| Author | Message | ||
     KC Unregistered guest Posted From: 196.30.245.149 |
I have taken the liberty of X-posting this message on several RR related forums, in the hope that it reaches many who may be considering buying a RR, but have been put off by stories of excessive maintenance cost. Since buying my Silver Shadow a year or so ago I have spoken to many people who dream about owning a RR, but have heard that they cost a fortune to maintain. And there is good reason to believe this. Here in South Africa there are not many suppliers catering for RR cars, and the few that do totally rip the ring out of it. Locally sourced parts would be sold at ridiculous mark-ups just because it’s for a RR. I will mention one example. A set of 5 drive belts cost ZAR 1700 at our local RR supplier. The same set from a normal spares shop costs ZAR 130. The difference is astounding! I can mention many, many more such examples. The secret to maintaining a RR on a reasonable budget can be described in the following pointers (I am assuming that you are reasonably handy with tools): 1) Buy the best vehicle your budget will allow, and get someone knowledgeable to look at it for you. A badly neglected vehicle can cost a fortune to put right, so it all starts here. 2) Do lots of research on replacement parts and where to find them. 3) Read all the forums and pay special attention to any posts from David, Bob, Bill and Richard. 4) Purchase a workshop manual, and try to do most of the work yourself. 5) Drive the vehicle as often as possible, don’t just let it stand there (what’s the point of that anyway?) Here in South Africa, the RR brand is slowly dying, for the local club focuses on the social status and prestige of the brand, and not the pleasure of ownership. Evidence of this is the fact that all the past year’s events were social functions. There were no events focusing on driving the cars, and no emphasis is placed on self-maintaining cars. I hope to change this with time, if they will allow me. (I must add that the club members are all wonderful people, and we have been warmly welcomed) I hope that some South Africans read this, for we desperately need a new breed of enthusiastic RR owners here. A good Silver Shadow can be found for the same price as an entry level VW, so prices are relatively low as a result of low demand. Thank you for the opportunity to share these thoughts. Kind Regards KC Saayman South Africa |
