Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol11]

[Biglips]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

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

Air suspension standard on the E500 so all variants offer suitable waft.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

I may get the white walls swapped so that the band is on the inside

Apologies for self-quoting, but no sooner said than done (not by me, obvs).

Before:



After:





Bit of tyre black might be helpful for once, but not a bad stop-gap.

[nosuchuser]

While on the subjects of e500's - thoughts on this one? (if it's not been talked about already...)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mercedes-e500-avantgarde...

[r129sl]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

I may get the white walls swapped so that the band is on the inside

Apologies for self-quoting, but no sooner said than done (not by me, obvs).

Before:



After:





Bit of tyre black might be helpful for once, but not a bad stop-gap.

It looks good that car CdeG. And better with the tyres turned around (rotated?).

[SpeckledJim]

r129sl said:

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.

I agree, the manufacturers have gone too far in restricting specs to very narrow, very boring channels.

It's because manufacturer marketing directors have to face the massed wrath of their dealers about every three months, and have to face irate aesthetes frustrated with a choice of six greys and one interior, err, never.

The lack of brown interiors (tobacco, chocolate, saddle, poo, call it what you like) is what particularly grates with me.

[r129sl]

In a similar vein (and I know this is a million miles off topic), does anyone actually want autonomous cars? Where is demand for this technology coming from? People like driving, by which I mean operating the vehicle not just being transported in it. Two drivers and one car, there's always a fight for the driver's seat.

[irish boy]

Having been keeping one eye open for a r129 I fell in by chance with an immaculate x350.

I don't know much about these being a merc man but it was owned by a builder who used it on Sundays and kept in garaged under cover the rest of the time, 40k miles and 7 jag stamps latest one 3 months ago.

It's in some shape and drives beautifully, a/c ice cold, it has a 3.0 6 cylinder (straight or V anyone?) and didn't seem to hard on fuel on the return trip. The only thing it needs are tyres which will take it above budget but there is a bit of life in them yet.

Even has an electric rear blind....would this have been standard?


image upload free direct link



image upload free direct link

Edited by irish boy on Tuesday 6th June 21:09

[r129sl]

^^^ I bet that proves a satisfying purchase.

[Jimmy Recard]

r129sl said:

In a similar vein (and I know this is a million miles off topic), does anyone actually want autonomous cars? Where is demand for this technology coming from? People like driving, by which I mean operating the vehicle not just being transported in it. Two drivers and one car, there's always a fight for the driver's seat.

I personally have no interest in them, but one friend has told me he can't wait for them. He has always hated driving though.

I think that the lack of demand for the technology is that it's alien to people - in 1975 there was no demand for mobile phones and in 2000 there was no demand for smartphones. It's fair to say that the introduction of those technologies alerted people to their desires for it.

eta irish boy, that looks nice. There is no inline engine in an X350, it's V6 or V8 only. That'll be a V6.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

irish boy said:

Looks very classy. That picture makes it look quite compact actually.

[bob-lad]

IME when a car has an interior of poo it's time to move it on.

[sprouting]

r129sl said:

In a similar vein (and I know this is a million miles off topic), does anyone actually want autonomous cars? Where is demand for this technology coming from? People like driving, by which I mean operating the vehicle not just being transported in it. Two drivers and one car, there's always a fight for the driver's seat.

All I ever wanted to do since I could walk and talk was drive,so I won't be embracing such technology.
Hopefully not in our lifetime, but how long after autonomous cars become popular, will it be before campaigners start calling for the ban of humans controling cars at all.

[bob-lad]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

irish boy said:

Looks very classy. That picture makes it look quite compact actually.

Like father Dougal and father Jack discussing cows.

[Biglips]

nosuchuser said:

While on the subjects of e500's - thoughts on this one? (if it's not been talked about already...)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mercedes-e500-avantgarde...

I like it. Great colour and well specced. Very similar to mine even down to the broken ashtray in the rear door! I have just bought a second hand one on eBay -clearly this is a common problem!

Shame he didn't give it a hoover before advertising but in some ways it adds to the honesty of the ad.

[Krikkit]

Jimmy Recard said:

r129sl said:

In a similar vein (and I know this is a million miles off topic), does anyone actually want autonomous cars? Where is demand for this technology coming from? People like driving, by which I mean operating the vehicle not just being transported in it. Two drivers and one car, there's always a fight for the driver's seat.

I personally have no interest in them, but one friend has told me he can't wait for them. He has always hated driving though.

I love driving, but doing the same old commute every day, often in miserable weather, staring at the back of another traffic jam or another train of 50mph dawdlers I would much rather be reading a book, or watching a film.

But, that said, a proper drive without traffic (or even just a decent distance drive) is something to be enjoyed. Autonomous cars wouldn't have to do every journey, but they would take out some of the drudgery. The only real danger is that once the automated-driving accidents drop to minimal possible levels there will inevitably be a push to outlaw self-driving.

[Biglips]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Apologies for self-quoting, but no sooner said than done (not by me, obvs).

Before:



After:





Bit of tyre black might be helpful for once, but not a bad stop-gap.

What is the official name of that blue on your slc? It looks stunning.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Biglips said:

What is the official name of that blue on your slc? It looks stunning.

Thanks. I don't know actually, is it Azurite? I'll check the codes when I get it back.

[Krikkit]

Sorry CdG, got wrapped up in my previous post. Surprising how much of a difference the whitewall (or not!) makes to the look. Definitely a good temporary solution.

That E500 looks good, although the black interior is a bit coal bunker.

I'm currently having dirty thoughts about an L322, are they really as ruinous as lore would make them out to be?





http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Edited by Krikkit on Tuesday 6th June 22:28

[bob-lad]

irish boy said:

Having been keeping one eye open for a r129 I fell in by chance with an immaculate x350.

I don't know much about these being a merc man but it was owned by a builder who used it on Sundays and kept in garaged under cover the rest of the time, 40k miles and 7 jag stamps latest one 3 months ago.

It's in some shape and drives beautifully, a/c ice cold, it has a 3.0 6 cylinder (straight or V anyone?) and didn't seem to hard on fuel on the return trip. The only thing it needs are tyres which will take it above budget but there is a bit of life in them yet.

Even has an electric rear blind....would this have been standard?


image upload free direct link

When you get to replacing the tyres, I can recommend Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 2.

I initially fitted some Continental SportContact and they were shocking. Terrible, terrible tram-lining and only lasted 8,000 miles.
Fitted the SportMaxx and the car was transformed.

I couldn't believe it was the tyres, but having the tracking tested half a dozen times at different garages all showed everything was bob on finally convinced me


It's a heck of a machine. Enjoy.

[grantone]

r129sl said:

In a similar vein (and I know this is a million miles off topic), does anyone actually want autonomous cars? Where is demand for this technology coming from? People like driving, by which I mean operating the vehicle not just being transported in it. Two drivers and one car, there's always a fight for the driver's seat.

I'd love an automatic chauffeur for most of my functional driving, without the need for a steering wheel all 4 seats could be like the back of a Daimler.