Rodd Sala Rodd Sala can be you worst nightmare car salesman for Rolls Royce North Barrington, Illinois

This a copy of my email correspondence to Dr Schoenberg. What more can I/could I do????

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Dear Bob.....
 
You and I are like the proverbial "Men are from Mars and women are from Venus". We are reading the same information but taking a different "reading"! The advert is accurate. I do not see what you are interpolating to be different. The WOOD is fantastic and "has never been redone". It is way above above "average" and this is the reference point on any classic car. I make a separate comment about the clear lacquer. The leather IS supple.... The cars is tight.... The paint does have "minor imperfections".... it goes, on. You appear to be reading what you want to read. As far as the "as-is" terms, I cannot see what in the following in unclear. I have highlighted and DOUBLE highlighted the very salient points for your convenience:
 

~~Background of the seller: I am an experienced Rolls-Royce collector and restorer with some 25 years experience. I am a retired professional now dedicated to the preservation of Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and Bentley equivalent motor cars. This is a hobby of mine and I take on the task of restoration with pride and respect of the marque. I came across this Silver Shadow II in excellent condition and I did additional work in a conscientious effort to get this car closer to showroom condition as practicably possible. Please remember, however, this is a 30 year old classic and by virtue it cannot be perfect as the day it was born. So for the purists, it is a gorgeous example (without doubt) that is in a condition far in excess of your average example but please do not expect a 100% perfect showroom car. The last perfect Silver Shadow/Wraith II sold last year for $80,000. I hope this Silver Shadow II will find a home with someone who truly appreciates its fine qualities.~~
 
This Rolls-Royce is part of my private collection. I am not a broker or retail car dealer; I am a professional car collector of some 25 years with considerable experience and knowledge of Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars. I have a long standing reputation being associated with the marque which I take seriously. I take a lot of pride in my cars and have fun in collecting and restoring them. However, auctions are not a game so when you place a bid or offer, and you are the winning bidder; please understand you have entered a binding contract. A $2000.00 deposit (non-refundable) will be required within 24 hours of the close of the auction and payable by PayPal. The balance of funds are required within 7 days of the close of the auction and must be provided by cashiers check or bank wire. I cannot accept PayPal for the balance unless you are willing to meet the cost of transfer fees. Full payment must be made (and payments cleared) before the title and/or the vehicle is released. If all the funds are not received as indicated above, I reserve the right the keep the deposit and resell the vehicle by re-listing or to another bidder. I am happy to assist with shipping arrangements on a worldwide basis but the winning bidder takes full responsibility for pickup and/or shipping and at his cost.
 
As a collector and experienced restorer of the marque, I make every effort to bring my cars to a very high standard but the very nature of these classic Rolls-Royces is such that it is not always possible to attend to every single item, or perhaps I may have inadvertently overlooked an item. Further, a feature or function that is working perfectly one moment, may decide to play-up the next. For this reason it is necessary for the following condition:  
 
The vehicle is being sold "as-is/where-is" with no warranty expressed, written or implied. Any descriptions or representations are made with reasonable judgment and all efforts are made to ensure fair assessment and accuracy but they are for descriptive and identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. The seller shall not be responsible for errors in description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness, unforeseen imperfection, defect or damage. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have satisfied himself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgment solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects at the buyers request prior to the close of the auction.  Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle. I can hold the vehicle up to 30 days while you arrange shipping but you must immediately insure it. I will not bear any responsibility for any costs including storage, transportation, or repair after the close of the auction.  Also, you must remember that this is a classic +/-30 year old vehicle, and while it is up to you, I do not recommend that you just hop in and drive it across the country.  At least, I have never done that.  I have always professionally transported the cars from where I bought them to my home.  
PLEASE; IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ABIDE BY THESE TERMS, DO NOT BID.

You are going thru the advert with a fine tooth comb and so you must have also read the disclaimer. If you were not happy with those terms, why did you bid? As for the items you refer to, I do not know who or why someone is advising you differently, but I will confirm, once again;
 

* The A/C was working - the problem you have encountered is COMMON on Silver Shadow II and Wraith IIs - "a feature or function that is working perfectly one moment, may decide to play-up the next."

* The accumulator was not pouring oil when it left me. It was inspected before delivery - "a feature or function that is working perfectly one moment, may decide to play-up the next."

* You paid for the accumulator to be installed?. Goodness, you received overhauled accumulators which if installed correctly will give you 7+ years of trouble free operation. Had you had experienced no leak, you may have had ones on the car that might have failed 12 months down the track. I could have sent you 2nd hand ones, but I did not.

* Warped rotors? Absolutely not. A Silver Shadow with warped rotors is virtually un-drivable. Light scoring grooves is acceptable and anything in addition is a "maintenance" issue. Who is giving you such misinformed advice?

* The leather is supple for its year, absolutely! Leather on Rolls-Royce never was like that in Mercedes or current Rolls-Royces. Such was the tanning process adopted back then.

* Concours example? We have already established that such an example is worth in the range of $80,000. You are being silly to suggest spending the money you do to make it so, but even if you did, my math tells me you are miles in front. In terms of judging paint, I think you would be shocked what an original Rolls-Royce finish looked like from the factory in 1977. They were often repainted or touched up several times after assembly and left the factory with 1.5mm paint thickness when we now understand under current technology one should not exceed 1.5mm. A new car today leaves the factory with 0.6mm of paint. Any major automobile paint supplier will advise that once a car has had paint repairs exceeding a total thickness of 1.2, it cannot be subsequently painted and requires back to bare metal preparation. Rolls-Royce paint-jobs were "behind the 8 ball" from day 1 they left the factory. Add to the fact that their lead-wiping techniques caused all sorts of paint cracking as a result of the lead expanding and contracting at a different metallurgical rate than steel. Concourse evaluation of Rolls-Royce takes into consideration these Rolls-Royce nuances so, a very clear "no", to your statement the car needs a $15,000 repaint to make show standard. Very respectfully, to whom is advising you this nonsense, they are very wrong.

* According to Mr Shevelew, you and he have spoke many times (he tells me) so I am now not sure if you are being secretive or he is a pathological liar in addition to his swindling character. He even quoted your statement to him in an email to me. On the subject of Mr Shevelew, if it were not for the complex inter-state limitations on law suits, I would be suing him for defamation and slander - but that is a another subject entirely.

* As for my dealership status. I have never hidden that. I simply state that I am not a mainstream retail dealer. I also do not see the need to promote the fact either as I see myself as a collector and restorer foremost and that is what I stand by with passion and where my reputation lays. Having a license simply ensures I conform to local law. (On this point, you should also identify a certain advantage you took in your state in the transferring of the car to you).

* As for me telling you I would do repairs for you at no charge? .... I think we are back to the "Men are from Mars and women are from Venus" conundrum. I mentioned this very clearly from when you first bought the car; "if you had any problems or anything you were unhappy with, to contact me and I would do my best to help out with remediation". As for doing the wood, this is correct, I was prepared to meet half the cost as an ex-gratia offering (because the wood was entirely RR original and in well above average/standard condition). Very OBVIOUS to me and you (I thought, given my offerings) if the car arrived here and there were other things to do then, indeed, I would have done it at no charge. Once again, all ex-gratia. I think had I known the amount of emailing writing this whole subject would have caused I might have paid for the shipping as well!

* Phone call: Excuse me for being in Italy trying to call you. I simply could could not get thru. You had my number, you could have tried in reverse also when you did not hear from me. You did not, so as I still had not heard from you after 5 weeks of being away, I assumed you lost interest on the subject. I was with my immediate and paternal family so I think it is entirely human that I did not pursue the matter further whilst on vacation. With all due respect, you are a doctor and never in my entire life have I ever received a phone call or, less, expected to be contactable with a doctor whilst he was on vacation. No less than if he was at lunch or Wednesdays playing golf. With further respect, if your surname correctly identifies your faith, I would think it would be ridiculous to expect any sort of contact whatsoever during faithful holiday periods.

*Robert, all said and done, I simply and respectfully conclude you are not a realistic Rolls-Royce buyer/owner. That is not said disparagingly but to say, some people are just not "mind-set" to owning a classic Rolls-Royce with all their nuances, idiosyncrasies and shortfalls. Those who are, regularly and affectionately state; "this is why we love to hate them and hate to love them". Over 30 years in their care, I have even noticed some unusual trends. For example, a regular Mercedes Benz owner will generally never buy a Rolls-Royce.
 
So, where are we at. Frankly, I do not surely know. I can buy the car back off you, but I cannot do so to include all your repairs. All I can suggest is that you tell me what fair price you would like to sell her at and I can only say, "yes" or "no". If it is agreeable, then I will act swiftly. If we cannot agree, then I will say so and probably see no point in corresponding any further as part of "closing this chapter" as you say - a very disappointing one at that. Of course, failing all that, I can send you the $600 we once talked about on the wood. I cannot even recall why that amount was never sent.
 
This paragraph has been added in upon reviewing my email (and yours) before sending and what I cannot understand is how you or anyone could have advised you to spend money on the car bringing it to an "owe" of $32,000 when all you had to do is ship the car back to me here and I would have carried out all repairs at no charge. I am shaking my head as I write this
 
Regards,
 
Rodd Sala

Mr Schoenberg has simply lost sight of reality. I am very sorry, but having collected Rolls-Royces for some 30 years, there is not one classic I have owned that has not needed some degree of maintenance. These cars are +/- 30 years old and to spend in the range of $5,000-$10,000 to maintain them and up-keep them is not unreasonable. They can be expensive cars to own if you do not know who to take them for service. To reiterate, Dr Schoenberg paid $25,000 for his car which is not a lot to pay for a classic Rolls-Royce. If he thinks the car is only worth $15,000, please tell me where to send the check. His car is worth every bit of $35,000 today. A simple internet search will confirm this.

As for his other ramblings about both my history as a collector AND a dealer I am totaly at a loss. I am both and I have never hidden this fact.

I am an honest, credible collector (AND licensed dealer) and it is an awful shame that unreasonable people like Schoenberg can tarnish a reputation by making these unsubstantiable reports. To anyone reading this and certainly to anyone with doubts of what "really" happened, I openly invite you to contact me at 312-320-6996 or ensal@comcast.net. To reiterate, I offered the follwoing to Dr Schoenberg:

1) To buy the car back
2) To have the car shipped back to my workshop to carry out work as an ex-gratia offer
3) To assist in arranging any work for him locally.
4) To offer my services in any way possible to satisfy any concerns. Reasonable or otherwise.

Dr Schoenberg has not taken up on any of these offers so I cannot for the life of me determine what he seeks from this purchase. Nothing makes him happy!

Rodd sala
www.park-ward.com
ensal@comcast.net
312-320-6996