Poor, skint person contemplating a Turbo R....
Discussion
I've been doing a LOT of reading over the last week or so and remembered that I joined the Australian RRB forum, so have been reading that.
It seems to be that the car to go for is in the year range of 90 - 93 so you don't have to put up with the Zytec management... shame, as I really like the look of the late cars and approve thoroughly of the increased performance. Also heard that these later cars were prone to OMG head gasket failure... really don't want a 6000 bill!
Still contemplating a late Brooklands though. 300HP, and all the updates appeals greatly. However, I dither...
Finding 'the car' is pretty bloody irritating though! So many are in dealers hands and I don't know who to trust. Having bought many cars in the past from dealers where the full service history turns out to be a few stamps in the book from 'Joes garage' and the immaculate condition turns out to be full of filler and a cheap respray! Neither of which I want! I want to find a car in private hands where it has been loved and cherished and I can talk to the owner. But, obviously they are few and far between, and even fewer and further the ones in colours/specs that I want!
It seems to be that the car to go for is in the year range of 90 - 93 so you don't have to put up with the Zytec management... shame, as I really like the look of the late cars and approve thoroughly of the increased performance. Also heard that these later cars were prone to OMG head gasket failure... really don't want a 6000 bill!
Still contemplating a late Brooklands though. 300HP, and all the updates appeals greatly. However, I dither...
Finding 'the car' is pretty bloody irritating though! So many are in dealers hands and I don't know who to trust. Having bought many cars in the past from dealers where the full service history turns out to be a few stamps in the book from 'Joes garage' and the immaculate condition turns out to be full of filler and a cheap respray! Neither of which I want! I want to find a car in private hands where it has been loved and cherished and I can talk to the owner. But, obviously they are few and far between, and even fewer and further the ones in colours/specs that I want!
Xtriple129 said:
I've been doing a LOT of reading over the last week or so and remembered that I joined the Australian RRB forum, so have been reading that.
It seems to be that the car to go for is in the year range of 90 - 93 so you don't have to put up with the Zytec management... shame, as I really like the look of the late cars and approve thoroughly of the increased performance. Also heard that these later cars were prone to OMG head gasket failure... really don't want a 6000 bill!
Still contemplating a late Brooklands though. 300HP, and all the updates appeals greatly. However, I dither...
Finding 'the car' is pretty bloody irritating though! So many are in dealers hands and I don't know who to trust. Having bought many cars in the past from dealers where the full service history turns out to be a few stamps in the book from 'Joes garage' and the immaculate condition turns out to be full of filler and a cheap respray! Neither of which I want! I want to find a car in private hands where it has been loved and cherished and I can talk to the owner. But, obviously they are few and far between, and even fewer and further the ones in colours/specs that I want!
I know what you mean about finding the right car. I've just cancelled the LPT Brooklands I had lined up due to a discrepancy in the sellers description. In all fairness to him I believe he probably misdescribed it through ignorance and he instantly refunded the deposit without question. Not all bad news though as I had a second vehicle lined that was a nicer car in every respect but is a 1996 model year Brooklands that lacks the LPT that comes with the 1997 model year car. It was always the better car and I'm not that disappointed.It seems to be that the car to go for is in the year range of 90 - 93 so you don't have to put up with the Zytec management... shame, as I really like the look of the late cars and approve thoroughly of the increased performance. Also heard that these later cars were prone to OMG head gasket failure... really don't want a 6000 bill!
Still contemplating a late Brooklands though. 300HP, and all the updates appeals greatly. However, I dither...
Finding 'the car' is pretty bloody irritating though! So many are in dealers hands and I don't know who to trust. Having bought many cars in the past from dealers where the full service history turns out to be a few stamps in the book from 'Joes garage' and the immaculate condition turns out to be full of filler and a cheap respray! Neither of which I want! I want to find a car in private hands where it has been loved and cherished and I can talk to the owner. But, obviously they are few and far between, and even fewer and further the ones in colours/specs that I want!
I found that most of the cars I looked at weren't in the hands of dealers, they were traders often operating from home or small offices with the cars kept off-site. Some were so dodgy that a quick look at their premises on Google Street View was all that was needed to realise their cars were not worth looking at. None of them really knew much about the cars.
The problem you face with Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars from the very early 1990's is that most are finished in TPA (Thermo Plastic Acrylic) paint. This is very old fashioned paint technology and caused the factory endless warranty problems, so much so that a significant number were stripped to bare metal and repainted most of them, rather foolishly, in TPA to ensure the finish met the original specification. Around 1992 however approved repairers were allowed to use 2K (two pack) paints following a bare metal strip resulting in a durable finish unlike the "self-destruct" TPA. This is significant because TPA is not compatible with any other paint material and attempting a refinish with anything else can end up with crazing, due to the different rates of expansion and blistering and peeling, often in sheets, as plasticisers from the TPA leech up to its surface causing a breakdown in adhesion.
The paint ID plate is located on the underside of LHF corner of the bonnet and if the number starts with 951 the finish will be TPA and forever prone to all the problems that plagued the cars from new. Any refinishing with more modern paints will always be problematic which explains why so many of these early cars have such a poor finish. There is one currently on Ebay where the roof is peeling and my bet is that you could probably pull all of the paint off by hand.
If the paint code begins with 952, 953 or 954 then you have no concerns overpainting the original finish with any material. The front ends of these cars pick up chips and nearly all exhibit corrosion so the ability to use modern materials without difficulty is important as you will invariably have to have some paintwork carried out. With the earlier TPA finish its very likely that outside of the few who specialise in these cars most painters have never even heard of it as the last major manufacturer (Jaguar) stopped using 30 years ago.
Good luck with your search but these are hardly rare cars so you have a good choice at any moment in time. I would suggest you shortlist a few cars in a confined area and spend a day looking at, and driving, three of four cars. You'll find that their concentration often increases around affluent areas.
Edited by Byteme on Monday 26th May 18:42
matt5791 said:
V8 FOU said:
The problem with Zytec is?
No stupid twin distributors, no HT leads, more power, better running, better emissions.......
absolutely, and better economy. Zytec is one of the reasons I opted for a '96 model year Continental R. (and the liquid cooled chargecooler)No stupid twin distributors, no HT leads, more power, better running, better emissions.......
matt5791 said:
V8 FOU said:
The problem with Zytec is?
No stupid twin distributors, no HT leads, more power, better running, better emissions.......
absolutely, and better economy. Zytec is one of the reasons I opted for a '96 model year Continental R. (and the liquid cooled chargecooler)No stupid twin distributors, no HT leads, more power, better running, better emissions.......
That all said I am very pleased with the performance of Hatty all be it with the benefit of the transient boost kit. With a mixture of driving I am averaging about 15mpg. I reckon on a sustained 70mph run I'd see 20mpg which I think is pretty good. Would a Zetec car manage much more really and if you are worried about fuel economy why buy a Turbo R.
Xtriple129 / David, I suggest you think about what you really want from your Turbo R. I had been looking at Turbo R's for four or five years before I bought mine. Other more pressing issues prevented me from buying sooner but it gave me a chance to reflect on what my perfect Turbo R should be.
I wanted dark blue or black. Black roll top or dash top in normal speak. Mangnolia or very similar interior. Column change seems more Bentley to me and I prefer the 6 clock layout. Arm rests attached to the seats rather than the centre console. Door mirrors affixed to the doors rather than the quarter light.
The three speed box works just fine with imperceptable changes even the dreaded D to R or R to D is like silk. These cars will never win any drag racers or set the fastest lap around the Silverstone GP circuit but boy every mile is a smile
p.s. My missus who has always been very supportive of my car addiction was not so taken with the idea of a Turbo R. But from her first ride she was smitten. Her words Hatty is a keeper.
Edited by graemel on Monday 26th May 23:35
Byteme said:
A detailed breakdown would be helpful.
A proper repaint would have been 10,000 twenty five years ago. Would you include that as essential maintenance?
If you want to prevent corrosion then yes. 10k buys you more than a blow over even these days. You are talking back to bare metal and rectifying any issues with the bodywork for that sort of money. Not just flat back the old paint and spray over the top. If you are looking to keep a car long term then it's worth while spending that sort of money. If you want something to smoke about in for a couple of years then it's not.A proper repaint would have been 10,000 twenty five years ago. Would you include that as essential maintenance?
plasticpig said:
If you want to prevent corrosion then yes. 10k buys you more than a blow over even these days. You are talking back to bare metal and rectifying any issues with the bodywork for that sort of money. Not just flat back the old paint and spray over the top. If you are looking to keep a car long term then it's worth while spending that sort of money. If you want something to smoke about in for a couple of years then it's not.
A car built 25 years ago would have been finished in TPA and invariably would have had to have been stripped to bare metal. That's what it cost then but the chances are Rolls-Royce/Bentley would have been picking up the cost as a warranty repair. There's nothing wrong with flatting and painting later cars finishes in two pack as long as the substrate is sound.Despite the obvious overlap I would regard paint and corrosion as two separate issues and even complete wheelarch replacement should only need partial wing painting allowing the cost to be targeted at more important corrosion related repairs to be spread over time while incurring minimal painting costs.
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