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Used Bentley cars overview

Bentley is, of course, one of the most revered brands in the whole of the car world, known for luxury, comfort, and high performance. Buying a used Bentley is a bit of a risk, though, as these are very complex and heavy cars that require specialist care, so if maintenance has been skimped on in the past, you could be opening a leather-lined Pandora’s Box. Even if not, luxury cars are expensive to run, even if older models have become temptingly cheap to buy…

FAQs

Are used Bentleys reliable?

There’s a bit of a split in this answer, and it has to do with Volkswagen taking over the company in 1998. Prior to that, Bentleys had been totally hand-made, and had used old technology, and as a result could be staggeringly fragile. Post-1998, and especially with the launch in 2003 of the Continental GT Coupe, VW’s quality control and technology started to improve things. A modern Bentley should be very reliable, but will need regular, specialist servicing and care.

Should I buy a used Bentley?

Yes, as long as you’re prepared to look after it properly. Bentleys, as with all luxury cars, can become temptingly affordable at times, as they depreciate heavily. However, they are never cheap to run, and even with some very good marque specialists available to allow you to swerve main dealer costs, you still need to budget for big maintenance bills to keep a Bentley healthy.

Are Bentleys expensive to maintain?

Yes. This is, after all, a car brand who’s smallest engine is a 3.0-litre turbo V6, and which has V8 and W12 engines available as well. Main dealer servicing will be hugely expensive, but even if you use a good independent Bentley specialist, you are looking at massive bills to keep any Bentley in tip-top shape.