Best Smoker Barges 1-5 large [Vol 6]

[0a]

What happened to all the E32s? All I can see on autotrader is this 202k example. I loved these almost as much as the e23, but they now seem to be as rare. Were they big rust buckets, or just rare?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

[r129sl]

Yes, it was me. Why do you ask? And no, I didn't mention the swap even though I think it is about the best thing you can possibly do to a 380/420/500, especially if it needs major engine work. Anyway, I've foresworn the three pointed star for a couple of days in order to let the thread regain its natural balance. Even I get bored of them.

Derin, don't you think there's more money at the specialist end? There'll always be buyers for whom price is not the object and you have a reputation ready made in that market place. Your website is better than any of the specialist dealers'. I'd have thought it is more about winding back the perfectionism a notch or two and being more careful and hard nosed about the initial purchase.

How about this for the Francophiles? I didn't realise these were quite so cheap!

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

[slippery]

Damn fine cars those E32s. I remember doing many miles in an Oxford Green last of the line 730i V8. No rocket ship, but creamy smooth and so comfortable. A 740i or 750i, de-chromed in silver with black leather please!

[richardxjr]

slippery said:

Makes perfect sense to me Derin. I think 50 is the perfect age to be considering it.

Same here. I'm 45 and need to be doing something else by 50. Just hope cashing in and sodding off is still an option!

[slippery]

Just to add on the E32s, I don't think they had a big rot problem. I think the reason they are so rare is that values hit rock bottom, so lots of them fell into the wrong hands and got effectively written off when they needed jobs doing that were dis-proportionate to the value of the car. Same story with most of the bis barges really, until there are so few left that the prices start to rise again.

[r129sl]

I'm 37 and I hate the day job but I can't see my car enthusiasm paying the bills; nor any other line of work for that matter. One thing I note about car dealers: they don't love cars, they don't even like them, either they love selling stuff or they love numbers. One of the best BMW salesmen I ever came across, I assumed he must adore BMWs; yet one day he was off to a mobile phone giant; he just liked—and was damned good at—selling. I had dinner with a chap who had been finance director of one of the big plc retailers; after it was bought out by an even bigger plc he set up and floated his own network of dealerships. He arrived at my house in a Citroen C6. This might be interesting, I thought. No it wasn't: he wasn't remotely interested in cars, was driving the Citroen because it was available, and just talked numbers all night with the accountant first wife.

Mathias: you wonder why we like the forbidden fruit so much? Look at what else was on offer in '86. This was the best the General could offer:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

[0a]

A large French car with a 3.5 v6 for £1k. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

[theironduke]

r129sl said:

Yes, it was me. Why do you ask?

Because I've got a 500 SEC...and cant help thinking about the extra 60cc. Although the current engine is peachy so there's no real excuse to do it..

[r129sl]

0a said:

A large French car with a 3.5 v6 for £1k. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

Am I alone in actually quite liking these? What was the other one called? The Avantime or something?

[slippery]

0a said:

A large French car with a 3.5 v6 for £1k. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

Tres bien!

[junglie]

Derin,

I have not read the whole 'change of career' element to this thread (blame the snail pace connection I have here!) but it seems you may be branching out into the trade?

I have followed your incredible progress for some time and really enjoyed seeing the fantastic cars you have sold over the years - if you do go ahead then I will be a happy customer as I must say that 'modern cars' just have so few redeeming features over the 80s / 90s / 00s (early).

A W124 500 or E39 M5 please!

[r129sl]

theironduke said:

r129sl said:

Yes, it was me. Why do you ask?

Because I've got a 500 SEC...and cant help thinking about the extra 60cc. Although the current engine is peachy so there's no real excuse to do it..

It makes a big difference. My engine was lacking compression on one cylinder. Just to investigate was going to cost the thick end of a grand then who knows how much to put it all back together again. I'd started to lament the lack of performance of the 500 relative to the faster TDIs. I recall an Audi S3 mk1 giving me a hard time. My mechanic sourced a 90,000mile 5.6 with 300bhp. It was a straight swap, took him less than a day. Everything is the same and it just bolts straight up. The only difference is internal: the 560 has a longer stroke. I also had a fuel computer from a 5.6 in my garage and we swapped that over but it didn't seem to make much difference. The 5.6 was fitted with a pump for the SLS whereas my 5.0 had a blanking plate. Any Merc specialist can do this. Anyway, it cost me £750 for the engine and swap and while he had the engine out he put in chains, rails, tensioner, valve stem oil seals, breather pipes, all of that sort of thing.

The 5.6 made the car very, very fast. Nothing ever beat it. 0-100mph dropped from 22 seconds to 15 seconds. It went from 60 to 120 like nobody's business because the gearing was so very right: third was good for 130mph so come 80 it was just hitting the sweet spot! In the wet it would spin the tyres in first, second and third. I saw 160mph on the accurate speedo and it had more left. Audi TDIs were easy meat. My favourite situation would be motorway traffic: slow coach up ahead, impatient bd behind. When the slow coach moved over, I could never resist gently easing ahead, moving over and then... dropping the hammer and disappearing, leaving Mr Important floundering around in the fast lane. I loved that car. It was both savage and suave.

Used a fair bit more juice.

Mechanic took the old engine apart to satisfy his curiosity and it was a cracked valve.

You could do a lot worse than drive it up to Newcastle, leave it with Phil Baister at Staithes Garage, take a cheap train home, then return a month later with some cash.

Edited by r129sl on Wednesday 30th October 23:01

[0a]

r129sl said:

Am I alone in actually quite liking these? What was the other one called? The Avantime or something?

I like the idea of these, but by all accounts they were crap to drive, didn't have a great ride, were uneconomical and unreliable! Cheap now, though!

[Gruber]

derin100 said:

They do. But they don't do it themselves. As I understand it they do it purely on a brokerage basis. No real input other than a storage facility, a website with cars shot on a pure white background, under blindingly white light...where just about any car can be made to look good...and price tags that implictly 'suggest' that these cars [i]must[/] be really good.

No real risk...no real effort. Nice.

While I agree with much of what you've said in the other posts, I'll have to beg to differ on this one.

I know how much work 4star have done to both the cars I've bought from them and it far exceeds a bit of happy-snapping.

[Gruber]

0a said:

So that might explain why this e23 (I love these but I know everyone else hates them!) is still on 4 star? http://www.4starclassics.com/BMW-E23-735i-For-Sale... I imagined it was cocooned up in their secret white walled warehouse

That's a beauty and well worth the asking. There just doesn't seem to be much demand for them.

[Gruber]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Again, with all due respect, wrong.

All the SOR stock gets a full mechanical and bodywork review when it comes in. They have an in-house mechanic and a detailer who go over all the cars with a fine toothed comb. If it doesn't meet the standard it either gets sent home or the owner gets presented with a list of what needs doing. They turn away a lot of cars. The mechanical stuff gets done in house, bodywork gets outsourced and detailing is very thorough (although, admittedly, not Derin levels of thorough )

And, picking up R129's point, they are genuine car enthusiasts.

As I said, I suspect I come across as a broken record, but they've sold me two cracking cars and I like what they do.

[BlueMR2]

0a said:

A large French car with a 3.5 v6 for £1k. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

Must be bad if its £1000.

It has £2599 in the window on the picture.

[Baryonyx]

0a said:

A large French car with a 3.5 v6 for £1k. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

Never understood the appeal here, the dowdy MPV-lite looks kill it for me

[northwest monkey]

r129sl said:

One thing I note about car dealers: they don't love cars, they don't even like them, either they love selling stuff or they love numbers.

Most sales people are like this to be honest. I worked in sales for 20 years & worked for whoever paid me most. Amongst other stuff, I've sold advertising, business telecoms (leased lines etc), IT consultancy, big ticket management software - none of which hold any interest to me whatsoever. It was the thrill of the sale that did it for me & the buzz I got from closing a deal - be that for £2k of advertising or £1m of software. Once you've got the deal, the buzz disappears quickly & you're off looking for another hit.

I'll tell you one thing though - I love buying cars but I would hate to sell them to the public.

[Pulse]

r129sl said:

How about this for the Francophiles? I didn't realise these were quite so cheap!

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

That is quite nice! Very cheap though... Are they rubbish/unreliable?