Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol11]

[Pothole]

r129sl said:

W00DY said:

cornershop said:

Any one mentioned this SEC yet? love the interior

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C814966

One of the nicest I've seen in ages.


Utterly captivating.

I'll second that. Although the MOT history suggests some fettling of the undercarriage may be required (as it were) and the proper tyres are £300 a shot. Even so, it's a very tempting proposition.

4 front seats?

"Options include the rare Orthopaedic Seats and memory seats on both driver and passenger sides"

[dscam]

As ever in this parish a well argued case for and against - the fact it was in relation to the design of boot hinge mechanisms was the epitome of thread!

For what it's worth I agree the Phaeton and S60 are getting it right and the novelty of a powered boot lid is just that.

When I specified xenon headlights on an E90 the option pack also included 'main beam assist' which on every occasion made a complete arse of auto dipping (or not) and becoming another of those technical advances that actually conspires to annoy you. Fortunately it could be deactivated and duties reinstated back to the Mk1 finger which almost always worked beautifully

[dscam]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252668910537

W140 S500

Not a great ad but pictures are decent and the car could be a good one given relatively low miles and comfortably in budget:

[Krikkit]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It would be nice to do a mega retro-fit pack.

An acquaintance recently demo'd his LASER lights on an F01 7 to me and they're absolutely marvellous.

[slk 32]

dscam said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252668910537

W140 S500

Not a great ad but pictures are decent and the car could be a good one given relatively low miles and comfortably in budget:

Dark colours do suit this car

The W140 is one of the car's I've promised that I will own at some point. It would have to be the V12 though..anything less then I'd feel I'd have short changed myself.

[cat220]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Whilst I have no doubt they would be great, I think they would look awful on an older car. A new audi flashed me out a junction the other night and it was like something out a sci-fi film! Blindingly bright!

[cat220]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I agree, the lights on my '98 e55 seem perfectly sufficient to me, however compared to a 2016 Mercedes they probably seem ancient but how much light do you actually need.

[BlueHave]

dscam said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252668910537

W140 S500

Not a great ad but pictures are decent and the car could be a good one given relatively low miles and comfortably in budget:

Since when has 94k been low miles

[Fresh Prince]

olly755 said:

Fresh Prince said:

I'd agree with tombar, the LS400 boot isn't as big as you'd expect, it's a bit shallower than some of its more recent contemporaries, and I suspect the fuel tank sits between the boot and the rear seats.

ETA - tombar has confirmed my suspicion above.

Edited by Fresh Prince on Monday 5th December 17:44

The later, facelifted LS400 actually had a smaller boot than the original, despite being a bigger car in almost every way.

>strokesbeard<

Hmmm, well my specialist barge subject is BMW E-numbers around the turn of the century, but for some strange reason my mind recalls some stats indicating that later LS400s were fractionally shorter than the earlier ones?

[cat220]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

The lights on my e65 were about the most modern lights I've experienced on a car I've actually owned, they were excellent. However they were a bumper off job to replace a bulb.

Whilst we're talking lights, couple of things that annoy me in modern cars is the fog light coming in as they corner, also front only day running lights, ffs the result is so many people driving in the dark with only there front lights on. As a society have we become so useless and detached from the skill of driving!

[exelero]

BlueHave said:

Since when has 94k been low miles

Since is a Mercedes.

Btw never understood the british "100k miles let's get rid of it" mentality.

[mondayo]

Mercedes W/S211 E500 estate on a 54 plate.
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-E500-ONE-F-L...
The ad could use a soupçon more detail but it looks like a lot of car for the money....currently sitting at mid thread budget with 22 bids.
I love the colour but my kids would destroy that interior!
Ad says it's got a fresh MOT but a check says it runs out this week.

[E65Ross]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

[CharlesdeGaulle]

r129sl said:

W00DY said:

cornershop said:

Any one mentioned this SEC yet? love the interior

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C814966

One of the nicest I've seen in ages.


Utterly captivating.

I'll second that. Although the MOT history suggests some fettling of the undercarriage may be required (as it were) and the proper tyres are £300 a shot. Even so, it's a very tempting proposition.

Oh my. That is delightful. Nice colour, velour, decent spec and Mexican hats. Seems very cheap.

[r129sl]

Modern car lights are so much more effective than the candles on our old barges, no doubt about it. However, it rather seems to me that there is absolutely no need for the tediously predictable beast-of-the-jungle styling nor for the automation of on, off, dip, main functions: such automation leads to retarded driving. And in these environmentally conscious times, a very serious consideration must be ease and cost of repair together with longevity. So plain-looking but super-effective lights with a switch for me, please; and with easily interchangeable functional components such as lens, reflector, bulb (or LED or mark IV proton beam or whatever the light source may be).

Much the same goes for automated boot lids. How long will they last? How readily can they be fixed? How much weight do they add? What happens when the battery is flat? Are they really ergonomically superior? I have always found them a total pain as I reach up and yank them shut only to find that something so obvious is in fact wrong. And while I can see that waving one's foot under the bumper in order to trigger the opening of the boot is an amusing party trick, I like to pretend to myself that I never do anything so irredeemably vulgar as drive to a retail outlet, stagger out thereof bowed down under the weight of unnecessary plastic objects just acquired therein on credit, before toppling about in the car park cramming said purchases into my vulgarian's chariot. In my life, I kid myself, either a man carries the goods out and I tell him to "just wait here while I open the car" or I ask the cashier to send the goods "to the dock" before partaking of a nice lunch and calling at said dock with the motor on the way home. In reality, of course, I can't afford to buy anything (and my credit was exhausted years ago).

It comes back to the same old thing: true luxury lies in simplicity and quality.

Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 6th December 09:36

[E65Ross]

[quote=r129sl
Much the same goes for automated boot lids. How long will they last? How readily can they be fixed? How much weight do they add? What happens when the battery is flat? Are they really ergonomically superior? I have always found them a total pain as I reach up and yank them shut only to find that something so obvious is in fact wrong. And while I can see that waving one's foot under the bumper in order to trigger the opening of the boot is an amusing party trick, I like to pretend to myself that I never do anything so irredeemably vulgar as drive to a retail outlet, stagger out thereof bowed down under the weight of unnecessary plastic objects just acquired therein on credit, before toppling about in the car park cramming said purchases into my vulgarian's chariot. In my life, I kid myself, either a man carries the goods out and I tell him to "just wait here while I open the car" or I ask the cashier to send the goods "to the dock" before partaking of a nice lunch and calling at said dock with the motor on the way home. In reality, of course, I can't afford to buy anything (and my credit was exhausted years ago).

It comes back to the same old thing: true luxury lies in simplicity and quality.

Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 6th December 09:36

[/quote]

Boot was still working fine after 13 years on the E65. Even if it adds 10kgs....I don't think that would make much difference in the scheme of a 2 tonne barge. Ergonomically superior....yes.

Whilst luxury is in the simple details (space, ride quality, peace/quiet, nice materials etc) having additional creature comforts DOES make a car more luxurious. Heated seats for example. Having heated seats in my E65 made it a more luxurious experience than if it didn't have heated seats. Same with other, more simple stuff such as electric windows, electric mirrors, auto-dimming mirrors etc.

[The Don of Croy]

We're approaching peak techno, no?

Coming from an age whereby your bona fide Sales Representative drove a Cortina 1.6L (manual everything - gearbox/windows/mirrors/doors/steering) and the Boss had a Jag XJ6 (pas, leccy windaz, maybe a/c too) we now have a glut of techno foisted onto every car.

And today Mercedes will offer you a humdrum rep-mobile with 350hp on tap.

I know it's progress, but that crummy tin box with an asthmatic carburetor fed smoke machine has many flaws, but also a simplicity we can handle. Without a Phd.

With the announcement last weekend that Ford, VW and Daimler Group will develop a Europe wide charging network for EVs perhaps the end is nigh for petrol and derv chuggers?

So this thread will continue to unearth the old tech stalwarts, and allow 'the losers' a last hurrah for too many cylinders crammed under a peeling bonnet. Or take up angling?

[K12beano]

The Don of Croy said:

Or take up angling?

Have you SEEN the sort of tech those guys use these days???

I'm more of a cane stick and worm man myself - I'm sure The Compleat Angler has a man wot does.


Anyway, the world's just woken up to the fact that too much distraction (touch screens and mobile 'phones) probably combined with cars that have lights, gears, suspension and wipers that all "think" for themselves is more dangerous - when it's too late - than taking the responsibility of driving responsibly.

[Lowtimer]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

This is all too long for a T-shirt, otherwise I'd have one made.

[r129sl]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

The pleasure to be derived from a simple mechanical object should not be under-estimated. I am sure we have had this comparison before. Which is the better knife? There is no correct answer, but I know which one I prefer (and keep in the glovebox of my 124).

Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 6th December 11:42