The REAL Cost of Owning A Bargain Bentley Arnage | 24 Years of Invoices Explained | Still A Bargain?

My next door neighbour runs a Lexus LS400 that he’s had for donkey’s - 90% of the feeling of a Bentley in the real world ? It never goes wrong and is utterly fantastic. Most people don’t have a clue what it is so if you want normal people to look at you then the Bentley is a better choice but as a car to drive and enjoy the Lexus is pretty amazing.

I think you’re right regarding specialists - as these cars get older often they’re encountered less regularly by the main dealership team. A great specialist who trained and worked on these cars when new and now has gone out on their own is a great option.

We have a beautiful Continental R. In the main it's been very reliable and last year we ventured through Spain & Portugal on a 3k mile trip. I was really surprised because the locals just loved it and even the underground car park attendants kept their eye on it. All those people knew we were enthusiasts but it was great for us to share the car with them. We are not rich well to do people, just people who wanted something a little out of the ordinary. This year it's doing my sons wedding so it comes with a great deal of happy memories, what more could you want.

I had the Arnage Green label around 2000-2002. Wonderful vehicle. Being the sprightly BMW 4.4 Twin Turbo V8, it was surprisingly cheap to run (approx 22mpg), given the size and weight of the car. It's one car I would happily buy back. The car in this video is the Red label 6.75 litre even heavier engine. I'd say the Green Label is the one to own.

Fantastic presentation! I haven't seen your channel yet, but the immediate selling point is "the Internet is full of egos". I want to hear an objective presentation just as screened here. Thank you so much! Too bad the Internet is full of egos, and not of quality information. Well done, Sir!

I have owned 2 Arnage. A 6.75 and one of the original 4.4 If I was looking at buying a third one of these beautiful cars then I would not look beyond the 4.4 'Green Label'. I used 'Starmans' (Nottingham) independent for servicing (the guys are passionate about their Bentley and Rolls) and never felt either ripped off or as though they did work that didn't need doing. The 4.4 is incredibly reliable, and does not suffer the head gasket issues the 6.75 suffers from. I would personally go for a car that has higher mileage but a good service history rather than a low mileage garage queen....

I thought my old Honda civic head gasket was expensive. I feel better now thanks.

£40425.00 over 24 years breaks down to about £1684.38 per year or £33.00 per week, rain or shine. Not bad for a car that is not used commercially. I can speculate that if it was used a lot more the cost would go down, although it may seem counterintuitive.

Cracking colour

Really surprised how reasonable the servicing is compared to my Ferrari.

Not too bad considering the class of car this Bentley is. A timeless beauty

I had a HONDA WAGOVAN in the 1980's that I purchased new. I drove it 315,000 miles over 8 yea and this is what I spent on repairs (parts AND labour); Clutch (used from salvage yard): $240 Radiator (new): $160 Gas Tank (used from wrecker yard): $200 TOTAL COST OF REPAIRS: $600 (8 years) The Honda was fun to drive, handled Canadian winter temperatures, snow and icy roads very well, and got excellent fuel mileage.  The engine and transmission were never opened up, and when I got rid of it the engine still ran so quietly and so smoothly you could not hear it unless you strained to. AND it still burned very, very little oil.  NOT a status car, rather a reliable, economical, fun car. FOR SURE! Loved that car and because of that experience I still drive Hondas 40 years on.

Here's the problem I have with most cars like this......they don't get used enough. The sitting around is killing the unit. Not enough thermal cycling causes the gaskets and seals to let go. Give me a car that gets used every day with a service history.

I've owned a Bentley Continental R for 10 years. Ive owned a lot of luxury and performance cars. But the Bentley has cost WAY more to maintain than I was expecting. It's more like running an aircraft than a car. But they are like nothing else on the road. BUT some of the specialists are VERY expensive, that head gaskets bill being a prime example.

As owner of the sister version of the Bentley Arnage. The Rolls_Royce Silver Seraph. I find the biggest and most annoying issue, is the modern electronics. !⚠. Especially the airbag warning light 🚦, among others.....

If Honda built it , suspension failures 0 , head gasket failure 0 , fuel pump failure 0 . What a joke , appreciate it’s a luxury super car but where’s the quality ??

Oh my lord! Firstly id like to congratulate you on a simply gorgeous car! I'd like to maybe own one some day! As the owner of a 2005 Aston Martin DB9 i can sympathise with the running costs. Ive had it only 6 months and have only driven it on odd occasions but its fantastic. However the history file that came with it makes ahem interesting reading! Servicing is on a par with your Bentley but some of the invoices are staggering.thankfully had a pre purchase inspection done which showed up a few things which were rectified at the dealers expense so fingers crossed im good for a while. MPG on the Aston is marginally better than yours at an average of 19.7 mpg! But,like your Bentley the smiles per mile are immeasurable. Thanks for sharing.👍👏👏👏♥️

Thank you for posting this rundown. It is very helpful to me.

Fabulous cars, I preferred the Turbo R and this can be expensive for an even older car but as you say, probably expected, it was a dream come true and one car I miss very much. The driving experience of most of these cars is fabulous, the driving position quite high and the smoothness and the response when driving is amazing for such a large car. Thanks for this AND mentioning the biggest headache possibly with the Arnage and the Turbo R, the head gasket pain! What they use in the factory for a gasket must be akin to toffee with the reports I have heard of owners getting the billowing smoke that can be a head gasket fault! Thanks so much for the great advice, many potential owners will be listening and making notes I am sure!

The paint looks epic. I wonder what detailing costs have added to the total cost of ownership because I consider it vital to keeping a car of any age looking fresh and pampered.