TAKE IT or LEAVE IT: 1978 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II - $13,000

Classics. We all love them. No matter how old you are or how young you might be, no matter whether you know how a record player works, or you can navigate an iphone with an understanding likened to that of Neil Degrasse Tyson and science, when you see a classic car coming up the road, you always find yourself staring longer than you thought you would. They're a timeless reminder of a not so distant past, and all that classic metal always seem to fill us with excitement. And that excitement seems just so with last week's 1964 VW Beetle, which earned a strong TAKE IT win. Now, go hit the surf, peasant, while I introduce something that appeals to the more refined car enthusiast's palette.

Quick! What's your favorite car under $13,000? A Corolla? Maybe a nice Kia Forte? How about a cool Mini? Maybe if the eco-box mantra doesn't suit you, you might shoot for something like an Escalade or even a Bimmer. Sure, those are all great choices if you're ready for some secondhand shopping, but if you're prepared to really dig, the gold that you can find in the depths of car classifieds can be astounding. Take this 1978 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II as my latest example of such an endeavor.

That's right, I said ROLLS ROYCE. This week, we give to you a mint 1978 Silver Shadow II for the taking. It's rich two-tone brown aesthetic and mahogany scented interior says "Move over, poor person" - even if you have just enough money to get that $2 bacon cheeseburger at the McDonald's you're on your way to - because it's listed for an asking price of just $13,000. See, back when this car left the Rolls-Royce factory in 1978, the individual responsible for buying it had to write a check for $65,000. That might not seem like much in today's money, but if we do some math (bare with me), you'll find that in today's dollars, that would equate to an eye-watering $252,000 in 2017. Now though, after 52 years of use, and after racking up an indicated 86k on the odometer, this wonderful piece of automotive history can be yours for less than 1/10 of that. That means you're getting Royal levels of luxury for Trailer park change. So you know that as you sit in that drive through awaiting your $2 bacon cheese, you can relax in sultry leather and inhale the smoked-wood mahogany scent that seems to permeate every classic Rolls. What a life it would be, right?  But I digress.

This particular example comes to us from Sacramento California, and upon first impressions, this Silver Shadow looks ready for a red-carpet appearance at the Mayoral ball. At the surface, things look to be in order. The paint is glossy, there are no scratches or dings, and all the parts are there. Upon initail examination of the interior, it looks as though the genuine leather seats could be touched up a bit, and the carpets might benefit from a thorough vacuuming. The seller notes that the engine runs well, and that it was previously owned by an 87 year-old man, which suggests that while there are 86k miles on the clock, that they've been fairly gentle miles. The seller goes on to mention that the A/C works perfectly and that the original manual and tool kit are also included in the sale - which, if you do know about how a late 70's Rolls Royce works, that tool kit will certainly come in handy on more than one occasion. And that brings me to some things you might want to consider before diverting your attention from that super reliable Corolla you've had your eye on.

Here's the thing that should really be considered before investing in the Silver Shadow II. First, it's important to note that the words "sporty" and "handling" are not words that would ever be used to describe any vintage Rolls Royce, and I say that from experience. Back in high school, I had a job at my Dad's Limousine company as a car washer and detailer, and among our fleet, we had a 1978 Silver Shadow II, of which I had the opportunity to ride in on multiple occasions. On the road it was ungainly and slow. The car didn't corner so much as it rolled through turns. And it didn't go over bumps in the road so much as it just ironed them out with its immense weight. It didn't "accelerate" so much as it "began" from red lights. In fact, if it hadn't looked so pretty, its slowness and lumbery character would have been subjected to the honking and profanity-laced insults from surrounding drivers. Luckily, it also had dark tinted windows, so even if someone was upset with us, its not like they could see who it was they were insulting. And with such a clean and unique look, people mostly just admired the car more than anything. And that brings me to my next point. A Silver Shadow, or in fact a Rolls Royce of any kind are deserving of your special treatment as an owner.

During the day, I'd take the cars in our fleet into our garage bay between runs for quick wash-downs to make sure they were ready for their next run. Usually, I could maintain a speed of about 30 minutes per wash, which was pretty spot on considering how busy we were on a day-to-day basis. But things were different for the Silver Shadow. Rather than a 30 minute rinse, washing and detailing the Rolls was an all-day affair. It was the one task that I would return to once the main garage bay had been cleared of all the other cars we had. It was the one that required a keen eye and special washing chemicals to ensure that the paint was not damaged, the chrome was free of any sort of blemish that would hinder its shine, and that the genuine cow-hide leather seats, as well as the rest of the interior was properly shampoo'd and ventilated to keep that signature smoked mahogany wood scent from leaving the cabin. But after it'd been cleaned and washed, the Silver Shadow would sit idle most of the time in the shadows of the garage bay, simply because, well, it was a hand-built British car from the 70s - which is a trifecta for maintenance nightmares if you are not prepared to keep up with it once you buy it.

Now, before you run off, it's important to note that the engines in these cars, for the most part, were brutally simple affairs, and that simple things like fluid checks and general maintenance could be performed by the owner if he or she were savvy enough on mechanical upkeep. However, the real gremlins lay within the hydraulic suspension systems that allowed these cars to have such a fluffy and cushy ride. If one of those suspension components fails, you better be prepared to write a check that, in most cases, will cost more than the $13,000 you paid for this car. Now, it's not to say that they regularly failed, but on the pot-hole laden roads of America, you might want to take it easy on those bumps!

So, there you have it. For peasant money, you can have a car fit for a king in your driveway. You can go around town and parade your Rolls Royce with a smug look on your face, and no one would be any the wiser of the fact that you've only got $5.71 in your bank account, which might come in handy just down the road, considering that the massive V8 in the Shadow is not necessarily known for fuel economy. But who are you kidding? Would you rather be totally incognito and vanilla in that Corolla, or should you add a splash of brown 1970's flair to your life? VOTE below and decide!

click HERE for original Craigslist Ad