[CJFusco]

Hey all -- I want to preface this by saying that I have no intention of seeking out or buying an old Rolls-Royce, I'm just posting this out of curiosity and my own edification. I'm relatively clueless when it comes to this particular corner of the automotive world.

I've noticed that, here and there, you often see nice "old" (late 70s/early 80s) era Rolls-Royces for sale relatively cheaply (under 20 grand), compared to what they cost new. We all know how freaking expensive they are, and unique, and hand-build, and how expensive the used parts probably are...

Part of me thinks, "hey, that could be a cool old car for Sunday drives with the family!" So here's the question: why are old ones so cheap? Are they just in the "desirability trough" right now? New ones are ridiculously expensive, and REALLY old ones are ridiculously expensive, but those 70s/80s ones seem pretty affordable.

And here's the inevitable follow-up question: are they so cheap because maintaining one would be a nightmare? They are more-or-less known for their build quality, right? Would it be prohibitively expensive to keep and maintain one due to the price of parts and the unique mechanical expertise needed?

Again, I'm just curious.