Vintage R.R.20hp to buy or not?

[crankedup]

For years I have hankered over owning one of these lovely old cars but have concerns regarding spares/parts costs. I have previously and currently run vintage, my present car is 1928 Vauxhall 20/60, therefore I am used to 'that side of ownership'. However, the R.R. I have been told are very expensive regarding spare parts, but I guess that maintenance/repair issues are no different to any other quality car. It is also said that the 20hp is very slow on the road? Comment and advise welcomed.

[guru_1071]

id say that the 20hp is the last of the 'vintage' rolls with no front brakes etc.

a far better option would be a slighty later 20/25 as they are far more suited to modern roads with the four wheel servod brakes etc etc.

spares are avalible through the club / specalist for both models, but i think the 20/25 is far better catered for

have a look at

http://www.realcar.co.uk/

my old man had had a few off ian & ray over the years and has nothing but praise for them

edit, if your used to looking after old cars you will be ok, most nowdays will be sorted cars (unless you buy a barn find one) that have had problems like overheating sorted.

my dad 20/25 is fine in traffic, up to 55mph, and more it starts to wander a bit and its not as much fun - its also easy to maintain - just oiling and greasing and what not. most of the problems we have is poor work done by people looking to cut corners or not understanding how to work in them.

buy one, you wont regret it! (as long as you dont buy a dog!)

Edited by guru_1071 on Saturday 19th March 14:31

[crankedup]

guru_1071 said:

id say that the 20hp is the last of the 'vintage' rolls with no front brakes etc.

a far better option would be a slighty later 20/25 as they are far more suited to modern roads with the four wheel servod brakes etc etc.

spares are avalible through the club / specalist for both models, but i think the 20/25 is far better catered for

have a look at

http://www.realcar.co.uk/

my old man had had a few off ian & ray over the years and has nothing but praise for them

edit, if your used to looking after old cars you will be ok, most nowdays will be sorted cars (unless you buy a barn find one) that have had problems like overheating sorted.

my dad 20/25 is fine in traffic, up to 55mph, and more it starts to wander a bit and its not as much fun - its also easy to maintain - just oiling and greasing and what not. most of the problems we have is poor work done by people looking to cut corners or not understanding how to work in them.

buy one, you wont regret it! (as long as you dont buy a dog!)

Edited by guru_1071 on Saturday 19th March 14:31

Thanks for the info', interesting stuff. I have seen the realcar site and been looking for a couple of years now. I prefer the looks of the 20hp but appreciate your comments regarding the more up to date 20/25. Maybe I can find a vintage looking model that will satisfy my preferences. I am not a club member but assume the R.R. club could offer pre purchase inspection service?

[guru_1071]

crankedup said:

Thanks for the info', interesting stuff. I have seen the realcar site and been looking for a couple of years now. I prefer the looks of the 20hp but appreciate your comments regarding the more up to date 20/25. Maybe I can find a vintage looking model that will satisfy my preferences. I am not a club member but assume the R.R. club could offer pre purchase inspection service?

i think the 20hps can be looked on as 'small ghosts', in that they have a vintage look and driving experience.

It would be rare to find a later car with a vintage looking body, as the bodys would often be renewed on cars to make them look newer in the day - a cheap bit of 'keeping up with the jones',

there are a few people who advertise in the back of the rrec mag that do car inspections, but i would guess that unless your buying a mega bucks fully restored example there will be no way of really knowing what you have bought unless you use it - they are a 70 year old car after all.

one big advantage of the real car co is that they have a list on their website of cars sold, so you can scroll through them and see what sort of styles and looks you can get, they do get a good range of cars in, and know how to price them to sell.

another good place to buy is at the rrec national event, they have an bonhams auction there, and due to it been only rr and bentleys, its sometimes possible to pick a bargain up - particually if there is a lot of similar cars.

my dad has bought a few this way, one for less than its worth in bits (not that we will break it, its a tatty beast, but well loved!) and another that he is currently using thats been really well looked after and used for wedding hire by a owner who used the money he made on wedding to look after the upkeep of the car.

the only place that is poor for looking for this sort of car is ebay - most of the ones on classified listings seem to belong to sellers who are on some sort of drug, often asking twice what the car will eventually sell for when its put through an auction!

the other nice thing about the prewar rr (and derby bentleys) is that the rrec club have all the original chassis cards, so its easy to find out the exact details of any car you buy - they are often a mine of useless informaton!

[crankedup]

Again thank you for tips/advise. I will be selling my Vauxhall and vintage caravan later in the year and then take the R.R. plunge. Seen the 1926 Cockshoot bodied car at Realcar and quite like the looks of it, I know they have had that car in stock for a while now so if its still available in mid Summer may have a closer look. Certainly it has the style that I prefer, don't want to rush into anything but would like to buy this Summer if the right car pops up. Thanks again for tips.

[Balmoral Green]

They do appear to be quite complicated, I went to a 'self help group' meeting of the RREC East Midlands area yesterday, this was set up for pre-war owners, and although I'm not a pre-war bod myself, I went along for the crack.

We stripped the front hub and brakes on a 20/25, and it was like some Indiana Jones adventure, with fiendish device after fiendish device just to get through to check the brake linings and overall condition, and the rears were even worse. Compared to just undoing the wheel nuts to remove the wheel, and then a couple of screws to get the drum off, it was like the Krypton factor on speed. I did enjoy it though, so I can see the attraction of a massively over-engineered obstacle course of lock nuts with lock nuts with double redundant lock tabs with lock nuts on top of tabs and lock nuts, for each of several processes involved in removing just a hub assembly, and that none of them appeared to serve any function either. And then there's the specialist tools

The chap who's car we worked on had only had it two months, and had only been out three times in it. Lets just say the old boy had an epiphany with regard to maintenance, previously he'd been an Austin man

[crankedup]

Now thats truly a prospect I do not relish, I had heard of the complicated engineering of early R.R. which is one reason for my post. My previous pre war cars have been quite simple mechanics, Austin, Morris, Bayliss Thomas and so on, but I imagined the R.R. to be on another level. Thanks for posting Balmoral, food for thought.

[Balmoral Green]

David, if you join the RREC, and attend similar such self help group meetings in your area, it should be easier. They also have workshop manuals and the specialist tools available. And there are always people ready to lend a hand, who know the cars inside out.

[crankedup]

Thanks Warren, a vintage Silver Ghost owner has just moved into the area and is starting an all marque club. Apparently he restored his Ghost so clearly a knowledgeable chap, time to get myself along to the meetings. Then if I still decide to take plunge I will join the RREC as you suggest.

[HenryRoyce]

Another RREC recommendation from me, too. The club holds many seminars at its HQ near Towcester, with a different model catered for each time. As well as the expert knowledge gained from the tutor, it is also a good opportunity to meet and chat with fellow owners of your particular model, many of whom will have many years' experience of running their cars.

As far as deciding between a 20hp or a 20/25, I am sure the guys at Real Car Co will be more than happy for you to try one of each to see the difference for yourself.

[crankedup]

Thanks for input James, I will certainly join the RREC before deciding on which model to go for, meanwhile my Vauxhall 20/60 is in the car hospital at the moment being treated to an top end overhaul. Also new piston rings are being made, fortunately the engine is in good condition so far as bearings / pistons and so on are concerned. So, if I do decide to sell then it will be running beautifully for test drives and new ownership.