Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 10]

[Jimmy Recard]

I really like that 750i. I'd be chuffed with that.

[0a]

I have just been on the phone to an insurer about a multi-car policy as 2 of my cars are up in the next couple of months. Apparantly the 190 is a classic, and so is the 500SL. The W124 isn't though

[r129sl]

Oa, try Footman James, if you don't need business use their classic policy. I was very impressed to pay £129 on the 140 for 7,500 miles and a year.

[defblade]

defblade said:

Can I furtle in the thread beards, please...

... '53 plate 730i, price is very reasonable, MOT history has advisories on, well, most of the suspension joints for the last 2 years which is not surprising at 137k miles.

How much for a suspension rebuild on one of these? Assuming I'm just going to do the lot straight away and keep the car a while!

Also noted: oil leak, unspecified. Any likely culprits? Although it's not as if I'm a stranger to the "running oil change" with the cars I buy

Any other points of caution? Coming from an E39 530 on similar miles which was a third of the price.... but the 730 looks sooooo much nicer inside

Forget this (not that anyone answered ).
Went to have a look today.
Apart from needing new tyres all round (they were at least matching....) and the wheels looking like they were rattle-canned, poorly; it threw several error messages on start up (somethings about restraints, air bags, brake system). Add to the random trim cover dumped in the front arm rest cubby, the snapped off handle or something in the rear armrest cubby and the way the screw covers were missing from both the front door cards' arm rests, I was already running away.

Thinking a tidy, lowish miles E39 with a cooling system and suspension refresh should come to much the same price and probably give less trouble in the long run...

[0a]

r129sl said:

Oa, try Footman James, if you don't need business use their classic policy. I was very impressed to pay £129 on the 140 for 7,500 miles and a year.

Thankyou, I will give them a go tomorrow. There is a real appeal to moving to one insurer rather than three (which I end up changing each year). I was driving the W124 last week and was trying to remember who I am insured with (I had noted the renewal date) and had no idea, which isn't good!

I have to admit I have been driving the family SLK320 (r170?) this (long) weekend as I flew south rather than drove. It has been fairly well sorted underneath now suspension wise, and I have to admit I rather like it. Pleasantly nippy and nice enough to drive. I think as cars have got heavier and have less feel, we look back on average cars like this more favourably. It even rides quite nicely and the 5 speed auto means you can waft about. It looks nice from far away. When you get close you realise how many shades of silver are possible.

Getting back into the 190 this evening was a significant, but pleasant contrast. It feels pleasantly old school, and so well built in comparison. It's a great little thing and started fine after being abandoned for a while. I felt a bit mean not driving it for a couple of weeks.

I am starting to think I need a more modern car in the fleet as a contrast. I'm not sure what though. Some kind of Lexus. Or a recent MX5. Hmmm.

Edited by 0a on Monday 25th April 22:45

[tog]

r129sl said:

Oa, try Footman James, if you don't need business use their classic policy. I was very impressed to pay £129 on the 140 for 7,500 miles and a year.

I'm with FJ, unlimited mileage and business use across all cars in the family. The old ones (Rover, Bristol, Mercedes S124) are insured as classics, the new ones (9-3, 9000, Skoda) are on the same policy but priced as moderns. I had to pay an extra £12 in premium when I added the Mercedes last year. I'll be interested to see if they consider the 9000 a classic when it turns 20 next year.

[Krikkit]

Do they accrue no claims discount though? I didn't think classic policies did?

[r129sl]

Krikkit said:

Do they accrue no claims discount though? I didn't think classic policies did?

At £129 a year, who cares?!

You do need to have another car on an ordinary policy, though, which may be an oblique way of answering the question and satisfying the concern about losing NCD.

[KrisP]

How rare are the manual (and indeed dogleg) boxes on W124 mercs?
Happy browsing car and classic this morning with my cuppa and came across this gem



http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C680227#

[tog]

r129sl said:

Krikkit said:

Do they accrue no claims discount though? I didn't think classic policies did?

At £129 a year, who cares?!

You do need to have another car on an ordinary policy, though, which may be an oblique way of answering the question and satisfying the concern about losing NCD.

No they don't accrue NCD. All my cars are on one multi vehicle policy. It is technically a classic policy, but with moderns added as well. As long as there are no more moderns than classics they are happy.

[bob-lad]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

I'd be tempted to do it anyway. If nothing else, regard it as preventative maintenance.

In other news, I've spent the week on the Cote d'Azur and saw a remarkable number of MB 190s and 124s; they still look good in the Med sunshine.

We didn't get that far, but did manage 4 days in South Devon, some of which were rather sunny indeed.

The XJS apparently had an intermittent starting issue when I bought it, but didn't show its face in earnest until we'd made it to the south coast. After "correcting" the colour of the rear spoiler to match the upper bodywork, the car then refused to leave the paint booth. We replaced all the relays (as previous owner had suggested they were the culprit) to no avail, so called for recovery to my local Man.

By the time the recovery arrived with a flatbed (initial tow jobbie, clearly wasn't going to work) the car decided it would start and drove onto the truck. Further testing by the Man indicated loose pins on the solenoid, so we replaced the starter & solenoid. Huzzar! The car started and after a few test runs we prepared for our trip south.

On arrival at the hotel the car decided it liked where it was parked and didn't want moving. Much discussion with others and local JEC representative suggested a new battery might be the trick.

This seemed to please the car, started first time and arrived promptly at National Tyres in Paignton to get the largest battery we could fit into available space. Much fettling was done to get the new larger battery installed. Car starts. Huzzar again. While I'm here thought I might as well get the front wheels balanced as there's a slight wobble at around the 62mph mark, and one around 82 apparently.

I'm sure you can guess what happened next.

Correct, we pushed the car out of the way and awaited recovery. Much poking, prodding and OMFGing by the mechanic as he admitted never being this close to a V12 ensued. Anyway, plenty of heaving, hoing and shoving (and steering without power) enabled us to get the car on another flatbed to be taken on another trip.

After their workshop opened on Monday morning they set to it at 8am, and by 10am had declared broken wire located and replaced and bound to the loom.

Huzzar! Again.

At £35 the repair to the wiring is the cheapest of the four attempts, but I'll put them all down to "preventative maintenance" as a 30yr old starter motor would surely need replacing soon anyway.


Unless I get involved with any more preventative maintenance, we'll be there at the Loosers Conference with the XJS.

[SuperHangOn]

0a said:

Getting back into the 190 this evening was a significant, but pleasant contrast. It feels pleasantly old school, and so well built in comparison. It's a great little thing and started fine after being abandoned for a while. I felt a bit mean not driving it for a couple of weeks.

I am starting to think I need a more modern car in the fleet as a contrast. I'm not sure what though. Some kind of Lexus. Or a recent MX5. Hmmm.

Edited by 0a on Monday 25th April 22:45

I occasionally drive a 190E which is in the family - I'm always surprised how well it drives. It doesn't feel antiquated at all and rides so nicely for its size. Not over-assisted like modern MB's. Darned slow though.

Not that I want to tempt you into spending money but I gave the car a suspension refresh years back with new shocks and springs on all corners, top mounts, balljoints, various bushes etc. The difference was dramatic, it felt so much tighter and almost like an entirely new car. I only used generic KYB stuff.

[r129sl]

0a said:

Thankyou, I will give them a go tomorrow. There is a real appeal to moving to one insurer rather than three (which I end up changing each year). I was driving the W124 last week and was trying to remember who I am insured with (I had noted the renewal date) and had no idea, which isn't good!

I have to admit I have been driving the family SLK320 (r170?) this (long) weekend as I flew south rather than drove. It has been fairly well sorted underneath now suspension wise, and I have to admit I rather like it. Pleasantly nippy and nice enough to drive. I think as cars have got heavier and have less feel, we look back on average cars like this more favourably. It even rides quite nicely and the 5 speed auto means you can waft about. It looks nice from far away. When you get close you realise how many shades of silver are possible.

Getting back into the 190 this evening was a significant, but pleasant contrast. It feels pleasantly old school, and so well built in comparison. It's a great little thing and started fine after being abandoned for a while. I felt a bit mean not driving it for a couple of weeks.

I am starting to think I need a more modern car in the fleet as a contrast. I'm not sure what though. Some kind of Lexus. Or a recent MX5. Hmmm.

I took my dad's w203 C320 CDI for a spin at the weekend. This counts as a modern for me. It was quite a pleasing thing. I turned the traction control off and it was remarkably good fun through these bends, much more communicative and responsive than my r129, let alone the other cars:



I can see a place for a modern, occasionally.

[Challo]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Looks quite clean if not the bog standard engine so bound to be slow.

[BigBen]

r129sl said:

I took my dad's w203 C320 CDI for a spin at the weekend. This counts as a modern for me. It was quite a pleasing thing. I turned the traction control off and it was remarkably good fun through these bends, much more communicative and responsive than my r129, let alone the other cars:

The Mrs had a W203 220 CDI and it was a really nice car to drive and I felt the interior was of higher quality than the subsequent model, as did she as that was rejected when the 203 came up for replacement.

[Challo]

Noticed this as well http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016... seems alot of car for the money

[r129sl]

Challo said:

Noticed this as well http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016... seems alot of car for the money

Comfortable anonymity. Like it!

[FredClogs]

r129sl said:

Challo said:

Noticed this as well http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016... seems alot of car for the money

Comfortable anonymity. Like it!

I get where you're coming from but they are slow and it is a Skoda and someone has removed the anonymity by "modding" it to say "UPER" on the back, unless that's some kind of code for doggers.

[greenarrow]

FredClogs said:

r129sl said:

Challo said:

Noticed this as well http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016... seems alot of car for the money

Comfortable anonymity. Like it!

I get where you're coming from but they are slow and it is a Skoda and someone has removed the anonymity by "modding" it to say "UPER" on the back, unless that's some kind of code for doggers.

I doubt its that slow. Isn't this essentially the same car as the VW Passat 4 motion, which was quoted as doing 0-60 in 7.7.? Skodas of that vintage were laughably pessimistic in quoting 0-60 figures. E.g, the original Fabia VRS. Skoda quoted 9.6, whereas Autocar managed 8.2.

Anyway, I like the idea of that Skoda, a lot.....!

[Richie C]

After 22,000 miles or so in the last 7 months I need to retire the A6 from the fleet and replace it with a large estate. The high miles are likely to continue for a while, so long distance comfort is high on the requirements list. I don't really have a clue what to go for, nothing is really jumping out at me.

I quite fancy a full fat Range Rover but bork potential and overall running costs put me off (plus they aren't quite in budget for this thread yet). Suggestions welcome.