I'm contemplating selling my 2017 Porsche Panamera and getting a Bentley GT Convertible in the near future. I was always a big fan of the 911's and was waiting for my kids to get big enough to fit in the back without car seats to get one. But after seeing a couple of Bentley's, I'm thinking it might be a better choice. With the 911, I'd be going new - with the Bentley, I'd have to go 2-4 years used. While I'm very familiar with Porsche, I'm not as familiar with Bentley or the Continental. If anyone has any general advice, suggestions on what years to avoid or go after, etc.. I would greatly appreciate it. I still haven't decided what to do, and don't even drive much now - just trying to get some general info for the future. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

I've never owned a 911 and my Bentley GT is almost 15 years old, but I have been in 911s and I can tell you…they're so completely different your question is hard to answer. The Bentley is luxurious and very, very, very heavy. It does not handle like a sports car, it handles like a very heavy and expensive luxury car with an enormous engine and four-wheel drive. It's also remarkably small inside, but so is the 911. My teenager does not fit comfortably in the back seat, little kids would though.

In the Bentley, everything is heavy and luxurious. The ***** for the vents are heavy and metal. The gear selector is solid and moves with heft. The turn signal stalks are heavy and solid. The seats are substantial.

The 911? It's super-low to the ground and drives like a freaking go-kart. I mean, it is light and rear-wheel drive and feels small and low and incredibly quick. It has a much harsher ride than the Bentley. It's probably faster but not by a whole lot, however the Bentley couldn't go around cones or slalom like the 911.

The 911 is light and the interior reflects that. A lot more plastic, the doors are skinnier…I mean, the Bentley has double-paned side windows! To keep the road noise down!

But the 911 is a true sports car. It's pretty close to my old favorite, the Lotus Esprit, light steering, can power the rear wheels into spinning a bit when exiting a corner if you're proficient; the Bentley is all-wheel drive and just powers along.

So that's it. Test drive both, but you will quickly realize they aren't comparable.

I don't really groove on the 911 series, I don't know why. I haven't liked the looks, ever. I don't like the go-kart feeling, like I'm sitting three inches off the ground. The steering is go-kart-ish as well, incredibly responsive, but going over a rough road you feel like you're hurting the car. The Bentley is solid and takes bumps and potholes like a champ. It's faster than 95% of the cars on the road (although as Teslas grow in popularity, that is changing), but it drinks gas like a…I don't know how to describe it. You can actually watch the gas gauge go down as you putter around town. I'm always thinking, "I should get gas" because I don't want to be caught short if I'm ever in a hurry and this starts at the halfway point.

It sounds like you're a Porsche guy. I think it's like how you can't mix blood types in transfusions; I think you won't like the Bentley nearly as much as you'll like a Porsche. I know I don't like the Porsche nearly as much as I like the Bentley.

Revving the W-12 is way cooler sounding than revving the puny six in the 911, BTW.

 

That's very useful, thank you! I think I like the idea of the 911 cab more then the actual car. The last time I test drove it, I had a tuned Audi S6 4.0TT V8 and came away thinking the 911 felt a little bit under powered and under whealming. The fully loaded Panamera I have now I really like actually, but I always wanted to get a convertible and it feels a little big at times. I drive my 5 & 6 year old once in a while, but we primarily use my wife's car for that. I've never test driven the Bently, but really like the way it looks and the luxury interior seems even nicer then my Panamera. The agency I own does a good amount for auto brands (including Bentley), but out of all the car brands it's one of the few I'm not super familiar with. Any advice on what model years to look at? I'd have to go a few years used, the prices for new don't make enough sense for me (but I'd still prefer for it to have some kind of cpo warranty).

 

Well then you might like it, but I still suspect you're a Porsche guy at heart.

I've never driven a convertible, I know that if the top causes problems, they are crazy expensive problems and often can lead to a whole top replacement for $15k. Search this forum.

In terms of models I recommend, the newer the better, I drive a pre-2010 and all of ours are pretty much identical, 2003-2010, then they made some changes in 2010, then changed to a V8 in 2015 and changed the styling.

But deep down, the Bentley is a high-end Audi with British styling, the cars from 2003-2018 aren't really all that different from each other.

The pre-2010 infotainment system is junk and needs to be replaced for $2,000 or so to really enjoy the car. 2003-2010 also have a vacuum issue that is exceptionally expensive to fix . But the price is right, I bought a spotless 2005 model with the vacuum already done, without a scratch or ding for $34k.

If you have the money, the later the better probably, especially if you can get beyond 2010, but the prices jump a lot. Mechanically, I've had some problems that were related to the car never, ever being driven (it looked brand-new when it came off the car carrier from the shipper). I got it all sorted out, changed out the radio and it has been flawless ever since…that's the Audi part of the car showing its pedigree.

I don't know where you reside, what country, but here in the States, at least in my area, there are always five or ten different ones to go take a look at. The convertible is rarer, I've never driven one.

I'm over convertibles, I owned a Spitfire as a teen and a Mustang GT convertible in my early 20s, got it out of my system.

I found women don't actually like them much, it's a hair issue that I never really fully recognized since my girlfriends were always accommodating (I used to carry hair bands on my Spitfire map reading light for my long-haired college girlfriend). Anyway, the girls didn't like it but didn't know they didn't like it. Later in life I rented a convertible for a Florida resort vacation and my wife was miserable with her hair whipping around for the long drive down the Keys. She was, to say the least, "not encouraging" me to buy a GTC.

So double-check with the wife unit that she actually wants to drive around in a ponytail. Your four-door Porsche may actually be the right car for you, hate to say it. Those are nice, solid cars with a lot of power and a lot of room. No styling to speak of, you're not going to get the tourists to point at it when you drive by like they do to my Bentley, but the Bentley is very rare and absolutely gorgeous in an understated way. I've always loved British styling and never have loved German styling, it's just a personal thing. I've owned two Triumphs, a Lotus and a Bentley, all of them quirky, all of them rare and all of them made me smile as I walked up to them in a parking lot.

But skip the 911 if you're not passionate about it, the premium price they get is only worth it if you breathe Porche.

 

Very good info, thank you! Yes, my wife doesn't like the convertible idea either lol. I'm by NYC, so tons of examples here to look at and test drive. Did you get any after market warranty for yours or you're paying for repairs out of pocket?

 

Out of pocket. And you better have deep pockets, I replaced the third brake light that shorted out due to water and it cost $1,500. A turbo waste gate actuator was an engine-out process. I think that total bill was nine grand, but I did $3,000 worth of preventative parts replacement.

If you need work, it's expensive. But they don't need much work, in general. My problems were the third brake light (who cares? But I fixed it), a sticky thermostat, a sticky wastegate actuator and a sticky exhaust/muffler valve actuator. All of these were from the car sitting for probably a year, or years. The sticky wastegate actuator could only be felt under full throttle, which is a rare thing in the city (I'm downtown Chicago), the thermostat and exhaust were non-issues but I fixed everything to make the car perfect, by getting to buy it for $34k, I knew that I would have to invest in it a little more.

I am nearly certain that there is no way for you to get an aftermarket warranty for a Bentley that will do what you think it should do. The parts are just too crazy expensive. If you're not comfortable writing a $6k check after the check engine light goes on, you might not be super-happy with a purchase. But again, that's rare.

Don't buy one with ceramic brakes, those are cray-cray expensive to replace, I have means but the numbers made me sweat just reading them.

Oh and I personally think the "speed" version is silly; this car is nutso fast, an extra 50 or 100 hp isn't going to make your life any better.

 

Thank you!

 

Whats you budget ? Can you get in to a Generation 2 which came out around 2011 ?

I used to own a 2008 W12 Convertible and changed it for a 2015 Generation 2 V8S Convertible. This fixed all of the issues i had and others have had with regards to the Gen 1 Including the Vacuum lines, petrol guzzling and hideous infotainment system. Not to mention the interior and exterior improvements that always come with newer models. I love the fun factor of the roof off, it absolutely transforms the drive into an "Event" and with the push of a button, on comes the roof again. The V8 is much more economical than the W12 if thats of any issue to you. Also the "S" has a stiffer suspension along with a 10mm ride height reduction.

Just another option for your consideration if you want to keep a sportier feel.

 

Good info, thank you. How's the maintenance & repair cost on your 2015? I'd get ~$80k trade-in for my Panamera, can probably add another $40k on top, so I can probably get to the 2015-2017MY territory. The new 2020 one looks amazing, but definitely outside of how much I'd want to spend (MSRP's for 260k+!!).

 

In answer to your question regarding my maintenance and repair costs, Ive owned it for 1 year, so zero. Annual oil and filter change due next week. Yes the Gen 3 does look outstanding and also outside of my reach at the moment.

 

Amelen if you are interested I am selling my 2010 Supersports with 6000 miles and a buddy of mine is selling his 2011 Supersports with 14,000 miles. Mine is white with the ref super sport interior and his is black with the luxury black interior (rear seats). Both are going at a competitive price and in pristine condition . He is in Boonton NJ and I am in Oyster Bay LI. If you want to come take a look and drive me just to see it in person and take for a ride, I am fine with it.

 

Thank you for reaching out! This was more of a future-looking idea, and I'd want to look at much newer versions (preferably with some kind of warranty). I do appreciate the offer though!

 

No Problem. Bang for the buck the SS are a bargain, essentially new for under 90k. Steal....

 

Hello, I have a 997 and my father has a Gt Speed of 2008. They are totally different cars. Porsche is more sportive car, Bentley more luxurius. Porsche is cheaper if you have a problem, Bentley as I saw by the moment is more expensive and the electronic components need more atention than in Porsche. Bentley consums are higher than Porsche.
The space for passengers... are really small, smaller in Porsche but not too much difference.

I preffer Bentley for a travel, much more confortable than the Porsche.

In my opinion Bentley is a higher step than Porsche but both are really good cars.

 

I had a 911 996 turbo and replaced it with my 2008 gt speed.
2 adults in the back of the 996 almost impossible. I regularly have parents in the back of the speed. It might not look like much more room but in reality its night and day and the speed has real rear seats not just push on cushions.