Searching the market for a car for one's own use and pleasure is a fascinating and educational experience. Searching for one on behalf of a very good friend who knows very little about its mechanical attributes and idiosyncratic sophistication or otherwise is a most stressful affair. One's friend trusts one's knowledge and understanding of these prestigious cars without reservation. Whatever he is recommended to buy, he will have it. He even sends you a signed but otherwise blank cheque to complete the deal on whichever car is your choice. This evolves into one enormous responsibility. If all goes well, he might well recommend you for the New Years Honours list. If it all goes wrong in the after sales period, sourness will undoubtedly be the expected outcome, he will feel very let down by you, the expert in his eyes, and the fabulous relationship you have enjoyed with him and his spouse will begin to disintegrate. One can imagine the topic of conversation around the various lunch tables for months and possibly years to come. Embarrassment and depression will prevail and the only searching on your part will be for the hole in the ground in which to crawl and disappear.

This was the challenge I faced in October 2005. Des Doyle, an amiable old Scouser with a sense of humour allied to mine, partner to an old school friend of mine, female I have to add, with an equally sharp sense of humour, lived in rural Hampshire when we talked about my modest collection of old and not so old cars. Des was impressed with my description of my recently acquired 1989, Bentley Mulsanne S and in particular the price one can obtain such a machine for. "Tremendous value for money", he declared. "Look around for one on my behalf", was his parting comment.

Des and Margaret were about to relocate to La Vinuela, east of Malaga, Spain but with a 'pied a terre' in Lilliput, overlooking Poole Harbour in Dorset as their English retreat. A visit to our Nottinghamshire home and a very close inspection of my cars resulted in a clear instruction from Des, "Get me a Bentley not dissimilar to yours, John; £20,000 ceiling."

The challenge was on. Many telephone calls stemming from adverts both private and trade in the RREC Advertiser were made and a prospective viewing list of cars in the 1988-93 age bracket was drawn up. Dealer websites were most helpful in identifying cars of Des's preferred colours of blue/dark green. John Prescott's recently established RRBEW website was also most informative on the Sales & Wants page. In all, my viewing list contained 16 vehicles at various locations from Yorkshire to Kent, with recorded mileages ranging from 77,000 to 150,000 and various prices between £11,500 and £23,000. Stuck for choice, I suppose. All dealer website photographs were most attractive, suggesting immaculate condition both outside and in, but no indication of any defects or blemishes other than the very general descriptions such as 'good', 'excellent', 'immaculate' and 'FSH'. I am lead to believe that at least some of them have had pre-sale, partial or full re-sprays.

Numerous telephone calls to sellers enabled me to enhance my impressions. Comparing cars from the various sources yielded a clear differential between those offered by private, RREC members and the retailers in the region of £4,000 to £5,000. Guarantees/warranties made up part of the differences here.

Des liked my research findings and authorised me to travel the country to view, inspect, negotiate on price and come up with a single car to be recommended for purchase. Where possible, I e-mailed images and website addresses to one of Des's friends living close by. Des was both amazed and excited by the progress made. Was it to be a Mulsanne S, an Eight, a Turbo R or a Brooklands ?

I was attracted by a Brooklands and a Mark 2 Turbo R, both with modest mileages and well priced for their apparent condition. The Brooklands was relatively young (1997 model) but 15% over budget. Discussions with Des over this car resulted in a willingness on his part to go the extra mile if the car was right. An appointment to view the two cars was made.

Concern number 1: No land line for telephone contact with the trader.
Concern number 2: The trader's showroom/workshop "not accessible on account of extensions/refurbishment, scaffolding and too much noise from workmen and their tools".
Concern number 3: The trader did not give me his proper name.

I was steered towards a residential address. The two cars were on the drive. They appeared to be in fine condition following a preliminary inspection. There was no inspection pit or jack for underside inspections. Both cars performed well on the road. I presented the powerful question for each car," OK, what is wrong with them?" Importantly for the Brooklands, only two items needed attention; new front brake pads within 1.500 miles and a surface, rusty blemish to the nearside front wheel arch. When asked the question about his own pre-purchase inspection, the response was that he had a man to do the inspections for him and that more importantly he himself knew all about the ins and outs of this calibre of car. The respective service histories appeared to be satisfactory.

I discounted the Turbo R in favour of the Brooklands and was then shown a couple of reasonably priced Eights lined up along with perhaps another six cars in a very long car port at the house. One of them had potential, I thought. On my return home I reflected, reported my findings to Des and e-mailed my further interest in the Brooklands and one of the Eights to the trader and if a deal was to be struck, this would be subject to a thorough inspection by a very experienced Rolls-Royce & Bentley engineer, Gary Bretherton, recommended by a RREC club member. In the meantime, Des had posted to me a signed, open cheque to speed up any agreed purchase I might make. The trust that Des has in me was becoming unnerving, I have to say !

Within a few days the inspections and road tests were complete and the reports faxed to me. The charge for the two reports including a fair amount of travel
amounted to £160 plus VAT. In the circumstances, well worth the money, I reckon. For the Eight, a mere 31 negative points were listed, with an associated restoration cost of £1,500 to £2,000 minimum. For the Brooklands, 41 negative points and an estimated cost for putting things right in the region of £3,000. I could not take the negotiations any further. Regardless of my earlier concerns, had the trader's list of negatives been a reasonably close match to those given by Gary Bretherton, my interest would probably have persisted and although there would have been lots of servicing and restoration work and the associated delays prior to final collection on Des's part, a recommendation to buy might have been possible, but under the circumstances my enthusiasm had taken a severe bashing.

Having spoken to other club members, I was advised to walk away from the situation and looking at a thread on the RREC website under "General" and the "Dealer Experience" thread, the answer is there for all to see in specific detail. Why did I not inspect this thread carefully in the first instance! I had failed to establish connections, I have to admit. Further searches on the internet added considerable flavour.

A telephone call to Gary Bretherton to discuss his reports and the cost of putting faults right unveiled another opportunity. He knew of another Bentley Eight in Blackburn, Lancashire, and in fine condition. He had known this particular vehicle since it was purchased new in 1991 when he worked as Service Manager at Dutton Forshaw Rolls/Bentley agents in Preston and he had been personally responsible for much of its servicing there and with subsequent owners. This was fantastic news to me and contact with the current owner, Phil Winter, made a visit to Blackburn imperative. Digital images of the car were to be seen on the BDC website and Phil e-mailed me extra pictures. The car was reported by both Gary and Phil to have two minor faults, both easily and cheaply remediable.

My wife, Christine, and I travelled up to view and road test the car. It was in excellent condition and with only 36,000 documented miles to its name. This was becoming exciting stuff. Social chit-chat with Phil provided the icing on the cake. Phil was sponsored by Austin-Morris to study Automotive Engineering at Loughborough University many years ago, he then worked for his sponsors and then with Leyland. He is currently a senior manager for a Leyland based research and development company involved in the design of infinitely variable transmissions ( IVTs ) for the automotive industry. This car has got to be right, I concluded, regardless of the asking price of less than £16,000. We shook hands, the cheque was completed and a receipt given in exchange. On our return to Nottinghamshire, I telephoned Des asking if I was speaking to the proud owner of a 1991 Bentley Eight. There was a long pause followed by unfettered laughter interspersed by whimpers of disbelief that my efforts had come to a conclusion so speedily. John gives Kieron Doyle an underside instruction / demonstration prior to departure

1) Not all traders and not all club members are necessarily honest.

2) The trader/dealer who only has a mobile telephone, may have neither showroom nor workshop. Some good traders may work from home, however.

3) Vehicle fault evidence offered by a trader/seller and his/her mechanic/engineer may not be as comprehensive as it ought to be. Deception must not be discounted.

4) It is vital that unless you are an experienced, perceptive mechanic yourself, the appointment of a specialist independent engineer should be an obligation on your part. The cost is miniscule compared with the potential heart ache that might develop later.

5) Guarantees and warranties may or may not be offered by dealers. Private sales are unlikely to offer similar comforts.

6) Maybe the second-hand car market ought to move in the same direction I believe house sales will go i.e. a legal obligation on the part of the seller to provide a fully comprehensive inspection report, warts and all and testable in a court of law. Such a move might just flush out the "Arthur Daleys" of this world and increase the confidence on the part of buyers.

7) There are lots of honest owners out there, with cars for sale. There are also some honest traders.

8) There are many, well cared for, modern but older cars on the market that represent incredible value for money and with the potential to offer a new owner many years of pleasurable motoring.

9) If buying a car for yourself has a stress value of 1 on a 10-point scale, buying one for a friend has a value of 10.

10) Caveat Emptor; buyer beware ! The unsuspecting, the unfamiliar, the naïve and the impulsive run the risk of becoming the victims of a very bad deal.

11) Des is a very happy man and is now a new member of RREC.

John Whetton