What are the mods that have you so concerned?

That dead link goes to a google search page.

 

 

Couple of comments:

I searched and looked at a lot of cars before buying my GT. I saw many that had some customizing done, from wheels to wraps, etc. I insisted on purchasing an unmolested one and waited until I found it.

That said, I believe in customizing my car to my tastes. I've already done aftermarket wheels and a hood wrap. Personally, whenever I customize a car I go out of my way in inconvenience and cost to preserve original parts and will NOT do a mod if I cannot reverse it back to complete factory integrity with original parts. I do believe an originally equipped car, as it came from the factory, has more value than one customized and irreversible. Someday, when I decide to sell my car, I will reverse all mods and it will be sold just as I purchased it. Then I will sell parts such as wheels, steering wheel, dash pieces, etc. along with any other mods I do.

On the other hand, the first gen Continentals have depreciated to such a low level at this point, that there is not much at risk depending on your personal desires for the car. I wouldn't (and don't) expect they will reverse and some day be worth more money, so....maybe you can throw caution to the wind if you like the car.

Finally, from your link, JBA Motors is a Phoenix (Mesa) used car dealership. I purchased a Jaguar Vanden Plas from them, albeit years ago, and I can vouch they are a "standup" dealer. I would go back to them if they had the car I wanted.

 

Well black on red with the Mulliner package for 1st gen has been impossible to find, I've been looking for nearly 2 years and was only able to locate 2, this one and one other one but it was a GTC and the and it had issues with the top. Problem is I don't know what the value of this one should be but I don't think it's 65k and I certainly don't want to take a big hit due to the aftermarket parts when I go to sell.

 

One item of caution - I saw in the description it has staggered wheels (wheel sizes). This is not a good choice for the Continental. These have AWD and with staggered wheel sizes you have axles rotating constantly at different speeds. This is not a good choice. This drivetrain wants to have the same diameter (or circumference) wheels front to back.

 

So you are recommending I pass on this one? That's a good call out and makes me wonder why again this car went for 49k as it's not adding up to me.

 

Massonry makes some of the best and expensive add-ons available. Low mileage and provenance is desirable. These cars have vacuum lines that can be problematic. No way to predict their condition. Although, if the car passed state smog inspection most likely the vacuum lines are "still" good.


Dealership probably operates on a 30% markup. Staying close to that keeps them in business. Most things in life are negotiable. Learned a long time ago don't count the other guys profit.

Owning one of these cars is expensive no one can predict the next problem. The color combination is fantastic.

By the way the offset on the wheels is likely the width not the circumference, or there are spacers on the rims. Query the seller.

Good luck on the chase.

 

No, not implying to not look at it if it is what you want. I am only pointing out one issue to consider. On staggered wheels, whether they are different wheel diameters or the same, the actual tire sizes will give you all the information you need. Looking at the ad, the description states 22" staggered wheels, yet in the detail of options, the original 19' are listed. Call the dealer and ask them for the ACTUAL tire sizes front/back. Have him snap a pic of front rear tire sizes. Reply with those and I'll put the sizes in a tire size calculator, or you can do it:

https://tiresize.com/calculator/

Here is an example. I took two different tire sizes, both 22". This is typical with staggered sizes. The rears are a wider tire, the fronts narrower to accommodate different rim widths using the same wheel diameter. Note there is a 3.6% difference in rolling circumferences front/back even though the wheel diameters are both 22"

 

Here is a little bit more about the concern over staggered wheel rolling circumferences and Bentley's AWD platform, and apologize in advance for the length. My source is a Bentley Master tech with whom I consulted regarding my own wheel choices. I was looking for black wheels and found lots of aftermarket vendors selling staggered sets with Bentley's bolt pattern and offsets. I came across a used set locally. Before I purchased, I passed it by the tech and he advised against it. I'll paraphrase his reasoning:

Bentley like many other modern drivetrain platforms uses 3 safety systems designed to protect the driver in some adverse driving conditions. They are - Active Handling (AH), Traction Control (TC) and ABS which has been around for years and years. All 3 of these systems' primary input is individual wheel speed (speed or RPMs of wheels at the four corners). There are multiple other inputs as well, but wheel RPM is primary. Given the adverse driving condition, one or more of these systems could be activated to ensure the car stays in the driver's control. If you are accelerating and lose traction at any corner, AH or TC might be utilized to keep the car safe. If you are braking and lose traction then ABS is activated to maintain control.

Each of these systems have a tolerance (or a threshold) built in so that a certain amount of variance in wheel speeds can occur before activation. When staggered wheels are introduced and wheels are now constantly turning at different (than factory) speeds, the tolerance approaching the thresholds is reduced (to greatly reduced based on the delta of the staggers). That means under certain normal driving conditions with staggered wheels, you might experience one of these 3 systems activating even though the conditions do not warrant it.

A classic example is braking in a corner. In this condition, the inner front wheel will rotate at a slower speed than the outer wheel, same with the rears. If the factory designed tolerance is greatly reduced with staggers and already approaching the ABS threshold then braking in a corner, can cause the threshold to be crossed albeit unwarranted by the driving condition. ABS kicks in too soon, or when unneeded. Funny, that the used staggered wheels I was interested in buying, the seller didn't offer the reason he was selling these "takeoffs" on his FS. When I got back to him and shared I was advised against staggered wheels, he then admitted ABS was kicking in all the time and he was advised to return to same sized tires at all 4 corners.

The acceleration side of this situation (AH and TC) is far more complex given the varying thresholds and the way in which the system distributes torque front to back.

 

Tire size variance, great information.

The other thought is low profile tires ride firmly. Those wheels are just fine in a southern climate smooth roads. In Chicago they would be harsh. So that depends where you live and what you like.

 

2007 with mods, perhaps $45k. Has the false air hose problem just over transmission been changed recently? Also check when the shocks have been replaced, as those go bad with age / mileage. Also check brake booster... Many problems with Bentley cars in the 2007 range.

 

 

Thanks everyone, waiting to hear back on pricing first before moving forward with the suggested questions. The car is also listed on Manheim OVE and MMR is shown as $44,600 so I knew I wasn't crazy.