# If someone offered you a Rolls, would you accept it?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 28, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761 "2020-09-28T18:58:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/41 "2020-09-29T14:56:50Z")
> [@erysichthon](#):
>
> It constantly broke down, and whenever it did, the people at the Rolls dealership would explain that their cars were extremely delicate and some tiny foreign particle must have found its way into the engine.
Sobering to think this company also makes aircraft engines.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/42 "2020-09-29T15:02:03Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#):
>
> Only catch is - you have to keep it, at least for a couple years, rather than just turn around and sell it.
Yeah, I have a hard time turning down something of value. There’s a spot in our barn where I could store it, up on blocks and covered with a tarp. When the “couple years” is up, I’d sell it.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/43 "2020-09-29T15:20:30Z")
> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> > [@erysichthon](#):
> >
> > It constantly broke down, and whenever it did, the people at the Rolls dealership would explain that their cars were extremely delicate and some tiny foreign particle must have found its way into the engine.
>
> Sobering to think this company also makes aircraft engines.
Perhaps you’re joking, but they’re not the same company. The cars come from a subsidiary of BMW, while a separate British company makes the aircraft engines.
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### Author:  [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/44 "2020-09-29T15:21:36Z")
> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> > [@erysichthon](#):
> >
> > It constantly broke down, and whenever it did, the people at the Rolls dealership would explain that their cars were extremely delicate and some tiny foreign particle must have found its way into the engine.
>
> Sobering to think this company also makes aircraft engines.
Rolls Royce Autos was separated from the Aero Engine division in the 1970S. It is currently owned by VW.
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/45 "2020-09-29T15:38:47Z")
> [@amarinth](#):
>
> …admittedly, I’m not a “car person” but this is not the car that I’m going out of my way for:
I am a bit of a car person, but I’ve always felt the same about the big old Mercedes you see some folk driving. I had an uncle who loved them - never understood the attraction - at least in terms of exterior styling, interior comfort, or driving experience…
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/46 "2020-09-29T16:14:20Z")
Not true
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### Author:  [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/47 "2020-09-29T16:29:13Z")
Sure. I’d take it. Liability insurance wouldn’t be too bad on it. I’m a pretty good shade tree mechanic so the reliability issues don’t bother me. It wouldn’t take up any garage space- I don’t have one! I live in an area where no one cares how many vehicles are in the yard, and I have a big one.
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> Perhaps you’re joking, but they’re not the same company. The cars come from a subsidiary of BMW, while a separate British company makes the aircraft engines.
Not until 1998 (the BMW part), and the OP specifies a mid-80s model.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/48 "2020-09-29T16:30:34Z")
It’s complicated.
> **Rolls-Royce Motors** was a British [luxury car](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxury_vehicle) manufacturer, created in 1973 during the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce automotive business from the [nationalised](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalisation) [Rolls-Royce Limited](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Limited). It produced luxury cars under the Rolls-Royce and [Bentley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley) brands. [Vickers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_plc) acquired the company in 1980 and sold it to [Volkswagen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen) in 1998. [Bentley Motors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley) is the company’s direct successor; however BMW acquired the rights to the Rolls-Royce trademark for use on automobiles and launched a [new Rolls-Royce company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Motor_Cars) shortly afterwards.
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### Author:  [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/49 "2020-09-29T17:30:15Z")
A Corniche convertible I’d take in a heartbeat, and probably keep insured so that I could drive it on occasion. (But I’d probably still sell it when I could.) Silver Spur, I’d need to see what it would cost and how much effort would be involved in keeping it, and for exactly how long. We don’t have a ton of space to keep it, but I’d have trouble turning it down.
Also if the person giving it away was wanting it to go to someone who’d drive it and appreciate it, I would definitely turn down a Silver Spur. The Corniche still had round headlights, and just a bit of curves. The Silver Spur was just boxy – which I can appreciate in some old cars, but that one doesn’t appeal to me.
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### Author:  [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/50 "2020-09-29T17:52:10Z")
My neighbor inherited his dads Jaguar, the hood ornament is the fanciest part otherwise it looks like a Chrysler a baby blue senior citizens car.
For those who would accept the RR, think very hard about how near your RR mechanic is and can you get parts
> **[JE Robison Service | Common problems to avoid when purchasing a Rolls-Royce...](https://robisonservice.com/servicedep/rolls_info.php)**
>
> Things to look for in a used Rolls Shadow, T1, or pre-1980 Corniche.
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### Author:  [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/51 "2020-09-29T17:53:12Z")
Absolutely no interest - I wouldn’t want to babysit the car even if I _did_ have a place to park it.
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### Author:  [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/52 "2020-09-29T18:04:12Z")
Agreed. That is what I would do. Two years of storage, and theft insurance, won’t break the bank, and then I can sell it. I am pretty sure that any Rolls of any vintage will find a buyer. But drive it? No, thanks, I prefer something smaller.
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### Author:  [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/53 "2020-09-29T18:07:13Z")
Beamers are known to be expensive as they get older.
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/54 "2020-09-29T18:08:31Z")
> [@Brayne\_Ded](#):
>
> I am pretty sure that any Rolls of any vintage will find a buyer.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a Rolls would take some time to find a buyer - especially if you weren’t willing to “give it away.”
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### Author:  [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/55 "2020-09-29T20:03:23Z")
Yep. True of a lot of classic cars. My stepfather restored classic cars and sold them, as a hobby. To get what the car was “worth” often meant waiting a while for the right buyer to find it. Depending on the car, people might come from out of state. For a rarer car, like a more desirable Rolls Royce, it’s an international market, looks like.
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### Author:  [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/56 "2020-09-29T20:56:35Z")
All I know about Rolls is that you don’t dare call the factory and ask how to mount a towing receiver so you can pull your race car with the Rolls - they have absolutely _no_ sense of humour on that topic 😝
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### Author:  [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/57 "2020-09-29T23:08:04Z")
The old joke says that when a potential buyer of an RR asked what the horsepower was, the reply was “sufficient”. It has also been said that if you need to know how many miles to the gallon it does, you can’t afford it.
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### Author:  [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/58 "2020-09-30T00:08:41Z")
That wasn.t a joke. Rolls-Royce famously described the output of their engines as “adequate” for decades. [https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32743649/last-bentley-6-75-liter-v8-mulsanne-production/](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32743649/last-bentley-6-75-liter-v8-mulsanne-production/) No cite, but when they finally turbocharged the engine, they described its power as “more than adequate” (although the article I linked to says "adequate plus 50%).
For those of you thinking that the best move is to just store it for some minimum period before cashing in or to treat it as a cheap beater until the junk man takes it away, I think you’re missing the spirit of the offer. Grandpa doesn’t need his beloved car any more and he is willing to give it to his darling granddaughter if she will love and appreciate it as he did. Neglecting or ignoring it is not going to win her any favors. She can either take it and enjoy it in good spirit as the gift was intended or politely decline it. If she doesn’t want it, she’ll have to come up with a good reason that won’t insult grandpa. I don’t envy her having to turn down this gift.
For what it’s worth, I received a classic car in a similar deal from my father. I actually like the car and enjoy driving it but it’s still a hassle. It’s my cross to bear though because it would break my dad’s heart if I just auctioned it off to the highest bidder. I’d be sad to see it go too though.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2020, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/59 "2020-09-30T01:56:08Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#):
>
> …For those of you thinking that the best move is to just store it for some minimum period before cashing in or to treat it as a cheap beater until the junk man takes it away, I think you’re missing the spirit of the offer. Grandpa doesn’t need his beloved car any more and he is willing to give it to his darling granddaughter if she will love and appreciate it as he did. Neglecting or ignoring it is not going to win her any favors. She can either take it and enjoy it in good spirit as the gift was intended or politely decline it. If she doesn’t want it, she’ll have to come up with a good reason that won’t insult grandpa. I don’t envy her having to turn down this gift…
A nice scenario, but not what the OP wrote.
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### Author:  [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2020, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-offered-you-a-rolls-would-you-accept-it/921761/60 "2020-09-30T03:42:38Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#):
>
> Grandpa doesn’t need his beloved car any more and he is willing to give it to his darling granddaughter if she will love and appreciate it as he did.
Grandpa is gone and he left a deal I could abide by, whats the issue? I could turn down the gift, its not being forced upon me.
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