| epbrown |
12-24-2003 05:18 PM |
I bought my car on Ebay for $7000, which I think is comparable to what people are paying for them in the UK (one nicer than mine went for 2050 UKP recently). Surprisingly, parts were very easy to get and not that expensive. I once needed a new ignition coil and went to the parts counter at Bentley Northbrook about 20 minutes away. They looked it up on the computer and came back with a very dusty little baggie with the exact part. Anything they didn't have, I was able to order from a RR dealership in Zion, IN that's one of the oldest dealerships in the US. I rebuilt the ignition switch about a week before the accident, and the parts were around $25 and took 2 days via UPS Ground shipping. Apparently that dealership keeps parts dating back to the 1920s cars.
Both companies were big fans of my car, since it's rare seeing such an old Shadow used as a daily driver, year round (I alternated with the Porsche almost daily, and drove the RR during the winter exclusively and put the 911 away). Bentley Northbrook wanted to work a deal where I could pay over time and get a discount to fix the car, but money wasn't the issue - I'm a creature of my time and the way it drove just didn't appeal to me, that incredibly light steering and 5000 lbs of metal wafting me along. (And I never liked that the car was "wedding white," and never got around to painting it.) If I ever do get another Shadow (and there's tremendous gynecological pressure for that to happen ;)), it'll be a SSII with the rack & pinion steering and stiffer suspension.
Insurance was fairly cheap - $800 a year for full coverage, agreed value of $15000. I used GEICO.
Emanuel
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