Hi Francois!
You're certainly welcome for any food for thought originating here;-)
>1) How practical is it as a family car a trip of about 4000 km per year
>and then about 10000 km doing other things ?
Well, a RR is a perfectly good CAR from a transportation point of view. I'm
in Canada, so circumstances are a little different. Generally speaking, they
can handle pretty much anything even the most modern cars can. They are hard
to start in cold weather however! They drive very well, and are hell for
stout. I stongly doubt most light duty pickup trucks could tolerate the
abuse that a RR can absorb.
>
>2) Are they very expensive to run day to day (in monthly terms) fro
>example $ 200 or $ 500 per month ? What do the do on fuel ?
Maintennce expenses vary widely. Usually the best deal is pay thru the nose
for a very clean, original car with a good service history, and then
maintain it at low cost during the time you use it. For normal mechanical
sorts of things, about $1000 a year is adequate if you do your own oil
changes etc. Tires, brake linings, filters et al are not expensive, and RR
wears such things quite slowly. One major hydraulic failure or engine
problem from an abused or unserviced car can cost plenty however.
Generally, I favour the 1970-73 models above the others- seems this was a
good period striking a balance between 'de-bugging' of the new design, and
minimal complexity in other systems. The chromed bumpers look nicer in my
view also, contrasted to later models.
Fuel economy is a horror on most Shadows. In traffic they do VERY poorly,
circa 8-12 mpg, and this rises to ~16 MPG at best (imperial) for most
people. Potentially, 20 MPG is possible with careful tuning and driving
practices, but efficiency is not the RR's long suit. I currently drive an
8.2 litre Cadillac that gets better mileage (23 Hwy) than any RR product
I've owned or driven. This said, the RR has very good performance and
refinement, and doesnt have much sensitivity to speed,weather or terrain.
The gasoline is worth it for the overall performance. Overall, they have
similar fuel consumption and performance to an American luxury make like a
big Olds or Buick, with similar performance. What sets them apart is the
sheer suppleness and response that is lacking in mass produced powertrains.
>3) I have heard that the hydraulics (as you pointed out), and rust on the
>door sills are the things to look for, anything else ?
Number one thing is I'd ensure I got an original paint car. Poor collision
repairs are very costly to correct. Its much better to find a car that has
not been molested by the body shop. The more original a car the better as a
general practice also. Avoid cars from damp places, also, this plays havoc
with everything from the hydraulics to the upholstery.
>
>4) Are they increasing in value or are they just stable, there were a
>limited amount built I have a figure of about +/- 8500 units ?
Locally, they seem to be steeply depreciating, good Shadows are availible
for ~$US15,000-20,000 here. The US market seems quite strong however.
>
>
>Thanks, hopefully this will give the list something to talk about for a
>short while.
I hope this does lead to a discussion- theres been few remarks on list in
the last several months at least, but theres some excellent posts, hopefully
things will pick up a bit.
Good Luck in your search!
Envying you the sunlight,
Brent Covey
|