Late Silver Shadow or mid80s Corniche as a daily cruiser?
Poll: Late Silver Shadow or mid80s Corniche as a daily cruiser?
Total Members Polled: 56
Discussion
Late Silver Shadow II or mid 80s Corniche ?
I will be looking for a daily cruiser for London in a couple months in view of our first child - my wife's R107 SL or my Challenge Stradale won't do the job (not that we wil sell them, but prob will put the CS in a garage)
Anyways, what is the reliability of a good 20k£ late Silver Shadow or 40k£ Corniche II (or even coupe) ?
The idea is to have it parked outside, run it daily and potentially a trip in the summer to South West coast of France (2000km round trip).
Really like those, and I think they would do perfect cruisers with a big boot - other alternative is to go back to a FFRR supercharged, but no where as cool and stylish!
I will be looking for a daily cruiser for London in a couple months in view of our first child - my wife's R107 SL or my Challenge Stradale won't do the job (not that we wil sell them, but prob will put the CS in a garage)
Anyways, what is the reliability of a good 20k£ late Silver Shadow or 40k£ Corniche II (or even coupe) ?
The idea is to have it parked outside, run it daily and potentially a trip in the summer to South West coast of France (2000km round trip).
Really like those, and I think they would do perfect cruisers with a big boot - other alternative is to go back to a FFRR supercharged, but no where as cool and stylish!
I have a late shadow 2. They're great for carrying the paraphernalia that goes with kids, like buggies etc so a fab cruiser for France. I take mine as often as I can to France with my 2 kids. Maybe not so great (unwieldy) for tight car parks in central London, but other than that fine. Mine is very reliable and I use nigel Sandell in isle worth to service her so pretty local for central London. I think the only slight flaw is parking on the street where it will deteriorate at a faster rate than a dry garage. You do see lots of old metal parked out in town (I work in the west end) but you also wonder what their coach work costs are.
have used a Shadow-II as a daily-driver before. They're really rather large and will swallow whatever you throw at it. A Shadow-II is a lot more civilised than a shadow-I in the electrics and heater which really matters dasy-to-day.
Your budget will stretch to a later car, too. A late Shadow is really the same car as an early Spirit, and if you play your cards right, you could get an early fuel-injected car for really not much money at all. That would be my recommendation, the fuel injection system would be the deal-breaker.
You need to decide what will matter to you in the way of civilities, such as central-locking, fuel injection, a reliable heater, ABS, etc. - and go for a car of the vintage required. £20K is more than enough to get a car and pay for a couple of years of maintenance.
Your budget will stretch to a later car, too. A late Shadow is really the same car as an early Spirit, and if you play your cards right, you could get an early fuel-injected car for really not much money at all. That would be my recommendation, the fuel injection system would be the deal-breaker.
You need to decide what will matter to you in the way of civilities, such as central-locking, fuel injection, a reliable heater, ABS, etc. - and go for a car of the vintage required. £20K is more than enough to get a car and pay for a couple of years of maintenance.
Rushmore said:
If you really want a halfway reliable car, have a look at the T2 currently offered by Balmoral. That is the price tag you'll be looking at.
Do you know that car? It looks concourse but that's no guarantee of reliability. My shadow 2 has never let me down In 9.5 years and I bought her for £12k! I know plenty of similar cars, none bought for £25k! May as well do a Shadow II as Stuart suggests. Here in the US, the 1980 California versions were fuel injected which, for me, would be the cat's meow of Shadows. Had a '77 which I bought cheap enough--ran it for about six months, rebuilt the braking system, had climate control issues to drive me mad, and eventually dumped it. If you're willing to spend the required scratch for upkeep, it'll be a fun daily driver.
Camargue? i like the odd shape, but would not live with it: don't think it'll ever be a "classic"
Bentley continental? again don't think it'll reach the "classic" status, not in the same way a Corniche will anyways.
I really really love the Corniche and looks like the poll is showing 60% approval.
Not sure people understood it would be a daily with a baby actually: just hope the front seat are easy to use as i will need to fit a baby seat in the back. And if i dont mind the trouble, i dont know if my wife will...
But at least the boot is huge, so can def fit a push buggy in there
Bentley continental? again don't think it'll reach the "classic" status, not in the same way a Corniche will anyways.
I really really love the Corniche and looks like the poll is showing 60% approval.
Not sure people understood it would be a daily with a baby actually: just hope the front seat are easy to use as i will need to fit a baby seat in the back. And if i dont mind the trouble, i dont know if my wife will...
But at least the boot is huge, so can def fit a push buggy in there
911Thrasher said:
Not sure people understood it would be a daily with a baby actually: just hope the front seat are easy to use as i will need to fit a baby seat in the back. And if i dont mind the trouble, i dont know if my wife will...
But at least the boot is huge, so can def fit a push buggy in there
My '76 Corniche Saloon is a summer car, but I've previously managed almost 700 miles in five days of mixed driving with wife, 18-month old son, pushchair and suitcase/baggage.But at least the boot is huge, so can def fit a push buggy in there
Rear seatbelts weren't long enough to accommodate the child seat, but it was easy enough to fit extensions. Access to the rear seats wasn't too bad, although obviously more restricted than a four door saloon.
It's been completely reliable during the 2-years I've owned it, but only now am I close to sorting out all the small issues and maintenance hasn't been cheap.
Wonderful cars.
Andy
Edited by 6750cc on Monday 3rd December 15:05
ADP68 said:
Do you know that car? It looks concourse but that's no guarantee of reliability. My shadow 2 has never let me down In 9.5 years and I bought her for £12k! I know plenty of similar cars, none bought for £25k!
I dont know the car. The dealer seems to be ok and well-known. The colour combo is great - discreet and classic, and not the standard dark exterior/light interior. The T2 is the most rare of all saloons - they are obviously cherished by the enthusiasts. You may also want to consult Graeme Hunt, he is dealing with them as well.
Colour combo is no guide to reliability.
I bought my shadow from hunt and keal, where graham hunt used to be, but I got it inspected first by frank dale first.
There are a lot of good ones around, they make great family cars and hold their value. They are reliable if used regularly and serviced well. I wouldn't buy a low miler.
I bought my shadow from hunt and keal, where graham hunt used to be, but I got it inspected first by frank dale first.
There are a lot of good ones around, they make great family cars and hold their value. They are reliable if used regularly and serviced well. I wouldn't buy a low miler.
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