Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol8]

[nbetts]

r129sl said:

How could a car like that possibly be bad. And look at the environs. Leigh on Sea. That's like everywhere else used to be before it became hideous. Can you remember when people yearned for a semi- like that, when the successful bought them and parked a Double Six like that out front. Nowadays it's electric gates, grey metal window frames, illuminated walls and a white Audi A7 on the block paved drive. It's hateful.

Awesome post. Top Man

[SpeckledJim]

derin100 said:

One of my favourite things about the E38 is that the profile proportions are so spot-on that in a shot like that you can't really tell it's a big car.

W220 and E65 always look huge and heavy, but the E38 looks lithe, limber and athletic. X300/308 has it too, but with less overt sportiness.

[mwggriffiths]

W00DY said:

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

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.

Edit: it's the ambers and the black trim that make it look so good. When the sills are colour coded, the body work looks too deep relative to the window graphics.

Edited by r129sl on Wednesday 4th February 21:49

I've already been to view this one so I can fill you in on *cough* highlights:
1. It needs a fuel tank urgently - you can smell unleaded from 2m away.
2. The rear arches and boot are showing signs of rust.
3. EVERY SINGLE panel has dings or dents in it, and the bonnet has some serious lacquer peel.
4. When I went to see it the dealer had apparently used it a few hours earlier, but the battery was already flat.
5. All the tyres need replacing either because they're illegal or the wrong size.
6. Its had a minor front end in that past that makes the bonnet hard to open, which might be what you're seeing the photo?

This one is a much better buy, but then I would say that because I put a deposit down on Sat and picked it up last night


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

It did 162k in the first 5 years and has been babied throughout its life! Its the first 740i I've seen that hasn't had serious rust issues, and as an added bonus its a genuine Sport

[Baryonyx]

mwggriffiths said:

I've already been to view this one so I can fill you in on *cough* highlights:
1. It needs a fuel tank urgently - you can smell unleaded from 2m away.
2. The rear arches and boot are showing signs of rust.
3. EVERY SINGLE panel has dings or dents in it, and the bonnet has some serious lacquer peel.
4. When I went to see it the dealer had apparently used it a few hours earlier, but the battery was already flat.
5. All the tyres need replacing either because they're illegal or the wrong size.
6. Its had a minor front end in that past that makes the bonnet hard to open, which might be what you're seeing the photo?

This one is a much better buy, but then I would say that because I put a deposit down on Sat and picked it up last night


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

It did 162k in the first 5 years and has been babied throughout its life! Its the first 740i I've seen that hasn't had serious rust issues, and as an added bonus its a genuine Sport

So, the car is a shonka. It's an interesting case study in grey leather though. I love grey leather interiors and this one really gives a lift to the car. In dark shades in the E38 is rather like a coal bunker and in hearing air beige, quite sickening. The grey gives it a little light but without the sickly tinge of the lighter colours.

[4941cc]

mwggriffiths said:

This one is a much better buy, but then I would say that because I put a deposit down on Sat and picked it up last night

Top bombing

Began it's life as a BMW GB demonstrator going by the plate, there's a high probability I even drove it at the time.

[SpeckledJim]

mwggriffiths said:

I've already been to view this one so I can fill you in on *cough* highlights:
1. It needs a fuel tank urgently - you can smell unleaded from 2m away.
2. The rear arches and boot are showing signs of rust.
3. EVERY SINGLE panel has dings or dents in it, and the bonnet has some serious lacquer peel.
4. When I went to see it the dealer had apparently used it a few hours earlier, but the battery was already flat.
5. All the tyres need replacing either because they're illegal or the wrong size.
6. Its had a minor front end in that past that makes the bonnet hard to open, which might be what you're seeing the photo?

This one is a much better buy, but then I would say that because I put a deposit down on Sat and picked it up last night


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

It did 162k in the first 5 years and has been babied throughout its life! Its the first 740i I've seen that hasn't had serious rust issues, and as an added bonus its a genuine Sport

Looks very nice indeed. Great buy.

[idiotgap]

105k miles, 7-seats, FSH, new MOT, serviced recently, free private plate (not the best but at least hides the fact this is as old as a w211 can be).
I've been warned off these, but I can't help but keep an eye out...

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

Edited by idiotgap on Thursday 5th February 13:51

[r129sl]

SpeckledJim said:

mwggriffiths said:

I've already been to view this one so I can fill you in on *cough* highlights:
1. It needs a fuel tank urgently - you can smell unleaded from 2m away.
2. The rear arches and boot are showing signs of rust.
3. EVERY SINGLE panel has dings or dents in it, and the bonnet has some serious lacquer peel.
4. When I went to see it the dealer had apparently used it a few hours earlier, but the battery was already flat.
5. All the tyres need replacing either because they're illegal or the wrong size.
6. Its had a minor front end in that past that makes the bonnet hard to open, which might be what you're seeing the photo?

This one is a much better buy, but then I would say that because I put a deposit down on Sat and picked it up last night


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

It did 162k in the first 5 years and has been babied throughout its life! Its the first 740i I've seen that hasn't had serious rust issues, and as an added bonus its a genuine Sport

Looks very nice indeed. Great buy.

It looks a cut above in the photies and I do like the environs: modesty respectable but not flash. The wood in that car looks much glossier than the other one. And the paintwork looks nice and waxy. Good buy.

[radiodanno]

idiotgap said:

105k miles, 7-seats, FSH, new MOT, serviced recently, free private plate (not the best but at least hides the fact this is as old as a w211 can be).
I've been warned off these, but I can't help but keep an eye out...

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

Edited by idiotgap on Thursday 5th February 13:51

FKL number plate.

What's not to like ? ; o)

[Hammerhead]

Mintastic XJ 3.2
69k miles, £3.7k


Dribble - looks brand new!







http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

[bmthnick1981]

E24man said:

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....

Love it E24man, absolutely love it. Where did you find it? Not sure i've ever seen a RHD one for sale. Any chance of first refusal if you ever come to sell? :-)

Very pleased to see the e38 praise on here today, absolutely excellent cars. Good ones are now becoming hard to find it seems.

Liking the facelift 740 Sport in silver with black leather, looks really great.

[derin100]

CampDavid 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

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...

Completely standard Sport spec...no suspension mods and on 48K miles in that shot. Now sadly on 63K miles. So the back of that is how it should be.

The height of the front of this taken this morning at the services near Worcester is anything but what it should be! Piss!!!





We were driving down to Somerset very early this morning, all excited to be picking up my new car and exactly halfway there, when my wife noticed the brake pedal started losing pressure.

Long story short, there's a pinhole in one of the rear brake-pipes in a place and position where my BMW Indie says they habitually go and where to do the job the back axle is going to have to be dropped!

AA tow all the way back, dropping the car off at the Indie, no new car and we'll have to try to go again early tomorrow.

[r129sl]

Opportunity knocks to do the whole rear axle, non?

I didn't know you were back in an E39 tourer. I thought you'd palmed the wife onto a 320 TE?

[anonymous-user]

Hammerhead said:

Mintastic XJ 3.2
69k miles, £3.7k


Dribble - looks brand new!







http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

Lovely condition, but terrible spec. The 3.2 struggles to provide adequate waft, and without cruise control and a properly adjustable electric seat that one isn't even going to be a great motorway muncher. It's probably covered so few miles because the original purchaser couldn't tolerate the shame of all the blank switches and missing features. I love poverty spec on the right car, but an X300 is not the right car for it. The only time a 3.2 sport would be somewhat acceptable is if it has a manual box so you can behave very inappropriately in it.

[PowerslideSWE]

bmthnick1981 said:

Love it E24man, absolutely love it. Where did you find it? Not sure i've ever seen a RHD one for sale. Any chance of first refusal if you ever come to sell? :-)

Very pleased to see the e38 praise on here today, absolutely excellent cars. Good ones are now becoming hard to find it seems.

Liking the facelift 740 Sport in silver with black leather, looks really great.

I can not describe how lovely that thing is. Next step if I can afford it up from my 750 is one of these. 5,7 or 6,0, doesn't matter.

[PowerslideSWE]

Baryonyx said:

So, the car is a shonka. It's an interesting case study in grey leather though. I love grey leather interiors and this one really gives a lift to the car. In dark shades in the E38 is rather like a coal bunker and in hearing air beige, quite sickening. The grey gives it a little light but without the sickly tinge of the lighter colours.

Love my coal bunker dark blue one with black interior Not a fan of tan leather either.

[Hammerhead]

dme123 said:

Lovely condition, but terrible spec. The 3.2 struggles to provide adequate waft, and without cruise control and a properly adjustable electric seat that one isn't even going to be a great motorway muncher. It's probably covered so few miles because the original purchaser couldn't tolerate the shame of all the blank switches and missing features. I love poverty spec on the right car, but an X300 is not the right car for it. The only time a 3.2 sport would be somewhat acceptable is if it has a manual box so you can behave very inappropriately in it.

& in equal measure, then.

[E24man]

bmthnick1981 said:

E24man said:

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....

Love it E24man, absolutely love it. Where did you find it? Not sure i've ever seen a RHD one for sale. Any chance of first refusal if you ever come to sell? :-)

Finding it was a lot of patience, a fair amount of detective work and then some more patience before two trips to Aberdeen (the first empty-handed) and a first drive back all the way to Chester. There were apparently two rhd lwb B12's made for the UK, mine in Montreal blue in 1997 and another in Orient blue in 1998 - the interior spec was the same for both cars save for the later car has a glass sunroof. The 1998 car was last on sale in 2003 and never seen or heard of since.

As you're the first to ask you can have first refusal but it may be some time before the Ladies of the house get tired of it - I was offered a swb B12 5.7 a year or so ago but the owners wife said it wasn't to be sold for similar reasons to my two girls loving the car - a simply sublime way to be transported.

Edit to add: There was also a huge amount of help from a fellow Alpina enthusiast as well as large dose of persistence on my part in finding and buying the car.

Edited by E24man on Thursday 5th February 17:51

[Krikkit]

E24man said:

Finding it was a lot of patience, a fair amount of detective work and then some more patience before two trips to Aberdeen (the first empty-handed) and a first drive back all the way to Chester. There were apparently two rhd lwb B12's made for the UK, mine in Montreal blue in 1997 and another in Orient blue in 1998 - the interior spec was the same for both cars save for the later car has a glass sunroof. The 1998 car was last on sale in 2003 and never seen or heard of since.

As you're the first to ask you can have first refusal but it may be some time before the Ladies of the house get tired of it - I was offered a swb B12 5.7 a year or so ago but the owners wife said it wasn't to be sold for similar reasons to my two girls loving the car - a simply sublime way to be transported.

A beautiful thing! Originally registered around Preston/Lancs somewhere, I'm guessing it was originally sold through Bowker BMW around the region.

[derin100]

r129sl said:

Opportunity knocks to do the whole rear axle, non?

I didn't know you were back in an E39 tourer. I thought you'd palmed the wife onto a 320 TE?

Oh, this the car we normally keep in France but we brought it back here for a couple of months over the winter and it's due to go back in a few weeks. Better that it happened here than just as she gets off the ferry in France?

Yeah, I'll get him to go over it pretty thoroughly but I don't want to spend too much on it as it normally only does a few hundred miles a year once over there.

Yes, the wife has the 320 TE over here. But may think about selling that soon as I'm not sure she really needs something that big TBH...can't decide as I've literally just put 4 brand new Dunlops on it.