Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol11]

Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol11]

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Shaw Tarse

Original Poster:

31,543 posts

202 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
And go

r129sl

9,518 posts

202 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
cat220 said:
CharlesdeGaulle said:
SuperHangOn said:
r129sl said:
Have we had this? Everything about it looks right (apart from the chrome rings on the headlamps). I am quite taken by the w210 at the moment.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-MERCEDES-E320-CDI-E...



Too much money. By that mileage they can be rotting pretty badly underneath. Most of the problem areas are concealed so an MOT won't provide much of a clue - you would need to get it in a ramp and remove various undertrays, arch liners and prod at the mastic sealant on the spring perches.

The main structural areas (rear subframe mounts, front crossmember) on mine were ok but the general crustiness was so extensive to the inner arches, rear sills (again concealed) beneath rear bumper I gave up and binned it. Cosmetically it was on a par with that red car.

They have to be shed money or very low mileage.
Such a pity that the 210 was so poorly made. They are cavernous, and very close in spirit to the 124. If you could find one that someone had spent lots of money future-proofing it would be a great buy, but they're worth so little I doubt many will invest in them. I'd like one.
There are good ones out there. They're not all rust buckets, also remember that these cars are now getting on for 20 years old, that car in the ad is not going to suddenly dissolve.
There is a lot of love here for the 124 but these too can rust and rust badly, having owned both, so far I've spent more on rust issues on my 124 than I have on the 210. Difficult for some to possibly believe I know. 210's are finding their level now, good ones seem to be on the increase, which is great as they're more likely to be looked after as opposed to be run as sheds.
It's getting to the point when the duffers disappear. I'm coming to the view that the good cars are seriously underrated. The mechanicals are bulletproof, the feeling is trad Merc, but the refinement is leagues ahead of the 124. And the CDI motor offers unbeatable performance, efficiency, reliability and longevity. Or you can get a big V8. I spend a lot of time looking at Muggins' 430 on the eBay.

ambuletz

10,690 posts

180 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
its customary to post a link to the previous thread when opening the new one.

Previous thread.
Best Smoker Barges 1-4 large (vol 10)

ian316

4,150 posts

104 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
r129sl said:
cat220 said:
CharlesdeGaulle said:
SuperHangOn said:
r129sl said:
Have we had this? Everything about it looks right (apart from the chrome rings on the headlamps). I am quite taken by the w210 at the moment.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-MERCEDES-E320-CDI-E...



Too much money. By that mileage they can be rotting pretty badly underneath. Most of the problem areas are concealed so an MOT won't provide much of a clue - you would need to get it in a ramp and remove various undertrays, arch liners and prod at the mastic sealant on the spring perches.

The main structural areas (rear subframe mounts, front crossmember) on mine were ok but the general crustiness was so extensive to the inner arches, rear sills (again concealed) beneath rear bumper I gave up and binned it. Cosmetically it was on a par with that red car.

They have to be shed money or very low mileage.
Such a pity that the 210 was so poorly made. They are cavernous, and very close in spirit to the 124. If you could find one that someone had spent lots of money future-proofing it would be a great buy, but they're worth so little I doubt many will invest in them. I'd like one.
There are good ones out there. They're not all rust buckets, also remember that these cars are now getting on for 20 years old, that car in the ad is not going to suddenly dissolve.
There is a lot of love here for the 124 but these too can rust and rust badly, having owned both, so far I've spent more on rust issues on my 124 than I have on the 210. Difficult for some to possibly believe I know. 210's are finding their level now, good ones seem to be on the increase, which is great as they're more likely to be looked after as opposed to be run as sheds.
It's getting to the point when the duffers disappear. I'm coming to the view that the good cars are seriously underrated. The mechanicals are bulletproof, the feeling is trad Merc, but the refinement is leagues ahead of the 124. And the CDI motor offers unbeatable performance, efficiency, reliability and longevity. Or you can get a big V8. I spend a lot of time looking at Muggins' 430 on the eBay.
is it true about unpopular colours being better on these, or is it just an old wifes tale?

Jimmy Recard

17,540 posts

178 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
slk 32 said:
Well,after just under 9 years it's time to say goodbye to the slk32. I bought it in 2008 for £15.5k and spent £2.5k on a kleemann remap and supercharger pulley upgrade.Trade in value was £4k so monthly cost of ownership (excluding servicing / consumables) was £129.I handed it over to the missus in 2012 after buying the slk55

In 47k miles its only let me down once(crankshaft sensor). In many ways I actually preferred the turbine like smoothness of the V6 to the slightly more raucous V8.

Mechanically it's been bulletproof but with all mercedes of this era its achilles heel is the frilly bodywork. I had the bootlid / bonnet / wheelarches done under warranty in 2008 and since then the wheelarches have been done twice more. In addition, there is more rust appearing by the bonnet badge which would need attending to.

As it's at the bottom of the depreciation curve the dilemma was whether to continually have to deal with the bodywork or bite the bullet and get something else. In the end it's not me driving it so the decision was out of my hands

Some pictures from when I first picked her up.
That SLK looks fantastic! I really, really, really like it. It must be worth more than £4k, surely?!

I'd love it.

edo

16,699 posts

264 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
in.

0a

23,879 posts

193 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
Happy barge hunting everyone! I wonder what will drop into thread budget in this volume?

alec.e

2,149 posts

123 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
Is it just me, or does anybody think that the W210 saloon is one of the ugliest E Class generations?
I think it is something to with the boot looking very boxy, just trying to be rounded on the corners... I think the estate looks nicer.

CharlesdeGaulle

26,088 posts

179 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
Jimmy Recard said:
I'd love it.
You're too late, he's traded it in. Normal thread form is the subtle allusion to a sale in the hope of flushing out a threadist buyer!

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
Grrrrrrrr i will never forgive that man who posted pmsl

Jimmy Recard

17,540 posts

178 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
CharlesdeGaulle said:
You're too late, he's traded it in. Normal thread form is the subtle allusion to a sale in the hope of flushing out a threadist buyer!
I know, that's why I'm sad about it. I'm quite taken with that SLK - I didn't expect to be saying that!

TheLordJohn

5,746 posts

145 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
sleepera6 said:
Grrrrrrrr i will never forgive that man who posted pmsl
Snooze you lose...! Shame the SLK went for a trade in, but saves the hassle i suppose.
Finally seen a Merc that doesn't look like a generic taxi inside!

0a

23,879 posts

193 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
slk32 said:
SLK32 post
My dad has an SLK 320 and I do rather like the concept of the car. It's great to be able to whip the roof up and down in winter. Like you say they love rusting, seemingly everywhere. I was going to give try giving it a quick clay bar yesterday (what else to do on a visit?!) but on inspection decided this was a bit risky on almost all the panels!

The chap I purchased my 190 from also had an SLK32 and he seemed to think they would climb in value as there were not many made. He also said that bodywork was a bit of a consumable.

I bet yours goes well with 400 bhp.



0a

23,879 posts

193 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
alec.e said:
Is it just me, or does anybody think that the W210 saloon is one of the ugliest E Class generations?
I think it is something to with the boot looking very boxy, just trying to be rounded on the corners... I think the estate looks nicer.
I agree. I do take a while to get used to new designs. This has still not happened with the W210.

I know it is better in terms of NVH, performance, economy etc, but I couldn't put much money into one for this reason.

r129sl

9,518 posts

202 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
ian316 said:
is it true about unpopular colours being better on these, or is it just an old wifes tale?
It's true. It's something to do with the process for cleansing the equipment. They were meant to do the process every day but skimped and did it every week allowing some kind of micro-organism to grow in paint storage tanks. This affected the paint's anti-corrosion properties. For some reason less-common colours don't suffer so much. Also day one cars. There's a long and technical report on it somewhere in the public domain.

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
ian316 said:
r129sl said:
cat220 said:
CharlesdeGaulle said:
SuperHangOn said:
r129sl said:
Have we had this? Everything about it looks right (apart from the chrome rings on the headlamps). I am quite taken by the w210 at the moment.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-MERCEDES-E320-CDI-E...



Too much money. By that mileage they can be rotting pretty badly underneath. Most of the problem areas are concealed so an MOT won't provide much of a clue - you would need to get it in a ramp and remove various undertrays, arch liners and prod at the mastic sealant on the spring perches.

The main structural areas (rear subframe mounts, front crossmember) on mine were ok but the general crustiness was so extensive to the inner arches, rear sills (again concealed) beneath rear bumper I gave up and binned it. Cosmetically it was on a par with that red car.

They have to be shed money or very low mileage.
Such a pity that the 210 was so poorly made. They are cavernous, and very close in spirit to the 124. If you could find one that someone had spent lots of money future-proofing it would be a great buy, but they're worth so little I doubt many will invest in them. I'd like one.
There are good ones out there. They're not all rust buckets, also remember that these cars are now getting on for 20 years old, that car in the ad is not going to suddenly dissolve.
There is a lot of love here for the 124 but these too can rust and rust badly, having owned both, so far I've spent more on rust issues on my 124 than I have on the 210. Difficult for some to possibly believe I know. 210's are finding their level now, good ones seem to be on the increase, which is great as they're more likely to be looked after as opposed to be run as sheds.
It's getting to the point when the duffers disappear. I'm coming to the view that the good cars are seriously underrated. The mechanicals are bulletproof, the feeling is trad Merc, but the refinement is leagues ahead of the 124. And the CDI motor offers unbeatable performance, efficiency, reliability and longevity. Or you can get a big V8. I spend a lot of time looking at Muggins' 430 on the eBay.
is it true about unpopular colours being better on these, or is it just an old wifes tale?
I've heard it said that the cars with solid colours aren't so prone to the tin worm, shirley it's the same crappy metal underneath the paint though?

mickyveloce

1,035 posts

235 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
Hello chaps, not posted for a while, mainly because my little supercharged barge continues to provide great service, whilst protecting the garage queens I have tucked away from the winter ravages.

Usually have a 124 on the go, but the last two years has really shown the gulf between barges and cars worth saving.


anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
0a said:
I agree. I do take a while to get used to new designs. This has still not happened with the W210.

I know it is better in terms of NVH, performance, economy etc, but I couldn't put much money into one for this reason.
They're not the prettiest Merc ever made are they? but then I see an E55 and think they look very nice indeed.

callahan

890 posts

205 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
Jimmy Recard said:
slk 32 said:
Well,after just under 9 years it's time to say goodbye to the slk32. I bought it in 2008 for £15.5k and spent £2.5k on a kleemann remap and supercharger pulley upgrade.Trade in value was £4k so monthly cost of ownership (excluding servicing / consumables) was £129.I handed it over to the missus in 2012 after buying the slk55

In 47k miles its only let me down once(crankshaft sensor). In many ways I actually preferred the turbine like smoothness of the V6 to the slightly more raucous V8.

Mechanically it's been bulletproof but with all mercedes of this era its achilles heel is the frilly bodywork. I had the bootlid / bonnet / wheelarches done under warranty in 2008 and since then the wheelarches have been done twice more. In addition, there is more rust appearing by the bonnet badge which would need attending to.

As it's at the bottom of the depreciation curve the dilemma was whether to continually have to deal with the bodywork or bite the bullet and get something else. In the end it's not me driving it so the decision was out of my hands

Some pictures from when I first picked her up.
That SLK looks fantastic! I really, really, really like it. It must be worth more than £4k, surely?!

I'd love it.
Do you need the uprated flywheel if you're trading it in? It would go nicely on my C32....

How much better was it compared to standard, 400bhp v 350bhp should be quite significant I would have thought?

cat220

2,762 posts

214 months

Sunday 27th November 2016
quotequote all
r129sl said:
ian316 said:
is it true about unpopular colours being better on these, or is it just an old wifes tale?
It's true. It's something to do with the process for cleansing the equipment. They were meant to do the process every day but skimped and did it every week allowing some kind of micro-organism to grow in paint storage tanks. This affected the paint's anti-corrosion properties. For some reason less-common colours don't suffer so much. Also day one cars. There's a long and technical report on it somewhere in the public domain.
Mine is 'doom blue' and seems to have avoided the usual rust issues.
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