15th Aug 2007, 16:04

I bought my 1993 Bentley Turbo R last January. I previously owned a 1988 Bentley Mulsanne S and a 1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II. I would agree that maintenance is very expensive, but when everything is working and you climb behind the wheel and start the engine... it is absolute heaven. I drive my Turbo R everyday. My gasoline mileage in town is 12 mpg and on the highway about 15-16 mpg. In regards to the earlier review whose car averaged 7 mpg... something is very wrong and the car should be inspected. It is absolutely crucial that you have a good technician for the servicing of your car. I learned a long time ago, there are no short cuts. Regardless of year, these are premium quality cars that require commensurate service. But I can also say, that when the proper repairs have been made, you will not have to make them again for a very long period of time.

Driving these cars are like no other on the road. Nothing compares regardless of year. People ask me all the time, "why do I drive this kind of car?" I drive this car because not everybody has one and it is a way to express my individuality in a sea of generic automobiles. The comfort level and quality is beyond reproach and it is truly a work of art and craftsmanship. A Bentley of any year, is always in style, which cannot be said of most cars. It brings me joy every single day and a joy to the people you pass by on the street. Every man or woman should own one at least in one point of their lives.

18th Aug 2007, 04:15

It is a sad, sad day. I took KCX25677 to my local mechanic for an oil change. Some other guy brought in a Ford Explorer for minor work. I went out of town to Washington DC for some meetings and got a very bad phone call. The Explorer had caught fire after everyone had gone home due to a factory defect in the cruise control and the entire building full of cars was ruined. 27 cars and trucks are now in the hands of the insurance people. You cannot imagine how terrible the inside of my Turbo R is looking with layers of oily soot on everything. Hopefully some you will be able to get some quality parts from the "Flyin B". Now the search for another Tudor Red, 1989 begins. Sadly, Charlie.

10th Jan 2008, 06:22

I am currently driving a 1990 Turbo R with 116,000 miles on the clock. It's not mine; it's a loaner while my regular 1998 Brooklands R is in for some work. I test-drove a few Turbo's before settling on a Brooklands a couple of years ago, as I didn't need the extra power. When you're behind the wheel of a Bentley or a Royce, you don't feel in a hurry. The world can jolly well wait for you!

I concur with the points which have been made on the forum before. Firstly, the Turbo R drives beautifully. You would not know it was nearly 18 years old. And you can pick it up for under £15,000.

Second, maintaining one is unbelievably expensive. By all means do the minor works yourself, but do entrust anything you can't do to a specialist. I attended a weekend workshop for SZ cars (RR Spirit/Spur and Bentley Mulsanne/Eight/Brooklands/Turbo) run by the RREC, where after a series of lectures on the first day, they lifted everyone's car onto a ramp on the second day so we could see underneath. Then we were shown how many things a normal mechanic could get wrong if they had not had proper Rolls Royce training.

Running costs are huge, but that is balanced out by negligible depreciation. A 15-year-old Turbo R or Brooklands might drop £5,000 after 5 years. Even if regular maintenance costs £3,000 per year, you are running a car for £4,000 per year (not including insurance or financing costs).

To conclude, they are worthwhile if you have a passion for them, but do "do the maths" before you buy!

23rd Feb 2008, 15:51

I am considering purchasing a 1990 Bentley Turbo R with only around 61,000 miles on the car. I've never owned a Bentley and I must say that in my opinion the Turbo R is about the most beautiful car I've ever seen. My wife drives a Volvo, and this car (the Bentley Turbo R) seems to be head & shoulders above a Volvo.

I was wondering if there are any knowledgeable suggestions from someone out there in regards to scrutinizing the vehicle for mechanical flaws, etc. I know I need to do a bunch of checking before purchase (i.e. insurance, appropriate repair/maintenance shops in my area - Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.)

Any comments would be greatly appreciated. I realize maintenance could be a bear... and have read all of the comments from previous messages.

Thanks in advance for any help.

25th Apr 2008, 22:15

I need some advice on a rear end axle noise that I am getting out of my 1991 Bentley Turbo R. I recently had the oil changed, and now I have almost a grinding noise?

12th Aug 2008, 09:36

I own a '67 RR Shadow and a '61 RR Silver Cloud II. I have been looking at the Bentley Turbo R for several years now, as I would like to have a modern Rolls/Bentley, especially with modern A/C. I love the styling of the Bentley Turbo R. I have had numerous conversations with club members (RROC) here in Pennsylvania. If you are on the east coast, John Palma of Palma Automotive is a good source of technical expertise on these modern RR/B cars.

I agree with one person who wrote that age not mileage is often a factor in a failure of a part. I looked at one car in California that had 70,000 miles, an '89 Turbo R. It was cheap at $15,500. But a mechanic's inspection revealed at least $7,000 worth of repairs. Then I would have had to ship it to the east coast. Plus my concern was that if it needed that kind of work, maybe it wasn't too well taken care of. You really need to stay on top of the maintenance with these cars, and you don't want to buy a car from someone who has "given up" or deferred the maintenance because it's too expensive.

My old cars are carburated, and the majority of things that can go wrong or need maintenance are usually mechanical in nature. With these modern cars, the electronic failures or failure to components like air bags, anti-lock brakes, adjustable shocks can be very expensive. Yes, you can buy one for $15,000, but you can easily spend $15,000 or more. These cars are not like Hondas. They do have numerous problems probably because RR/B didn't have the development money. How about cosmetics? These cars are nearly twenty years old. Paint doesn't last forever.

If you're planning to take one of these cars on, and you're fussy like I am, be prepared to spend a considerable sum finding a well maintained car with good paint and interior. It doesn't have to be perfect, but if the maintenance is up to date, it's a lot better than finding one that has been sitting a long time, or has been used infrequently with no service records. Be careful of dealers or private individuals who have no service records.

By the way, I could only find one manufacturer (Avon) who is making the correct size tire for these cars at approx $800 each.