Bentley GT Buyer Guide - The Bargain Bentley 

Perfect buyers guide, perfect balance between enthusiasm of an owner balanced with a healthy dose of pragmatism.

I am selling imported German cars from Japan GTIs Audis Ect they all come in with roof liners sagging due to heat out there so have done loads with trimmers. We found its not the glue its the foam backing on the material disintegrating allowing it to drop apparently since 2000 all manufactured foam fitted to cars has to biodegradable and it a appears that heat is speeding this process up, I've also seen crash helmets doing as well, so it's not if it happens it's when happens. We replace them with good quality Alcantara with no foam backing looks much better and stops this happening again in the future, Great video...

A lot of negative comments, i too was sceptical until i had a go in one. Definitely worth the risk for the one day when everything is working!

It was very honest of you to critique your own car.

The failure of the head-lining is not due to the glue (although there are exceptions) but the short lived 2-3mm foam backing that (sadly) reverts to a 'pile of dust' particles. Attempting to add relatively small quantities of glue via a syringe to address a sag just ends of being dispersed amongst the foam dust particles, thus creating small unsightly solid clumbs of foam dust and not performing as intended. This is a perennial problem on cars since the mid 1980s, and it's sadly frustrating that OEMs continue with the substandard 'foam backing' solution, even on expensive cars, which is made worse by the high ambient temperatures experienced in Australia.

That intro applies totally to my experience buying an e46 BMW recently. Spent tons of time researching, didn't buy the bottom of the barrel, and still got unexpected issues.

A comprehensive buyers guide there. I suspect this was also down to your experience of buying your car, in fact you did hint at that which makes all the difference if you know someone who has 'been there'. Thanks Jack hope you are enjoying your holidays. 👍👍

A very comprehensive review of the Bentley Continental GT that will greatly assist any potential buyer. At circa 2.4 tonnes, I can't help but to think of Ettore Bugatti's famous statement of the then 30s Bentleys: “Le camion plus vite du monde“ - or in English: "The fastest truck in the world". I consider that VW-Audi has certainly maintained that tradition.

i can guarantee that i have a tool in my toolbox at work which will afford the required clearance to replace those troublesome vacuum pipes it's called an electric spanner [AKA angle grinder] centre console out, unzip the floor, change the pipes, bray it back into place, self adhesive sound-deadening sheet over the wound, console back in, 500 quid mate... this special tool also comes in handy for jaguar electric handbrake motors, early BMW rear brake pipes, + multitudes of in-tank fuel pumps... well, we are professionals...

Thanks Jack. A nice, honest review for potential buyers.

Thanks for the checklist Jack! Handy help for those looking! 🙏🙏

Very open and honest review of ownership.

Excellent and informative guidance. Thank you!

Great information . I'm not going to buy one now . . I will stick with my VW Golf instead.

Seen a lot of reviews on these. This is by far the best. Great advise

What a great buyers guide you done there! 👏👏

I would add a few things owning one as well. The heavy weight wears out control arms and shocks faster, 50-70k, especially the front. Mileage actually surprises for the good on the highway, driving it like a "car to be seen in" in the city helps. Lots of great tips online about trouble spots to keep clean, drain lines and firewall especially. The engine/trans really is bulletproof so regular maintenance and you'll never worry. Pull a fuse and disable the annoying TPMS tire pressure system. It's not really an 'everyday driver' machine so if you use it properly you'll get lots of enjoyment.

Excellent as always buddy 👍

Thank you for detailed and sincere guide. I'll honest go for this car.

A great buyers guide, with lots of information that can be applied to buying any car ... Didn't think I'd want one, after watching this video, I am sure I don't want one

Fantastic advice, thank you 🙏

Amazing review jack 🎉 i always like to buy 2012 deep facelift that still look amazing today with V8 cylinder turbo engine much better fuel comsumption.

and noticed the 8 mpg!.. Thanks for the review..

Great video Jack. I have driven the Standard W12, the Speed version and even got driven around a racetrack in the Supersport version and they were all super cars. Unfortunately, here in Spain they are twice the price and the dealer/specialist network is a bit thin on the ground. Currently looking out for a decent affordable XK.

Excellent vid on in iconic car. Btw, Jack, there was a penny on the back seat. As a Bentley owner you might need it.

Great review, buying a Bentley is really the same as buying any high end premium cars, do your homework, make sure the service history is complete, if not walk away, I've seen some of the car's now at sub £20k, I think you would have to have had the brave pill for that sort of money,they can be ruinous on the wallet💸💸

Great video. You should do one on RC cars.

Thank you so much 👌

Great vid! I've a 2005 without the Mulliner spec, but with Mulliner wheels. Would you know what the interior paint code is for the blue leather? I wanted to order a Colourlock restore kit for my steering wheel

Only thing you didn't mention is the V8 version. I remember these getting good reviews. Would you still go for the W12 for the full experience? Is it better to spend 20k and budget 5k on repairs or spend 23k and have only 2k left for repairs?

Very helpful

Hi there, I see that this same car is now for sale with Praters. May I be ask why did you sell her? Thanks

Quite a nice car for someone with deep pockets.

In terms of the rear 3rd brake light, you don't need to remove the rear window. Bentley and the Independents now have a work around (I had this done to mine) still, the cost was £900 at a specialist so imagine the cost if you were to remove the window..... Ouch

Thanks!

I've been thinking of buying a GT and have been ''searching'' the market. Some beauties out there. However this video has put out a lot of negatives which surprises me. Something as simple as the high breaking light! Why should that be so problematical for heaven's sake? Surely the boffins at Bentley can make it more reliable? All in all a good video. Thank you

The part prices are insane!

We had a 1919 Bentley. She married a Coleman in 1944. She was my Mom, lived to just over100!!

I once had the opportunity to drive this car. What I remember is that door felt like it was a massive chunk of steel, the car feels like a luxury tank and while driving at speed on the highway I could literately see the fuel gauge drop…

Much better backdrop than heras fencing.

15g?? in Portugal there are a few ones with prices starting at 60g... and same year as that...

Here in Australia still costs around 100k maintenance and insurance is absurd coupled with low dollar and inflation. Stay well away

The fact that Wayne Rooney drives one (in orange) puts me off. It's sort of guilty of poor taste by association. Yes, I know... I'm a terrible snob! 😊

600-800 for yearly oil changes?! Is that accurate? In the US, I can get two fully synthetic oil changes for

Where is the motor number ??

While engine out for vacuum line .check/change starter motor 😎

I think this car makes your Ferrari costs feel like good value. Even the scarcity of qualified repairers around parts of the country makes ownership difficult.

A higher price doesn’t always mean a better car. Each used car is individual. No guarantee just because you spend an extra £3k…… All older cars will need money spending on them. Maintenance costs and parts fail on every car no matter how much you spend. If you don’t know what you are looking at. Take someone who does or get an inspection done.

Oil service £600 -£800 are people mad ?

Great video on the absolute worst possible used car choice, apart from an old BMW V12 or an XJS.

Bet you that if someone offered you a Fiat Dino as a swap - You would take it

must admit i do like the bright interiors.

Not a car I'd ever want, let alone afford but very interesting all the same.

First, they engineer the car, then they re-engineer it to maximize dealership maintenance & factory parts profits. I am sorry, I am just jaded. I did that internship at a Big 3 Body Engineering Department. I never owned anything really nice (once a deluxe house & pool). I belong to the church of Murphy Was An Optimist. I WILL REWRITE THIS COMMENT WITH SOMETHING MORE USEFUL. Great, detailed video.

Just sounds like a whole world of potentially very expensive trouble!

Lovely car but 13.6 mpg makes me wince. Great channel though.

My hint for those and most kind of cars: If you couldn't afford them when they were new, don't buy them as a used car. In this case: Check the price for new brakes, a clutch or just new tires for the Bentley. You will have to pay for that pretty often. Those things will break on a 2012 Fiesta as well, but it won't ruin your life.

Shocking quality

Hi I noticed your Bentley is for sale , why is there to many problems. Kind regards

Great video once again BUT it’s a money pit and not reliable. I’ve worked on a few, it’s basically a Phaeton in drag. I struggled to find any parts NOT marked VW/AUDI/SEAT/SKODA and all their foibles especially the electrics and non-stop warning lights. A bit of advice, keep it constantly on a trickle charger, if the battery goes flat, it’s game over. Some seemingly minor jobs require the engine out…

It's a real shame what has happened to Bentley and Rolls Royce after their split. Neither of the famous brands have been able to maintain the respectfull reputation they were founded on. The Bentley Contenential range whilst being a popular fashionable success seems to have created a lot of problems for themselves, like most other common modern cars. That problem is overengineering, which has lost it balance with practicality. People more than ever have the money to buy cars without having to consider their real needs and practicality, as we pay more for things on cars that we can not physically use, but complicating it beyhond practicallity. Cars are being made faster everyday whilst everyday we are restricted more and more by speed limits to slow down, leaving most motorist to just become boasting tyre kickers.

Service and parts Prices seem way over the top for a VW.

Sales pitch, 😊

I’d love but wouldn’t do it after you’ve scared me off with running costs 😂 Your voice sounded disgusting different we’re you full of cold?

This is a Bentley model I would never consider buying. It doesn't look like a Bentley to me, they look really cheap, they're built with mainly VAG parts, and they are well known as one of the most unreliable cars on the road. Love your videos Jack but this choice (I feel) was a bad one.

All cars will go wrong, things will break, this car will always have the potential to bankrupt the average plonker. Given Bentleys reputation one need be brave.

Service it yerself!

nightmare expensive cars

This is why I bought a low mileage 2020 Bullitt Mustang rather than buying one of these blobs of misty eyed used barges

There is no 2003 Continental. They started in 2004.

A car for people with more money than brain!

Great. Love to settle down and watch fake Italian I like his aura

a dark interior looks so boring

The car enthusiast's mind is either a terrible thing; or, a terrible thing to waste. YOU SIR, ARE A SCHOLAR.

Is this the most unrelliable, useless car ever? Yes judging by this.

A 6L V12?... Putin and the Military Dictators in Saudi, Iran, Syria and the UAE must really LOVE this car!... Must make you feel really good about yourself owning one... And that's not even mentioning the CLIMATE CRISIS! For fucks sake...

Jack, so much knowledge brilliantly delivered as always. Such a tempting car. Still trying to remember how you pronounce Lancia in italian...keep up the great work.