Bentley Brooklands (1992 - 1999) 4d (92) (1994/L) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

That I'm a pretentious prat? Naaa..... The people that know me know I bought it because I like handmade quality goods if I can afford them (for reference I'm a middle manager in an engineering firm who appreciates traditionally made goods). The people that don't know me I'm not too bothered about.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

See above

Would you buy this car again and why?

Anyone that knows about Rolls Royce's and Bentleys will know that it takes a long time to find one you really like in the right colour with the right trim at the right price etc etc, so I'd rather hang onto this one than sell it and by another. But to answer the question? Yes I'd buy another.

What are you likely to buy next?

When it eventually comes to selling it I really don't know what I'll buy. Possibly even an older model Bentley for weekends and something else to go to work in.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Independent

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£0

When did you buy the car?

September 2006

Did you get a good deal and why?

I bought it from a specialist dealer in Cheltenham who had priced it to sell rather than hang on to. I was therefore happy to pay the asking price (plus I was going away for three weeks so didn't want to lose it), and I'm happy with what I paid as it came with full history, keys, books etc and had obviously been looked after.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

Simple desire. After 5 Jaguars I wanted to take it up a step but prefer the sporting image of the Bentley to the more glitzy Rolls Royce.

What was the dealer like?

The guy was a polite business man. He'd been in the trade for years and knew I was serious about buying so (thankfully) dispensed with the sales talk and got straight down to business. Phew!

What's it like to drive?

The earlier ones you 'sailed' as opposed to 'drove', but by 1989 Rolls Royce had sorted out the suspension and as a result it's a joy to drive. It handles well with the 'active' dampers and is really much more nimble that it looks. High seating position makes it a breeze in town and motorway cruising is smooth, quiet and effortless.

What's it like to park?

You just need to be sensible when choosing a space. Keep to long wide spaces with (if possible) no MPV's or 4x4's next to you (it's the kids getting out the back that does the damage!) and you'll be fine.

Have you had any problems with the car?

I reasearched well and knew what to look for. As a result I'm happy to say that so far the car has been exteemely reliable and trouble free, although I do think this is also down to the way it's been looked after by it's previous owners. Also I drive it about 3 or 4 times a week and I think that does it the world of good.

What's most practical about your car?

For something so exotic it's good to still have 4 doors and a boot, albeit a small boot! (all the area behind the seats is taken up by the fuel tank, which when full however gives the rear wheels good grip in the winter!)

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

Lots of handmade British wood'n'leather which it has in bundles. I do particularly like the night time/day time horns though!!