Lucid Air vs…Bentley Flying Spur??

[Cosmo Cruz]

You can get a great deal on older serial-production exotics. I sold my perfect 11-year-old Maserati for 20% of what I paid for it new. Just be very patient and wait for a well maintained, unmodified example to come along.

proof that this was my daily driver:

People say "If you can't afford a new Mercedes, you definitely can't afford a used one". BS.
This was the absolute pinnacle of Mercedes engineering. Built to last forever.

Saw this (2001 R-129 SL 600 ) in the window of the Merc dealership in 2000. Sicker was ~$140k or thereabouts.
I was unemployed.

around 2014 I found this one in FL. Wire transferred $12,500 and had it trucked to Philly - sight unseen.
Found the panoramic roof ($22,000 option) in AZ (paid $2000 for it -sight unseen) and had it shipped to me. Needed a latch pin...easy fix-- two bolts. Was my (seasonal) daily driver up until last summer (Lucid on the way).



It was well-maintained. I repaired the hydraulic top pistons (easy) and everything else was regular maintenance. Yes you can get a supercar for less than a Dodge Neon. Sold last summer { to another R 129 nut who drove up in the Silver Arrow edition SL 500}. ... for sold it for $11,000. In one day. There is always a market for rare and beautiful cars. (good luck trying to sell a 2001 Dodge Neon).

we few ... we happy few

 

[xponents]

You can get a great deal on older serial-production exotics. I sold my perfect 11-year-old Maserati for 20% of what I paid for it new. Just be very patient and wait for a well maintained, unmodified example to come along.

I mean, no offence but I would NEVER buy a used maserati. Too much maintenance.

 

[Tesla2.0]

proof that this was my daily driver:
View attachment 10499View attachment 10501
People say "If you can't afford a new Mercedes, you definitely can't afford a used one". BS.
This was the absolute pinnacle of Mercedes engineering. Built to last forever.

Saw this (2001 R-129 SL 600 ) in the window of the Merc dealership in 2000. Sicker was ~$140k or thereabouts.
I was unemployed.

around 2014 I found this one in FL. Wire transferred $12,500 and had it trucked to Philly - sight unseen.
Found the panoramic roof ($22,000 option) in AZ (paid $2000 for it -sight unseen) and had it shipped to me. Needed a latch pin...easy fix-- two bolts. Was my (seasonal) daily driver up until last summer (Lucid on the way).



It was well-maintained. I repaired the hydraulic top pistons (easy) and everything else was regular maintenance. Yes you can get a supercar for less than a Dodge Neon. Sold last summer { to another R 129 nut who drove up in the Silver Arrow edition SL 500}. ... for sold it for $11,000. In one day. There is always a market for rare and beautiful cars. (good luck trying to sell a 2001 Dodge Neon).

we few ... we happy few

That is a beautiful classic. I wish I have more garage space…

 

[pam4_AGT]

proof that this was my daily driver:
View attachment 10499View attachment 10501
People say "If you can't afford a new Mercedes, you definitely can't afford a used one". BS.
This was the absolute pinnacle of Mercedes engineering. Built to last forever.

Saw this (2001 R-129 SL 600 ) in the window of the Merc dealership in 2000. Sicker was ~$140k or thereabouts.
I was unemployed.

around 2014 I found this one in FL. Wire transferred $12,500 and had it trucked to Philly - sight unseen.
Found the panoramic roof ($22,000 option) in AZ (paid $2000 for it -sight unseen) and had it shipped to me. Needed a latch pin...easy fix-- two bolts. Was my (seasonal) daily driver up until last summer (Lucid on the way).



It was well-maintained. I repaired the hydraulic top pistons (easy) and everything else was regular maintenance. Yes you can get a supercar for less than a Dodge Neon. Sold last summer { to another R 129 nut who drove up in the Silver Arrow edition SL 500}. ... for sold it for $11,000. In one day. There is always a market for rare and beautiful cars. (good luck trying to sell a 2001 Dodge Neon).

we few ... we happy few

No offense, but this trunk reminds me of an open casket funeral. Is it just me?

 

[LucidNC]

As with any older car, always buy the lowest mileage and best maintained/documented example you can find. Mine is a 2006 because I wanted the very rare 6-speed manual transmission. I drive it very little, currently only 10k miles!!

lol .. 100% agree.

took me forever to find my "roscia" .. wanted the 430 and the gated manual .. finally found a 2006 w/ <9K mi. in 2015 .. now have just over 10K .. can't get myself to sell it.

 

[xponents]

lol .. 100% agree.

took me forever to find my "roscia" .. wanted the 430 and the gated manual .. finally found a 2006 w/ <9K mi. in 2015 .. now have just over 10K .. can't get myself to sell it.
View attachment 10505

For some reason, everybody in this thread has fantastic taste.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

I would like to see a new thread since we've gone off Mountain Man's track. I've been Bentley curious all my life (was a school boy in England) so I want to keep his post pure. Going to try to restart this as something like: " What ICE car did you give up to make room for your EV ?"

 

[Drendino]

I would like to see a new thread since we've gone off Mountain Man's track. I've been Bentley curious all my life (was a school boy in England) so I want to keep his post pure. Going to try to restart this as something like: " What ICE car did you give up to make room for your EV ?"

I believe that thread already exists. Might as well fire it back up.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

I believe that thread already exists. Might as well fire it back up.

sorry ... did not see it ... where ?

 

[Drendino]

sorry ... did not see it ... where ?

I just bumped it. It’s titled

What did you sacrifice for a Lucid Air?​

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Back to Mountain Man's point. Bentleys are awesome. I'd be willing to sacrifice the planet for a flying sperm. The owner of my local grocery store sometimes park it at the side employees entrance ... I always stop to gawk at it.
Art is art.
Next time I go to get local habanero cheddar I'll snap a photo.

Just to be clear ... my Luci is the love of my life ( wife does not do internet ... I'm safe).

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

lol .. 100% agree.

took me forever to find my "roscia" .. wanted the 430 and the gated manual .. finally found a 2006 w/ <9K mi. in 2015 .. now have just over 10K .. can't get myself to sell it.
View attachment 10505

 

[LucidNC]

Great movie!

 

[creair]

Regarding the Bentley, there is a certain fun with driving it especially the w12. Lucid is Fast but Bentley acceleration on regular driving is very smooth and linear and putting ur foot down hearing the v12 and the jolt always puts a smile to ur face. Bentley is more luxurious and quieter as well Lucid and Bentley are very far apart in experience and is more of a preference at that point

 

[scal_air]

View attachment 2488

Ok, this comparison is not exactly apples to apples, but I found it quite enlightening so I wanted to share. I have long wanted.
a Bentley Flying Spur, and now that I have had my Lucid Air DE a few months, I started wondering if I should sell it, reap a $50k profit, and get a Bentley. Dealer gave me a car for the day and it was VERY educational.

The Bentley is fast for a gasoline car, but nowhere near the Air. And having to deal with transmission shift-downs is horrific, no matter how smooth it is. The Bentley is quiet and luxurious, but not quieter than the Air. The ride is smooth, but compared to the Air it Drives like a land yacht, rolling through corners. The Air is very very solid and stiff and rattle-free. The huge Bentley couldn’t help shuddering over bumps, although it was whisper-quiet on smooth highways. Stomp the pedal and the Air accelerates brutally, scary, instantaneously, throwing your head back and making you dizzy and causing your passenger to laugh violently…the Bentley is pretty fast, but only gets going after the delay while the transmission figures out what you want it to do. The Air has solid brakes and controls very well, while the Bentley’s brakes feel like they’re struggling to stop a train going downhill. And to make us all feel a little better: This $350,000 Bentley’s software is not really any better than Lucid’s…it had delays for navigation and I couldn’t figure out an easy way to change the radio station. The Bentley’s B&O sound system is not as precise-sounding as the Air’s. The Bentley’s seat massagers are not nearly as good as the Lucid’s (but the Bentley seats are far softer and more coddling). The Bentley has this huge long hood stretching way out into the next zip code…the Lucid hood slopes off and gives you a sudden and unobstructed view of the world before you. After ripping around at full-bore for 10 minutes, the Bentley came back stinking of burning brakes and oil. The same blast around in the Lucid, at far greater accelerating and braking efforts, created no drama at all. Under general normal driving conditions, just cruising at 35 mph on city streets, they’re about the same in terms of smooth ride and quietness…except the Bentley feels the size of two Airs.

The big Bentley gets a 10/10 by Car & Driver and is considered the pinnacle of luxury. The Lucid is just as luxurious to me, but in a more Scandinavian way. It is faster, just as quiet, and feels far tidier. The Lucid is a nice roller coaster

ride - the Bentley is a nice coddling cigar room.

Is it me of does that first picture look like a Ford Tarus police car?