Hello all,
While cruising through town in my trusty 95 Jaguar the other day, I came across an old, dusty 1988 Silver Spur belonging to an old couple. I stopped to give them my business card asking them to contact me if they wanted to sell it. They told me the car is indeed for sale and to make an offer. They've had the car for 5 years and drove it a total of 500 miles. The interior is all intact (Rugs, headliner is good, wood is there but looks bad and missing the gloss, leather is hard but not worn, flying lady is there,) The car shows some rust, needs paint, radio rewired (original) and much more cosmetic work. However, the car is all there and it does run and drive. suspension does not appear to sag on any sides and she appears to be pretty solid overall. The odometer does NOT work so actual mileage is unknown.
He's asking ten thousand for the car but I intend on offering him $5000 for it given the enormous risk I am taking with the broken odo.
This will be my first Rolls and I wanted some feedback on what I'm getting myself into. I'm test driving it tomorrow. I want to look after my best interest however I also want to offer a fair amount to this old man and not feel bad for getting the car at "a steal".
odo says 65k.
Let me know what you think.

Cheers,
Eli

 

Its just not worth the amount it would take to get it road worthy and in above average condition, inside and out. Low mileage like under 50k miles, nice wood, good paint, etc. Sell for between $15k and $25k. You can get a lower miles, near mint condition for under $30k. What you are describing is basically not even a very good parts car. Just take a look on EBay. In Rolls Royce there is no bargains, its a buy the best you can afford deal. Even at $5k, you'll be in it for $15k very quickly. It still won't be a $15k car. Buy a better one! Should also add, that most of the Rolls Royce club people know how cheap spurs sell for in Japan, its keeping North American prices down. You can get a mint spur in Japan, even with duty and import fee's and shipping for under $12k landed.


Here is a mint example http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rolls-Royce-...m=141820769584


Under $30k. You couldn't put $30k into a parts car and make it like that example.

 

Another more reasonable priced example 1991 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur for $17,997 in Parksville | autoTRADER.ca note the price is CDN dollars, in American its a much lower price. I can tell by the headlights, its an American market car. Should be able to go back to the U.S. duty free.

 

I realize this topic is 4 1/2 months old, but I'm curious as to whether or not you ever purchased a Rolls and if so, did you buy the one from the old couple? Common wisdom concerning the purchase of a used Silver Spur is that you should be prepared to spend at least $10,000 on it to bring it up to par. In this particular case, that would be in addition to rust repair and paint which, if done properly, will be very expensive. Now, all that being said, when I bought my XJL Supercharged in January, I traded in my 1997 Silver Spur. The Jaguar dealership wholesaled the car out to a used car dealer in Northern VA who now has it listed online for $22995. It is in extremely nice original condition; near perfect other than a few hairline cracks in the wood. I had the brakes redone, new tires, and new wiper blades (approx. $4000) just before trading it. It has covered 500 - 700 miles since. The reason I'm telling you all this is because the dealer that is offering it for sale now says it is eligible for a Preferred Certified Warrany to 100K miles (car currently has less than 72K) or 5 years. Depending on the cost of that warranty and what it actually covers, my former Rolls-Royce could be the deal of a lifetime for someone so inclined. The last series of Silver Spurs were lightly turboed and are infinitely more driveable cars than earlier ones. I have no stake in it one way or the other, but thought it might be a more viable option than the one you were looking at. You can find it at Washington Boulevard Motors in Arlington VA.

Dwayne