Buying a Bentley Continental GT

What will £20,000 get you these days……. a bog standard VW Golf, a Ford Focus, a BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT!!!

Yes, for £20,000 you can buy a used, original, 2004 Bentley Continental GT. 6.0L engine tick, W12 tick, 4wd tick, 550bhp tick, Bentley badge and build quality….TICK.

In 2004 under ownership of Volkswagen, Bentley launched a stunningly constructed piece of British engineering, vast numbers of these Bentley’s were sold and that is why today, they are cheap to buy used. At over £110K new it represents a huge saving 15 years down the line, but the design does not look 15 years old and that is true testament to the design team with the new Continental GT using a lot of the original lines and features.

With good looks, the Bentley had power and speed to back it up, its 6-litre W12 engine producing just over 550bhp and 480lbft could reach 195mph and 0-60 in just 5 seconds.

On its launch, only the 3 door coupe was available, shortly followed by the 4 door Flying Spur in 2005 and in 2006 the GTC convertible. All of them use the exact same engine with the same power and torque.

Now I know what you’re thinking…over 2 tonne in weight, 6.0L engine, 12 cylinders, 2 turbos, huge torque from very low rpm, nearly 200mph, £110K new 15 years ago……its best to walk away…..well no, these Bentley’s are extremely good value for money and they can be extremely reliable with servicing costs and maintenance in line with most modern day Audi’s and Mercedes, just remember though, 22mpg is the best you can hope to see and tax costs £570 per year.

What to look for when buying a Bentley Continental GT.

1. You want to make sure your future purchase has been well cared for, serviced correctly, good provenance and money has been spent on it so make sure it has good service history, old MOT’s and a folder full of paperwork. The Bentley GT, GTC and Flying Spur need to be serviced every year regardless of mileage. Please click here to view our Bentley servicing costs or read our next blog where we will go into the servicing, maintenance and ownership of a Bentley Continental GT.
2. Rust or should I say NO rust. These Bentley’s do not rust so if you see signs of rust, walk away. Rust generally means its been in an accident and its been poorly repaired.
3. Spec – There was not really many options to tick (surprisingly) on its launch in 2004 as it basically came with every option anyway but we are talking 15 years ago so bluetooth, DAB, Ipod, cornering lights, lane assist, adaptive cruise control etc were still a few years away. The 2004 spec as standard included fully electric, heated, message seats, TV (no longer works), phone prep (phones no longer available), cruise control, sat nav (poor even in 2004), Auto Xenon lights, coming/leaving home lights, height adjustable air suspension, rear spoiler which operates at speed, front and rear parking sensors, 6 speed ZF auto gearbox and 4wd.This basically leaves you with a choice of wheels, exterior colour and interior colour. Early models include a choice of 6 body colours (Diamond Black, Burnt Oak, Cypress, Neptune, Spruce, and Umbrian Red), 8 hide colours (Beluga, Burnt Oak, Laurel, Nautic, Portland, Saffron, Savannah, Saddle), 5 veneer types (Burr Oak, Burr Walnut, Dark Stained Walnut, Madrona, Piano Black) and 4 carpet and seatbelt colours (Beluga, Burnt Oak, Laurel, Nautic).Mulliner spec – offered from October 2004 which included 20-inch 2-piece 7-spoke alloy sports wheels, drilled alloy sports brake pedal, accelerator and footrest, a gear lever finished in knurled chrome and hide, two-tone leather and veneer combinations, diamond quilted hide to facings, doors and rear quarter panels; embroidered ‘Bentley’ marque emblem to seat facings, indented hide headlining and dark-stained burr walnut or piano black veneer.
4.  Avoid nasty bodykits, 20″+ big wheels (ruins the ride quality and comfort), vehicles which have been wrapped and speed / supersport body conversions as this generally means its been in an accident and they have decided to upgrade.

At present we have this stunning example for sale – Please click here – 2004 Bentley GT, Mulliner spec, full Bentley and Bentley specialist service history, great colour combination and maintained regardless of cost

I hope this sets you on your way to finding your dream Bentley and in our next blog we will go into the servicing, maintenance and ownership of a Bentley Continental GT.