04 Vintage Bentley GT over 100,000 miles - avoid?

[mattman]

I've got to the point where i want to own something a bit special a.k.a. mid life crisis.

I'm not overly fussed on 911's and after driving a lovely specced up GTC Supersport through the alps a few years back i've always been fond of the GT.

Budget is ideally 20-25k and i'm looking to keep before 2006 to avoid the silly road tax.

There are a few cars to chose from in this price bracket and i'm doing my research as best i can - question i have though is whether there is any point even considering a car with over 100,000 miles or do i pay 4-5k extra for something with 50-60k? I understand the service history will be key on any car, but are we still looking at more potential cost for other parts on a car that has done more miles, or do they tend to work better if regularly used?

Other cars on the 'short list' include the BMW 840, Maserati 4200, AM DB7 - all a little bit stupid as i plan to use it as a 'daily' doing approx 8k a year

This one has caught my eye - but other cars in stock are Cat C so i'm not 100%
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/null-Bentley-Continental...


Thanks in advance for any advice or tips.

[POORCARDEALER]

You should be able to find a 70K miler early car for £25K if you are patient

[xjay1337]

Lot of car for not much money.

[Poshbury]

Check for proof that the gearbox vacuum hose has been replaced as early models suffered from split hoses, (shame on Bentley).
The fix requires the engine and gearbox to be removed, along with a load of other major parts. When I had mine done, it cost me £3,700 for that short piece of 13mm hose.

Great cars though and a smile a mile.

[waterden]

How about a Bentley Turbo R? A nice late 90s one with considerably less miles will hold its value and will cost no more than £20k. It will be less expensive to maintain than a Continental GT, which has a few well known weaknesses which cost a small fortune to correct. Also the Continental GT will continue to depreciate because there are so many of them and the older, cheaper ones have not always been maintained properly. Different cars, certainly, but each has its charm. If you want a really fast sports car where prices seem to have bottomed have a look out for a Maserati 3200 or 4200 or Gran Sport. Cost you less to buy than a CGT, about the same to run but with less or no depreciation. Or a DB7 i6 where prices are now rising but rather more restrained than the others mentioned here.

[gjlelec]

If your budget is £20 -£25k but you may splurge an extra £5k, that would get you into an early DB9, a far far superior car to the DB7 and without the 7s inherent rust problems. You could probably find " the nightmare job " lurking on any of the cars in your wishlist of that age ( GT gearbox hose as mentioned, isnt a starter motor replacement a big job on the GT too ?? ). I ran a DB9 for 8 years, reliable car. I remember the dealer telling me if you blow a head gasket on the V12, the engine is set back so far, there isnt room to lift the heads off, its a body off job

[waterden]

DB9s are reputedly less reliable than DB7 because their "superiority" lies in having more modern electronics. Also, since there are so many around they are likely to continue to depreciate for years to come whereas DB7s are now moving up because they are increasingly rare and, speaking from personal experience, very nice cars too.

[gjlelec]

i dont doubt a DB7 is a very nice car, but its steel and they rot. DB9s are aluminium and plastic. I also have no doubt that in 20 years time the db7 will be a far rarer car than a db9 because tin rot will claim a certain amount of db7s. Any car, not just Astons, the further its developed, the better it becomes. Drive an early xj6, then drive an end of the line version, no comparison. My advice to the OP is spend the max you can afford on the latest version of whatever car you choose. Personally, i've usually bought with my heart more than my head. I've no doubt there are very wealthy people on this forum with a "if it breaks, i'll just get it fixed, no problem " attitude to their cars but i'm not in that position. My fathers favourite saying- "thats a richs mans car, you're a working man" He's right of course, study the logic too much though and you'll never buy your dream (or nightmare ) car. Jump in, dont consult your wife either, she'll blow it on shoes/bags- good luck

[mattman]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Db9 would be pushing the budget a little too far. I do prefer the 3200 over the 4200 just for the boomerang lights.

But the GT just seems to be that little bit more special imho

[Speculatore]

I went from a very high spec 2007 manual DB9 coupe to a Continental GT Speed.... I would never go back...... I loved my Aston but my GT is better in every way....

[gjlelec]

Astons and Maseratis are "shouty" cars. Bentley GT is more reserved, you "proceed" in a Bentley lol

[waterden]

Having owned a CGT, and now owning a Continental R, I would say that much of the Bentley charm and mystique is in the packaging. Certainly, these are both powerful and nimble cars (yes, even the latter, up to a point) but other supercars do the power bit equally well. However, most don't have the presence or style of a Bentley. If you are thinking of buying at the £25k level you are probably taking a bigger risk with a CGT unless it has been serviced annually and garaged. Others have mentioned the splitting vacuum hose, which is a known design issue, and requires major work to replace. Another design issue is inadequate rainwater drainage from the scuttle, which can easily get blocked by leaves if the car is regularly left outside. Failure to address this can and usually does lead to a flooding of the passenger well which, unfortunately, also houses a lot of the electrics. If these go you have a £3,000 bill in prospect. The 6.75 V8 turbos on the earlier cars can also have issues, most notably head gasket failures (a £5k job) although this seems to be more of a problem with the late 90s more powerful engines. Regular maintenance costs will be a little higher on the CGT than on the SX Turbo R and Continental R, but should be within £1,500-2,000 a year unless something goes really wrong. The Continental R is well outside your indicated price range but a very nice Turbo R will be well inside it and is likely to be nicer than a similar priced CGT and should have considerably superior value retention. However, you will need a bigger garage. If you have this, try one out. You may have a pleasant surprise.

Edited by waterden on Wednesday 17th May 12:07

Edited by waterden on Wednesday 17th May 21:13

[mattman]

I'm sticking with the GT - have even managed to get approval from the boss lady too.

I'm assuming there are no additional horrors lurking after 100k - but as the prices are all over the place anyway, may as well go for the best combination of condition, history and colours

[Speculatore]

mattman said:

I'm sticking with the GT - have even managed to get approval from the boss lady too.

I'm assuming there are no additional horrors lurking after 100k - but as the prices are all over the place anyway, may as well go for the best combination of condition, history and colours

Whereabouts in Hampshire are you? There are a few GT owners in the area who might be willing to talk to you about it.

[enjoythemusic]

mattman said:

I'm assuming there are no additional horrors lurking after 100k - but as the prices are all over the place anyway, may as well go for the best combination of condition, history and colours

Good word assuming. Just do not assume reliability or reasonable repair cost. There are reasons why modern Bentley cars are so cheap and never appreciate in value and none have ever sold for above retail (read: collectable/valuable).

Be smart, understand why people are dumping Bentley cars cheap. They know and may have grown tired of constant high repair costs. The VW Group has a bad track record with their customers.

Edited by enjoythemusic on Friday 19th May 21:18

[turbobloke]

Poshbury said:

Check for proof that the gearbox vacuum hose has been replaced as early models suffered from split hoses, (shame on Bentley).
The fix requires the engine and gearbox to be removed, along with a load of other major parts. When I had mine done, it cost me £3,700 for that short piece of 13mm hose.

Great cars though and a smile a mile.

Allegedly this is the component in question (arrowed) and the price for that 5-inch or so piece of hose by itself is said to be quite an eye-opener - regardless of the labour cost for taking the engine and box out.

[Fiammetta]

Lot of regurgitated info from "Mr Google " here and negativity .
They are great cars and Surley a decent miler 04/05 launch modal will have been debugged .
I switched a Ferrari for a 04 Conti -attracted by the all weather 4wd ,which the Astons /Masers don,t ave for sub £25 K
It's been fine -dead comfy and you do feel special and get approving looks .
We travel in Europe a lot -hence emphasis on 4wd

Simplon pass

Gstaad

Our winter Residsnce gararge

Antibes

[waterden]

enjoythemusic said:

Good word assuming. Just do assume reliability or reasonable repair cost. There are reasons why modern Bentley cars are so cheap and never appreciate in value and none have ever sold for above retail (read: collectable/valuable).

Be smart, understand why people are dumping Bentley cars cheap. They know and may have grown tired of constant high repair costs. The VW Group has a bad track record with their customers.

Wise words! And at 6,000 per annum production they will never become collectable. In time these will go below £5k, admittedly better depreciation than some from here, but watch out for the black swan costs.

Edited by waterden on Friday 19th May 20:36

Edited by waterden on Friday 19th May 20:38

[gjlelec]

Think i would prefer Antibes from those pics. I want a cruiser now though too. Dangerous forum this

[turbobloke]

Fiammetta said:

Lot of regurgitated info from "Mr Google " here and negativity

Lot...iin less than 20 posts in toltal...

In whiich case you must have missed another 'lot' of posts sharing the experiences of other owners, there are a few of us posting

As to negativity, somebody said they're great cars, and somebody else said they can generate costly repair bills - they're both correct as you will surely be aware as an owner yourself.

The bottom line is that an early Continental GT offers lots of car for the money, arguably more than any other at the moment, and a great car at that, but they won't suit everyone.

mattman said:

I'm sticking with the GT - have even managed to get approval from the boss lady too.

Good call. The only time Mrs TB has nagged me was when I was taking my time doing what I could to find a decent example, She was far more impatient than me.