Best Smoker Barges 1-5 large [Vol 7]

[SpeckledJim]

BigBen said:

SpeckledJim said:

nobrakes said:

W211 estate purchased now. I'm sorry to have to tell you that I plumped for the diesel. However I did manage to find a non sport model with wheels to keep that bargesque feeling.

A 320cdi, it's not blisteringly quick, but it can shift some, and returns 40 without being too restrained on the motorway.

In time, I doubt it'll still be knocking around like that black, almost 25year old 230 TE, which does look steep for a private sale.

Isn't it another private seller advertising at trade £? I'd rock up with 3bags of cash, empty another £100 from my wallet and "borrow" a couple of hundred from a primed "reluctant and mocking mate" . It's still gonna need money spent on it.

What!? How!? How do you perform this magic!?

Aaargh!

(is it I6 or V6?)

I have the I6 320 and also get about 40 on the motorway and that is without hanging about.

That's what I also got from the I6.

My 'new' V6 (in 280 tune, not 320 tune) is 25% juicier despite all the extra development and 2 extra gears.

Woe.

(sorry CdG, I know this fuel chat makes you shift restlessly in your seat and ponder going to the bar. If I keep battering on about it I'm hoping to frustrate you into buying me surprise pork scratchings, just to shut me up.)

[r129sl]

200 TE with air con and a slightly comedy price tag (presumably warranted by not one but two Henley Royal Regatta stickers):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-E200-TE-W1...




And we may have had this bare bones but rather nice early 260 E before:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-MERCEDES-260-E-AUTO...

[JZZ30]

And we may have had this bare bones but rather nice early 260 E before:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-MERCEDES-260-E-AUTO...



[/quote]
What a fantastic advert!

[nickod]

r129sl said:

200 TE with air con and a slightly comedy price tag (presumably warranted by not one but two Henley Royal Regatta stickers):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-E200-TE-W1...




And we may have had this bare bones but rather nice early 260 E before:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-MERCEDES-260-E-AUTO...

d

Is the storage box in that estate zebrano or has he put a walnut one in there? Are they easy to Get?
Lovely colour scheme with that cloth. Looks in amazing condition.

[r129sl]

nickod said:

Is the storage box in that estate zebrano or has he put a walnut one in there? Are they easy to Get?
Lovely colour scheme with that cloth. Looks in amazing condition.

Walnut, good spot.

These boxes are not that hard to come by although it depends what colour you want. They were standard fit after late-1993 when the passenger-side airbag was made standard, so there's plenty of them. The shutter is usually either walnut or plain coloured plastic albeit I think you can get them in Zebrano. £75 to £150 is the going rate for the box and shutter. The key will obviously not match your own car. You can order a lock which does match, however. Personally, I think the open tray is much more convenient and useful for stuff like a mobile phone, small change, flat cap, gloves &c.

Plain plastic:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Mercedes-Benz-W124-E-Klasse...


Zebrano:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Mercedes-W124-Ablage-Mittel...


Walnut:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Mercedes-W124-S124-Ablagebo...

Edited by r129sl on Thursday 4th December 11:23

[nickod]

[quote=r129sl]

Walnut, good spot.

These boxes are not that hard to come by although it depends what colour you want. They were standard fit after late-1993 when the passenger-side airbag was made standard, so there's plenty of them. The shutter is usually either walnut or plain coloured plastic albeit I think you can get them in Zebrano. £75 to £150 is the going rate for the box and shutter. The key will obviously not match your own car. You can order a lock which does match, however. Personally, I think the open tray is much more convenient and useful for stuff like a mobile phone, small change, flat cap, gloves &c.

Plain plastic:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Mercedes-Benz-W124-E-Klasse...


Brilliant thanks. I've got the plastic one currently and it always annoys me when I get in the car. I never knew there was a zebrano one. I'm off to eBay to investigate.

[Stegel]

SpeckledJim said:

That's what I also got from the I6.

My 'new' V6 (in 280 tune, not 320 tune) is 25% juicier despite all the extra development and 2 extra gears.

Woe.

(sorry CdG, I know this fuel chat makes you shift restlessly in your seat and ponder going to the bar. If I keep battering on about it I'm hoping to frustrate you into buying me surprise pork scratchings, just to shut me up.)

Craving the thread's indulgence to mention diesel MPG, as before, there is definitely something wrong with your car - round town the V6s are woeful, but taking it steady on the motorway 40 is easily achieved, and if you religiously stick to the limit high 40s.

[mccrackenj]

r129sl said:

200 TE with air con and a slightly comedy price tag (presumably warranted by not one but two Henley Royal Regatta stickers):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-E200-TE-W1...




And we may have had this bare bones but rather nice early 260 E before:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-MERCEDES-260-E-AUTO...

The 200TE is on another website fo £5495. Lovely but £5k for S124 with that engine? No thanks.

The other site is DoneDeali.e. (or summat) Has loads of W124s, mainly coupes. They're all in Ireland, predominantly RofI, so no flights or ferries for me but potentially long drives to view/buy. Unfortunately they're almost all 4 cyl and a high proportion are manual too.

Quite a few R129s too, but all 6 cylinders.

Prices are tempting though, especally if the euro depreciates a bit more Vs sterling.

Quite taken with this other early 260 too. Anyone know anything about the vendor?

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C550605

[nobrakes]

Stegel said:

SpeckledJim said:

That's what I also got from the I6.

My 'new' V6 (in 280 tune, not 320 tune) is 25% juicier despite all the extra development and 2 extra gears.

Woe.

(sorry CdG, I know this fuel chat makes you shift restlessly in your seat and ponder going to the bar. If I keep battering on about it I'm hoping to frustrate you into buying me surprise pork scratchings, just to shut me up.)

Craving the thread's indulgence to mention diesel MPG, as before, there is definitely something wrong with your car - round town the V6s are woeful, but taking it steady on the motorway 40 is easily achieved, and if you religiously stick to the limit high 40s.

The onboard did read 40 on a jockland to London trip. No more than 85. A fair bit of built up traffic and the average speed was 60. The figures from London going north were somewhat different though...The 18gallon tank is handy. 90 is about 2500 rpm. Or was that 95. Hmmm, I'll have to test it again.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Stegel said:

SpeckledJim said:

That's what I also got from the I6.

My 'new' V6 (in 280 tune, not 320 tune) is 25% juicier despite all the extra development and 2 extra gears.

Woe.

(sorry CdG, I know this fuel chat makes you shift restlessly in your seat and ponder going to the bar. If I keep battering on about it I'm hoping to frustrate you into buying me surprise pork scratchings, just to shut me up.)

Craving the thread's indulgence to mention diesel MPG, as before, there is definitely something wrong with your car - round town the V6s are woeful, but taking it steady on the motorway 40 is easily achieved, and if you religiously stick to the limit high 40s.

I do fully appreciate that fuel economy is an important aspect of car ownership!

Will crisps do ya?

[PlayersNo6]

r129sl said:

And we may have had this bare bones but rather nice early 260 E before:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-MERCEDES-260-E-AUTO...

Original Becker stereo - nice, and as already said, superb ad.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

PlayersNo6 said:

r129sl said:

And we may have had this bare bones but rather nice early 260 E before:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-MERCEDES-260-E-AUTO...

Original Becker stereo - nice, and as already said, superb ad.

I agree. Nice car, great ad. Probably worth the 3k he's after.

[dbdb]

It does look to be a nice car, though I see it has rusty front wings. The wordy prose makes you spend more time looking at the photos though!

I'm not quite such a Mercedes enthusiast as most of the smoker barge lot, so these earnest low-spec Mercs really are a bit too masochistic for me. The inside of this one's tipped fully into grim.

[r129sl]

Heresy.

[Strawman]

[CharlesdeGaulle]

dbdb said:

It does look to be a nice car, though I see it has rusty front wings.

You might be over-stating it slightly if the seller's verbiage is to be believed. It's there - it always is - but shouldn't detract for a few years yet

[dbdb]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

You might be over-stating it slightly if the seller's verbiage is to be believed. It's there - it always is - but shouldn't detract for a few years yet

The rust bubbles on the right hand wing will get worse quite quickly though, once they are like this. One winter could see them much bigger. It is 'nitpicking' though, to use the seller's phrase. The car is in excellent condition otherwise.

Strawman said:

I'm doomed!

[mccrackenj]

£10k for a 260E saloon? Behave.

I'm sure I saw this very car advertised about 2 weeks ago for either £3995 or £4995. What makes the seller think it'll suddenly shift at £10k??

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C557204

Edited by mccrackenj on Thursday 4th December 20:13

[Lowtimer]

How much it is to get a W124 re-winged by a proper bodyshop? Can't be *that* much.

[SpeckledJim]

mccrackenj said:

£10k for a 260E saloon? Behave.

I'm sure I saw this very car advertised about 2 weeks ago for either £3995 or £4995. What makes the seller think it'll suddenly shift at £10k??

http://www.specialistcars.net/

Because some who have decided they only want 'the best' will conflate that with 'the most expensive' and thus allow the cheekiest dealers to make their decision for them.

Reassuringly expensive. My wife falls victim to it (and thus, so do I) all the time.