Bentley Continental Buyer's Guide
Eleven tracked Continental GT sales draw the depreciation curve of the century: cars that listed around £150,000 now hammer at a £16,875 median for the first generation, with second-generation examples at £32,062 and £36,225. No luxury coupé hands over more residual engineering per pound; none asks for more commitment afterward.
Know your generations
Gen 1 (2003–11). Nine sales, £10,355 to £25,312, median £16,875. The W12 twin-turbo original, the car that relaunched Bentley at volume. Late cars and the Speed versions top the range; early high-milers populate the entry. GTC convertibles carry a premium over coupés.
Gen 2 (2011–18). Two sales at £32,062 and £36,225. Visually evolutionary, materially improved, and offering the V8 option from 2012, which most specialists regard as the sweeter and less thirsty car.
What to pay
£10,000 to £14,000 buys early Gen 1 coupés where the history file matters more than anything visible. £16,000 to £25,000, around and above our median, buys the best Gen 1s including Speeds. £30,000 to £40,000 covers Gen 2 entry, with V8 cars worth seeking at the same money as the W12.
What goes wrong
Nothing small. Air suspension corners fail with age; turbo plumbing and coolant pipes on the W12 bury labour hours deep in the engine bay; brakes are consumables priced like components. Electronics age with the infotainment era they were born in. None of this is unpredictable, which is why the specialist service history is the entire purchase: a £12,000 Continental with gaps is a £20,000 Continental in instalments. Budget £2,500 to £4,000 a year in honest upkeep and the car is dependable; budget less and it will correct you.
Our view
Buy the best-documented Gen 1 GT in the room at £15,000 to £20,000 and run it on the specialist subscription it demands: the ownership experience is genuinely extraordinary at the price. The Gen 2 V8 is the connoisseur's pick for keeping, and the one most likely to be remembered kindly by the market. Never buy the cheapest one; our £10,355 entry point is where other people's deferred bills live.
