Best Smoker Barges - 1 - 5 Large [Vol 3]
Discussion
richardxjr said:
Having to trade-in is going to restrict you to traders so not so much bargain potential of course.
Still not diesel but do like the look of this though!
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
This weeks bargelicious purchase for me was a 2004 facelift Saab 9-5 Aero Auto estate. 117k miles with full Saab dealer service history, 3 month warranty, in great condition and loaded with options (SatNav, Sunroof, Electric Pack, Front and Rear Heated Seats). I bought it for £2000 from a dealer who took it in as a trade in from an older couple against a 58 plate 9-3.Still not diesel but do like the look of this though!
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
A great combination of Motorway wafty barge, decent handling on a/b roads, good performance, and practical for the family. IMO a huge amount of car for the money!
A lex said:
OK threadists, advice needed.
Im back in the UK at the start of June and will be using part of my holiday to change barges (oh how the missus was happy to hear that
). The Volvo has to go, mainly due to mileage and MPG but also because im becoming paranoid that the engine is about to s
t its pants and I want out whilst I still can!
The next barge does, unfortunately, have rather more criteria to meet, but the budget is also increased to about 3k (including whatever I get as a trade-in for the T5, which im hoping is about 1500quid).
Must be:
-Diesel (sob, sob I know - but im currently chucking over €800 a month down the neck of the Volvo, any diesel giving me more than 40mpg combined will halve my monthly bill, especially as the devils own juice is about 40ppl cheaper here in NL.
-Estate
Pref:
-Less than 100k miles
-<10yrs old
-I need a towing hook!
You've missed the Passat TDI off - even Chris Harris likes it, plenty out there with tow hooks (not that that makes them the better buys); you're going to struggle to find one below 100k miles and you need to make sure you go for the 130 and a decent spec because most were bare company cars. But for £3k for a diesel estate I think they're very hard to beat.Im back in the UK at the start of June and will be using part of my holiday to change barges (oh how the missus was happy to hear that
). The Volvo has to go, mainly due to mileage and MPG but also because im becoming paranoid that the engine is about to st its pants and I want out whilst I still can!The next barge does, unfortunately, have rather more criteria to meet, but the budget is also increased to about 3k (including whatever I get as a trade-in for the T5, which im hoping is about 1500quid).
Must be:
-Diesel (sob, sob I know - but im currently chucking over €800 a month down the neck of the Volvo, any diesel giving me more than 40mpg combined will halve my monthly bill, especially as the devils own juice is about 40ppl cheaper here in NL.
-Estate
Pref:
-Less than 100k miles
-<10yrs old
-I need a towing hook!
A lex said:
Will have to see how it goes - I dont really want to put in any more than about 1500 on top of the trade-in. I guess it depends on how desperate the trader is to shift a bit of stock - I appreciate this applies less on diesels over big petrol engines :S Ill just have to play the game and see how it goes.
The problem is on a £3k car a dealer won't have a lot of money in it (unless it is an utter heap they picked up really cheap) so won't be offering a massive over allowance on a px.I picked up an absolutely immaculte 2003 T5 with 100k last month for £1600 trade (sold it in 2 days wihtout even advertising it but that's another story) so I can't see many giving £1500 for a 150k one but you never know!
The issue is you're going from cars no one wants (large petrol barges) to cars everyone wants (sensible diesel estates which do over 40mpg) with a small budget so it might not be that easy.
A lex said:
confused_buyer said:
The problem is on a £3k car a dealer won't have a lot of money in it (unless it is an utter heap they picked up really cheap) so won't be offering a massive over allowance on a px.
I picked up an absolutely immaculte 2003 T5 with 100k last month for £1600 trade (sold it in 2 days wihtout even advertising it but that's another story) so I can't see many giving £1500 for a 150k one but you never know!
The issue is you're going from cars no one wants (large petrol barges) to cars everyone wants (sensible diesel estates which do over 40mpg) with a small budget so it might not be that easy.
Do you reckon i'm better getting shot on this side of the water for €1500 (already had a firm offer for that amount)? Cash in hand in the UK and all that.....I picked up an absolutely immaculte 2003 T5 with 100k last month for £1600 trade (sold it in 2 days wihtout even advertising it but that's another story) so I can't see many giving £1500 for a 150k one but you never know!
The issue is you're going from cars no one wants (large petrol barges) to cars everyone wants (sensible diesel estates which do over 40mpg) with a small budget so it might not be that easy.
A lex said:
Must be:
-Diesel (sob, sob I know - but im currently chucking over €800 a month down the neck of the Volvo, any diesel giving me more than 40mpg combined will halve my monthly bill, especially as the devils own juice is about 40ppl cheaper here in NL.
-Estate
Pref:
-Less than 100k miles
-<10yrs old
-I need a towing hook!
No contest imho if you are gonna go derver then something with the VAG PD130 lump pref an A4/A6 Avant. A quick search on AT suggests you will easily get something within budget. We ran an A4 PD130 for over 5 years with only routine maintenance and sold it last month with 135k miles and still not a squeak or rattle (apart from the diesel lump - lol).-Diesel (sob, sob I know - but im currently chucking over €800 a month down the neck of the Volvo, any diesel giving me more than 40mpg combined will halve my monthly bill, especially as the devils own juice is about 40ppl cheaper here in NL.
-Estate
Pref:
-Less than 100k miles
-<10yrs old
-I need a towing hook!
Matt_N said:
What's the thoughts on Oxford Green on an E46 coupe?
I really quite like the look of it in the pics, but never seen it in the flesh, is it a rare colour for a good reason?
I like Oxford Green - but not beige interiors; I think it's rare simply because green cars - especially medium and exec size - have been out of fashion for years. I really quite like the look of it in the pics, but never seen it in the flesh, is it a rare colour for a good reason?
forsure said:
I like Oxford Green - but not beige interiors; I think it's rare simply because green cars - especially medium and exec size - have been out of fashion for years.
Ive got an e46 ox green saloon, looks great in sport spec, bit of beige and silver alloys set it off nicely. To be honest it's very dark, near black when the suns not shining so unlikely to offend regardless of sensitivity to green. I'd post a pic but it's filthy 
A lex said:
Will have to see how it goes - I dont really want to put in any more than about 1500 on top of the trade-in. I guess it depends on how desperate the trader is to shift a bit of stock - I appreciate this applies less on diesels over big petrol engines :S Ill just have to play the game and see how it goes.
I did plan on keeping the Volvo for a good long time and even importing it over to a Dutch plate - however ive got the 'feeling' the motor is about to go pop so id rather get rid whilst I can (its got the on-set of a PCV problem for a 2nd time, and I *think* I can hear a bit of rod knock, although it just be a lifter or even my bloody imagination). That, coupled with the MPG situation = all change.
Out of interest, why do you have a mileage cap? A V70 D5 would do pretty much everything you want, they even sound reasonably good (arguably one of the best car diesels out there), and handle miles incredibly well. I did plan on keeping the Volvo for a good long time and even importing it over to a Dutch plate - however ive got the 'feeling' the motor is about to go pop so id rather get rid whilst I can (its got the on-set of a PCV problem for a 2nd time, and I *think* I can hear a bit of rod knock, although it just be a lifter or even my bloody imagination). That, coupled with the MPG situation = all change.
Mine is rapidly approaching 180,000, and although I bought a bit of a lemon, if you do your homework and get something with a proper history (I didn't), it should be fine. 40mpg is easy enough to average, high 40's are there if you want to take a bit more care.
As said, mine hasn't been so good on the reliability front, but even so, it runs perfectly, smooth, quiet and is a reasonably cost effective mile muncher. It wouldn't be so much of a downgrade from your T5 as some of the other options either. For your budget though, you'd probably need to look at slightly higher mileages than 100k.
A lex said:
Its not a firm cap, just a wish list. My last 3 barges have all had about 150k miles on them (current T5 has 155k) and theyve all had annoying/compromising niggles that has led to me getting rid. Electrical on the Jeep, electrical on the Merc, engine mechanical on the T5. My Alfa Spider literally fell to pieces around the 150k mark and cost me a small fortune to put right. Through my limited experience it seems to be about the mileage that faults creep in..... If I could get a smart looking D5 for my money id be happy....
It's difficult to say. In my case, I think the previous owner had run it on a shoestring (4 mismatched chinese tyres should have told me that!), so when I started pounding up and down the motorways it had a hissy fit. However, since it was last serviced it's been faultless (10k ago), so I'm hoping all the little problems have been ironed out now. There's a long list of expensive routine maintenance looming unfortunately (tyres, cambelt, service, possibly clutch), but there's no way of avoiding the routine stuff, short of not bothering with it and just running the car into the ground (would be a shame to ruin the car though).Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff