Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol8]

[QuantumTokoloshi]

cornershop said:

Apart from pretty much paying the entry price for the first service, pretty well!

Some of the work was very labour intensive, eg getting to the rubber pipe to solve the oil cooler coolant leak, replacing the alternator was nearly just over 500 inc labour. Cam belt, water pump, thermostat, pulley, tensioners, tensioner damper came in at close to a grand, gearbox drain/fill 250 - it all adds up.

My plan is to keep this for at least 3 years - probably longer if I get the front suspension components changed as recommended. A 30 mile roadtest this evening confirmed what a good car this - whoever described it as iron fist, velvet glove got it spot on

They really are like a 300 bhp sofa, wonderfully comfortable, but can shift when you need. The ability to simply floor the accelerator and go, no matter the weather is great.

You can also throw them around like a much smaller car, they hide their size well.

[QuantumTokoloshi]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Agent Orange said:

Yep pretty pleased.

This is the pre face lift blue 500 I was also tempted by but much as I like the pale blue I don't like two tone nor the sombre grey interior. Looks good though.
http://www.autoleisure.net/SL.htm

That's very similar to mine. Wheels aside, it looks great.

£7k though; have we seen the end of the cheapies I wonder?

It is heading into summer, top goes down, price goes up.

[derin100]

bmthnick1981 said:

W00DY said:

What did you think? Nice ones seem pretty good value at the moment and I like the idea (not so much the aesthetic, but I could warm to one I think.

The 325ti is a very enjoyable car to drive. Quite a big N/A straight 6 in a small car with RWD. They have a quicker steering rack from a Z3/Z4 i believe and makes them feel very 'chuckable'. Later cars came with 6 speed box. I've had a lot of E46s and i'd say they 325ti is more fund than a 330i saloon (of which i've had 2). As you say good value now, and BMW won't be making any more N/A straight 6 hatchbacks. I think the new 2 series 'active tourer' is FWD?

Trouble is isn't there a new racing series specifically for the 325ti? So the supply of decent manual ones may dwindle rapidly now?

[derin100]

mickyveloce said:

derin100 said:

Slight off on a tangent from the thread but on the subject of steering wheels...

Does anyone know of a classic-type looking steering wheel (Nardi or Motolita look) that can actually accommodate an airbag? I have in mind (and it only exists in my mind at the moment) a project for the future and such a steering wheel features in it. There's the BMW Z8 steering wheel but they are horrendously expensive.

Don't think so Derin. My C36 has a standard Merc airbag wheel in black, but with the lower third of the wheel trimmed in light grey leather- I'm not that keen on it, despite it being original. I've toyed with fitting a non- airbag Momo Prototipo. Bit of a risk, though.

Yes, I think you're right i.e. such a thing doesn't really exist.

But that being the case, it's made me think of another option! Take one of these plain, non-multifunctional Z4 steering wheels and make it look more 'retro' somehow:

[harrykul]

I think this z4 and the following one have my favourite BMW interiors of recent times. To me they actually look like they have some character in there, in a retro way.

[Krikkit]

derin100 said:

Yes, I think you're right i.e. such a thing doesn't really exist.

But that being the case, it's made me think of another option! Take one of these plain, non-multifunctional Z4 steering wheels and make it look more 'retro' somehow:

I think that almost looks a bit retro already - paint the silver spokes and it would take away a lot of the modern flashyness, leaving you with a well-proportioned airbag-equipped wheel.

[W00DY]

derin100 said:

bmthnick1981 said:

W00DY said:

What did you think? Nice ones seem pretty good value at the moment and I like the idea (not so much the aesthetic, but I could warm to one I think.

The 325ti is a very enjoyable car to drive. Quite a big N/A straight 6 in a small car with RWD. They have a quicker steering rack from a Z3/Z4 i believe and makes them feel very 'chuckable'. Later cars came with 6 speed box. I've had a lot of E46s and i'd say they 325ti is more fund than a 330i saloon (of which i've had 2). As you say good value now, and BMW won't be making any more N/A straight 6 hatchbacks. I think the new 2 series 'active tourer' is FWD?

Trouble is isn't there a new racing series specifically for the 325ti? So the supply of decent manual ones may dwindle rapidly now?

It all sounds great. Strange how little you see them mentioned around PH amore often.

Buy soon and sell when they've all been stuffed into the tyres. Sounds like a plan.


Apologies for derailing the thread a touch. Here's a clean looking W124 for the diesel lovers out there.


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1995-M-Mercedes-Benz-E30...

[mccrackenj]

Quick question chaps (I'm assuming there will be more traffic in this thread than the Merc one hence a quicker answer) what box do I have in my 1996 SL320? Is it the 722.5? The car is the inline 6 not v6 and 5 speed.

I need a new transmission dipstick.

Thanks

ETA: have just had the amazing idea of actually looking at the data card and there's a no. '722507' beside "getriebe" so that's that mystery solved.

Would you believe I've bought a car without a dipstick, just a metal cylinder covering the top of the tube! That's what comes of buying a car unseen and then not really inspecting it on collection because you've already bought it.

Edited by mccrackenj on Saturday 28th March 14:36

[djsmith74]

Hello everyone,

I've been a lurker on this particular thread for some time, after considering what car I should get as a sensible playmate to my '78 Mini (that's another story!). I had a Fiat Panda Multijet which I loved but sold it on as the big bills were starting to mount up and was weighing up options for a sensible daily driver. Yes, I could have got a nice little Corsa or Fiesta but. to be honest, most Euroboxes leave me a little cold and have always admired the pre-Chrysler Mercs and started to wonder whether running one as a daily for half of the year could be a real-world possibility. I started devouring this thread, reading what was being said about examples on sale, and what the pitfalls were and my confidence grew a little. That said, I was still pretty green in this field, and probably didn't have the confidence to buy one from a private seller or conventional garage. I then started to look into what Mercedes specialists were out there, and came across Mark at MTSV and, from the reviews I had read about him, seemed to indicate that he was a rather decent person to buy a car off.
A number of emails were exchanged, mainly about real-world running of Mercs of that vintage, and Mark suggested a 2.0litre 190 would be an excellent introduction, despite my initial requirements of a 2.6litre 124 (perhaps one day!). He pointed out that he had just acquired one and I would be more than welcome to go across for a chat, a look and a test drive - luckily enough he is only 40mins away. For those of you who have dealt with Mark, you will know what a great guy he is, how knowledgeable he is, and how his attention to customer service and the way he prepares his car is second to none. I felt very much at ease having had a chat with him over a brew, and went out for a drive. Having driven across in my Panda, the difference in overall feel & ride quality for a 23 year old car was something of a pleasant surprise. Don't get me wrong, the Panda is a cracking tough little car and would wholeheartedly recommend one, but the Merc is just on a different level, even for something that was 23 years old with over 100k on the clock. I agreed to purchase the car, subject to the jacking points being re-done, which Mark did to a excellent standard (he emailed me before & after photos of the work).
That test drive was about 6 weeks ago (Mark usually spends a good couple of months prepping his cars), and I picked her up today and brought her home for the first time. It wasn't the ideal weather conditions to drive a newly bought car home, especially on a mixture of town driving, motorway driving and open A-road driving, but I never felt once flustered. It was as if the Merc just picked me up and dropped me off with the minimum amount of fuss. Quite remarkable really. Anyway, enough waffle, and allow me to present a new member to the Smoker Barge club:
- 1992 Mercedes Benz 190e
- 2.0litre with 4-speed auto
- 106k miles on the clock
- Electric windows all round, with electric sunroof
- 37 stamps in the service history book. Yes, you read that right, 37 stamps! I have a binder with all the bills, MOTs, Tax Discs which should give me something to read tonight!
- Two owners from new. The fist one was a lady doctor who had the car for the first 18 years of its life and had it regularly serviced at MB & Specialist garages
- It has had the head gasket, cam chain, tensioners, camshaft, reconditioned rear diff, jacking points all done within the last 12months.
- Appears to be completely standard with the exception of an aftermarket head unit (with some rather strange wiring as I found out when I installed it this afternoon!)

All that for £3000. Some of you may think it's a little on the high side, but the car is immaculate, with no visible rust or blemishes. The interior is spotless, with no real wear. The engine bay, again, is extremely good for its age & mileage. And I've bought something that, for peace of mind, I know it's been cared for with all the big ticket issues sorted out.

So, I have a number of questions for the more experienced members to cast their thoughts over:
- Can anyone recommended a decent company in the North West who can carry out a full underseal?
- What are people using for upgraded headlight bulbs?
- Do I carry on servicing it at a specialist, or do I go with my local garage who I trust & know very well? Are MB specialists really worth the extra for a car of my vintage?

And, last but not least, a couple of poor quality photos....

[cornershop]

QuantumTokoloshi said:

They really are like a 300 bhp sofa, wonderfully comfortable, but can shift when you need. The ability to simply floor the accelerator and go, no matter the weather is great.

You can also throw them around like a much smaller car, they hide their size well.

I agree 100% - this is what it's replaced, and the S8 can out match the e24 for comfort, pace and handling but maybe not style

Was picked up today by its new owner, will serve him well:

[Tankman104c]

mccrackenj said:

Quick question chaps (I'm assuming there will be more traffic in this thread than the Merc one hence a quicker answer) what box do I have in my 1996 SL320? Is it the 722.5? The car is the inline 6 not v6 and 5 speed.

I need a new transmission dipstick.

Thanks

ETA: have just had the amazing idea of actually looking at the data card and there's a no. '722507' beside "getriebe" so that's that mystery solved.

Would you believe I've bought a car without a dipstick, just a metal cylinder covering the top of the tube! That's what comes of buying a car unseen and then not really inspecting it on collection because you've already bought it.

Edited by mccrackenj on Saturday 28th March 14:36

I think you might find that all the Sl's have a 'sealed for life' gearbox and so don't have a gearbox dip stick. I'm sure more better informed memebers will be along to confirm. Certainly my V6 SL320 hasn't got a dipstick!

[Stegel]

Tankman104c said:

mccrackenj said:

Quick question chaps (I'm assuming there will be more traffic in this thread than the Merc one hence a quicker answer) what box do I have in my 1996 SL320? Is it the 722.5? The car is the inline 6 not v6 and 5 speed.

I need a new transmission dipstick.

Thanks

ETA: have just had the amazing idea of actually looking at the data card and there's a no. '722507' beside "getriebe" so that's that mystery solved.

Would you believe I've bought a car without a dipstick, just a metal cylinder covering the top of the tube! That's what comes of buying a car unseen and then not really inspecting it on collection because you've already bought it.

Edited by mccrackenj on Saturday 28th March 14:36

I think you might find that all the Sl's have a 'sealed for life' gearbox and so don't have a gearbox dip stick. I'm sure more better informed memebers will be along to confirm. Certainly my V6 SL320 hasn't got a dipstick!

I think the 722.5 comes with a dipstick (does on my 124 anyway) with a plastic catch holding it in place, while the 722.6 has a plastic cap with a red tab locking it on and no dipstick. Sounds like someone has removed the dipstick from your car. Is the S/W switch to the left of the gear shift? On the .6 it is to the right (in my experience, anyway).

Edited by Stegel on Saturday 28th March 17:29

[CharlesdeGaulle]

djsmith74 said:

djsmith - welcome to the club! That 190 looks an absolute peach. Sounds as though you've got a real cracker there.

I can't help with answers to your questions, but it's good to hear good stuff about MTSV. I've never used him but I do like the look of his stock and his reputation is good.

Do keep providing the updates.

[Krikkit]

cornershop said:

I agree 100% - this is what it's replaced, and the S8 can out match the e24 for comfort, pace and handling but maybe not style

Was picked up today by its new owner, will serve him well:

Now that's a lovely machine, any interior pics?

[mickyveloce]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

djsmith - welcome to the club! That 190 looks an absolute peach. Sounds as though you've got a real cracker there.

I can't help with answers to your questions, but it's good to hear good stuff about MTSV. I've never used him but I do like the look of his stock and his reputation is good.

Do keep providing the updates.

One to cherish; Mark has a good reputation on here. There will be an obligation to keep the full service history well, full!

[mccrackenj]

Stegel said:

Tankman104c said:

mccrackenj said:

Quick question chaps (I'm assuming there will be more traffic in this thread than the Merc one hence a quicker answer) what box do I have in my 1996 SL320? Is it the 722.5? The car is the inline 6 not v6 and 5 speed.

I need a new transmission dipstick.

Thanks

ETA: have just had the amazing idea of actually looking at the data card and there's a no. '722507' beside "getriebe" so that's that mystery solved.

Would you believe I've bought a car without a dipstick, just a metal cylinder covering the top of the tube! That's what comes of buying a car unseen and then not really inspecting it on collection because you've already bought it.

Edited by mccrackenj on Saturday 28th March 14:36

I think you might find that all the Sl's have a 'sealed for life' gearbox and so don't have a gearbox dip stick. I'm sure more better informed memebers will be along to confirm. Certainly my V6 SL320 hasn't got a dipstick!

I think the 722.5 comes with a dipstick (does on my 124 anyway) with a plastic catch holding it in place, while the 722.6 has a plastic cap with a red tab locking it on and no dipstick. Sounds like someone has removed the dipstick from you car. Is the S/W switch to the left of the gear shift? On the .6 it is to the right.

I'm content that it's a 722.5 just from the data card, but yes the s/w is on the left. I didn't know the .6 was on the right - never been in a car with one. Presumably the intro of the v6 also marked the change from the .5 to the .6?

Pretty sure the .5 has a dipstick from the fact that all the cheap aftermarket dipsticks for sale on eBay etc are for 722.6s or later.

[mccrackenj]

djsmith74 said:

Hello everyone,

I've been a lurker on this particular thread for some time, after considering what car I should get as a sensible playmate to my '78 Mini (that's another story!). I had a Fiat Panda Multijet which I loved but sold it on as the big bills were starting to mount up and was weighing up options for a sensible daily driver. Yes, I could have got a nice little Corsa or Fiesta but. to be honest, most Euroboxes leave me a little cold and have always admired the pre-Chrysler Mercs and started to wonder whether running one as a daily for half of the year could be a real-world possibility. I started devouring this thread, reading what was being said about examples on sale, and what the pitfalls were and my confidence grew a little. That said, I was still pretty green in this field, and probably didn't have the confidence to buy one from a private seller or conventional garage. I then started to look into what Mercedes specialists were out there, and came across Mark at MTSV and, from the reviews I had read about him, seemed to indicate that he was a rather decent person to buy a car off.
A number of emails were exchanged, mainly about real-world running of Mercs of that vintage, and Mark suggested a 2.0litre 190 would be an excellent introduction, despite my initial requirements of a 2.6litre 124 (perhaps one day!). He pointed out that he had just acquired one and I would be more than welcome to go across for a chat, a look and a test drive - luckily enough he is only 40mins away. For those of you who have dealt with Mark, you will know what a great guy he is, how knowledgeable he is, and how his attention to customer service and the way he prepares his car is second to none. I felt very much at ease having had a chat with him over a brew, and went out for a drive. Having driven across in my Panda, the difference in overall feel & ride quality for a 23 year old car was something of a pleasant surprise. Don't get me wrong, the Panda is a cracking tough little car and would wholeheartedly recommend one, but the Merc is just on a different level, even for something that was 23 years old with over 100k on the clock. I agreed to purchase the car, subject to the jacking points being re-done, which Mark did to a excellent standard (he emailed me before & after photos of the work).
That test drive was about 6 weeks ago (Mark usually spends a good couple of months prepping his cars), and I picked her up today and brought her home for the first time. It wasn't the ideal weather conditions to drive a newly bought car home, especially on a mixture of town driving, motorway driving and open A-road driving, but I never felt once flustered. It was as if the Merc just picked me up and dropped me off with the minimum amount of fuss. Quite remarkable really. Anyway, enough waffle, and allow me to present a new member to the Smoker Barge club:
- 1992 Mercedes Benz 190e
- 2.0litre with 4-speed auto
- 106k miles on the clock
- Electric windows all round, with electric sunroof
- 37 stamps in the service history book. Yes, you read that right, 37 stamps! I have a binder with all the bills, MOTs, Tax Discs which should give me something to read tonight!
- Two owners from new. The fist one was a lady doctor who had the car for the first 18 years of its life and had it regularly serviced at MB & Specialist garages
- It has had the head gasket, cam chain, tensioners, camshaft, reconditioned rear diff, jacking points all done within the last 12months.
- Appears to be completely standard with the exception of an aftermarket head unit (with some rather strange wiring as I found out when I installed it this afternoon!)

All that for £3000. Some of you may think it's a little on the high side, but the car is immaculate, with no visible rust or blemishes. The interior is spotless, with no real wear. The engine bay, again, is extremely good for its age & mileage. And I've bought something that, for peace of mind, I know it's been cared for with all the big ticket issues sorted out.

So, I have a number of questions for the more experienced members to cast their thoughts over:
- Can anyone recommended a decent company in the North West who can carry out a full underseal?
- What are people using for upgraded headlight bulbs?
- Do I carry on servicing it at a specialist, or do I go with my local garage who I trust & know very well? Are MB specialists really worth the extra for a car of my vintage?

And, last but not least, a couple of poor quality photos....

Congrats and welcome to the old Merc club; Mark sure likes a natter doesn't he! That's £3k well spent I'm sure, but give it a bit of time and you'll realise you should have got a 6cyl W124 AS WELL!

[Agent Orange]

QuantumTokoloshi said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

£7k though; have we seen the end of the cheapies I wonder?

It is heading into summer, top goes down, price goes up.

I think there's more to it than that. They've been ticking up a little for a while and if I'm honest that's why I've got in now. There's a group of cars I was considering and didn't quite have the balls to buy at sub 10-20K about 10 years ago. 70's Aston V8, Ferrari 456, 911 etc. Now all of those are out of my fun car budget. If I didn't buy this year I wasn't confident I'd be able to next year.

Some of course are maybe a little bit more speculative than others...
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C591176

Edited by Agent Orange on Saturday 28th March 18:21

[Stegel]

Agent Orange said:

I think there's more to it than that. They've been ticking up a little for a while and if I'm honest that's why I've got in now. There's a group of cars I was considering and didn't quite have the balls to buy at sub 10-20K about 10 years ago. 70's Aston V8, Ferrari 456, 911 etc. Now all of those are out of my fun car budget. If I didn't buy this year I was confident I'd be able to next year.

Some of course are maybe a little bit more speculative than others...
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C591176

Crikey - obviously isn't planning on selling it for at least two years!

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Stegel said:

Agent Orange said:

I think there's more to it than that. They've been ticking up a little for a while and if I'm honest that's why I've got in now. There's a group of cars I was considering and didn't quite have the balls to buy at sub 10-20K about 10 years ago. 70's Aston V8, Ferrari 456, 911 etc. Now all of those are out of my fun car budget. If I didn't buy this year I was confident I'd be able to next year.

Some of course are maybe a little bit more speculative than others...
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C591176

Crikey - obviously isn't planning on selling it for at least two years!

It's laughable, isn't it? Putting aside the perverted logic of encouraging your potential buyers to delay purchase, he'd need to offer a reduction of 1000 per week and be prepared to wait a while before selling that, especially as it has had no servicing to speak of.

Anyway, as one of our number reminded me on another thread, it's folk like this that are appreciating our assets! On that basis, it looks an absolute steal; proper bargain!

ETA - the Brown fascia is pretty grim. Spoils a decent colour scheme for me.