Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 16]

[Krikkit]

I'm not sure if I've forgotten or blotted out the memory of that E38. Hideous and wonderful at the same time.

I don't think I could live with it, but it would be very amusing to bring it home to see the spousal detonation.

[0a]

I was searching for w126s on Autotrader, and er... that's a look! https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

[bolidemichael]

Gosh, it takes a while to catch up - some fantastic W124 bearding!

addsvrs said:

Update to CL purchase.
Cleaned abit, got bored, went for a drive, realised only getting hot air from heating, got annoyed, went home, got puncture,got really annoyed, found £2.07 under seat so technically now under 1k (ignoring new tyre obviously)


Bit of googlimg suggests heater issue maybe duo valve. Looked under bonnet for location, looks a ballache to get to so shut bonnet and ignoring for now

On a plus note is certainly shifts when it wants to and makes a nice noise so still in my good books

The part is about £30 and labour £300. In the 211 RHD, it's really hard to get to, so I'm going to pay the indy to do it. A hack is to raise and lower the temperature to the extremities, through a couple of cycles and that frees the valve to blow cool air again.

John Locke said:

bolidemichael said:

Au contraire, it looks as though the goading paid*

• am I forgive by the thread mafia now? It's cold out here.

I can't even remember what you did; was it buying FWD, four cylinders, or a diesel or something?

It was unspeakable. I have invited myself back in.

swampy442 said:

Spotted on Facesnake

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/30806015...

Gosh, this is actually about five miles down the road from me. I'm not offering to see it though, trying to stay COVID free (I know...)

Macron said:

E60 550 at thread max. Anonymous.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2019...

This seller pops up on here periodically; it's a good find, though the engine are known to have issues with the valve stem seals.

tobinen said:

Some parts of my job give me access to the MB master parts price file. Happy to check prices Mon-Fri. Best to drop me a PM.

Edited by tobinen on Friday 29th May 15:59

I'll be taking you up on that, periodically, thanks Tobinen!

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Wasn't there a post-06 update on 211s that addressed a number of issues? At this price point I think I'd be looking at one of them.

Most issues on the pre-facelift have been resolved by now.

r129sl said:

Stegel said:

Emeye said:

I'm starting to thing a post-facelift E500 W211 S211 is the car for me - I'm guessing these will be out of my budget for a while though. Any lesses engine doesn't appeal as I need to scratch the V8 itch.

Saying that, I am reconsidering the family battle-wagon plan as a decent VW Caravelle is looking like silly money - a same age/condition 7 seat SUV will be half the price and this frees up more barge budget for me....

If you’re after an S211 with the facelift and V8 you’ll be waiting a long time, there are so few around. Back in the day when I went to my office in Birmingham, I would sometimes follow on my journey home a facelift S211 E500 Sport in black with see through glass all round. He’s a Villa fan, judging by the plate, and lives on a 1960s development which is a no through road about 3 miles from my house. If I were to follow him into the development it would be classed as stalking, but hey, they’re rare so surely acceptable!?

I think that would be acceptable.

I'm pretty sure sales of the 5.5litre s211 in the UK didn't get past single figures. Someone on here had a nice tealite blue elegance model.

Edited by r129sl on Saturday 30th May 11:13

I know of one that may be coming up for sale soon... the owner has just purchased an S212 E500...

dscam said:

SpeckledJim said:

We’re very lucky. Surely this is the only part of the world that finds 450,000 pence a touch on the high side for such a completely fabulous car.

Great colours. Passes the funeral test! I love it.

You are of course right, Jim. It’s a ridiculous amount of car for relative buttons. It’s always an eye-opener when contributors in other countries relay the both the purchase and running costs elsewhere which puts the fortunate position the UK enjoys in perspective.

We are probably in the last 5 years or so when there will be such a plethora of large, petrol-powered barges that are still genuinely usable and attainable. No pressure then chaps.

For me, the CL W215 is still a little marmite - everytime I turned back to look at the front end, I'd have to convince myself that I liked it... I'd much rather the W216...

In other news... car still in bodyshop and the dent man has removed a couple of serious dinks to the OSR door and the roof panel... impressed.

[bolidemichael]

Krikkit said:

r129sl said:

Have we had this one yet. Tatty bodywork but what a spec.

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1224599

Seems like a bargain with all those bits having been replaced - get a decent paintshop to sort the rot and give it a good seeing to, you've got a sorted w124 in the best mechanical spec, wanting only for a light interior for 5 bags easily.

£3k for the bodywork imho, though the ad is excellent - we haven't seen many where the seller lists the manufacturer of the parts.

[LetsTryAgain]

bolidemichael said:

Krikkit said:

r129sl said:

Have we had this one yet. Tatty bodywork but what a spec.

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1224599

Seems like a bargain with all those bits having been replaced - get a decent paintshop to sort the rot and give it a good seeing to, you've got a sorted w124 in the best mechanical spec, wanting only for a light interior for 5 bags easily.

£3k for the bodywork imho, though the ad is excellent - we haven't seen many where the seller lists the manufacturer of the parts.

I have 'memories' of Bordon, did my trade training there.
Believe it has closed down now.

[SimonTheSailor]

Have we had this, what do we think ? Like the exterior colour, not so sure about the John Major grey interior -

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C732052



ETA - the MOT history looks good. Maybe it's been up for sale a while or they are the only photos he has of it ?

[MercedesClassic]

Merc E500 5.5 V8 from our fav NI barge dealer.

http://www.jhairmotors.co.uk/used-cars/mercedes-be...

[LetsTryAgain]

MercedesClassic said:

Merc E500 5.5 V8 from our fav NI barge dealer.

Does his sign say ‘Parc’ exchange welcome?

[swampy442]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

stickleback123 said:

I truly do not believe that 21st century BMW give a damn about how well their cars last past maybe 8 years - two years past the point that the 2nd in house financed owner has moved on to the next one. If it has the performance, economy, technocrap, and a decent drive to get it out of the showroom door two or three times over it's first six years what do they care about knackered EGR valves and other failing overengineered and underdeveloped technology when they are 8-10 years old? We're not their customers, our needs are utterly irrelevant past maintaining some residual value in the asset when it finally leaves the dealer (and in house finance) network at 6 ish years old.

The relative conservativism you see from the likes of Toyota and Lexus, despite having the development budget to match all the technology in a BMW/Mercedes/Audi, is because they sell lots of cars to private owners who keep them for >ten years, so it has to be something that can last. Who on earth would buy a Toyota or Lexus if it was as poorly engineered and short lived as a BMW, Audi, or TATA Jaguar?

I was fascinated to recently learn that the European "premium" manufacturers are the only ones who really sell any volume of cars via PCP in Australia, everyone else does it over 5-6 year HP finance and people tend to keep their cars for a long time. Not an ownership model the Europeans can support anymore. Similarly in the US hardly anybody runs them new other than on a lease because they're widely considered to be an absolute nightmare out of warranty.

Good post. Not sure I can disagree with any of that.

I think BMW much like Audi and Mercedes, learned a long time ago that it doesnt really matter what you produce, people will buy in droves on the badge alone.

[W00DY]

Another BMW individual.



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-530i-AUTOMATIC-INDI...

[Krikkit]

MercedesClassic said:

Merc E500 5.5 V8 from our fav NI barge dealer.

http://www.jhairmotors.co.uk/used-cars/mercedes-be...

Rare as rocking-horse poo, but that one's a bit of a project. I wonder if you could remove all that stick-on tat without spoiling the paint?

Mis-badging as an E55 is a crime worthy of being forced to drive a BL product for the rest of your days.

[anonymous-user]

r129sl said:

ShampooEfficient said:

I don't actually understand why we still have such an archaic system. I grant you, we have a silly number of cars in the household but having to remember to SORN and tax them at the beginning and end of the month is a pain. I don't think most people would notice an extra 1p/litre on fuel duty instead... and by my back of a fag packet maths*, they'd probably make more money overall...

• Which I am not claiming to be accurate

I don't disagree but it would have to be more like 10p a litre: I used 2,110 litres in my 124 over the last year and 15,687 miles; in the G the annual rate is 4,487 litres, 19,792 miles. The savings in administration would be huge and they could row the fking environmental boat to their heart's content, too.

Edit: car tax gives them a chance to enforce MOT and insurance requirements, I suppose.

Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 2nd June 22:30

Fully agree, my £560 VED car does 1500 - 2000 miles a year, someone with half the CO2 and yet does ten times the miles pays 50% VED (or whatever).

Flat £30-50 per car and add the rest onto fuel, or even ensure the car is ‘taxed’ at £0 to enable the ANPR, insurance / MOT link.

0a, that W126 is a bit of me at £3,500 but not £35,000 that’s daft. ‘Fully restored > respirated 8 years ago’.

Edited by Lord.Vader on Wednesday 3rd June 09:27

[Macron]

SimonTheSailor said:

Have we had this, what do we think ? Like the exterior colour, not so sure about the John Major grey interior -

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C732052



ETA - the MOT history looks good. Maybe it's been up for sale a while or they are the only photos he has of it ?

I think it’s eight grand in a 1-5k thread. With a scrabbly dog all over the leather. In a miserable colour combo.

[LetsTryAgain]

W00DY said:

Another BMW individual.



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-530i-AUTOMATIC-INDI...

Terribly over priced.

[webstercivet]

ShampooEfficient said:

I don't actually understand why we still have such an archaic system. [..] I don't think most people would notice an extra 1p/litre on fuel duty instead [..]

Fuel duty is incredibly unpopular - only council tax and the BBC licence fee are less popular (and for Conservative voters, fuel duty is even less popular than the licence fee). There's a reason the Conservatives have chosen to keep freezing it, at vast expense to the public purse, for a decade.

[olly755]

Lord.Vader said:

Fully agree, my £560 VED car does 1500 - 2000 miles a year, someone with half the CO2 and yet does ten times the miles pays 50% VED (or whatever).

Flat £30-50 per car and add the rest onto fuel, or even ensure the car is ‘taxed’ at £0 to enable the ANPR, insurance / MOT link.

0a, that W126 is a bit of me at £3,500 but not £35,000 that’s daft. ‘Fully restored > respirated 8 years ago’.

Edited by Lord.Vader on Wednesday 3rd June 09:27

Choosing monthly direct debit at the new VED rate bumps the cost up to £609 per annum, and (rather bizarrely I thought) the 6 month upfront payment option takes it to £638 per annum.

On the flip side, it can only steepen the depreciation curve of some of the the newer barges we all enjoy.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Macron said:

SimonTheSailor said:

Have we had this, what do we think ? Like the exterior colour, not so sure about the John Major grey interior -

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C732052



ETA - the MOT history looks good. Maybe it's been up for sale a while or they are the only photos he has of it ?

I think it’s eight grand in a 1-5k thread. With a scrabbly dog all over the leather. In a miserable colour combo.

So you're considering making an offer then, yeah?

[SpeckledJim]

Macron said:

SimonTheSailor said:

Have we had this, what do we think ? Like the exterior colour, not so sure about the John Major grey interior -

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C732052



ETA - the MOT history looks good. Maybe it's been up for sale a while or they are the only photos he has of it ?

I think it’s eight grand in a 1-5k thread. With a scrabbly dog all over the leather. In a miserable colour combo.

If it was two-thirds the money, with mushroom leather or some noisy tartan cloth, I'd be a huge fan.

[SimonTheSailor]

Oh yeah - sorry, forgot the budget !!

[monzaxjr]

W00DY said:

Another BMW individual.



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-530i-AUTOMATIC-INDI...

Jesus, that seller is deluded. £5250 with near as damn it 170k on the clock. That's worth £2000. The rest of his ebay listings make good reading. Equally overpriced tat.