24th Aug 2006, 22:09

This is one of the most valuable blogs I have seen on the Internet! I laughed and read on from almost every commentary. The retired professional driver was something else... really interesting. As a true Car Nut, I have owned Porche, many Mercedes and BMWs and yet for years I stop and stare at a Rolls. I have always shied away due to maintenance concerns. I have been told that the late 90s were often the worst. I still come away thinking that the man who will tinker and check is the best driver for the older low mileage autos. Without this ability, one needs to be ready to spend freely for the shop.

Unfortunately I remain wed to the Germans.

I wish I had the courage!!!

25th Aug 2006, 14:33

If you own a Rolls, you are somebody??? You can go into debt making a payment on a number of image vehicles. I know a very prominent family in the Northeast that owns a 30 year old station wagon. Net worth is staggering. At any rate, you can be a wannabe any day of the week...

5th Oct 2006, 01:26

Well I bought a Rolls for my partner 4 years ago for his Birthday. An'88 Silver Spur. Best thing I ever bought. Great car. It's just for the fun of it. Enjoy life...

25th Nov 2006, 06:09

When considering a Rolls Royce there are several things to remember to make the purchase one you will remember with pleasure: First have the car inspected before you buy. A car that has been driven is generally much more reliable than one that has few miles because it sat in a garage all the time. Spend as much as you can afford to buy the best possible car. It is possible to buy a very good, well maintained late 80's series car in the low 20's, but without a proper inspection you may be buying someone else's problem. The most important saying I've ever heard about Rolls Royce models is this:

"A cheap Rolls Royce is the most expensive car in the world" What you spend up front will not have to be spent after the sale if you do your homework. I own an '88 Silver Spur and purchased it only after months of research and searching and after a thorough inspection by a qualified mechanic. The car has been flawless in terms of major problems, and those are the one's to worry about: engine, transmission, air conditioning, cooling system, brakes etc. It's blemishes are few and minor, in fact I have managed to correct all of them myself without the need for an expensive labor bill. (Slow windows, replacing batteries in the seat memory module, replacing a few relays etc.) This car doesn't even leak a drop of any fluid, which is rare for a Rolls! It was always Rolls Royce maintained and I am it's third owner. The first owner kept is from 1988 until 2004. The second owner happened to be a car dealer who kept it as a personal driver until I purchased it in 2006. The car was built in May of 1988, first sold in Chicago in November of that year and spent the next 15 years or so in Hawaii before moving to Palm Springs, California. I purchased it from a dealer in Portland, Oregon. THAT is the kind of research you need to do before buying a Rolls. You should know as much about its past as humanly possible, only then can you be confident that a car knocking on the door of two decades in age has been properly cared for. If it has, you will never regret the purchase! Good Luck!

28th Nov 2006, 02:37

I had to laugh when I read the above comment regarding the family with the 30 year old station wagon and high net worth since it hit true to home. I grew up in the Northeast and my grandmother had an old Volvo wagon (from the late 70s) that she tooled around Greenwich in, but had a beautiful Silver Spur tucked away in the garage next to a pagoda roof 280SL Mercedes. The Spur was a great vehicle to see and be seen in, but it handled like the big beast that it was and as such it was rarely driven by her. That said, one needs to be cautious when looking at these vehicles since you have to look at the original purchase price to gauge your maintenance. Yes, you can buy one for the price of a "lesser" vehicle, but you will spend the price of that again and a little more for good measure to get the Roller back to its intended standard. As others have stated, there are good and bad Rolls Royce motor cars, and proper maintenance is not optional with this marque. I wish my parents had kept the Spur since it was a bit of fun to glide to an event in, but it was not meant to be, since they had long before moved into the BMW and Mercedes camp for handling, reliability and anonymity.

29th Dec 2006, 00:50

So what you`re really trying to tell us, is that YOU come from "a very prominent family" - with a "staggering net worth". Now, that`s impressive!

11th Sep 2007, 13:18

Just because it has a fancy name and reputation doesn't mean it's any good other than the prestige factor. Post when you hit 200,000 free of major repairs.

5th Oct 2007, 20:26

I do find this blog humorous. I own a 1988 Corniche and it is a beautiful car, but my daily driver (Honda accord) drives better. Generally, the people looking for used rolls royce's are cheap people who want to look like they have money, but they usually don't. Recently, I have tried to sell the car because I thought the car was a little too pretentious, but I tired of all the "want-a-bees" calling about the car. As someone with several million dollars, if I want something, I buy it, but with this car I was amazed how many people were dropping the deal over a couple grand. This is why so many of these cars are junk. The people who buy them really can't afford them and they don't maintain them properly. This is why they fall apart. As a car, I have not been that impressed with the rolls, it is essentially a tank on wheels and drives like one. It is like my financial manager says, "if you want to know how much money someone has, never judge them by their car."

2nd Dec 2007, 04:19

I have been a Rolls Royce owner since 1989.

I bought one Shadow then another; both 1973.

They were a challenge to restore. I did as much of the work as I could to get a greater understanding of the cars.

I then purchased a Silver Spirit in 1992.

I have finally parted with both Shadows at a great loss; they just don't hold their value and the rr396 didn't help.

I refinished my Silver Spirit in an exciting radiance ppg clear topped with super strong Imron at 14 grand. The interior is 2 tone with lots of wood extras, 14 speakers, and little TVs in the headrests, too. Wood veneers on the doors, magnolia pipped and picnic tray tables too.

The known fuel pump fuse mod and GM one wire alternator fixes were done as well as the BMW flex discs in the drivetrain; all done and there is the 6.9 Mercedes Benz fuel accumulator over the differential.

A lot of research can save the owner with hands on repairs a lot. The parts are sometimes used on different makes, as yes they are hand made and some systems borrow stuff here and there.

That's what a Rolls Royce is about. Purely custom, so I remodelled mine from bumper to bumper to suit my own tastes.

I did the Turbo R steering rack, the Harvey Baily suspension upgrade road springs and sway bars, and the 17 inch Flying Spur wheels, with BF Goodrich T/A tires.

With the short wheelbase, the car really handles nicely and is still a Rolls Royce from Crewe.

I have a silver Cloud III to do next; it belonged to the Tiffanys estate. It too will be completely remodelled to be a better version of the SCIII WITH NO RUST AND 100 MORE HP. YOU TUBE ROLLS ROYCE: my Black Spirit can be seen there. Happy motoring Cheers...