79 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow/not mine for $6000

[Buick35]

Sorry I can't do the pics. but I saw this one yesterday on central Florida's craigslist.said it's a daily driver.I wish he'd trade for my MG.Greg

[Gearheadengineer]

Interesting - I recently noticed several different Rolls-Royce offerings on my local CL and Facebook sites. Similar low prices. I’m not sure if this is more than normal or if I just never noticed before. A Rolls for under $10k could be tempting. 
 

However I suspect there is nothing more expensive than a cheap Rolls. 
 

 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

1 hour ago, Buick35 said:

Sorry I can't do the pics. but I saw this one yesterday on central Florida's craigslist.said it's a daily driver.I wish he'd trade for my MG.Greg

NO, you don't.  Nothing is more expensive than a cheap RR.   Brake service is $10k on the Silver Shadows, has a complex system to "glide you to a level, gentle stop".  Uh huh.  Etc.  Nice cars, but look before you leap.

Chrome bumper B?  More fun on a sunny day by far!! 

[Matt Harwood]

Here's the life cycle of a 60s-90s Rolls-Royce:

 

Owner 1: Has a warranty, takes good care of the car, properly maintained.

Owner 2: Might have part of a warranty left, but if not, the car was well maintained by owner #1 so it remains in good shape. Once warranty expires, realizes that things are terrifyingly expensive to fix and lets the little stuff slide. Maintains it well, but sees the writing on the wall and decides to sell before anything major goes wrong.

Owner 3: Buys Rolls-Royce because it seems like a lot of car for the money and doesn't mind little stuff that doesn't work. Shops around for a mechanic who can fix big stuff when it starts to go wrong and spends a lot of money repairing and maintaining the basics. When things start to go wrong again, he ejects and sells the car before it gets out of hand.

Owner 4: Wow, a Rolls-Royce at a bargain price! I'm handy, I have good tools, I bet I can fix this up and have a great car for not a lot of cash. Shops for brake system parts and realizes it's a $10,000 job even if he does all the labor himself. Tries anyway using AutoZone parts, drives the car for a while, but eventually his home-brewed repairs incapacitate the car. It sits in his driveway or garage rotting for several years because, after all, it's a Rolls-Royce and he may never get a chance to own one again. Eventually gives up and sells it, either because he comes to his senses or--more likely--someone else (wife, divorce court, or city zoning office) makes him "get rid of that pile of junk."

Owner 5 (and this is where the subject car is): Buys as a very cheap fixer upper. I can do this! Seems like a lot of car for the money! How hard can it be? Oh God, the pain, the pain! Why did I do this?  [blood-chilling screaming]

 

Bounce between 4 and 5 for the rest of its life.

 

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Buick35]

Thanks for the advice.Some one could always drop a 350 Chevy in it.Or better yet put her on a four wheel drive truck frame an Jack er way up.Yee Haw! Afterall,it's Florida. Don't fergit the big American flag.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Maybe 1 in 15 break this cycle Matt describes. Those are the 40,000 not 4,000 dollar ones.  

[Buick35]

He said it just sold for the $6000 asking price.

[alsancle]

26 minutes ago, Buick35 said:

He said it just sold for the $6000 asking price.

 

Somebody is in for a rude awakening.    The engine is the last of the problems.  I wonder if 79 has the brakes that cost 10k to rebuild?

[Matt Harwood]

3 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

I wonder if 79 has the brakes that cost 10k to rebuild?

 

Just listen for the screaming.

[Gearheadengineer]

No worries, just bolt on a Mustang II front end kit and you’re good to go. 
 

[f.f.jones]

14 hours ago, Buick35 said:

Thanks for the advice.Some one could always drop a 350 Chevy in it.Or better yet put her on a four wheel drive truck frame an Jack er way up.Yee Haw! Afterall,it's Florida. Don't fergit the big American flag.

Somebody beat you to it...

[bryankazmer]

speechless

 

my eyes hurt

[alsancle]

25 minutes ago, bryankazmer said:

speechless

 

my eyes hurt

 

I was running aside a 1 ton with those spikes last week on 95 in Florida.   I'm surprised they are legal.

[8E45E]

7 hours ago, f.f.jones said:

Somebody beat you to it...

That one reminds me of the silver Hot Wheels Silver Shadow I had in 1969.  (It was not made into a truck, but it had the obligatory Mag Wheels.)  

 

Craig

[TAKerry]

35 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

I was running aside a 1 ton with those spikes last week on 95 in Florida.   I'm surprised they are legal.

Parked beside an F350 at home depot the other day and thought the same. Wondered what would happen if I tripped across them in the parking lot, LOL.

 

There was a guy in my small town that had a mid 70' RR sedan as his daily driver. I talked to him one day at a gas station about maintenance. He said it was actually an easy car to work on. I was surprised by his comment.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

The oversized mirrors on the conversion car ruin an otherwise tasteful update.  Soon to be advertised as a "restored project car with the RR flatbed pickup conversion kit" 😁

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, TAKerry said:

Parked beside an F350 at home depot the other day and thought the same. Wondered what would happen if I tripped across them in the parking lot, LOL.

 

There was a guy in my small town that had a mid 70' RR sedan as his daily driver. I talked to him one day at a gas station about maintenance. He said it was actually an easy car to work on. I was surprised by his comment.

 

Kerry,

 

I think it is like anything.  If you learn that marque then you are fine.  But that is a lot of effort.   Post war RR I think of as more overbuilt than over engineered.   Prewar is both.

[Ed Luddy]

Having owned several Jaguars I've been cured of the British luxury car influenza. The 1988 Sovereign with the RR type hydraulic suspension was the worst. I was the 2nd owner, took it back to the local Jag dealer at the time and he was very honest. Showed me records and told me the story of my car from the day it was shipped to him new. As soon as I got it home, took pic's and put it up for sale. It was about 4-5 years old.

[alsancle]

Back when I was young and stupid and I had a few shekels jingling in my pocket I bought a new 2001 4.0 "S" type.   I figured at that point it was basically a fancy Ford.   At about 30k miles and out of warranty it would not go in to gear anymore.    The dealer told me I needed a new transmission which was gonna be 5500 bucks.    At that point I was driving a truck full time so I pushed the car aside and started ignoring it.    While at my local shop for one of the other cars I happened to mention to the mechanic if he could get me a used Jag transmission.    He asked what was wrong and I told him.  He told me to bring the car down so he take a look.    30 minutes after I dropped it off he called me and told me to come get it.   I figured he gave up fast.    Nope. Car was all fixed.    What was the issue?    The shift cable was junk, total bill to repair was 80 bucks.

 

 

 

[JACK M]

1 hour ago, alsancle said:

Back when I was young and stupid and I had a few shekels jingling in my pocket I bought a new 2001 4.0 "S" type.   I figured at that point it was basically a fancy Ford.   At about 30k miles and out of warranty it would not go in to gear anymore.    The dealer told me I needed a new transmission which was gonna be 5500 bucks.    At that point I was driving a truck full time so I pushed the car aside and started ignoring it.    While at my local shop for one of the other cars I happened to mention to the mechanic if he could get me a used Jag transmission.    He asked what was wrong and I told him.  He told me to bring the car down so he take a look.    30 minutes after I dropped it off he called me and told me to come get it.   I figured he gave up fast.    Nope. Car was all fixed.    What was the issue?    The shift cable was junk, total bill to repair was 80 bucks.

 

 

 

Had you let the first guy put that 5500 tranny in it would have come with a new cable that you never knew about.

[alsancle]

1 minute ago, JACK M said:

Had you let the first guy put that 5500 tranny in it would have come with a new cable that you never knew about.

My assumption was always that I was going to pay 5500 bucks for the cable, whether I got a new transmission or not I’m not sure.

[JACK M]

It could have gone that way I guess. I just figured that the dumb mechanic may not have noticed the cable soon enough.

[8E45E]

3 hours ago, alsancle said:

 The shift cable was junk, total bill to repair was 80 bucks.

I bet the cable was still good, and only the mount at the transmission end came loose, where it wouldn't push the selector anymore.  (Happens to mid-eighties F-body GM's.) 

 

Craig  

[TAKerry]

I think those Jags look nice but have enough sense to stay away. I had a buddy that bought a Vanden Plas new, it was a really nice car but I suppose its like the RR. As long as its under warranty you will be ok.

 

That trans story reminded me of a similar one with my 98 f150. It started to run rough and my reg. mechanic had retired so I resorted to the ford dealer. They had me ready to trade in on a new truck, even though mine was only a couple of years old. Told me the radiator was cracked and leaking(I parked in the garage every night and somehow never saw a leak!) one of the cylinders was bad, etc. etc. Total repair bill was something stupid like $4k. I left the garage in a huff, stopped at a mom n pop mechanic shop I knew about but never used. Told them simply to look at my truck not saying anything the Ford guy said. They called me the next morning and said the truck was done. I didnt exactly tell them to fix and had no idea what I was in for dollar wise. Turns out they put in new plugs and wires, bill was maybe A $100 or so, truck ran as good as new and the mechanic got the business of my company servicing 5 trucks and all of our personal autos.

 

I will add the owner of the dealer also owned the local HD dealer that hosed my brother so bad on a service job we never went back. 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Around 1987, I was a wet behind the ears sales rep calling on car dealers pitching aftermarket "dealer value adds".  I also had my TR-6 and was hot on anything Brit.  Walked into a former Leland dealer, then Jaguar, Porsche Audi. 

Struck up  conversation with service manager (ulterior motive, any old TR signage etc. Laying around) "wow I really admire those Jaguars.." 

Service Manager "kid, those are junk.  Paint is thin, they breakdown all the time and they leak.  Those cars, over there, (Audi of some sort) are something, forget this garbage". Referencing back to a couple new Jaguars in the shop.  So one insider's view.  In fairness, not a stellar period for a lot of marques, right?

[daniel boeve]

I am  one of the few who is happy with an englisch car: a 1958  Bentley. Bought it in Philadelphia by accident .(As i was not looking for one )Took it home , new exhaust , repair brakes and power steering and since then it did not let me down .It even has a exclusive option : Pick nick table and seats on the bumpers .( Radford option)

[alsancle]

Our 59 Silver Wraith has 180k miles on it.   170k put on by our family since it was bought when it was 4 years old off the roof at Inskip.    Only broke down once.   On 80 in Penn around 1971 the water pump went.

[Angelfish]

This one is for sale locally for $5500.  Seems like they're been popping up a lot lately.

 

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

18 hours ago, daniel boeve said:

 I am one of the few who is happy with an English car:  a 1958 Bentley... 

 

17 hours ago, alsancle said:

Our 59 Silver Wraith has 180k miles on it.  170k put on by our family since it was bought when it was 4 years old off the roof at Inskip.  Only broke down once....   

 

So, are Rolls-Royces and Bentleys of the 1950's better

than the problematic and expensive-to-repair Silver Shadows?

Did it take a lot of maintenance and cost to get your 1979 to 180,000 miles, Al?

Are they still very complex back in that decade?

If your models are good, in what years did those cars become problematic?

 

It's a shame that some beautiful cars don't have the

mechanical quality to match.  I'd be happy to hear

otherwise.  Teach us some more!

[alsancle]

3 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

 

So, are Rolls-Royces and Bentleys of the 1950's better

than the problematic and expensive-to-repair Silver Shadows?

Did it take a lot of maintenance and cost to get your 1979 to 180,000 miles, Al?

Are they still very complex back in that decade?

If your models are good, in what years did those cars become problematic?

 

It's a shame that some beautiful cars don't have the

mechanical quality to match.  I'd be happy to hear

otherwise.  Teach us some more!

 

I'm not kidding when I tell you our Rolls is the most dependable car my dad ever owned.   Just that one minor little water pump issue in the middle of no where back in the early 70s.   The guy that owned the garage in the small town down the road was a freaking hero.   We were driving that Rolls and my dad's 812 Cord to Auburn Indiana.  Rented a car and drove the rest of the way,  my dad had the water pump air mailed to the garage and he flew back later in the week and replaced it with the mechanic.

Never had a problem before or since.   Just regular maintenance.  The engine still has not been apart,  nor the transmission.   I'll have to go look at the exact miles but I think around 180k

[John_S_in_Penna]

3 minutes ago, alsancle said:

Never had a problem before or since.   Just regular maintenance....

But was there LOTS of maintenance, and at great cost?

A Silver Shadow owner I knew, a member of the Rolls Royce

Owners' Club, said that he had to ship his car 2 hours away

for annual maintenance, which was about $3000 a year

when there were no repairs.  And that price wasn't from a 

dealer!

 

And what year is the attractive Rolls in your picture?

[alsancle]

2 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

But was there LOTS of maintenance, and at great cost?

A Silver Shadow owner I knew, a member of the Rolls Royce

Owners' Club, said that he had to ship his car 2 hours away

for annual maintenance, which was about $3000 a year

when there were no repairs.  And that price wasn't from a 

dealer!

 

And what year is the attractive Rolls in your picture?

 

My dad has always done his own maintenance, so I would say the cost was minimal.   Our car is a 59 Silver Wraith,  which is the end of the line for that model.

 

Btw,  I guessed right on the mileage.  I just went and took this picture.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

@daniel boeve, thats a great looking car!!

 

I think the postwar pre Shadows are a bit easier to manage, been around a couple and they don't seem quite as complex.

 

[daniel boeve]

9 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

 

So, are Rolls-Royces and Bentleys of the 1950's better

than the problematic and expensive-to-repair Silver Shadows?

Did it take a lot of maintenance and cost to get your 1979 to 180,000 miles, Al?

Are they still very complex back in that decade?

If your models are good, in what years did those cars become problematic?

 

It's a shame that some beautiful cars don't have the

mechanical quality to match.  I'd be happy to hear

otherwise.  Teach us some more!

When you ask me the Rolls-Bentleys till the end of the fifties are better than the sixties cars and then in 1965 they start the new model and thats to much for me .I am happy I have the 6-cilinder model and thats easy to work on .The V8 was not an improvement quality  wise