Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol11]

[PowerslideSWE]

Agreeing with the choir. I really like that Rover 75, my uncle had one but I never had a go in it...

[0a]

Congratulations on the sale Derin100, I hope you got what you wanted for it. It looked stunning on your website.

What power do the 540s of this generation have? I imagine they would be quite handy with a manual box.

[SpeckledJim]

dme123 said:

If you want to see why MGR deserved to die take a good look at or drive one made towards the end of the companies life. They absolutely vandalised that car.

That is a little unfair to the company. The 75 was indeed thoroughly de-costed towards the end, but even then was superior to many alternatives at the time.

Even today when the youngest 75 is 12 years old, finding a very rusty one is not particularly easy. Compare that situation to early 2000s Mercedes, BMW, Ford and Jaguar.

MG Rover absolutely did not deserve to die. It was parasitised by four gentlemen who knew exactly what they were doing. And why.

[0a]

850 only £500 over budget: http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C827722

[bob-lad]

BorniteIdentity said:

(Includes snippage)

The 2.5 V6 is devine; an instantly likeable engine. The sound is just beautiful - Radio 4 on VHF if you like. None of the hype of pop stations, none of the restricted fidelity of DAB. Full bandwith aural excitement. Sonic excellence.

Like the continuity announcers on our cherished home service, the car is elegant. However, cajole it and it'll politely inform you that it took drugs at university and slept with a boy she didn't know the name of. 60mph comes up in about 8 seconds, and it's perfectly possible to drive it like an absolute cock. Once we settled down to the business of lovemaking rather than "smashy time", the Rover achieves its original goal of being the best FWD car the 90s could afford. With the cruise control set to 70mph, the numbers are very respectable.




Everything works. The rear blind was used several times on the A43, the climate control is perfect, even the 18 year old sat nav got me to work via the best route! Once I arrived at the office, I had a good nose at what I'd just done. It's not only better than I thought it would be, I get the feeling it's better than the seller thought it was. Full documented history with every invoice. This even highlights the belts were done at 66,000 on a bill that totals £1100 with brakes attended to at the same time.


The interior really is the icing on the cake. I'm so glad I decided on a Personal Line car.




Finally, a picture of the orchestra in the pit.

I have these on my winter snotter list, but they they really seem too nice to make them endure that in their latter years.

Having seen this, I might add one to collect commuter miles instead.

Splendid.

[BigBen]

r129sl said:

dme123 said:

charltjr said:

ChocolateFrog said:

If you're not desperate to sell you can always put a slightly optimistic price on it and gauge interest from there.

Anything will sell at the right price.

Fair point, there won't be any hurry if he does decide to move it on.

I'd say that for something like that time and waiting for the right buyer is as important as price. It might fail to sell this month for £12k, fail to sell next month for £8k, but the month after one of the few lunatics who buys these things might be looking for one and that's the best available by a mile so he'd pay £14k. Figures from the air, but you see my point?

^^^This.

Prices are all over the shop; the market is too small to set a predictable prices. Sometimes they sell immediately, sometimes they languish a year or more, whether priced at £3k or £15k. I would suggest that £5k is the cheapest a sound private sale 600 should go for; £15k the maximum. Also, there is a bit of Disraeli to the used car market: the world takes a man at his own estimation. Or, rather, if the price is high, buyers assume the car is worth it. This is why the £8k 300 E could never be bartered down to £3k: somewhere, someone is daft enough to pay near 8. So too with a CL600.

What is the colour and trim? Why aren't you buying it?

Edit: the comparator car at VIP Car Sales has been on the market for three years or more and started off at £8k.

As real world example I sold mine which was also one of the last on a 1998 S plate (which has been owned by a few threadists) late last year for £4.5 iirc, it had 110k miles and was in pretty good shape. I would think with the lower miles and possibly being in 100% fine fettle £6-7 would be realistic. Buyers for these cars are not exactly queuing up, then again if in no hurry worth a punt at a higher price!

[SimonConnell]

Another positive comment on the 75 - I had one years ago, a 2.0 V6 Connoisseur with all the toys. Quite a lovely thing to sit in, I sold it because I needed an estate.

They're not perfect - I spent ages fiddling with the chrome trim on the rear quarters because it lets water into the boot during heavy rain, and there were various other foibles I forget now, but it is indeed the sort of car they just don't make any more.

[derin100]

0a said:

Congratulations on the sale Derin100, I hope you got what you wanted for it. It looked stunning on your website.

What power do the 540s of this generation have? I imagine they would be quite handy with a manual box.

Thanks! Yes, and I know that it will be going to a very good home.

The power is 286 BHP on these. I've also said it here before that I think the difference in a manual 540i and an auto 540i, in terms of performance, is one of those internet myths that seems to have become blown out of all proportion.

Both are limited to 155 mph...as if anyone could or would really do that? 0-62mph on a manual (assuming you can nail the gear-change perfectly) is 6.4secs ; on the auto (which will reliably do the gear-change perfectly for you each and every time) 6.8secs. So, that's 0.4s difference in a 20+ year old car that one shouldn't really be subjecting to that kind of hammering anymore anyway, IMO. People say: "Ah...but a manual is more involving...". Well, true but then by the same token a manual 518i, on skinny tyres and an engine you can literally make scream to its max (and probably still be within road-legal limits) will be even more involving?

If outright speed is the thing one is searching for there are far easier and cheaper ways to do that these days.

[0a]

derin100 said:

0a said:

Congratulations on the sale Derin100, I hope you got what you wanted for it. It looked stunning on your website.

What power do the 540s of this generation have? I imagine they would be quite handy with a manual box.

Thanks! Yes, and I know that it will be going to a very good home.

The power is 286 BHP on these. I've also said it here before that I think the difference in a manual 540i and an auto 540i, in terms of performance, is one of those internet myths that seems to have become blown out of all proportion.

Both are limited to 155 mph...as if anyone could or would really do that? 0-62mph on a manual (assuming you can nail the gear-change perfectly) is 6.4secs ; on the auto (which will reliably do the gear-change perfectly for you each and every time) 6.8secs. So, that's 0.4s difference in a 20+ year old car that one shouldn't really be subjecting to that kind of hammering anymore anyway, IMO. People say: "Ah...but a manual is more involving...". Well, true but then by the same token a manual 518i, on skinny tyres and an engine you can literally make scream to its max (and probably still be within road-legal limits) will be even more involving?

If outright speed is the thing one is searching for there are far easier and cheaper ways to do that these days.

Yes I defintly understand where you're going, but with 3 auto cars (with old style gearboxes) I do sometimes want to play with a 6 or 8 cylinder through a manual gearbox. I don't recall that I have driven a manual car with more than 4 cylinders which is a bit embarrassing.

I would not want a manual mercedes, but think a manual BMW with a big engine has big appeal!

[TheLordJohn]

0a said:

I don't recall that I have driven a manual car with more than 4 cylinders which is a bit embarrassing.

My Dad had Series 3 V12 E Type manual. Beautiful car, and we'd be sat on the motorway in 4th gear at whatever speed you wished to do, pull off at your junction, keep the wheels rolling at the roundabout still in 4th, and just pull away.
Completely effortless. It'd do 5mph to 135mph in the same gear

[0a]

7k mile Rover 75: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-ROVER-75-2-5-V6-aut...

Ouch expensive!

And also a tourer for even more: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROVER-75-ESTATE-TOURER-2...

[Zonergem]

Love the "UNIQUE opportunity... totally UNREPEATABLE" schtick - oh, except for the other one that I'm also looking to flog.

[Blown2CV]

totally unrepentable

[derin100]

0a said:

derin100 said:

0a said:

Congratulations on the sale Derin100, I hope you got what you wanted for it. It looked stunning on your website.

What power do the 540s of this generation have? I imagine they would be quite handy with a manual box.

Thanks! Yes, and I know that it will be going to a very good home.

The power is 286 BHP on these. I've also said it here before that I think the difference in a manual 540i and an auto 540i, in terms of performance, is one of those internet myths that seems to have become blown out of all proportion.

Both are limited to 155 mph...as if anyone could or would really do that? 0-62mph on a manual (assuming you can nail the gear-change perfectly) is 6.4secs ; on the auto (which will reliably do the gear-change perfectly for you each and every time) 6.8secs. So, that's 0.4s difference in a 20+ year old car that one shouldn't really be subjecting to that kind of hammering anymore anyway, IMO. People say: "Ah...but a manual is more involving...". Well, true but then by the same token a manual 518i, on skinny tyres and an engine you can literally make scream to its max (and probably still be within road-legal limits) will be even more involving?

If outright speed is the thing one is searching for there are far easier and cheaper ways to do that these days.

Yes I defintly understand where you're going, but with 3 auto cars (with old style gearboxes) I do sometimes want to play with a 6 or 8 cylinder through a manual gearbox. I don't recall that I have driven a manual car with more than 4 cylinders which is a bit embarrassing.

I would not want a manual mercedes, but think a manual BMW with a big engine has big appeal!

Yes, I see where you're coming from. Manual Mercedes with a big engine doesn't suit...do they even exist?

The two (that will fall within thread budget) potential BMWs with big, 6-cylinder engines and where a manual would suit that immediately spring to mind are...E46 330i and Z4 3.0SE?

[Zonergem]

The Binky Shop will retrofit a six-speed box onto an M119-engined SL or W124 but they want both your kidneys and half a liver in return.

http://www.theslshop.com/parts-shop/r129/drive-tra...

[LandyManSam]

Here's my £1200 land yacht purchased just before Christmas as a quick stand-in for my overheating IS220d, private plate included:






For a 1998 vehicle it's a pretty astounding thing. 120,000 miles with full Lexus service history and literally EVERYTHING on it still works perfectly, including the automatic cabin air re-circ which isolates the cabin when high levels of pollution are detected.

My dad had a couple of these from the first few years of production, and they always went well but this with the VVTi engine and 290-odd bhp is surprisingly quick. Just this evening I upset the driver of a '63' plate SLK350 on the M1 who decided to try and accelerate away from me during an overtaking manoeuvre

The best bit is that it came with its original "Lexus Experience" CD, which I will have to upload an excerpt from. It ends with the BBC English voice saying "Settle back into your seat, and enjoy the flawless reproduction of the LS400's digital sound system with this specially chosen musical selection.", followed by a selection of imperious sounding classical pieces. MOVE OUT OF MY WAY, PLEBS!!!

[Lowtimer]

derin100 said:

... a 20+ year old car that one shouldn't really be subjecting to that kind of hammering anymore...

oof, better not tell my Porsche that

[0a]

LandyManSam said:

Here's my £1200 land yacht purchased just before Christmas as a quick stand-in for my overheating IS220d, private plate included:




For a 1998 vehicle it's a pretty astounding thing. 120,000 miles with full Lexus service history and literally EVERYTHING on it still works perfectly, including the automatic cabin air re-circ which isolates the cabin when high levels of pollution are detected.

My dad had a couple of these from the first few years of production, and they always went well but this with the VVTi engine and 290-odd bhp is surprisingly quick. Just this evening I upset the driver of a '63' plate SLK350 on the M1 who decided to try and accelerate away from me during an overtaking manoeuvre

The best bit is that it came with its original "Lexus Experience" CD, which I will have to upload an excerpt from. It ends with the BBC English voice saying "Settle back into your seat, and enjoy the flawless reproduction of the LS400's digital sound system with this specially chosen musical selection.", followed by a selection of imperious sounding classical pieces. MOVE OUT OF MY WAY, PLEBS!!!

Oh I do like that, what a bargain. The LS400 has been on my list since I started barging but I have never got round to buying one. I would encourage you to start a reader ride thread, but suspect it would be "all still running well" updates

[thelawnet1]

0a said:

7k mile Rover 75: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-ROVER-75-2-5-V6-aut...

Ouch expensive!

And also a tourer for even more: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROVER-75-ESTATE-TOURER-2...

Only way it's worth that money is with a V8. Even then I wouldn't.

[Blown2CV]

get the plate flogged for a kick off! That'll be worth something? Not much but still, all grist the barging mill.