These cars are about engineering. They are engineered to drive 500k. The attention to detail is amazing, and driving a well appointed car does not make you a wannabe. Since when is prestige, history and excellence a bad thing? If your affairs are in order and your kids all in college, do what makes you happy, because life is short, too short to have never owned a RR.
I own a 84 Silver Spur that I customized to look like the 2008 RR Phantom Mansory, everyone think it is a newer car. Three days ago a man responded to the looks of the car and said that is the best looking RR I ever seen in my life. I am no-where near rich but I have wealth in my hands, I am an Artist/Art Teacher and I love to create or recreate, so I built my own SS/Phantom Mansory. I used junked parts and whatever I found that fit in with my goal. You can email me at artistpettway@yahoo.com and I will email you a photo.
Very informative blog. I inherited an '84 RR Silver Spirit that spent its entire life outside in the NE...sorry, it never qualified for space in the garages. I would have preferred to inherit a '59 300SL Roadster but my stepfather sold it before passing. I'm a lover & connoisseur of fine autos thanks to him and I already had my toy, a highly customized '84 911 Carrera Cab, that my mother bought new, and a '99 ML430 as my hooptie, but the RR had me dumbstruck for awhile because I knew what I was in for.
I wanted to keep both '84's for sentimental reasons because they were bought as part of the family's healing process after losing my brother. I've spent a pretty penny restoring ALL of the engine/tranny mechanicals, A/C and of course got an education in the expensive restoration of this models braking system. The existing exterior paint has held up remarkably well but the interior needs some work due to spot water damage & general wear. The weather stripping around all of the windows has dry-rotted and allowed water to enter around the windshield pillars and rear window deck. The sun has worn on all the leather seats but before I tackle the interior I need to remove and replace all the windows and their weather strips and I want to find someone who has experience restoring and enhancing this model.
This is truly a passion for auto's driving me to restore this car but I keep thinking while I'm doing it I should try to improve it as much, and as discretely as possible. I had the dealer restore the mechanicals but I'm looking for someone else to maintain them due to the dealer's crazy pricing and incredibly poor service. So if anyone out there has recommendations please let me know and keep providing the great details of your journey with RR's...those details are incredibly helpful in framing the concept of owning a masterpiece for the long-haul.
Oh I forgot to provide details of the mechanical repairs on that '84 Silver Spirit. Total of $40k spent on engine, A/C, electrical, tranny, including a little over $14k on the brakes alone. Chalk it up to dealer pricing but considering the car's history with my stepfather I thought it best to get an authorized dealer for this work. I won't mention any names but this dealer has a 4-state lock on the market around here and obviously knows we have no choice. The service was so poor it almost convinced me to sell the car but driving it for the past few months has been so rewarding that I can't see me ever selling it now. Especially since my mom & dad are getting older and they'll need to be chauffeured at some point.
One thing the dealer mentioned was that they were inundated with repair work for the new model Bentley Continentals, which I'll gladly steer clear of since the only other hole in my pocket that I'm looking forward to is a Fountain Lightning speed boat!:-)
I have, for no known reason, always loved Rolls Royce, as a child I drew pictures of the Silver Shadow. I would love to own one for the love of the look, feel and heritage. These cars to me are art and pleasure... nothing to do with money or how you look, that is issue of other people.
To you all that own and love your classic car, enjoy your time, if you are not a car enthusiast you will never understand.
If you want your money in the bank then great, if someone else wants to spend theirs on their hobby or passion then let them... each to their own.
Personally I get joy out of seeing these beautiful cars whenever one 'rolls' by... which is rare in New Zealand.
Hi all: I've enjoyed reading these comments too and I agree with so many of you: live your passion if you can.
I, too, have yearned for a Rolls for years. I had to put my dreams on hold time and time again. I have just been introduced to an '81 Rolls Royce Spur that I am looking seriously and your comments have really helped guide me in both the matters of the head but, as well, the matters of the heart.
Thanks. Live your dream.
My dad purchased a 1987 Rolls Royce from eBay about 1.5 years ago. He has maybe had the Rolls out once since he purchased it. His insurance salesman had it out once, and I myself have taken it to Goodyear to get the A/C system recharged.
Several problems are evident with the car and he wants me to fix them. I told him NO thanks. I do turn a wrench on just about anything he owns, including the $500k worth of limos he owns. Normally within a couple of hours, I'm done; but now, the brakes are leaking on the Rolls Royce. I don't know how to tell him "No". And with it being so close to Xmas, I don't want to get angry with him and tell him to go himself.
I will not work on this car as I have never seen a master cylinder (if that's what its even called), like this one. He thinks of this Royce as a bigger/heavier Lincoln. Please give me good references to go on as I'm really stressed about having to tell him NO. Trust me, it's not a word he hears very often! Please help.
Find someone who understands Citroens. It's a very similar setup.
Hi: I don't know if it's too late as Christmas is past, but how about calling one of the Rolls/Bentley clubs near you (google it?) and ask what mechanics they would recommend. Calling another mechanic in another part of the country is not a bad idea too, they may know someone in your area.
I'd say NOT to work on a car you don't feel comfortable with.
I recently purchased a 1984 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit. It has 82,000 miles. I paid $17,000. I looked up the Nada Classic, it says around $21,000 for low retail. I thought I got a heck of a deal.
Since I purchased this car, this is what I have found wrong with the car:
It runs a little rough; I think it needs a tune up.
It’s a little slow to start.
It has an exhaust leak on the right upper exhaust manifold.
The emergency brake just goes to the floor.
The horn stopped working.
The cruise control does not function properly.
It leaks engine oil, and leaks power steering fluid from the rack and pinion seal.
The left front brake caliper leaks mineral oil.
The steering wheel has some vibration while driving down the road.
The oxygen sensor goes on and off while driving the car.
The turn signals flash very slowly.
The rear passenger and driver windows are slow to roll up and down.
The power door locks do not function properly, when you hit the brakes it pulls to the right.
The power antenna does not function properly; the windshield wiper motor is going out.
I did not get the car checked out before I purchased the vehicle. I wish I would have. Perhaps I paid too much?
The car rides very nice and is very comfortable. It looks great, nice to be seen, and seen in. I am not a wealthy person. I just always wanted a Rolls Royce. However I did not realize how expensive to fix or how hard it was to find parts. I was always told when I was younger by my grandparents to buy one of these cars, take care of it, and it will last the rest of your life. What they forgot to mention is that these cars can keep you poor the rest of your life maintaining them.
This car without a doubt is a work of art. However I have come to find that they can be a poor investment in long term. This is the first Rolls Royce I have owned, and it is not my daily driver. I just wonder if this car is worth fixing or if I should just sell it as I do not have an endless amount of cash in this recession. I have seen some of these cars go for around $10,000 on eBay. I wonder what my car is really worth in monetary terms? I have yet to take this car to a Rolls Royce Dealer here locally due to financial reasons. Would anyone know how much it may cost to fix these known issues? I would really appreciate some advice as I do not know much about these vehicles. It may be better for me to sell.
Let's be honest with each other. There are certain automobiles that have a history of quality that simply sings to the soul. I have never owned a Rolls Royce, but I have heard about them all my life. Among the things I always wanted to own and drive; the sportbike, the sidecar motorcycle, the large classic sailboat, the true sportcar, only the Rolls Royce remains as still a dream.
I want you to know I am not a rich man and I have spent a major portion of my earnings on these items, but then after you take care of your responsibilities, what is the money for anyhow?
So now I see a 1984 Silver Spur for sale near me and I will be visiting the dealer this Monday. Sure, I will lose money on the car. I have lost tens of thousands on the other vehicles I mentioned but I say proudly, every one left me in better condition than when I bought it, and the pleasure of operating and working on them is priceless and I would not trade a moment of the time I had with them for a large bank balance.
Remember, everyone dies but not everyone really lives.
Don.
I am dismayed to read the many comments here, disparaging owners of pre-owned Rolls Royces as being, basically, 'broke wannabes'.
I find the reference to the family 'of staggering net worth', with the ancient station wagon, to be particularly galling. We all know that in New England, social climbers drive old 'beater' cars as 'reverse snobbery'. It proves nothing. I had an uncle, who had married into our family, and who incessantly let everyone know that his wife was the daughter of "old man ----" (old man, in our local culture, was a synonym for 'rich old man'). This pretentious uncle loved to tell me about rich people who drove cheap old vehicles. At the time, he, himself, was on the verge of bankruptcy, and was generally regarded as being a buffoon.
I had a stepfather, who, aside from one immense Lincoln, drove cheap cars. He made hundreds of millions of dollars in his lifetime, but spent (and lost) those millions just as rapidly. He died absolutely penniless, and not one of his seven offspring from three marriages has amounted to anything. Perhaps if they had had good cars, they might at least have married well. None did.
I have an uncle, whom my stepfather characterized as being a 'showboat', who drives expensive cars (new Jaguars), and has become prosperous enough to own a private jet and three homes. His grandchildren are top students at their private schools, and are dating/marrying appropriately. One assumes this uncle will die with a bit of net worth (in addition to his manufacturing facilities, he owns the two largest commercial buildings in his little town), but we will see.
A man in our community; a person of moderate wealth (I'd imagine that to be in the area of twenty million) owns over twenty Rolls Royces. Several well-known attorneys here own new and older Rolls Royces and Bentleys. One attorney, whose 'daily driver' is a Bentley, has ceased to practice, and instead finances the cases of other Lawyers. One would assume that such a person possesses substantial working capital.
A business associate and friend, a builder/developer of commercial properties, drives an S550, and has driven S-class Mercedes for over a decade. The car is part of his authority. Meetings with me have been sandwiched between meetings with his tax/estate attorneys, and so I know that his net worth exceeds one hundred million dollars. Most of that wealth has been acquired during the time my friend has been driving Mercedes. He considered Phantom and Maybach before his most recent car purchase, but was dissuaded by what he considered to be bad initial reliability ratings.
As for myself, I also need the 'posture power' conferred by a hyperluxury automobile. Another client and friend found for me TWO Rolls Royces, both from '88, and both personal vehicles of slimy-but-wealthy antiques dealers/property speculators. She was miffed when I bought a new Lexus, instead. I did not feel sufficiently 'stout', at that moment, to commit to ownership of a potential 'money pit'.
I do not have much money, but I deal with people you have seen on world news, and read about in Forbes. Photos of myself and my work are in books you could find in college libraries in any major city on the planet. My pedigree and minor land holdings place me incontrovertibly within America's aristocracy. I see members of Britain's aristocracy and nobility, including Prince Charles, in older Rolls Royces and Bentleys. Most of these people have very little money. But all are legitimate aristocrats, and perfectly appropriate owners of Rolls Royces.
My hourly rate is high, but could be higher, if I drove a Rolls Royce. More importantly, my authority would be reinforced. I believe that I typify the secondary market for formal hyperluxury automobiles: people who move in high circles, and who appropriately seek to bolster their positions with the trappings of high station.
As a youngster, I was advised by my Grandparents' friends, to buy a Rolls Royce. Now, my clients are encouraging me to do so. I had been hesitant, due to doubts regarding cost and reliability. But having read the negative comments on this thread, I am beginning to have doubts as to the authority to be gained by such an automobile. In thirty two months, I think I'll just buy a much more expensive Lexus.
I feel moving about freely has greater value than reaffirming what you have already achieved Howard Hughes use to move about in plain different color Chevrolets. Privacy has greater value in my opinion. Why have a Rolls? I would likely drive it alone on closed roads only.
My family has owned Rolls Royces starting in 30's in India. I have been living in the USA since early 60's, and ever since always owned a Rolls or a Bentley. I still like the Rolls/Bentleys of the 60's (1956-1965). Although our family owned older 1938 Phantom, but I never cared for the ugly squared boxed Phantoms although our 1964 P5 James young is lot better than the earlier Phantoms.
I have recently bought a 2004 Azure with the German technology incorporated into this vehicle. I would say that after the marriage of German and the British cars, Rolls and the Bentley is far far better and reliable vehicle than the models starting from Shadows all the way to 2003 models with British engine designs. A great move for the good of these great vehicles. I think a Rolls and a Bentley would always be the cars of distinction, no matter what kind of good or bad experiences one may have by owning one.
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