Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol11]

[carinaman]

AlfaManc said:

W00DY said:

Very tempting. Someone buy it so that I don't have to.

The photos really sell the car. The main issues with this model are the need for a cambelt change (every 4yrs/60K miles for a V6), and also the fact that the 2.5V6 engine has about the same economy as the 3.0V6 with obviously less power. If you get this car for around a grand though, these are small issues.

The recent exhaust, suspension, and brake work, decent MOT, and working electrics suggest it would be a great punt. Wrt the cambelt, it costs around £500 with a metal water pump. If it was me then I would wait to see what the next MOT throws up, and then decide if it’s a keeper. The Twinspark engines are more prone to cambelt failure anyway, so I’d risk running the car as is for a bit.

Check the gearbox ECU has been 'bagged'. It has the heater matrix positioned above it and if the heater matrix leaks it leaks onto the gearbox ECU.

[JF87]

Well, my E31 listing is now live on the bay, 28-day classified ad. Sob. I had the nosecone done last week and it looks approximately 92 times better now than at any time during my ownership. WHY MUST THIS ALWAYS BE THE WAY?



Rather stupidly I'm going to be away for two weeks from next Monday, but I promised Mrs JF I'd put the ad up before I left.

[Jimmy Recard]

What a shame, that's a lovely car. It would've made a lot more sense to put the ad up when you're back though!

[cat220]

JF87 said:

Well, my E31 listing is now live on the bay, 28-day classified ad. Sob. I had the nosecone done last week and it looks approximately 92 times better now than at any time during my ownership. WHY MUST THIS ALWAYS BE THE WAY?



Rather stupidly I'm going to be away for two weeks from next Monday, but I promised Mrs JF I'd put the ad up before I left.

Very nice, I'm tempted myself! I reckon you'll have sold that before next Monday..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252832957535

[Krikkit]

I suspect it was "sell it before we go" which has slipped from there!

Looks great though.

[YoungRestorer]

cat220 said:

Very nice, I'm tempted myself! I reckon you'll have sold that before next Monday..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252832957535

My god. If you were selling this in about 5 months, I would snap it up in a heartbeat! Looks absolutely phenomenal, and local...

[BigBen]

BigBen said:

Krikkit said:

Not mine, but any help?

Very much so, I would be amazed if the tab mentioned in the Benzworld thread is not the problem.

I have rotated the sensor off the car so know it can put out the correct Voltage so a mis-rotated sensor makes absolute sense.

Thank you, I will report back tomorrow when I have had a go at a fix (assuming a dry evening)

Ben

Krikkit I owe you many beers, reattached the sensor into its hole and before I even hooked up the computer to reset everything the car settled at the correct height. I can drive it again!

Also one beer for whoever invented the clock changing giving light evenings.

Just the gearbox to sort now.

Ben

[Caruso]

172k miles, fabric trim and only 118bhp but somehow I still like the look of this.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-H91-E200-2-0-PE...

[lenny007]

JF87 said:

Well, my E31 listing is now live on the bay, 28-day classified ad. Sob. I had the nosecone done last week and it looks approximately 92 times better now than at any time during my ownership. WHY MUST THIS ALWAYS BE THE WAY?



Rather stupidly I'm going to be away for two weeks from next Monday, but I promised Mrs JF I'd put the ad up before I left.

You should have done what they do on Ebay / Amazon when they don't want to pay for a new listing before they can renew their stock levels.

I reckon a buy it now price of £90K will keep the wolves from the door till you return.

[phil_cardiff]

Jimmy Recard said:

carinaman said:

I didn't know those Cadillacs were SAAB.

Do they ride as badly as the SAAB 9-3 or are the suspension settings better?

Do they have the night dash panel feature?

It seems a lot of bangs for the buck and even more left field than Alfa and Saab.

It's nowhere as appealing as that Friday night £1600 E39 530i Sport.

I have done a bit of reading today and they are softer sprung than the 93, there's not much other difference that I can find.

Night panel? Good question. I've just googled 'Cadillac BLS night panel' and found no mention of it, so maybe it doesn't have it.

It has a really naff clock instead though, the Saab version doesn't get that!

Also just looking at pictures of the two cars, it doesn't have the Saab turbo meter thing (although the instrument clusters are otherwise the same)

Do we have any Saab beards here? I've got some questions I'd like to ask, if we have anyone

Edited by Jimmy Recard on Monday 27th March 20:28

Edited by Jimmy Recard on Monday 27th March 20:29

I have some Saab 9-5 aero stubble if that helps?

[0a]

Good to see another thread purchase!

Two updates:

1. Ssssshh on the XJ8 above please

2. I did 2 hours as a passenger today on the motorway in a new Discovery "sport" - what an utter piece of junk. The cheapest looking interior I have seen in a car for 10 years, and a horrible gravel-in-cement mixer 4 cylinder Diesel engine.

The driver usually has a Mitsubishi shogun - director type, lives up a mountain, and has little tolerance for unreliability and a lot of tolerance for dodgy plastics. She hated it due to the lack of comfort, terrible engine, and low rent interior.

The worst car I have been in for ages - noisy, low quality and uncomfortable. I was surprised.

[dscam]

Jim - congrats on your new wheels. Was quite a curve-ball and catching up on the thread I was also fully expecting a Lexus of some sort. The big S-Class is a great lump of car for your money though and the wrong fuel can b overlooked. Just this once.

[Jimmy Recard]

BigBen said:

Krikkit I owe you many beers, reattached the sensor into its hole and before I even hooked up the computer to reset everything the car settled at the correct height. I can drive it again!

Also one beer for whoever invented the clock changing giving light evenings.

Just the gearbox to sort now.

Ben

Not entirely relevant but I've only had one car that changed the clocks automatically - a Corsa!

I think my Astra would have done it too if it had had the original head unit

[tobinen]

Congratulations on the 221 SJ. Certainly a smoker barge.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

0a said:

Good to see another thread purchase!

Two updates:

1. Ssssshh on the XJ8 above please

I know you said ssshh, but are you sign-posting yet another thread buy?

[Derek Smith]

JF87 said:

Well, my E31 listing is now live on the bay, 28-day classified ad. Sob. I had the nosecone done last week and it looks approximately 92 times better now than at any time during my ownership. WHY MUST THIS ALWAYS BE THE WAY?

A friend of mine has difficulty expressing himself on paper. After having his low mileage 245 Volvo valeted he drove round for me to take some photos and write the Autotrader ad. He wanted something smaller since the kids had left home. When I'd got something near to what I thought might sell, I asked him to read it. He decided that it sounded so good that he'd keep it. It did look rather good. It was the only time I'd ever seen it clean. It might have been the same for him.

[JF87]

Thanks for the E31 words all. Part of me wishes I'd had the skanky nosecone painted when I bought it... but then I'd probably had to have it redone, as barely a month goes by without some berk reversing into it. I've actually now parked the car facing backwards on our one-way street, in one of the few positions guaranteed to spare the front end.

One of the other unfortunate pre-sale routines was collating all the invoices, and realising I'd spent quite a lot more on the car than I may have admitted to myself (and more pertinently to my wife).

I intended to have the LPG kit removed, as I've learned over the years that it can put a lot of people off (especially when a car noses into classic territory). But the kit wouldn't have been able to handle my E55's lust for fuel, so I left it in.

ETA - many thanks to cat220 for posting up the link!

Edited by JF87 on Tuesday 28th March 10:29

[Krikkit]

BigBen said:

BigBen said:

Krikkit said:

Not mine, but any help?

Very much so, I would be amazed if the tab mentioned in the Benzworld thread is not the problem.

I have rotated the sensor off the car so know it can put out the correct Voltage so a mis-rotated sensor makes absolute sense.

Thank you, I will report back tomorrow when I have had a go at a fix (assuming a dry evening)

Ben

Krikkit I owe you many beers, reattached the sensor into its hole and before I even hooked up the computer to reset everything the car settled at the correct height. I can drive it again!

Also one beer for whoever invented the clock changing giving light evenings.

Just the gearbox to sort now.

Ben

You're very welcome, glad it's sorted.

What's the 'box up to?

[tobinen]

Ah yes, the MB clock change. I had that on my 209. Twice a year endless amusement watching it move (well, a few seconds anyway). The 140 was before that era so I had to turn the knob myself, an effort a 140 owner should not be put through.

[BigBen]

Krikkit said:

BigBen said:

BigBen said:

Krikkit said:

Not mine, but any help?

Very much so, I would be amazed if the tab mentioned in the Benzworld thread is not the problem.

I have rotated the sensor off the car so know it can put out the correct Voltage so a mis-rotated sensor makes absolute sense.

Thank you, I will report back tomorrow when I have had a go at a fix (assuming a dry evening)

Ben

Krikkit I owe you many beers, reattached the sensor into its hole and before I even hooked up the computer to reset everything the car settled at the correct height. I can drive it again!

Also one beer for whoever invented the clock changing giving light evenings.

Just the gearbox to sort now.

Ben

You're very welcome, glad it's sorted.

What's the 'box up to?

It does not always shift well and makes a loud buzzing noise, I am not 100% sure it is the box as I can't feel anything through the gear level but it is the most likely culprit. When I bought the car I assumed the buzzing was the usual ABC accumulator problem so an easy fix, sadly not so lucky this time.