Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 12]

[SpeckledJim]

LeighW said:

That Merc looks very nice indeed. I mean, who wouldn't want a suede dash?

The parent of the country's two leading amateur raisin-smushers and milk-hurlers.

Me.

[LeighW]

SpeckledJim said:

The parent of the country's two leading amateur raisin-smushers and milk-hurlers.

Me.

[louiebaby]

SpeckledJim said:

LeighW said:

That Merc looks very nice indeed. I mean, who wouldn't want a suede dash?

The parent of the country's two leading amateur raisin-smushers and milk-hurlers.

Me.

I feel your pain. My wife managed to leave something that I hope is rain mush on the buttons on the steering wheel.

She's started making noises about a new car, but there is no chance until she can show she and the kids can look after this one.

It should get mildly better when the smallest isn't rear facing (soon) as he shouldn't be able to get (so much) crap off his shoes everywhere.

[SpeckledJim]

louiebaby said:

SpeckledJim said:

LeighW said:

That Merc looks very nice indeed. I mean, who wouldn't want a suede dash?

The parent of the country's two leading amateur raisin-smushers and milk-hurlers.

Me.

I feel your pain. My wife managed to leave something that I hope is rain mush on the buttons on the steering wheel.

She's started making noises about a new car, but there is no chance until she can show she and the kids can look after this one.

It should get mildly better when the smallest isn't rear facing (soon) as he shouldn't be able to get (so much) crap off his shoes everywhere.

My Mrs doesn't give a toss about cars. Not a toss. I like them a lot. A LOT

She commutes in a very nice LWB S-Class that she and the kids treat like a dustbin for medical and industrial waste and a canvas for avantgarde food-based graffiti, and which she only stops reversing when she can hear the scratchy complaint of a hedgerow under compression. She knocked the star off the bonnet with a yard-broom whilst clearing snow. Despite sitting staring at it for many thousands of miles, she should not be expected to know it was there. Because snow. That's before we mention the choice of a yard broom for the job at hand.

I commute in a Nissan Leaf.

How on earth did we get to this point?

Edited by SpeckledJim on Wednesday 21st March 11:36

[StonedRollin]

Emeye said:

What is the thread opinion on the Merc M-class model from 2006? They appear to be getting close to thread budget.

I had a quick look at this one yesterday as I saw it at a car dealer near to where I park my car at the train station. Yes this one is quite a way above thread budget, but looks a very nice place to sit.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Funnily enough i've been looking at these. Searching MOT history on various used examples shows that shock absorbers are a weekness and can be in the region of £300 to £600 a corner to replace. Also there are a few with airmatic (not sure if that is the correct word) suspension and given well recorded SL and CL woes with that option i'd personally avoid them. It looks like there were four wheel size options, 17", 18", 19" and 20" so i'd go for the smallest for ride quality and tyre cost unless big wheels are your thing. Aside from that they appear to eat miles as i've seen a few for sale with more than 200k miles. So downsides appear to be shocks and £500+ VED.

[Krikkit]

StonedRollin said:

Emeye said:

What is the thread opinion on the Merc M-class model from 2006? They appear to be getting close to thread budget.

I had a quick look at this one yesterday as I saw it at a car dealer near to where I park my car at the train station. Yes this one is quite a way above thread budget, but looks a very nice place to sit.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Funnily enough i've been looking at these. Searching MOT history on various used examples shows that shock absorbers are a weekness and can be in the region of £300 to £600 a corner to replace. Also there are a few with airmatic (not sure if that is the correct word) suspension and given well recorded SL and CL woes with that option i'd personally avoid them. It looks like there were four wheel size options, 17", 18", 19" and 20" so i'd go for the smallest for ride quality and tyre cost unless big wheels are your thing. Aside from that they appear to eat miles as i've seen a few for sale with more than 200k miles. So downsides appear to be shocks and £500+ VED.

A friend at work has the ML350 in petrol guise - a nice thing, but not bargey imho. It has the neo-4x4 issue that they want half-decent "handling", and as such fit quite stiff anti rolly-polly suspension which makes it firm and flobbery at the same time.

Nice interior though, and a muted, woofly V6 ticks many boxes.

[Emeye]

Krikkit said:

louiebaby said:

Krikkit said:

But at the end of the day a V12 should be noted by the hoi polloi

Surely it should be conspicuous only in the way it effortlessly disappears towards the horizon with nothing but a deep, muted wuffle?

Today I feel like you should brandish it, tomorrow I might say something different.


Back to reality, I notice that lovely interior'd 211 E500 is still around, reduced as well I think?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...



Shame it looks a little bit like a woodlouse in grey:

I bet that paint looks awesome in person in the sunlight.

I love leather dashboards. Shame it is so far away.

[SpeckledJim]

Emeye said:

I bet that paint looks awesome in person in the sunlight.

I love leather dashboards. Shame it is so far away.

It's a weird one. Lovely car, and an absolute fortune spent from the options list.

But no Comand. Odd.

[Krikkit]

Perhaps the first owner didn't need sat-nav, hence didn't bother with it? As noted, clearly someone with the funds to pick and choose whatever they wanted from the options list.

The Yilduz alloys look great on a 211, very tempting.

[BlueMR2]

Zonergem said:

Good to see the MOT test is now going to include a wee check to make sure that no brake pads or discs are missing!

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mot-changes-20-...

Edited by Zonergem on Wednesday 21st March 10:00

More worrying for the barge goer.

"for fluid leaks posing an environmental risk"

[SpeckledJim]

BlueMR2 said:

Zonergem said:

Good to see the MOT test is now going to include a wee check to make sure that no brake pads or discs are missing!

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mot-changes-20-...

Edited by Zonergem on Wednesday 21st March 10:00

More worrying for the barge goer.

"for fluid leaks posing an environmental risk"

I was warned after the last MOT of my W221 that it has an oil leak that will cause a problem next year.

[Gruber]

BlueMR2 said:

More worrying for the barge goer.

"for fluid leaks posing an environmental risk"

That's the sentence that makes me realise there's little point trying to import our Defender later this year.

[pitchfork]

BlueMR2 said:

Zonergem said:

Good to see the MOT test is now going to include a wee check to make sure that no brake pads or discs are missing!

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mot-changes-20-...

Edited by Zonergem on Wednesday 21st March 10:00

More worrying for the barge goer.

"for fluid leaks posing an environmental risk"

Is that the owner or the car?!

:-P

[SpeckledJim]

For very good reasons, motorbikes have never been allowed to leak oil, so making an engine that doesn't leak can be done.

I just don't seem to have ever managed to find one in a car of mine.

[BlueMR2]

Gruber said:

BlueMR2 said:

More worrying for the barge goer.

"for fluid leaks posing an environmental risk"

That's the sentence that makes me realise there's little point trying to import our Defender later this year.

It's not an oil leak guv, it's self applying rustproofing.

[tobinen]

I drove a year-old car for work the other day. Very rare I drive anything recent.

A 2017 Volvo S60 D4 manual. Ride was too firm, no damping compliance, clutch was in or out, brakes were on or off (over servoed) and the in-car stuff was overly complex. I did not like it. I appreciated the CL when I drove home (a bit more than of late anyway).

[The Don of Croy]

SpeckledJim said:

Emeye said:

I bet that paint looks awesome in person in the sunlight.

I love leather dashboards. Shame it is so far away.

It's a weird one. Lovely car, and an absolute fortune spent from the options list.

But no Comand. Odd.

Tempting car are the tel code is Maidstone (so only an hour away...) but in amongst the sybaritic overdose I spy those 'lumbar' adjusters, and I'm thinking they cannot be cheap 'n nasty plastic injection moulded item, can they? I'm hoping a beard will come along and assure us all they are tooled from aircraft grade alloy and then carefully embossed to look like a cheap crap moulding, as a measure of Teutonic humour. Like not putting a cover over the rear of the seat rail channel (which even my Volvo has).

[Krikkit]

Ah yes, a definite "Ew" that such a fabulously well-specced car doesn't have dynamic seats.

[Blown2CV]

The Don of Croy said:

SpeckledJim said:

Emeye said:

I bet that paint looks awesome in person in the sunlight.

I love leather dashboards. Shame it is so far away.

It's a weird one. Lovely car, and an absolute fortune spent from the options list.

But no Comand. Odd.

Tempting car are the tel code is Maidstone (so only an hour away...) but in amongst the sybaritic overdose I spy those 'lumbar' adjusters, and I'm thinking they cannot be cheap 'n nasty plastic injection moulded item, can they? I'm hoping a beard will come along and assure us all they are tooled from aircraft grade alloy and then carefully embossed to look like a cheap crap moulding, as a measure of Teutonic humour. Like not putting a cover over the rear of the seat rail channel (which even my Volvo has).

well Merc was just coming out of their 'st era' then weren't they. I vaguely remember something like that when i had a new E class in 2005.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Blown2CV said:

The Don of Croy said:

SpeckledJim said:

Emeye said:

I bet that paint looks awesome in person in the sunlight.

I love leather dashboards. Shame it is so far away.

It's a weird one. Lovely car, and an absolute fortune spent from the options list.

But no Comand. Odd.

Tempting car are the tel code is Maidstone (so only an hour away...) but in amongst the sybaritic overdose I spy those 'lumbar' adjusters, and I'm thinking they cannot be cheap 'n nasty plastic injection moulded item, can they? I'm hoping a beard will come along and assure us all they are tooled from aircraft grade alloy and then carefully embossed to look like a cheap crap moulding, as a measure of Teutonic humour. Like not putting a cover over the rear of the seat rail channel (which even my Volvo has).

well Merc was just coming out of their 'st era' then weren't they. I vaguely remember something like that when i had a new E class in 2005.

We're in danger of getting a little up ourselves here chaps if we're getting picky about lumbar adjustment lever materials. It's a 4 grand car that is a vegan's nightmare everywhere that's important; I think we can forgive a bit of plastic near one's kidneys can't we?