Best Smoker Barges 1-5 large [Vol 7]

[mccrackenj]

harry kular said:

@ McCracken: is this your old car? Looks like the one I saw at yours, with different lights & wheels...

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C563903

Hi Harry

Yes that's my previous 220. That car was a prime example of why you shouldn't buy 'bargains'.

I paid £850 for it, then spent £600 on it, plus dozens of hours of work, e.g. replacing and repainting the rear bumper, filing and repainting the front bumper and several Sacco panels and lots of other wee jobs, including fitting the replacement central locking unit you sold me.

Then sold it for less than £1000.

When you saw it it had a re-furbed set of 8 holes with new Continentals, and the original, broken, clear indicators. I'm glad put the original steels and crap tyres back on before I sold it.

[0a]

cat220 said:

All great advice from r129, however avoid the a9, few very good alternatives, as mentioned above don't want to be teaching my granny to suck eggs, so let me know if you need any pointers. Enjoy

If you can give me a good route back from Applecross to edinburgh without the a9 that would be appreciated!

[cat220]

0a said:

cat220 said:

All great advice from r129, however avoid the a9, few very good alternatives, as mentioned above don't want to be teaching my granny to suck eggs, so let me know if you need any pointers. Enjoy

If you can give me a good route back from Applecross to edinburgh without the a9 that would be appreciated!

If you decide to do the loop north and are heading south from Inverness then head south via the a939 old Military rd then the a93 to Perth, from there it's a quick trip down the m90 back to Edinburgh.

If going direct from Applecross, I'd go, a87 >a82 >a85 >a84 then the M9 from Stirling.

[r129sl]

cat220 said:

0a said:

cat220 said:

All great advice from r129, however avoid the a9, few very good alternatives, as mentioned above don't want to be teaching my granny to suck eggs, so let me know if you need any pointers. Enjoy

If you can give me a good route back from Applecross to edinburgh without the a9 that would be appreciated!

If you decide to do the loop north and are heading south from Inverness then head south via the a939 old Military rd then the a93 to Perth, from there it's a quick trip down the m90 back to Edinburgh.

If going direct from Applecross, I'd go, a87 >a82 >a85 >a84 then the M9 from Stirling.

I've never minded the A9 that much, I like the endlessness of it. That and the variation in scenery, even if there is nothing really extreme. But it is the quickest way back from the Highlands by many hours!

It's about 45minutes from Applecross to Shielding by the coastal route. The first part is quite fast but the last part is slow (and spectacular). From there is only 10minutes back down to Tornapress (where the Applecross pass road starts) but the alternative route really is worth it. The road from Shielding to Torridon is a cracker, wide and smooth with fast, constant radius bends. Amazing views over Loch Torridon and the surrounding mountains. Then Torridon to Kinlochewe is single track but spectacular. Finally, the (very, very fast) road up Glen Docherty to Achnasheen is possibly the best drive in the UK. If it is clear and still light, stop at the view point and look back down to Loch Maree:



Steve Carter's photos of the local roads will give anyone the urge to drive 500miles: http://www.stevecarter.com/picaday/roads.htm

Edited by r129sl on Sunday 30th November 07:48

[Motorrad]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Hurrah indeed and the vendor was,as you say,a thoroughly nice chap.

The car really is rather nice but I've already identified two areas to bring up to scratch. The first and most serious is the engine mounts which are tired but not totally shot. If anyone here has any idea of what that will cost and a good garage to carry out the work I'd be interested to hear.

Secondly the ac isn't working well. I think the compressor is still switching on suggesting some pressure but it will require a regas as a minimum. Only issue being is that this car has the R12 system. All being well this should just be a case of a conversion to R134a.

So less than 24hrs in and I already have plans to hit the bork fund!

Still looking forward to an all A an B road drive up to the Lakes from down south today.

[r129sl]

Motorrad said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Hurrah indeed and the vendor was,as you say,a thoroughly nice chap.

The car really is rather nice but I've already identified two areas to bring up to scratch. The first and most serious is the engine mounts which are tired but not totally shot. If anyone here has any idea of what that will cost and a good garage to carry out the work I'd be interested to hear.

Secondly the ac isn't working well. I think the compressor is still switching on suggesting some pressure but it will require a regas as a minimum. Only issue being is that this car has the R12 system. All being well this should just be a case of a conversion to R134a.

So less than 24hrs in and I already have plans to hit the bork fund!

Still looking forward to an all A an B road drive up to the Lakes from down south today.

Engine mounts make an easy and inexpensive job. Maybe an hour's labour, certainly not two, plus about £150 in parts even if you buy genuine mounts (although I'd be tempted to buy Febi Bilstein or Lemförder). Do the transmission mount at the same time.

As for the air con, my mechanic says you just need to evacuate the old R12 gas and stick the new stuff straight in. He reckons he never has any problems with this. I don't know.

[derin100]

Motorrad said:

So I made a thread purchase, thanks to cmoose who posted it back in July. I'm now the owner of a very nice early R129 500sl. First impressions are proper 'analogue' motoring and its surprisingly quick. Pics to follow.



image url

Edited by Motorrad on Saturday 29th November 16:57

Nice one!

Now has got to be the right time to be buying these cars?

[SuperHangOn]

Pickled said:

SuperHangOn said:

Cheers, not sure whether to get it checked out - the place that rebuilt it has a good rep (Stephens engineering) so I could take it there for a check, maybe a service... Or just leave it and see what happens. It's not that bad.

Try doing a software reset, its an adaptive box. Disconnect the battery completely (both + & - ) bridge the cables for about 30 minutes then reconnect battery, software will re-learn your driving style and can sometimes smooth out gearshifts.

Would a 722.4 fit?

[tobinen]

r129sl said:

Wow, that 500 SL looks great.

How about this barge? Big saloon. Big petrol engine. Big specification. Low miles. Low price.

http://www.7starcarsales.co.uk/used-cars/mercedes-...

Most unusual. Not sure about the 'low price' but then where will one find another? The colour sounds interesting - I guess the pictures do not demonstrate it well.

[FrankUnderwood]

NervySi said:

And on that note (long-time lurker here)... I am collecting this at the weekend:




3.2 Sovereign with 78k. Very smart inside and out, and the headlining is mostly still above scalp level

How is the Jag running? I have to admit I'm obsessed with XJs!

Edited by FrankUnderwood on Sunday 30th November 10:29

[FrankUnderwood]

E65Ross said:

E65 is back. fk me was it expensive but fk me does it feel amazing! I also got billed for the mass air flow sensor which hadn't been paid yet but here goes....

What was done and cost, ...

Pollen filter £32
Air filter £16
Fuel filter £50
R/H anti-roll drop link £30
L/H anti-roll drop link £30
2x suspension buffers £20
2x bump stops £17
2x spring £110
2x spring £90
2x front tyres £323.48
2x rear tyres £339.78
Mass air flow sensor £170
2x lower arms £230
2x top mounts £80
2x top mounts £32

Plus 4 wheel alignment etc.....

It was a mate who did it and all of that totals £1884.31 after VAT and that included labour (of which I don't think I got charged a penny!) and part prices were pretty much trade price.

I've no doubt that would have cost an extra £4-500 if it was done at an indy and I actually got charged labour and part price increase!

The car feels amazing. Ride quality has improved a little, but it handles SO much flatter and feels so much more tight it's surreal. Comfortably my biggest ever car bill but it feels amazing! Pretty much a full suspension rebuild, aside shock absorbers. Tyres were £700 of that pretty much.

Edited by E65Ross on Wednesday 5th November 20:29

Edited by E65Ross on Wednesday 5th November 21:42

[radiodanno]

Hey. Long term lurker, rare poster here. Apologies if my language is insufficiently florid and my tone devoid of supercilious undertones, I'm more often found in the bargain basement, sniffing after the undesirables.

Anyway, no matter how hard I try, this isn't going to go away. I've wanted a nice w124 for some time and, 2 years later, I'm quite satisfied I'm not being impulsive. (!) I've wanted an estate in bornite for as long as I can remember but, thanks to a big van derived mpv sitting on the drive, I can now look at all variants.

The thing is, whatever I buy will need to be pressed into daily duties. We don't have the space for four cars where we live, and whilst I'm happy to pay to run that many there's precious little parking here as it is.

So a small list of must haves.

1. Aircon. Sounds sniffy but, in my job, I can't turn up to clients with sweaty pits. This becomes more critical if I'm filming video and not just on a 'sound' job.

2. As close to 15p a mile as possible. I think it's doable with either the 220 petrol or 250. Yes?

3. Something a bit special/different. I think an estate is unnecessary as I have the 7 seater already but wouldn't turn down the right one. Not so keen on the saloon so it'd need to be a lovely individual car maybe with red interior or some other original combination to make it right.

4. A loved car.

Budget is about 4-5k.

What's the key to buying a good one? Also, am I being hopelessly romantic thinking I can do 25k a year in such a car? Whilst I'm powerfully built and a director, I've not yet hit the big time financially. The way I see it is I could comfortably pay £350pcm on a lease so I can build a bork fund up with the difference between my loan to buy the car and that £350 figure. I also have a friendly garage with a credit account.

So. Madness? I'm just not turned on by any car out to buy today at this sort of monthly figure. They seem anodyne and say nothing about me as a person. It's bad enough living in a "box"... I'd like to drive something different.

Tia.
Dx

[Fox-]

radiodanno said:

2. As close to 15p a mile as possible. I think it's doable with either the 220 petrol or 250. Yes?

I think you might be in the wrong thread - nothing here is going to get anywhere near 15p a mile! Heck I think my 530i probably did more than that just in fuel let alone all the other costs associated with keeping an old barge going. I think the actual per mile rate was more like 50p.

If you want to get 15p a mile running costs I can't think of much this side of a Toyota Aygo.

[radiodanno]

It's about 35 to 37 mpg at today's prices, is it not?

[Fox-]

radiodanno said:

It's about 35 to 37 mpg at today's prices, is it not?

So that's fuel sorted, what about tyres, repairs, etc? If you don't include them then why not?

Because a car that uses fuel at 25p a mile but costs 10p a mile in other expenses costs the same to run as one that sips it at 15p a mile but costs 20p a mile in other expenses. Rear tyres for my 530i for example worked out at almost 4p a mile alone!

[radiodanno]

You make a good point. I wasn't aware that a Mercedes 220 would burn through 195 65 15s at a vastly different rate to a Toyota. I stand corrected.

[mccrackenj]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I think it's pretty colour dependent, if the car had been e.g. Tourmaline or Azurite I'd have replaced with clears, but I think ambers work well on lighter colours, especially silver. Adds a bit of 'definition' to the front end.

[r129sl]

radiodanno said:

You make a good point. I wasn't aware that a Mercedes 220 would burn through 195 65 15s at a vastly different rate to a Toyota. I stand corrected.

Hey, you're getting the hang of it!

I think one of the best things about the 124 is that it takes 195/65 R 15 tyres. Even Michelins are only £50 each. And they last forever.

Anyway, I digress.

IMHO, the saloon is the best 124. It is the best because it is infra dig. The cool guys want a coupé or even a 'vert. The cult guys want an estate. But first and foremost, the 124 is an high quality saloon car. Everything else is a compromise of the core design. For maximum 124ness, you need the saloon. Besides, being the least desirable, it is actually thus the most cool.

Diesels are cheapest to run by far but quite hard to come by in fair condition, these days, but... Charles Ironside has two. An E300 diesel saloon with the 24valve engine, air con and, wait for it, the best colour of all, smoke silver, king of silvers. And he also has an interstellar mileage (but not really) E300 diesel T (i.e. an estate car) with a mega specification, pretty much everything except leather upholstery (I am guessing it was bought new by a rich Indian with good taste). I think they're both within budget, he's had both for a while, and I know for certain his prices can be chipped.

Then there is this saloon. Bare spec. 12valve motor (possibly the smoothest and most reliable diesel engine ever made). Very unusual colours, red over tan. It has been for sale forever so probably could be chipped. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990G-MERCEDES-BENZ-300D...

Otherwise, given the need for economy, I would seek out either a 200 E or a 220 E (or an E200 or E220) with the 16valve engine in whatever format you fancy. An earlier 8valve 230 E will not be too thirsty but there aren't many about with a/c.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Fox- said:

radiodanno said:

It's about 35 to 37 mpg at today's prices, is it not?

So that's fuel sorted, what about tyres, repairs, etc? If you don't include them then why not?

Because a car that uses fuel at 25p a mile but costs 10p a mile in other expenses costs the same to run as one that sips it at 15p a mile but costs 20p a mile in other expenses. Rear tyres for my 530i for example worked out at almost 4p a mile alone!

radiodanno - yours was a nice post, outlining a worthy and respectable aspiration. I'd imagine that, with your budget, you could find a real cracker.

I'm with Fox- to a point, inasmuch as the cost per mile seems to me to be the wrong metric to look at these old cars; I think the paradigm is different. For most cars, depreciation is the biggest single cost but for our 'old bangers' that's rarely a significant factor, If by cost per mile you're driven by fuel economy, then older cars tend to fare less well than the more efficient moderns. So, the charm of old cars and the fact that there's not much value to lose is offset by other costs such as fuel and maintenance. And the latter can be painful. I suspect that overall costs per mile for 124 ownership could be quite low, but I've never had the nerve to work it out and it's not important enough for me to worry about it.

I'm certain that a well-sorted 124 will do 25k a year, but I'd be surprised if you saw 35 mpg from a petrol. For me, overall it's a no-brainer and I'd thoroughly recommend them. As you've probably detected from posts various, they seem to have the tendency to get under your skin!

[Motorrad]

r129sl said:

Engine mounts make an easy and inexpensive job. Maybe an hour's labour, certainly not two, plus about £150 in parts even if you buy genuine mounts (although I'd be tempted to buy Febi Bilstein or Lemförder). Do the transmission mount at the same time.

As for the air con, my mechanic says you just need to evacuate the old R12 gas and stick the new stuff straight in. He reckons he never has any problems with this. I don't know.

That cheap? SL shop quotes 59 quid + vat each. I also read it was 4hr labour. I obviously could do with a link to some cheaper part sources and a decent garage. If you or anyone know of one a link or PM would be much appreciated.