Buying a Used Rolls-Royce Ghost: Early vs Facelift Cars, Weak Points and Inspection Checks

The Ghost was built from September 2009 to 2020, with model years 2010 to 2020. An extended wheelbase version arrived in 2011. Every car uses a 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged V12, BMW's N74B66 engine, and a ZF eight-speed automatic sending power to the rear wheels.

Output is rated at 570 PS (562 hp) with 780 N·m of torque on the original cars and the facelift cars up to 2016. From 2016 the torque rose to 820 N·m with a stronger ZF gearbox, and the Black Badge version made 612 PS (604 hp) and 840 N·m. The platform is BMW's L6 architecture shared with the F01 7 Series, though the Ghost has its own wheelbase and, by Wikipedia's account, only around a fifth of its parts in common.

That BMW connection is a mixed blessing. The mechanical parts are well understood, and a good independent shop can often diagnose them. But the electronics (the car uses FlexRay networking) need the right tools, and the Rolls-Royce badge on the parts invoice changes the price.

The facelift was introduced at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. It brought re-sculpted headlights, revised bumpers and intakes, redesigned front seats and re-angled rear seats, and new veneers. Underneath, the front and rear struts were redesigned, the steering gear was new, the dampers were adjusted and a Dynamic Driving Package became optional.

The change that matters most to a daily driver is Satellite Aided Transmission, which uses GPS data and driving style to choose gears. It was added to all Ghosts with the update. If you want the eventual 820 N·m torque rating and the stronger gearbox that came with it, you're shopping for a 2016 or later facelift.

Our position: if the budget stretches, take the facelift. You get the revised struts and steering, the newer gearbox options and a younger car with less time for age-related problems to build up. A well-documented early at a much lower price is still a sensible purchase, provided you set aside a repair fund rather than treating the saving as profit.

Prices move with the market, so treat any figure as a snapshot. An Autocar-sourced buying guide, published in 2021 and summarised by Motors.md, put UK early cars from 2009 to 2011 with up to 80,000 miles at £60,000 to £69,999, with the best late-plate early cars at £95,000 to £100,000. facelift examples in its sample were around £105,000. Cars today will differ, but the shape of the market, with a wide gap between neglected and fully documented examples, hasn't changed.

The purchase price is only the start. The same guide quotes brake discs lasting around 20,000 miles at roughly £500 per corner, and about £400 for each set of pads, front and rear. A replacement damper for the front corner, including labour and reprogramming, was about £2,500. Budget accordingly.

The guide names fuel injectors as a known failure, with a repair including coils and plugs at about £5,000. It also flags carbon fouling of the valve seats as a possible cause of engine trouble, and leaks from the turbo oil pipes and cooling pipes. On the gearbox side, it advises checking for oil leaks from the rear main seal between engine and transmission.

Early cars also have recall history. Recall aggregators list NHTSA campaign 11V522000 for 2010 model year Ghosts, covering a potential fire hazard linked to the electric auxiliary water pump, later expanded to include 2011 cars. The details here come from third-party recall listings, so don't rely on them. Run the VIN through the NHTSA recall lookup and ask the seller for proof that every open campaign was completed.

Ask for evidence of a full main dealer or reputable specialist service history, including the interim services. On a cold start the engine should fire and settle to a smooth idle with no warning lights. Check under the car for weeping oil and coolant, especially around the turbochargers and the bellhousing.

The car should sit level on its air suspension. Look at it after it has stood overnight, because a leaking air spring or valve block often shows as a corner that has dropped by morning. Parts-site listings repeatedly name the air springs, the compressor and the valve block as wear items, though these are low-quality sources and should be treated as prompts for your inspection, not as established failure rates.

The Autocar-based guide adds a specific warning: the front nearside corner is vulnerable to pothole damage. Inspect the wheel, tyre and damper on that side closely, and check the alignment on the test drive. Look for inner-shoulder wear on the front tyres, and confirm the car wears the correct Goodyear tyres rather than a mismatched set.

Book a specialist, not a general garage. Ask for a full scan with BMW-compatible diagnostic tools such as ISTA, since generic readers can miss chassis codes. Have them confirm software updates were applied, read the stored fault history, and check ride height at all four corners.

Look at the battery. The buying guide says a flat battery usually points to neglect, and that these cars want a trickle charger when they sit. A car that has been left unused is a car with a story.

Then the body and cabin. Look for uneven shutlines, overspray and poor repair work. Check whether the interior wear matches the claimed mileage, because high-mileage cars are sometimes clocked. Ill-fitting front and rear screens can let in moisture, which causes condensation and baggy seat leather from dissolved glue. Finally, confirm that every bespoke feature works, from the veneers to the infotainment and driver aids.

The guide notes that cars registered from 2003 can have Rolls-Royce Service Inclusive, a prepaid, transferable servicing package, with mileage limits on cars more than four years old. A three-year package was quoted at about £3,500 without brakes and about £9,300 with them. Prices will have changed, so ask a Rolls-Royce dealer what is on offer for the car you're considering.

Whatever you choose, keep the servicing cadence unbroken. The cars that cause trouble are the ones that missed intervals, sat for months on a weak battery, or were driven hard on potholed roads. Condition and history decide how this car treats you, far more than the Series number or the sticker.