Hi folks, I need your help or advise on this one.
I started looking for a used R-R SSII last year and began rearranging my
finances to support paying cash for one. Last Friday I sold off a vehicle
which gave me the cash to buy a RR, should I find the right one. Well, as
fate would have it, the next day in the local paper I find one for sale: a
1978 SSII. Reasonable price.
I called the owner. Seemed to be a very nice guy. Wants to cash out his SSII
for a Corniche that a friend found for him.
As I spoke with him about his car, it was obvious he had taken meticulous care
of the appearance of his car since he had purchased it 10 years ago but he was
not as attentive on the mechanical details as I would prefer. He has had a
lot of preventative maintenance done: oil changes, etc. He had a hydrolic
leak in the brakes repaired and the steering rack replaced. All these
operations were performed by a local, trusted mechanic but not a individual
even casually schooled in R-R maintenance. To the owners defence, I know the
nearest authorized RR/Bentley dealer is 200 miles away and I doubt he deemed
such periodic and minor things something to haul the car 200 miles away for.
I queried him on the condition of the maintenance-intensive load leveling and
braking system. I don't think he knew about the prior and the latter he said
worked fine.
He bought the car from an out-of-state party 10 years ago and has no records
for the car prior to his purchase of it and it sounds like he doesn't make a
point of keeping records for the period of time he's had it. I may be wrong
on the last bit but I know he knows nothing of the car before he got it.
The car has 60K miles on it. The owner has put about 12K miles on it in the
past 10 years. He's not in the RROC and I suspect he has no club involvment.
At last, my questions: what's your "gut-feel" for this car? Is this situation
typical of buying a used RR? I often see ads with "complete records" and was
assuming that was the norm with this type of car. Also, since the car has
only 60K miles on it, since oil changes have been regular and periodic
maintenance has been performed is there -- practically speaking -- anything
major I should be concerned with, assuming the hydrolic systems are in working
order (those can be inspected, I assume, to ascertain their condition)? This
guy sounds like he has a genuine appreciation for the car, the aesthetics
perhaps more so than the mechanical, but I think neither has been outright
neglected.
Is there any other questions I can ask this guy? If I move forward with this
deal, I will talk to his mechanic and will have the car inspected.
ANY more input would be apprecated.
Thanks in advance,
Carl
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