Thursday 12th February 2015

Rolls-Royce Phantom: You Know You Want To

Comfortably under £100,000 and comfortably over 100,000 miles - fancy it?

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This should get some discussion flowing. For sale is a Rolls-Royce Phantom, arguably the best and most desirable 21st century luxury car. It has an asking price of £89,950, considerably less than any other Phantoms because of its substantial 130K recorded miles. The high miles/low price debate is always perfect YKYWT fodder, especially so when there's a car that once cost someone more than a quarter of a million pounds.

You really would never know

And apparently the someone who owned this Phantom was one of those celebrity sorts. The ad freely admits the miles have been accrued cruising along the M4 between Wiltshire and London having first been owned by Rolls Mayfair.

Furthermore, according to Rolls-Royce itself this car as "probably the best maintained Phantom in the country." Now we'll take that with a slight pinch of salt because there can't be many poorly maintained Royces in this world but LF55EJE does look fabulous. If you didn't know (and we hadn't given it away twice by the end of the first paragraph), there can't be many who would have guessed such a mileage. Of course it could be selective photography but the car appears flawless. Even the driver's seat and steering wheel, the things that would likely show up blemishes first, seem immaculate. The colour combination itself is even quite classy, not always a guarantee with 'VIP' owned vehicles.

Colour combo spot on too

So given it's spent most of its life mooching up the motorway and should be the best engineered car in the world (or at least close), a 130,000-mile Phantom doesn't seem entirely daft. Obviously it will be closer to major consumables wearing out but look at the saving over other cars. Why shouldn't it continue for many more thousands of miles with similar use and care? For those particularly conscious the plate could be swapped for something that kept the age secret. Nobody has to see the odometer, right?

It's so much cooler than a Maybach and makes the regular luxury saloons look rather ordinary. The risk stakes are high but then so is the potential reward, which is why this Phantom makes such a good talking point. All thoughts welcome!

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ROLLS ROYCE PHANTOM
Price: £89,950
Why you should: Phantom luxury, Panamera price, seemingly great condition
Why you shouldn't: Selling it on again?

See the original advert here.

[King Steffy]

1st of all...It's seriously ugly.
2ndy, trying selling that car again to a Trader/private with even > miles in a few years & see what you get.
3rdly, i sat in one not so long ago & thought to myself...I look a prat...No thank you...
So many beautiful cars out there new & used @ that price...I'd rather walk....

[P-Jay]

If I could, I'd buy it in a heartbeat - honestly 130k miles, who cares, a car that has a 'reverse power' dial instead of a rev counter isn't going to have been bouncing off the limiter around the 'ring it's whole life, it's going to have been abused about as much as a hearse.

[soad]

Not for me - still looks quite vulgar (unlike Bentley Arnage).

Have to admit, that dashboard looks good.

[skilly1]

King Steffy said:

1st of all...It's seriously ugly.
2ndy, trying selling that car again to a Trader/private with even > miles in a few years & see what you get.
3rdly, i sat in one not so long ago & thought to myself...I look a prat...No thank you...
So many beautiful cars out there new & used @ that price...I'd rather walk....

1st - That is subjective, I think it looks great
2nd - I can assure it won't be as big loss as buying it from new.
3rd- Maybe it exposed you for who you are !

[P4ROT]

A lot of car for the money, but what would you even do with it?

[Ares]

If you need a big luxury family car, and looking £80-100k.....could you forgive yourself for NOT considering a full-size Roller?

On residuals.... What other 10 yr old car is still worth 30% of its original cost with 130k on the dial?

[Willy Nilly]

[Uncle John]

I'd take it in a heartbeat. No question.

[anonymous-user]

Do drivers wages not get included in depreciation?

[Amirhussain]

One day...

[digi051669]

yea, I'd buy it. But only if I had a driver. Still young and family like their sports/supercars, so.......

A grand car indeed. A few of my clients have it and they do not drive it, they only sit in it.

People need to understand you don't drive a Phantom, you enjoy it in the back seat. Anyone who can afford these, have a garage full of cars anyway. Not for your wannabe millionaire/billionaire becoz you really need to be the one to sit comfortably in the back knowing costs are insignificant.

Has serious presence.

[Baryonyx]

An incredible car, but they are fking massive. Could be a job to park in a city centre, definitely a two ticket job!

[King Steffy]

Dear Skilly1, I agree with you it's all subjective absolutely...
However my personal taste makes me agree with soad...A Bentley Arnage is pure panache...

[soad]

P4ROT said:

A lot of car for the money, but what would you even do with it?

Cruise in style!

Why fly Sleasyjet when you can take a Rolls Phantom?

[scubadude]

The looks... well from inside (even more so from the back seat) you don't need to see them so no a deal breaker IMO.

If I had the means and requirement I think I'd be hard pushed not to go for it, servicing with RR might be painful but I'd wager with maintenance it would last forever

[0llie]

Yes please Absolutely love these, need to experience one in my lifetime.

[Modificata]

King Steffy said:

1st of all...It's seriously ugly.
2ndy, trying selling that car again to a Trader/private with even > miles in a few years & see what you get.
3rdly, i sat in one not so long ago & thought to myself...I look a prat...No thank you...
So many beautiful cars out there new & used @ that price...I'd rather walk....

Not much of a King if you dont travel in a Rolls, and and perhaps Stiffy the prat look had nothing to do with the car..?

On a personal level I would buy this if I could, but alas other priorities mean I cant. Having spent a lot of time with the current RR range of cars I can say nothing, but nothing comes close to an Phantom.

[TurboHatchback]

Oh dear no, not if it was £10k! It would be impossible to park, I'd need to employ a chauffer, it would make me look like a a completely different type of tt and IMHO it's hideous! I imagine these could generate some truly heroic bills too, I'll leave this one for someone with considerably more money and different tastes than me.

[The Don of Croy]

I think the only thing that disppoints on first examination is that the seat belt buckles are rather ordinary - and just like the ones in a Ford or Toyota.

Therefore, I'm out. (Well, that and the lack of readies).

[Krikkit]

FWIW these don't need a chauffeur. Nick Mason uses one as his daily hack and rates it very highly, there's even some rather amusing footage of him taking it round the 'ring!