“Socially,” the owner says, “this car will change your life!” Who could deny that? It’s a Red Label 2000 Bentley Arnage Turbo, and you can buy it here on Craigslist in Santa Monica, California for a paltry $19,999—the price of a used Camry. For Bentleys and Rolls-Royces the purchase price is notoriously just the down payment, but the good news is that this one has been regularly maintained—and looks spectacular. Thanks to Tony Primo for the tip.
The Bentley was serviced regularly at a specialist in Santa Monica, and separately at Quality Motors in Canoga Park. The 25-year-old car is “not perfect,” but is pretty darn good.
The list of recent service is long, and includes: All drive belts and synthetic oil change done at 67,800 miles; brand-new full aluminum radiator, with full coolant flush; new rear suspension and gas tanks; two new batteries; upper and lower ram pipe seals (whatever they are, but it’s a “big job”); new o-rings, air pump belt, coolant thermostat gasket and thermostat; air pump belt; electrical relay replaced; coolant level sensor. There’s even a new radiator cap.
Cars of this era have tons of older and aging technology on them, and finding out what’s gone wrong can be a nightmare of replacing one part after another to find the problem. This one sounds like its been regularly looked after, which is crucial. There’s no check-engine light after 3,000 miles of driving with the current owner.
Things you should know—the tires are at around 60 percent, and the brakes the same. One wheel is missing a center cap, and the bumper is missing a reflector. None of this will prevent your squiring your new Bentley around town and being the envy of the neighborhood. This feels like a Santa Monica/Miami Beach car—very extroverted.
The photos are pretty good, although the engine is not fully shown. They reveal a very well-kept Bentley with no immediate needs. The leather-and-wood interior is incredibly sumptuous, which is why this car cost $209,000 in 2000 dollars ($405,319 today). And here it is, with 67,000 miles and a lot of maintenance money spent, for a tenth of that.
This model was around for a while, from 1998 to 2009. It’s the first cousin to the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph. It was a clean-sheet-of-paper design for the separating Rolls and Bentley at the time. The Arnage was replaced by the Mulsanne in 2009.
The Silver Seraph used the M73 BMW V-12, but the sportier Arnage came in two versions, Red and Green Label. The Red Label, this car, had a stiffer chassis and used the British 6.75-liter turbo V-8 from the older Turbo R (400 horsepower and 616 pound-feet of torque). It could reach 60 mph in 5.8 seconds.
The Green Label’s engine was a 4.4-liter twin-turbo BMW V-8 producing 344 horsepower. The Green Label with BMW power, proved the more reliable of the pair, and was less costly to service. But purists like the more British Red Label. The Green Label car is really rare—only seven were built, all in LHD configuration. In total, only 1,243 Arnages were built for 2000.
There’s probably room for some bargaining here. Classic.com puts the 2000 Arnage Red Label at only $18,443. But this is a better than average example. How much is arriving in style worth to you?
Good gracious! Like sx on whels! (add an ‘e’ where you wish).
Not sure where you got the horsepower figure, Jim — IIRC, the output was always described as “adequate” or “sufficient” — but having driven a Turbo R, I’d say you’re very much in the ballpark.
For such a large luxury yacht, these Bentleys can be pushed along back roads with some enthusiasm, but that never seemed to affect the ride quality or the silence of the interior. And of course the finishes are exquisite.
From all I’ve heard, Bentleys and their Rolls-Royce kin will last forever if maintained properly. I’d consider the cost of such work as insurance. And the price of the rather large amount of petrol they consume as simply what one pays for such a magnificent automotive experience. There’s nothing else like them. And, sadly, we will probably not see their like again.
Ron Wood from the Stones 🎸 apparently only drove Bentleys.
So did Mr. Wood, or “Wood” as you might refer to him, stop driving?
A missing bumper reflector AND a missing center cap?!?! Geez, I dunno. Took it right off my “gotta buy it NOW” list.
Seriously, a definite social magnet in some places-the Caesars New Republic at Lake Tahoe, or The Luxor on The Strip. Very well kept from all quick glances.
Interesting write-up Jim. I didn’t realize they were this expensive new. Your phrase “the price of a used Camry” got me thinking. Obviously this car has way more cachet than a Camry. Has had lots of work, but of course there are other things which could go wrong. If one lived where it could be nearby serviced with confidence, and said service was fairly priced (you know, not $1000 for an oil change), this might be an interesting and fun car to own.
Servicing would be a concern and the local RR/Bentley/Jag/Rover shop, Acme Car Service is now permanently closed. I drove by frequently but found other sources to do Mini and BMW service. Since they are gone I will have to pass on this…fortunately.
I’ve been in a Rolls once in my life. I was the advertising director of a regional department store company in the late 80s, and our owner, who owned the Rolls, took me and a couple of other guys to lunch one day. Even in a large Texas city, that Rolls turned heads. And the feeling of riding in that tank was one I’ve never forgotten. Ever since, when I see a car like this at a price I could easily afford, that lil Devil hops on my shoulder and whispers in my ear, “Life is short, Dave, why not?”. So far, I’ve been able to resist. So far. . .
I drove a 1976 Rolls-Royce around the block once. The fellow was trading it in on a 1985 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series. That nine year old Rolls, drove every bit as good as the brand new Lincoln.
The seller is not lying – the cost of maintenance and repairs on this car will definitely change your social life.
Very good!! 😂😂😂
It will change your social life, as you take a bus from the homeless shelter to the garage after going broke…
A new radiator cap might be half of the asking price.
The Arnage (and related Silver Seraph) were a bit of a reversal for Bentley (and Rolls-Royce). While previous generations had bodies by Pressed Steel and engines by Rolls-Royce, these cars had bodies built by Rolls-Royce and engines outsourced to BMW.
Run Forrest, run!!
So true
I desperately want this car. Stunning paint, gorgeous interior. A once in a lifetime chance to experience what only the uber wealthy enjoy. But then I noticed that the exhaust outlets are uneven and that is a deal breaker for me…
To me it indicated inattention to detail. There could be some real expensive surprises waiting. This one would be best gone over with a fine-toothed comb by a recognized expert.
Yes, it will definitely change your social status and your bank account at the same time🤣🤣🤣
Craigslist says a lot to me.
With that said, that interior color for me says pass. Ugly but it is a cool car, I would be worried every time I drove it, would it be the last time it starts???
There needs to be a little clarification on the engine as described above. The Arnage Red Labels DID use the 6.75 liter Rolls-Royce engines, however, unlike the Turbo R as mentioned above, these Red Label Arnages used a twin-turbo system. The Turbo R was a single Garrett turbo. The biggest concerns with these Arnages is the head gaskets have a big tendency to go if you press too hard into the turbos before the engine has had the opportunity to truly warm up. It’s one of the most expensive repairs on these: $10,000-15,000.
NOT a ‘barn find’
at this rate, Barn Finds is becoming an Auto Trader 🤷
imo
this car is obnoxious, maybe id it werent red..
id take the engine out and put it in a e39 540iT, sell the rest to someone who craves attention and likes to front wealthy.
Put an LS in it and drive it. I know stupid but someone had to say it. Just buy it and consider it like going to Vegas with 20 K burning a hole in your pocket
you’d think a lot of people would put in a different motor and do just that. Maybe you can simplify the suspension as well, everything is so overengineered on these things.
Wow, 3,000 miles without a single check-engine light! How remarkable! The mention of that fact tells much more than it reads.
Someone either removed the bulbs or cut the wires :-)
That interior is incredible. Almost worth all the potential headaches
$209,000 in 2000 dollars – now available for $19,900 in 2026 dollars – a really great investment opportunity – park it in your garage and roll it out occasionally for the neighbors to see – they will think you are some big shot (drug dealer, former politician, etc., etc.)
The “red” label cars have headgasket issues which was a design flaw from Bentley. There were massive warranty claims when the cars were new. Bentley never “formally” admitted the design flaw, BUT cautioned owners to fully warm their cars to operating temperature before driving them! Cost of HG replacement is about equal to the advertised price of the car! The “green” label Arnages did NOT have the HG issue!
What a presence! Red to boot!….yet something bothers me here; you shell out $200+K for quality (prestige) , yet, at a mere 70K miles, the car is in need of thousands in repairs and maintenance ? I wouldn’t expect/accept this from a $20K car…..
A new radiator already? My 1980 Silver Shadow II still has its original. Replaced gas tank(s)? That sounds unusual.
The drooping exhaust pipe could be due to the hanger being bumped when they replaced the rear suspension. But what was replaced? Shocks? Accumulator? Springs?
I definitely would want a pro RR specialist to take a deep look into this car. However the beautiful cosmetic state could indicate it’s worth the effort.