Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol11]

[TheLordJohn]

First thing I do when I buy a new car - full, proper service and a cam belt kit.
No doubt as to when it was last done and good peace of mind.

[Speed addicted]

SilverSixer said:

I've had two cambelt failures in my life, both on cars within their cambelt service parameters. I now seek out chain driven motors.

~ *twitch, twitch*

Fair point! I'm not exactly keen on them myself after a very close call in a Saab 9000 and a cambelt that shredded it's self.
I got the one on the Subaru changed as part of buying it.

[tog]

Speed addicted said:

Fair point! I'm not exactly keen on them myself after a very close call in a Saab 9000 and a cambelt that shredded it's self.
I got the one on the Subaru changed as part of buying it.

A V6? Most Saab 9000s are chain engines.

[TheLordJohn]

My Dad, despite being a qualified mechanic and having worked on his own cars his whole life didn't bother putting a belt kit on his latest Alfa.
He must have had it for 2 years, maybe a little longer, and now the engine is kippered as the belt stripped its' teeth.

[SpeckledJim]

r129sl said:

MBUK in its dictatorish wisdom did not permit the E500 to be purchased in Classic trim.

In fairness to MBUK, a 2-year-old E500 Classic is not the kind of thing a Main Dealer is going to want back in part exchange, so he'll have to give a real bid in the balls for it, and probably upset a good customer.

So I can understand why MBUK might act to protect dealers from that kind of situation (and also, in a roundabout way, protect customers from themselves.)

Granted, there's a balancing argument that the customer should be allowed exactly what they want, but mad customers don't often know they're mad - so you risk upsetting them later when the time comes to clearly illustrate to them in financial terms exactly how mad they are.

They won't blame themselves - they'll blame the dealer (either for selling them a mad car two years ago, or for not wanting to buy their mad car now).

[Jimmy Recard]

The only cambelt or chain failure I've had was a chain, so I deliberately go for belts because I don't mind changing them regularly. Chains are much more expensive.

That said, most cam chains are very robust. It seems to be just the Volkswagen group that has so much difficulty making a robust cam chain.

[Krikkit]

SpeckledJim said:

r129sl said:

MBUK in its dictatorish wisdom did not permit the E500 to be purchased in Classic trim.

In fairness to MBUK, a 2-year-old E500 Classic is not the kind of thing a Main Dealer is going to want back in part exchange, so he'll have to give a real bid in the balls for it, and probably upset a good customer.

So I can understand why MBUK might act to protect dealers from that kind of situation (and also, in a roundabout way, protect customers from themselves.)

Granted, there's a balancing argument that the customer should be allowed exactly what they want, but mad customers don't often know they're mad - so you risk upsetting them later when the time comes to clearly illustrate to them in financial terms exactly how mad they are.

They won't blame themselves - they'll blame the dealer (either for selling them a mad car two years ago, or for not wanting to buy their mad car now).

Very true, although it'd be nice if they just offered a waiver which told them you accepted the fact it'd be worth 50p once you drove it off the forecourt!

What's the difference on W211's between Avantgarde and Classic? I thought both were comfort spec.

[SpeckledJim]

Krikkit said:

SpeckledJim said:

r129sl said:

MBUK in its dictatorish wisdom did not permit the E500 to be purchased in Classic trim.

In fairness to MBUK, a 2-year-old E500 Classic is not the kind of thing a Main Dealer is going to want back in part exchange, so he'll have to give a real bid in the balls for it, and probably upset a good customer.

So I can understand why MBUK might act to protect dealers from that kind of situation (and also, in a roundabout way, protect customers from themselves.)

Granted, there's a balancing argument that the customer should be allowed exactly what they want, but mad customers don't often know they're mad - so you risk upsetting them later when the time comes to clearly illustrate to them in financial terms exactly how mad they are.

They won't blame themselves - they'll blame the dealer (either for selling them a mad car two years ago, or for not wanting to buy their mad car now).

Very true, although it'd be nice if they just offered a waiver which told them you accepted the fact it'd be worth 50p once you drove it off the forecourt!

What's the difference on W211's between Avantgarde and Classic? I thought both were comfort spec.

The waiver is an idea, but 2 years down the line that'll be forgotten, and they wouldn't thank you for waving it at them!

Avantgarde is the sporty-ish spec, approximately equivalent to Elegance in the hierarchy. Classic is the entry level, underneath both Elegance and Avantgarde.

Avantgarde gets dark wood, blue tinted glass, 5 spoke sportier wheels, different grille (and bumpers?) and less chrome outside.

Stiffer suspension (maybe lower?), but I think you could order an Elegance with sports suspension, and an Avantgarde with comfort suspension, if you know what I mean.

[Krikkit]

Ah, so Elegance and Classic are the ones to have.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Krikkit said:

Ah, so Elegance and Classic are the ones to have.

Only by the perverse standards favoured by the denizens of this thread!

[SpeckledJim]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Krikkit said:

Ah, so Elegance and Classic are the ones to have.

Only by the perverse standards favoured by the denizens of this thread!

I can sort-of, if I squint, see why someone might prefer a Classic to another spec, but I wouldn't.

Elegance is a sweet-spot, generally having pale interiors and having a good level of stuff to worry about repairing in the future.

[ewings999]

Well, I'm now the owner of a nice V70 2.4d, not having high expectations of the car prior to viewing with a poor Facebook advert and terrible photos, it exceeded expectations with a full Volvo history including all the old invoices, good rubber all round and all in all feels pretty good.
The seller hadn't bothered to prep the car at all for sale so the interior needs and clean and the exterior a polish but showed that it had been looked after, has some strange truck satnav hardwired in and an ancient Nokia car phone kit so will hopefully get round to taking them out and smartening g the interior up.
Now to stop myself booking it in for a remap......
(photos taken in between the downpours yesterday!)

Edited by ewings999 on Tuesday 6th June 14:29

[SpeckledJim]

Very nice car indeed.

See some very useful posts by a chap in the Netherlands about maintaining and improving these. Can't remember his name now - someone will know who I mean.

[callahan]

ewings999 said:

Well, I'm now the owner of a nice V70 2.4d, (and more lovely Volvo stuff)

Very nice, pretty much exactly what I'm looking for at the moment, if anyone spots one......

[Krikkit]

SpeckledJim said:

Very nice car indeed.

See some very useful posts by a chap in the Netherlands about maintaining and improving these. Can't remember his name now - someone will know who I mean.

Is it kapiteinlangzaam who also has a Mustang?

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[pitchfork]

Lack of history impacting price?


CL500 for £2.5k

[r129sl]

SpeckledJim said:

Krikkit said:

SpeckledJim said:

r129sl said:

MBUK in its dictatorish wisdom did not permit the E500 to be purchased in Classic trim.

In fairness to MBUK, a 2-year-old E500 Classic is not the kind of thing a Main Dealer is going to want back in part exchange, so he'll have to give a real bid in the balls for it, and probably upset a good customer.

So I can understand why MBUK might act to protect dealers from that kind of situation (and also, in a roundabout way, protect customers from themselves.)

Granted, there's a balancing argument that the customer should be allowed exactly what they want, but mad customers don't often know they're mad - so you risk upsetting them later when the time comes to clearly illustrate to them in financial terms exactly how mad they are.

They won't blame themselves - they'll blame the dealer (either for selling them a mad car two years ago, or for not wanting to buy their mad car now).

Very true, although it'd be nice if they just offered a waiver which told them you accepted the fact it'd be worth 50p once you drove it off the forecourt!

What's the difference on W211's between Avantgarde and Classic? I thought both were comfort spec.

The waiver is an idea, but 2 years down the line that'll be forgotten, and they wouldn't thank you for waving it at them!

Avantgarde is the sporty-ish spec, approximately equivalent to Elegance in the hierarchy. Classic is the entry level, underneath both Elegance and Avantgarde.

Avantgarde gets dark wood, blue tinted glass, 5 spoke sportier wheels, different grille (and bumpers?) and less chrome outside.

Stiffer suspension (maybe lower?), but I think you could order an Elegance with sports suspension, and an Avantgarde with comfort suspension, if you know what I mean.

I understand the rationale but if MBUK would offer me a new E-Class in conservative specification, I would buy one. I cannot believe I am the only person in the entire country who is turned off by the current narrow choice. And the cars are all worthless second hand now, anyway: it's not like the old days when your Merc was still worth 80% of its new price after 3 years and 36,000miles.

[Jimmy Recard]

That Volvo looks terrific. I was really starting to like the S60 and V70 D5 more and more until fickle me got put off by a bad one belonging to someone I know.

I'm starting to get into them again though

[StrokesUK]

TiminYorkshire said:

StrokesUK said:

Definitely go 3.0, I'm getting around 33mpg at the pump on mine not driving like a nun, engine is wonderful. Much smoother and more refined, much much more powerful, and even more reliable. I do believe it is barely any heavier as well.

Is that in Outback or Legacy flavor, auto or manual? Does sound good...

Edited by TiminYorkshire on Tuesday 6th June 08:47

Legacy Spec B manual, hens teeth I'm afraid which is how I managed to spend over thread budget on one. Keep an eye on uklegacy though and reasonable mileage ones turn up quite cheap. Brake calipers stick all the time so stainless pistons are desirable, exhaust will need changing to stainless, it eats bushes, full set of new bilstein shocks is around 500 and they do go. Mines still on original clutch at 80k miles and won't have much left, apart from that everything is perfect.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

ewings999 said:

Well, I'm now the owner of a nice V70 2.4d,

Congratulations, that looks really nice. I hope you enjoy it.

What with yours, mine, and Bornite Indentity's rather fetching boxy one (plus, undoubtedly, a few others too) there's quite the Volvo appreciation crowd here.