, that means you have the ability to customise you interior as you like with different woods, stitching and leather colors as well as some other stuff and it certainly applies to the Cont. And yes, the Mercedes isn't Bentley money but it is Audi money and the interior isn't up to par with them either.

Germancar1

Then you'd better check again, Bentley is on pace to sell 10K units a year, more than Ferrari, Aston, and all the "exclusive" other high-enders. Of course it is all relative, I thought little tidbit was understood. Gee whiz. They're exclusive to "regular" brands like MB/BMW and the like, but they aren't compared to Aston, Maserati, Ferrari and the like. You guys just don't seem to realize how badly the Bentley name has been pimped.

True the Bentley interiors are customizable. No a older out of production MB from 2003 isn't going to be up to par with an Audi of that year, we all know that. Big news that is and just about as irrelevant.

M

seattlecarfreak

Well I think Bentley had to release the GT to survive. Just like how the new 986/996, cayenne helped save porsche, the GT has helped bentley survive, and thus one less car manufacturer we have to worry about being run out of business.

As nice as the "bespoke" car business is, unfortunately in this new global economy, most all companies have had to adjust or run out of business.. (look at american car companies.. need i continue?)

R&D on the new arnage would NOT be cheap. And you can be damn well a few thousand models a year of the old one aren't exactly paying for research into the new one.

So i think, regardless of what people think about the bentley gt, it still is nice, that this car will give them the cash flow for r&d and to produce more of the "finer" models of the bentley at hopefully a more reasonable price, for years to come.

And just FYI: I am not a GT fan either. When I first saw the car, I was, honestly not very impressed. Very boring, dull, for the money, but to each their own. The Arnage on the other hand when it first came out.

(trying to turn this conversation into an optimistic one )

absent

New Arnage is also "VW" based,they will use FS stretched floor pan an VW W16 NA engine.
And will be fabulous....

Juice it

The only reason Bentley sells more units than Aston or Maserati is because people are buying them. Both of those companies would produce what they can sell and with the new Astons their will be more than ever on the street. As far as the maserati being more exclusive, keep thinking that. Those POS's are rare, not exlusive because no one wants them.

Ted Baldwin

...............I agree with you. I don't understand why people think that auto makers will choose not to sell you a car if you want it and can afford it. Mercedes will sell as many AMG's as they can and will Bently and Aston Martin. The production number in any product line is based on the manufacturer's estimate of how many units it can sell based on market forces. I hate to brake it to people..........No, there is no artificial limit on how many cars Aston Martin will sell just to be exclusive. The limit in how many cars Aston Martin produces is based on how many Aston's they think they CAN sell. Anyone and everyone, absolutely anyone and everyone that wants an Aston, or Bentley or AMG that can afford it WILL get one. Period. There is no velvet rope.

Ted

absent

The one and only exception is Ferrari...

seattlecarfreak

there are many other smaller car manufacturers that also fit into this criteria. (Most in europe) So as above, the paragraph is not entirely true.

Ted Baldwin

.............I very much doubt that being small manufacturers they would be able to produce cars in large vulumes but choose not to purely for the purpose of being exclusive. It is more likely that they produce as many cars as they think they can sell. A good example in the US is Panoz. They prduce a limited number of cars because they are a small company and their client base is small. If their potential buyer base increases, they will likely make more cars and make more profit.

Ted

absent

Any examples of manufacturers who artificially limit their production irrespective of demand?

sprins

Lamborghini: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/au...low_sales.html (registration required):

Ted Baldwin

............Good post, although I don't take manufacturer press releases very seriously. I would not expect him to say......"I think we have reached our sales ceiling and will be making less cars in order not to buld up excess inventory." Good info anyway.

Ted

absent

Good catch,although their statement sounds more like a wishful thinking,hoping to make their cars more Ferrari like in demand and desirability.
Sounds like they want to make them less easy to buy for anyone who has the $$ and can get one off the Showroom floor immediately.
Anyway,its just a statement,market feels differently for them,since their cars are readily available.

Juice it

Ferrari definately has the storngest brand and after reading some of the more reasent posts on Fchat it amazes me some of the crap potential ferrari buyers will go through to get a new car. The new thread about Ferrari making buyers sign a right of refusal for the first three years at MSRP and not what market value is just rubs me the wrong way. The delusional people think this will stop the flipping but in reality it will allow the dealers to do the flipping as they will buy the car back and then do the marking up.
Since you are getting your 599 soon, have you seen the contract yet? Not that most won't keep the car for three years but just the notion of them trying to double dip on a car you paid for and is your property isn't the way to treat customers that already jump through hoops to buy cars. I can't wait till the product cycle goes back to the Testarossa days where they need to discount cars to move them.

Juice it

Agree. I like Lambos but they will sell as many as they can. There is no way they can turn the brand into Ferrari and they are in the business of selling cars so I would say get the new Murci replacement out an put a real top on the convert, bump the HP on the Gallardo and sell what you can.

seattlecarfreak

one well known example is bugatti.. try buying a vehyron. Costs them $1.7 million to produce and they sell for $1 million. (Don't quite understand the whole story there..) also i think the classic body style morgans are in a similar situation, with a long waiting list of years. (Can't just walk into a dealer and buy one..) I'm sure there are quite a few others, but I don't keep up. Supercars.net has thousands of unique cars on there and i'm sure more than a few may easily fit into this criteria.

Juice it

Actually the Veyron will cost you at least 1.4 and they don't limit production, they just can't make any more any faster than they do. I here they lose a little on each car but the press they have received and the cars performance puts them back on the map and hopefully that trans and other stuff from the car will trickle down to some of the more affordable cars.

AcesHigh

Back to Astons I think that it is a fantastic nameplate. The cars are beautiful to look at and while it may not "get you through a corner 0.00042 seconds faster" or have a "3.9555 0-60" none of that is supposed to matter. It is designed to be a luxury cruiser not a Ferrari competitor. I think the big turnoff for most people is the fact that it is a front engined coupe, and most people expect something a little more exotic for that price (ie targa top, convertible, and so on and so forth).