Im debating between 4 cars and the money i'm willing to pay peaks out at around 200K. The four cars are: 1. Bentley GTC 2. Maserati GTS 3. Ferrari California 4. Aston Martin V8V

I am aware that this is a Bentley forum, so I will be posting this in each respective forum so that I can get a broad range of answers from different owners. Thanks again for your input!

 

Your name indicates that you have already made up your mind.

 

It looks that way doesn't it? I've been watching James Bond lately and I just felt the urge to choose that name. Very nice Bentley by the way! Love the color. It just oozes class.

 

Thanks.

I cannot offer an opinion about the 1st two cars and I have only driven an Aston Martin V8 twice. At that time I was deeply in love with the design and the history of the Aston Martin V8. I passed on the Aston Martin because of the service history of the car I was looking at, my wife found it to be uncomfortable (it was going to be my car so that mattered but was not a deal breaker) and the comments posted on the Aston Martin forum at the time. My research indicated, at the time, that the Aston Martin and Bentley products are worlds apart in terms of reliability. The Aston Martin dealer assured me that the black V8 (it was a gorgeous black car) was fine. I then asked him for the service history. It was a horror story, like 10 tickets in 12 months. The weird thing is that the tires went flat on several occasions and like the standard Continental does not have a spare (you can get a space saver spare as an option on a Continental).

However I have owned two Bentley Continentals, a 2012 GT and my present 2013 GTC, and I can attest to the fact they are rock solid mechanically, they are fast especially for their size, they are comfortable and they drive like a dream. My nature is to be critical. (My friends say that I constantly am either showing off, complaining or seeking approval and those are my friends.) As critical as I am I think the purchase of the Bentley GTC was one of the best things I have ever done.

 

Yeah... I am a bit worried about TCO and maintenance costs. I have heard terrible things about the reliability of Maseratis and Astons but only good things about Bentleys. But the GranTurismo and the Aston are so good looking that I keep forgetting about the costs to maintain them!

 

Hmmm... we have discussed this before a few times on threads.

MHO...

1. Bentley GTC... yes, reliable, reasonable to service and solid car dry or snow.

2. Maserati GTS... not a Ferrari but service costs are nearly the same.


3. Ferrari California... it's a Ferrari. Fun car and hopefully you drive it on tracks too, because with those capabilities it is wasted on public roads. Get ready for service costs and young boys and men adoring you everywhere.


4. Aston Martin V8V... build quality a bit less than expected for the money, some interesting service costs... women like the car.


Of course these are 'different' cars and each one may have a bit better _____ than the other one. The Bentley is a true Grand Touring that handles sun, rain, snow, etc so you give up some performance for comfort and real-world usability and reliability.

 

High maintenance items lose their good looks very quickly and expensively in terms of your money and your time. If you can't help yourself at least pick a car where competent service is available next to your house and have a 2nd car readily available.

 

That reminds me of this woman I dated....

 

Hahaha! I'll take your word for it! But what about the Ferrari? I heard that the later model Ferrari's are pretty reliable. And the Cali is a pretty good DD, considering it was built to be a GT car.

 

Good analogy. One we can all relate to and somehow we had to do at least once.

Just like the old saying goes "Good judgement comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience comes from using poor judgement."

 

"Good judgement comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience comes from using poor judgement." Wise words... I really like that quote. LOL. It has a nice ring to it.

 

It is very nice looking and it appears that they offer a 7 year maintenance agreement. I have to admit that I don't like the little round taillights although I've tried to.

It is quite different from the Bentley so it would depend on what kind of car you want. I already owned a SL500 when I bought the Bentley. Both have a "boulevard" ride which is my preference. They are also low maintenance which appeals to us highly impatient types. I did own Corvetts and did purchase a Lotus Super 7 when i was younger and had a become temporarily insane.

 

I'm cross shopping three of these cars so hopefully I can help.

Astons are beautiful elegant machines but their reliability doesn't speak well long term. I looked heavily into a V8 Vantage but I couldn't justify the "average" maintenance cost owners were suggesting. The Maserati on the other hand is Italian sex appeal at its finest. I've never heard such an incredible exhaust in my life. Their styling is bold/sporty and the interior is gorgeous but not nearly as sumptuous/high quality as the Bentley. Here in the US they are discounting the 2013 models pretty heavily so it's most likely the most affordable option you listed (which is why my wallet is leaning towards one). The Bentley however is just a jack of all trades. I think it has the most beautiful interior and exterior styling out of all the cars, it exudes class/luxury/sportiness, uses the finest materials available, and they are built like a tank.

Ultimately, if I were in your shoes, I would opt for the Bentley. They are the best of the best dream cars.

 

You can buy a brand new, 2013 GTC for just under $200K MSRP. Allowing for a discount, you can be out the door in the low $190s.

You can't buy a new Cali for anywhere near that money and would have to settle for a used car with limited time left on its warranty.

The Maserati isn't even close in terms of price, exclusivity, and quality interior. I went to my Bentley/Maserati/Jaguar/RR dealer in December to try on a new GranCabrio and found the interior uncomfortable and the finish inside left a lot to be desired. So, I traded in my second GTC on my third, a 2013 GTC V8 which is my favorite of all 3.

A-Ms are beautiful but smallish and lacking oomph unless you get the Vantage V12. If having a usable rear seat means anything to you, then get the GTC because the Vantage doesn't have one.

 

My opinions and they are worth what you have paid for them.

1. V8V is a lovely car and I drove one home one night to show the wife. It was not what i thought it was. It was much more of a raucous race car and not a GT ride, The sound was great but the tranny was odd, some sort of automated manuel? Some what under powered and I'd consider the V12V. These are not smooth road cars. If you are stuck on AM(I love them too) consider the DB9 as a closer competitor to the Bentley GT.

2. I think the California is also a drop dead lovely car and it is the most road friendly of the family but have not drove one. I believe this car is a little more high strung than the CGT and therefore prone to be more needy of care and $.???

3.Maserati? Not even in the same class imho. Considering $, quality, reputation and build I think it lags behind the others in your list.

4. Bentley GT is more of a true luxury tourer and more sedately tuned and strung therefore it will be an "easy" daily driver and offer more road comfort. Fast, yes but smooth and beautiful but not as much of a corner carver as the others.

Just to make the matter worse for you, have you seen the new Jaguar XKRS? I likes it quite a bit but went for the Bentley because of the service record history of the brand.

Ultimately you will have to decide what are the most important criteria for you. Bentley is most luxury with Ferrari next then Maserati and Aston Vantage being the most sporting ride. I had to come off the fence and make a decision about what was the highest priority and luxury ride came up the winner. On the real roads I am not racing around most of the time. More miles are spent just going down the road loafing along in high style. Good hunting mate.

Already have a high maintenance wife needed a low maintenance car.