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I think there are a few reasons.
1. Since 2003 Bentley has been churning out Continentals at an unprecedented rate.
Check auto treader, an early GT can be bought for under 12k. Slap a private plate on it and any one looking at it could be excused for thinking its a new car. Hence there like *** holes, every one seems to have one. Bang goes the millionaire's exclusivity
Which leads on to..
2. Auto trader is full almost new last gen cars, which are almost an Audi with a posh interior. I think the rich are wanting more exclusivity. Perhaps the latest Gt is not all its made out to be either?
3. Basicaly the market is swamped with high end brand cars of many marques 15 to 20 year old at give away prices.
If I had super disposable cash, I would have a Koenigsegg, Bugatti, Aston, Ferrari etc.
Im not sure the rich dont buy cars because they feel bad about poverty or the state of the country's finance.
Its interesting to hear others views on this.
I think there are a few reasons.
1. Since 2003 Bentley has been churning out Continentals at an unprecedented rate.
Check auto treader, an early GT can be bought for under 12k. Slap a private plate on it and any one looking at it could be excused for thinking its a new car. Hence there like *** holes, every one seems to have one. Bang goes the millionaire's exclusivity
Which leads on to..
2. Auto trader is full almost new last gen cars, which are almost an Audi with a posh interior. I think the rich are wanting more exclusivity. Perhaps the latest Gt is not all its made out to be either?
3. Basicaly the market is swamped with high end brand cars of many marques 15 to 20 year old at give away prices.
If I had super disposable cash, I would have a Koenigsegg, Bugatti, Aston, Ferrari etc.
Im not sure the rich dont buy cars because they feel bad about poverty or the state of the country's finance.
Its interesting to hear others views on this.
To your 1st bullet point, I think the issues with the first gen vacuum lines and other problems that were never addressed properly lead to the market being flooded with them at a certain point thus being able to get them so cheap now.
To your 1st bullet point, I think the issues with the first gen vacuum lines and other problems that were never addressed properly lead to the market being flooded with them at a certain point thus being able to get them so cheap now.
I doubt the type of customer who buys the latest Gt or FS has ever heard of the vac lines on the early cars. To us yes its something to consider. But I belive the CEO was talking about new car sales, which precludes the older more affordable cars we/ I might buy.
I do wonder why there are so many almost brand new low mile Gt's for sale. Are they not as good as perhaps they were expected to be?
I have seen a 2019- 2020 atest model GT with low miles for under 100k.....
Mind you if I had bought a new Porche Tycan Turbo s for 170k I would be crying as they go for sub 70k now.
Last edited by Frank ( Sunnyside ); Mar 23, 2024 at 07:30 AM.
New car and used car markets are distinctly different. Yes, cheap relatively new used cars affect certain segment of new luxury car market but the core clientele don't even consider used. I see a decline in sales twofold; Rolls Royce and others have stepped up their game during last few years and recent offerings from mainstream manufacturers are excellent. During 1st and 2nd gen CGT/FS they were a real step up from (R)S Audis, AMG Mercs, big BMW:s and others. The gap has narrowed substantially. 90% of the car for 60% of the price is tempting to budget-conscious and those who don't care steer towards RR. This really shows, their sales have increased sixfold during last 15 years.
Few affluent people give a rat's **** what some people think. If they want a bespoke car, they simply order one. Bentley CEO seems to be a bit off his rocker if not paralyzed from the neck up imagining otherwise, he clearly doesn't have a realistic picture of his clientele and that spells trouble for the company.
New car and used car markets are distinctly different. Yes, cheap relatively new used cars affect certain segment of new luxury car market but the core clientele don't even consider used. I see a decline in sales twofold; Rolls Royce and others have stepped up their game during last few years and recent offerings from mainstream manufacturers are excellent. During 1st and 2nd gen CGT/FS they were a real step up from (R)S Audis, AMG Mercs, big BMW:s and others. The gap has narrowed substantially. 90% of the car for 60% of the price is tempting to budget-conscious and those who don't care steer towards RR. This really shows, their sales have increased sixfold during last 15 years.
Few affluent people give a rat's **** what some people think. If they want a bespoke car, they simply order one. Bentley CEO seems to be a bit off his rocker if not paralyzed from the neck up imagining otherwise, he clearly doesn't have a realistic picture of his clientele and that spells trouble for the company.
Agreed. Look at the Audi range of top models. I have to say, they do have that x factor.
As to the CEO , its all about shares, he cant been seen saying anything negative about the brand as within hours share prices would probably drop 4 or 5 %.
Im waiting patiently until the latest model drops to 70k then I will have one😃.
As to the CEO , its all about shares, he cant been seen saying anything negative about the brand as within hours share prices would probably drop 4 or 5 %.
Well, the CEO just implied that their clientele is emotionally incontinent bleeding heart virtue signalers who won't buy anything visibly nice because some less fortunate may get butthurt seeing it. That may well be true in some individual cases but hardly with the majority. Business executives, musicians, nobility, individually wealthy etc. buy luxury cars partly because of making a certain statement and I'd reckon that's the majority of Bentley clientele. These aren't puke-green Lamborghinis rather than a relatively subtle way to express wealth. RR does it better nowadays for a little more outlay and those who don't care opt for something else entirely.
Personally I might have barely been able to stretch to a brand new Bentley but all I really wanted was performance and comfort, caring only moderately about the brand image and the FS Speed was a particularly good deal - for facelift D4-bodystyle Audi S8 money - so why not. Great value. A few of my buddies have bought new over the years and I can't imagine any of them giving a second thought to what the less fortunate think about their car of choice. At all; the principle of buying a car for oneself seems to be common.
Of course the CEO needs to virtue signal on certain occasions but in this case he seems to miss the mark by a mile, repeating a rather ridiculous echo chamber narrative certain groups are so fond of nowadays.
I think a lot of new 'buyers' are really new lessees who lease their car for the length of the warranty and turn it in at lease expiration thereby never being exposed to the risk of service costs. That being said, a GT isn't all that rare (at least around here) like it used to be. Where I live, the parking lot at the supermarket can look like like an exotic car show most days and what I've noticed is that a lot of well off folks of retirement age are choosing something more exotic/sportier than the relatively more staid GT. I'm seeing a lot more Ferrari's, Lambo's and Corvettes now. Another issue for the GT is the trend towards more luxury SUV's with the Genesis GV80 offering a very appealing value proposition against the Bentayga.
As to not flaunting one's wealth, I think that has a lot less to do with 'guilt' than it does with not presenting oneself as a target. My EDC (every day car) is a Toyota Highlander for trips to places where attracting attention isn't in my best interest.
Personally I try to avoid circumstances where becoming a target or a victim may be a risk. I live in an extremely low crime area where my FS is just one of many so I haven't paid much attention to the whole aspect.
Then again, macroeconomics may be a factor. Back when there was a major recession some 30 years ago a friend of mine drove a brand new MB S600 and whenever it needed detailing he just parked it on the curbside overnight with a "The Money Men's Club of Finland" -sticker on the rear bumper. He usually got a full paint job, some new body panels and new windows, courtesy of the insurance company...
This is a true incident!!
I have to drive through a rough area a lot of unemployed and social hand out dependants it cant be avoided.
When I had my Cayenne Turbo I regularly got spat at and food thrown at it.
When I changed it for a new 996tt I still had problems but slightly less.
However, in the Bentley, I get kids coming up asking if I was a Boxer or some such bodily large star. I constantly get thumbs up and get young car heads asking me to give it a blip on the throttle....which I obligingly do.
Its weird, how different marques give of different persona.
Your story reminds me of a daily experience here. When I drive the 10 year old Highlander through my neighborhood people walking their dogs completely ignore me (as they should) but when I'm in the GT everyone smiles and waves. When at a 4-way stop intersection in the GT people always wave me through even when it's their turn - unless they're in a Bentley or RR too!
Where are you seeing gen3 GTs (2020) for $100K? $160K is the cheapest one I see on autotrader, and that's with 26K miles.
uk auto trader
2019 car. 50600 miles at £96,900 UKPS
2018 car 35729 miles a £94950 UKPS
2018 Car 36000 miles £89990 UKPS
Plenty more where they came from.
Granted most under 100k are 2018 to 2019
The 2020 car for just over 100k has been sold.
But those are the gen2 cars. In the US at least, the last gen2 car was a 2018. There was no 2019, the gen3 car started in 2020. Yes, I see some 2018s in the US for those amounts.
But those are the gen2 cars. In the US at least, the last gen2 car was a 2018. There was no 2019, the gen3 car started in 2020. Yes, I see some 2018s in the US for those amounts.
Not over here. There all duel clutch w12 gen 3 cars.
The gen 3 v8 came out later.
