W12 as a run around

[GR1FF1F]

Looking at picking up a low mileage 08 W12 Continental GT as a daily runaround, 2,000 miles a year, most trips 10-20 miles. Anything I need to watch out for, what are annual servicing costs like ?

All insights appreciated

[DavesBentley]

Depends on how handy you are/want to be in working on the car. A service will cost £2000 every couple of years and an oil change £600ish annually. The oil and filters can be bought for £200 and it will take an hour or so to do the work (YouTube has some good vids). Be prepared for unexpected bills. Much work on the engine can only be done with the block removed (£2-3000 just for this depending on whether you use a specialist or go to a Bentley dealership). Any parts are as expensive as you would expect and given the complexity of the car annoying little issues will be an ever present threat.
I am 8 months into ownership of a 2006 GTC and love every mile of the driving but have already had some intermittent problems (windows not closing fully when locking the doors, alarm going off for no reason, boot opening temperamental, bonnet open indication illuminating).
Apparently Bentley owners have an average of 8 cars in total....make sure that you have at least one other reliable hack if you do join the Club!

[WightGT]

I can not think that this is a good idea. A 20 mile run is barely enough to recharge the batteries and what do you do about servicing. Wait 5 years for a 10, 000 mile service or get it done every 2, 000 miles. These cars need to be used or things will go wrong and ruin your Bentley experience.

[sandysinclair]

Well I used my 2007 gtc as a shopping car / daily for 2 years with similar 20 miles per day , yes it will go wrong as mentioned as above, but it's an utterly fabulous and comfortable way to get around, it will return you about 8-11 mpg real world . Additional points to look out for are the dreaded vacuum loss pipe problem on top of the gearbox and it would be in the age window of having it go wrong as a 2008, problems I had with mine were brake sensor on the pedal, the ecu's for the seats have a mind of their own , resetting of the seat memory is a total nightmare but can be overcome by accurately following procedures, windows reset was a problem but turned out ok, boot hinges are always an issue on this car as they are often not lubricated properly until the mountings give up, the maf sensor is incredibly sensitive and needs to be kept properly clean otherwise you will get a whole host of warning lights misfires and headaches. If you keep to a preventative maintenance schedule and buy yourself a OBD reader which is priceless on a car like this you should be able to keep on top of the problems before they get expensive and for goodness sake take an OBD reader with you and scan the car before you buy it . The air suspension will fail at the top of the shock units and these cannot be repaired but can be replaced at about a net cost of 920 per fitted. My car depressurised the suspension after 48 hours and lowered over a week then as soon as I unlocked the car the system re-pressurised and the car lifted back to its normal position. , don't know if all cars are the same . Also check that the suspension air pump is not constantly running as that indicates a system leak . Brakes discs and pads should last a long time , there should be no knocking form the suspension on test drive it should be utterly silent no squeaks creeks or rattles from the cabin either. SILENT . if it's not walk away and fight another day .... I'd set aside 1500 a year for repairs and that should cover you and then a yearly services at a non main stealer. . Having said all of the above dont let it put you off it is the most magnificent car . My sincere advise is spend £300 get it fully looked over by a Bentley expert. That will save you possibly 10s of thousands in repairs . So choose wisely, do your research , be diligent and you will love every second of it as I have. Good luck !!.