Purchasing Advice for a Mulsanne S
Discussion
I am in the process of purchasing a Mulsanne S - 1991 with 60k miles. the car ha sundergone a short service with TJ Shaw of London and apparently there are no issues with the vehicle. There is no service history other than what was carried out via Shaw's. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for when purchasing. thanks in advance.
Why not?
Lack of history will be reflected in the price.
We dont know anything about the cars condition or the asking price?
It might be a mint car offered really cheap, but with little or no history. Or it might be a total shed needing lots of work and overpriced too, but hey, its got FSH.
Buy on condition relative to price.
Lack of history will be reflected in the price.
We dont know anything about the cars condition or the asking price?
It might be a mint car offered really cheap, but with little or no history. Or it might be a total shed needing lots of work and overpriced too, but hey, its got FSH.
Buy on condition relative to price.
floatingjimi said:
Is there anything in particular I should be looking for when purchasing. thanks in advance.
The BDC will do a pre purchase inspection for you, carried out by really knowledgable people, often ex RR staff/Techs. www.bdcl.org/HomeFrame.htm
On the subject of service history, its worth knowing that these cars have eight different service schedules, 1-8, with a short (oil & filter) service in between each one. When you get to #8 it reverts back to #1 again and the cycle is repeated. #4 and #8 are very big very expensive services, and can often get skipped.
There is a world of difference between 16 years service history (1-8, twice) and 1 years service history 16 times, or bits and bobs, combinations thereof, but the service book is all stamped up and signed nonetheless.
I would venture that hardly any of the cars offered for sale, from even a well known reliable source, that claim to have FSH, actually do. A thorough inspection of the cars history will probably reveal many gaps.
A pukka Mulsanne S of that age, with impeccible credentials will probably retail at mid twenties. Whereas £8000-£14000 is going to be the territory of mere mortals just wanting a decent car with evidence of being well looked after and serviced, but you cant really expect full 1-8 twice though. I have seen a couple of reasonable (not shitters) early Mulsannes at £3K, at that price, who cares about history?
There is a world of difference between 16 years service history (1-8, twice) and 1 years service history 16 times, or bits and bobs, combinations thereof, but the service book is all stamped up and signed nonetheless.
I would venture that hardly any of the cars offered for sale, from even a well known reliable source, that claim to have FSH, actually do. A thorough inspection of the cars history will probably reveal many gaps.
A pukka Mulsanne S of that age, with impeccible credentials will probably retail at mid twenties. Whereas £8000-£14000 is going to be the territory of mere mortals just wanting a decent car with evidence of being well looked after and serviced, but you cant really expect full 1-8 twice though. I have seen a couple of reasonable (not shitters) early Mulsannes at £3K, at that price, who cares about history?
Before I bought the Silver Shadow 2 I used to own I looked at quite a few Shadows,Spirits,Mulsannes and Turbo's.I agree that a lot of the major service items get overlooked,so like you say not many cars have a true FSH however I would run a mile from a car that had no evidence of any work carried out on it.I have seen cars that look in great condition bodily to have many problems with the hydraulic system(pumps,accumulators etc).I had a little work carried out on my Shadow(brakes and a few flexible hoses that had furred up over time),and the bill was well over £2k.I hate to think how much it would have been if there was further work required(rotten metal hydraulic pipes,accumulators and pump replacement or recondition)
I accept what you are saying but its easy to buy a car that looks ok but needs thousands spending on it just to pass its MOT!I was lucky with my car-it was a good'n but I still spent a lot on maintenance to keep it in tip top condition.
I accept what you are saying but its easy to buy a car that looks ok but needs thousands spending on it just to pass its MOT!I was lucky with my car-it was a good'n but I still spent a lot on maintenance to keep it in tip top condition.
I would advise on a pre-purchase inspection too. My mechanic, www.nsandell.com is superb, and based in London. Alternatively, you could try www.frankdale.com.
I must add that I am in no way connected to these chaps other than being a satisfied customer and also sitting on a RREC local 'section' committee with the former.
Rgds,
Andy
I must add that I am in no way connected to these chaps other than being a satisfied customer and also sitting on a RREC local 'section' committee with the former.
Rgds,
Andy
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