The most Expensive car I own is a BMW M5, but that is because its a fun car and it is pretty understated. That and a JEEP Wrangler. I like to keep a low profile myself, I do not like to attract too much attention to myself. Flashing money around too much attracts the wrong people and the wrong kind of attention. Anyhow good luck with your sale.
From a strictly investment point of view, the value of that vehicle has dropped like Enron stock. $250k -> sub-$40k in 8 years is pretty astounding -- and F-150 holds value better -- are Bentleys that badly built, or that seriously over-priced to begin with?
High-end, expensive, complex cars tend to fall off in the secondary market. Used-car buyers are price-sensitive and shy away from vehicles that are costly to maintain (How much does a Bentley dealer charge for an oil change? Brake job? Tuneup?). Take a look at BMW 7-series vs 3-series resale prices as a function of original MSRP.
The vast majority of cars are not for investment. Although some of the older and rarer cars certainly can and do rise in value. As Rodney King said, it's not the cost of getting into the car, it's the cost of maintaining the car. I have a private mechanic so my cost is probably about 1/3 of what it would be at Manhattan Motor Cars (and we've always used strictly Bentley parts). Also, those in the market for a Bentley, are often not in the market for a 'used' Bentley. They are generally price insensitive and just buy it off the lot at MSRP. That said, the value proposition is buying it now as it will retain most of it's value. I bought it 2 years ago for $45k and it will have cost me a few grand to have driven a very sweet car with fairly reasonable upkeep costs. In 2 years, this car will still be worth over 30k if maintained well.
Ferraris are notoriously expensive to maintain, and I sure don't see good-condition ones on sale at those kinds of discounts. Curious that Bentleys fall off particularly far, particularly fast. Anyway, I was just curious.
You're right. There's an enthusiast market for 'exotic' sportscars, but not for high-end luxury cars. Ferraris are self-driven and the driving experience itself is most of the value. Bentleys are chauffeur-driven and the value is mostly status-appeal, which declines when the car is no longer late-model. In any case, Mr Ntb's car looks like a good deal.
Here's a few 'cheaper' Ferraris: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995...iewItem&pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3a5cc248a6 Only 17k miles Ferrari 456: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1996...iewItem&pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item43a04b9d78 308 GTSi http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1981...iewItem&pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4cf068041c 355 GTS: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RARE...iewItem&pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item255bd537a1 348 Spider: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GARA...iewItem&pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3a5caf2fdb