Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol8]

[CampDavid]

r129sl said:

The seven looks elegant in silver on radial spokes. What's up with the bonnet alignment? I know the E65/66 have some big fans here but the E38 really is the zenith of 7 series design, isn't it? Bangle must've been on drugs. Or maybe he had a thing for big girls.

The shape has it's faults and mine was awesomely impractical, we had to take the Fabia when we put Nan's wheelchair in the boot.

Stonker of a car though. After 14 hours of work, walking out in the rain to get in the car with a 2 hour drive ahead of you is miserable. The 7er makes it less miserable.

[JZZ30]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Wasn't someone after an estate?

Asking is 2 grand, so not the cheapest and not massive spec, but looks pretty rust-free and has full MOT.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...



I posted one for £650 in the bargain basement thread.

Edited by CharlesdeGaulle on Saturday 31st January 16:59

Me. I've never really considered the s210 though. Just too many rotten ones. Am I missing out?

[r129sl]

JZZ30 said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Wasn't someone after an estate?

Asking is 2 grand, so not the cheapest and not massive spec, but looks pretty rust-free and has full MOT.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...



I posted one for £650 in the bargain basement thread.

Edited by CharlesdeGaulle on Saturday 31st January 16:59

Me. I've never really considered the s210 though. Just too many rotten ones. Am I missing out?

They're great. Or, rather, they would be great if they weren't so prone to rally bad rot. One of us has one, can't recall who, and likes it a great deal.

[r129sl]

For your amusement:

http://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=99038

http://www.ccbenz.co.uk/?page_id=1716

I think I'm in the wrong game.

[SuperHangOn]

r129sl said:

They're great. Or, rather, they would be great if they weren't so prone to rally bad rot. One of us has one, can't recall who, and likes it a great deal.

They're not bad, especially the e300 diesel. I wouldnt want to go back to a petrol w210 after an e39 though, its a much nicer thing.

[dscam]

,

r129sl said:

For your amusement:

http://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=99038

http://www.ccbenz.co.uk/?page_id=1716

I think I'm in the wrong game.

Absolutely. A £12k markup pays for a lot of polish and tyre shine!! I know there's often more to it but I think all the flowery prose in the CCB ad just makes it even more comical. An estate agent would blush.

Anyway, best of luck to them. Only worth what someone will pay etc etc

[derin100]

CampDavid said:

r129sl said:

The seven looks elegant in silver on radial spokes. What's up with the bonnet alignment? I know the E65/66 have some big fans here but the E38 really is the zenith of 7 series design, isn't it? Bangle must've been on drugs. Or maybe he had a thing for big girls.

The shape has it's faults and mine was awesomely impractical, we had to take the Fabia when we put Nan's wheelchair in the boot.

Stonker of a car though. After 14 hours of work, walking out in the rain to get in the car with a 2 hour drive ahead of you is miserable. The 7er makes it less miserable.

But surely, the actual walk itself out in the rain towards this is even less miserable?

Edited by derin100 on Wednesday 4th February 23:30

[derin100]

dscam said:

,

r129sl said:

For your amusement:

http://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=99038

http://www.ccbenz.co.uk/?page_id=1716

I think I'm in the wrong game.

Absolutely. A £12k markup pays for a lot of polish and tyre shine!! I know there's often more to it but I think all the flowery prose in the CCB ad just makes it even more comical. An estate agent would blush.

Anyway, best of luck to them. Only worth what someone will pay etc etc

Well, yes we are in the wrong game Jonathan...and probably would be happier in the that game if it worked out because we'd be around the stuff we truly love.

But, as we should ALL recognise, it's not really as easy as some "polish and tyre shine".

It's about sticking your butt out and making this one's living...and I, for one, really don't think that would be easy at all. There's so, so much more to it.

Aside from these guys constantly having to search for and find these cars out one end*, there's then the fretting and hope that a punter is going to come along and pay what or near what is being asked to just to make one's living. And that's before recognising anything between those two stages.

(* I, as many of us do here, do this virtually every single free moment...and constantly 'browse' but let's all face it, it's just our hobby. Imagine what it must be like to have to do it to earn your living?!)

I'm buying a car tomorrow (will reveal in due course) and I'm buying it from an independent dealer (not a single "trader") who has, and I count, 7 people working for the company. Now, I'm paying a premium in price terms over what I might possibly have been able to get a similar car for as a private sale. It's a significant premium but not absolutely huge. Given that there are 7 people's livelihoods plus two principle partners of the business who also need to live, I don't think these people are making an absolute mint by just splashing "polish and tyre shine" about.

Most of these people work damned hard (and at considerable risk and uncertainty) to make their livings.

[E24man]

derin100 said:

ut surely, the actual walk itself out in the rain towards this is even less miserable?

Edited by derin100 on Wednesday 4th February 23:30

3 months in and this is never a miserable walk or subsequent drive - I recently had a one-day nine hour round trip and it was completely effortless despite its 18 years of age.....





Even Mrs E24man has taken occasion to admit that it is a remarkable car in which to travel - she has previously suffered badly with sickness when just reading in a car - she has worked for 3 hours on the road in the rear of this car and not even noticed the time or huge miles go by. Miss E24man (age 6 and 3/4's) has admitted it would be hard to choose between this and the white M635 she is to inherit when she can afford to insure it.

Heaven only knows how smooth it would be on smaller rims than the 20" Alpina's....

[derin100]

E24man said:

derin100 said:

ut surely, the actual walk itself out in the rain towards this is even less miserable?

Edited by derin100 on Wednesday 4th February 23:30

3 months in and this is never a miserable walk or subsequent drive - I recently had a one-day nine hour round trip and it was completely effortless despite its 18 years of age.....



Surely the pinnacle of E38s!






Even Mrs E24man has taken occasion to admit that it is a remarkable car in which to travel - she has previously suffered badly with sickness when just reading in a car - she has worked for 3 hours on the road in the rear of this car and not even noticed the time or huge miles go by. Miss E24man (age 6 and 3/4's) has admitted it would be hard to choose between this and the white M635 she is to inherit when she can afford to insure it.

Heaven only knows how smooth it would be on smaller rims than the 20" Alpina's....

Surely the pinnacle of E38s!

Edited by derin100 on Thursday 5th February 00:40

[E65Ross]

E38s really are handsome cars, I'm not for a second going to deny that they're the better looking car over an E65!

Though I'm also not going to deny that E65s are the better car.... I would just love to know what a V12 one is like on a long trip....

I've not driven since the end of November and have spent most of my car time in old Mans M6 recently.... Every time I get taken out in my 7 it feels really, really slow now

[r129sl]

derin100 said:

Well, yes we are in the wrong game Jonathan...and probably would be happier in the that game if it worked out because we'd be around the stuff we truly love.

But, as we should ALL recognise, it's not really as easy as some "polish and tyre shine".

It's about sticking your butt out and making this one's living...and I, for one, really don't think that would be easy at all. There's so, so much more to it.

Aside from these guys constantly having to search for and find these cars out one end*, there's then the fretting and hope that a punter is going to come along and pay what or near what is being asked to just to make one's living. And that's before recognising anything between those two stages.

(* I, as many of us do here, do this virtually every single free moment...and constantly 'browse' but let's all face it, it's just our hobby. Imagine what it must be like to have to do it to earn your living?!)

I'm buying a car tomorrow (will reveal in due course) and I'm buying it from an independent dealer (not a single "trader") who has, and I count, 7 people working for the company. Now, I'm paying a premium in price terms over what I might possibly have been able to get a similar car for as a private sale. It's a significant premium but not absolutely huge. Given that there are 7 people's livelihoods plus two principle partners of the business who also need to live, I don't think these people are making an absolute mint by just splashing "polish and tyre shine" about.

Most of these people work damned hard (and at considerable risk and uncertainty) to make their livings.

Like you, I've thought about trying to make it work, but there's no way. The best of the best old 124s, 126s, 129s , 140s and 201s fetch, what? £10k? Buy at £2 to £3k, £3k on bodywork (the wings are £200 each), £2k on mechanicals and a shed load of my own labour and you have a margin of £2k max. And how many could you do up and sell in a month? One? Two? Ivied thought about doing perfect cars and giving buyers full disclosure: this is what we paid, this is how it was, this what we've done, this is how much it cost, this is the price,this is our profit. But I don't think the market exists for the truly perfect, as new 124 at £20k

[Lowtimer]

I think that market does exist, because if I could go to my BMW dealer today and buy a brand new new E39 530i for the same price as a current model I would do. And I can't be alone in that.

But people would want a bullet proof warranty which would be at the vendors' risk.

The problem is that a really fully zero-timed 124, 126, E38, E39 would have an engine rebuilt to new tolerances, a transmission and back axle ditto, all the wiring and plastic and rubber components would be new, and so on. It would cost nearer £100K in labour and parts than £20K. The cars cost getting on for that that in today's money when they were in mass manufacture (in some cases much more). Remanufacturing such a thing by hand is highly labour intensive, and basically costs the same in labour whether you are doing a Ford Sierra or a Maserati Ghibli.

[E24man]

derin100 said:

Surely the pinnacle of E38s!

Edited by derin100 on Thursday 5th February 00:40

Not quite some would say, as it lacks cc's....

[cat220]

r129sl said:

They're great. Or, rather, they would be great if they weren't so prone to rally bad rot. One of us has one, can't recall who, and likes it a great deal.

I've had my s210 (e55) since August last year. Mine seems to have been well cared for over the years so doesn't have the same rot issues as many. Whilst its the ugly duckling compared to its predecessor it's a far more modern feel to it. Drives well and it's been ideal for family duties, rear load space is brilliant for all the kids stuff and the dog etc. The 5.4 is brilliant, I love it, sure it likes a drink but the way it propels the car and the noise!

[4941cc]

E24man said:

[JZZ30]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...





Awkward looks and that interior! Not to everyones taste, but that engine is a peach. I love that this one has remained badged as a Toyota Soarer.

[CampDavid]

derin100 said:

ut surely, the actual walk itself out in the rain towards this is even less miserable?

Edited by derin100 on Wednesday 4th February 23:30

Is she not a touch high at the rear there?

Not a fan of silver in general, however, one of it's properties is to make the car appear leaner and lighter, which sorts out a couple of the E38s less well resolved lines.

I'd like another but I think it may be the case that I just don't need my own car for the moment. That said, baby due in August and I'm not driving it home from the hospital in a Fabia...

[Krikkit]

CampDavid said:

Is she not a touch high at the rear there?

Not a fan of silver in general, however, one of it's properties is to make the car appear leaner and lighter, which sorts out a couple of the E38s less well resolved lines.

I'd like another but I think it may be the case that I just don't need my own car for the moment. That said, baby due in August and I'm not driving it home from the hospital in a Fabia...

Surely a V12 would be the finest way to escort your new arrival home?

[SpeckledJim]

JZZ30 said:

I hate to love to like to hate to love that.

Black helps a LOT, and if the chrome on the grille was knocked back to something grey or satin-finished, I think it'd look ok. Interior is superb.