Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol11]
Discussion
TobyLerone said:
Bit of a strange one.
LS400s come up pretty often, for very little money. Since they are so reliable, it's my guess that people won't want to pay a higher premium for a lie milage FSH example.
I could be wrong though.
I think anything over £5k would be very very optimistic.
Could happen though, if it's a real minter and looks sparkly inside and out. You only need one buyer with a mileage fetish, someone who likes them a lot and wants to pound another 100K onto it over the next five years with only modest bills.LS400s come up pretty often, for very little money. Since they are so reliable, it's my guess that people won't want to pay a higher premium for a lie milage FSH example.
I could be wrong though.
I think anything over £5k would be very very optimistic.
And if it *is* a really lovely one, I'd probably put it in one of the more vibrant neo-classics auctions, like Anglia.
Edited by Lowtimer on Tuesday 19th September 09:32
I post this only because the stripes are so bad they're good:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-w124-230CE...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-w124-230CE...
em177 said:
Morning,
Bit of advice needed, my dad is thinking of selling his 1995 LS400.
Now here's the thing, it's done 35k miles from new, has a near impeccable history, is completely original and could almost still be in the wrappers at the factory its so fresh.
I'm now apparently tasked with selling it... where do I even start with a value?
1995 is on the turn, so Mk2 or Mk3?Bit of advice needed, my dad is thinking of selling his 1995 LS400.
Now here's the thing, it's done 35k miles from new, has a near impeccable history, is completely original and could almost still be in the wrappers at the factory its so fresh.
I'm now apparently tasked with selling it... where do I even start with a value?
I'm a bit odd and keep an eye on the LS400 market with interest. The pool of used cars seem to fit into two categories, 90% of which are the old, unloved examples that have suffered disgusting neglect yet still run like like a Swiss clock, pass the MOT annually without problems and fetch a grand or thereabouts, or the odd, low mileage, preened and coveted late Mk3 or Mk4 at £5k.
The £5k cars tend to either sell straight away, or languish for months if not years. A 40k mile Mk4 in Amethyst with DHP would fly off the shelves at £6k, yet a 50k mile white Mk3 on Ebay at the moment is languishing at £4995: it's been for sale for months. A silver Mk1 with a mere 12000 miles languished in the classifieds for years: the price started at £8k and crept down to £5k where it stayed for many months- it must have cost the trader that in Ebay ads.
The added problem is that a very average 170000 miler at a grand will more than likely run and drive just as nicely as a 35k miler such is the durability. Low mileage offers little benefit aside from probably being a bit tidier. They are a bit of cheap fun at £1500, but £5-6k opens up other possibilities: all of a sudden the barge market starts looking at cars with better badges and bigger kudos. They are brilliant cars that make a W124 look a bit flimsy and fragile, but the classic market has still yet to stand up and notice and those that fancy one really have to want one at that money, but they do exist
Post ups some pics.
r129sl said:
I post this only because the stripes are so bad they're good:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-w124-230CE...
That car looks like me in 1983. But only when I wasn't in the bath or wearing my Jungle Book pajamas.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-w124-230CE...
r129sl said:
I post this only because the stripes are so bad they're good:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-w124-230CE...
Wonderfully naff. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-w124-230CE...
olly755 said:
em177 said:
Morning,
Bit of advice needed, my dad is thinking of selling his 1995 LS400.
Now here's the thing, it's done 35k miles from new, has a near impeccable history, is completely original and could almost still be in the wrappers at the factory its so fresh.
I'm now apparently tasked with selling it... where do I even start with a value?
1995 is on the turn, so Mk2 or Mk3?Bit of advice needed, my dad is thinking of selling his 1995 LS400.
Now here's the thing, it's done 35k miles from new, has a near impeccable history, is completely original and could almost still be in the wrappers at the factory its so fresh.
I'm now apparently tasked with selling it... where do I even start with a value?
I'm a bit odd and keep an eye on the LS400 market with interest. The pool of used cars seem to fit into two categories, 90% of which are the old, unloved examples that have suffered disgusting neglect yet still run like like a Swiss clock, pass the MOT annually without problems and fetch a grand or thereabouts, or the odd, low mileage, preened and coveted late Mk3 or Mk4 at £5k.
The £5k cars tend to either sell straight away, or languish for months if not years. A 40k mile Mk4 in Amethyst with DHP would fly off the shelves at £6k, yet a 50k mile white Mk3 on Ebay at the moment is languishing at £4995: it's been for sale for months. A silver Mk1 with a mere 12000 miles languished in the classifieds for years: the price started at £8k and crept down to £5k where it stayed for many months- it must have cost the trader that in Ebay ads.
The added problem is that a very average 170000 miler at a grand will more than likely run and drive just as nicely as a 35k miler such is the durability. Low mileage offers little benefit aside from probably being a bit tidier. They are a bit of cheap fun at £1500, but £5-6k opens up other possibilities: all of a sudden the barge market starts looking at cars with better badges and bigger kudos. They are brilliant cars that make a W124 look a bit flimsy and fragile, but the classic market has still yet to stand up and notice and those that fancy one really have to want one at that money, but they do exist
Post ups some pics.
The barge hunter in me would love to buy a low-miles one - especially in a black/dark blue colour, which are quite rare. But in all honesty, I'm not sure what I would get from an LS400 with 90000 fewer miles under its wheels. The LS does not attract the same level of interest as a W126 with a similarly low mileage.
r129sl said:
I post this only because the stripes are so bad they're good:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-w124-230CE...
I like that, but the fact the stripes don't run the full length of the car (front wing, ahead of the nearside front wheel) is setting my OCD off something chronic.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-w124-230CE...
[eye twitch] Hmmm... [/eye twitch]
iSore said:
JESUS, NO!!!
Rarely have so many electrical and mechanical problems been crammed into one car. They were so lovely when new, now they're junk waiting to bury some poor sod in a paper mache coffin made from invoices. I think they even make an E65 BMW look like a really good idea.
Steady on, old chap! We don't do "hate" on this thread (plenty of other places on PH for that sort of thing). Rarely have so many electrical and mechanical problems been crammed into one car. They were so lovely when new, now they're junk waiting to bury some poor sod in a paper mache coffin made from invoices. I think they even make an E65 BMW look like a really good idea.
Healthy debate and a dose of opinion is fine... Out and out slagging, not so much.
Escapegoat said:
What he said. My Mk4 (was £1650 three years ago, with help from this thread) now has 127000 miles on it and it just doesn't show. If I got the small number of small dings sorted out and the wheels refurbed it would probably look as squeky clean as your Dad's. (For now, I barge on a budget and spend only on reliability, such as £500 on cambelt/water pump/aux belt at Lexus).
The barge hunter in me would love to buy a low-miles one - especially in a black/dark blue colour, which are quite rare. But in all honesty, I'm not sure what I would get from an LS400 with 90000 fewer miles under its wheels. The LS does not attract the same level of interest as a W126 with a similarly low mileage.
I think if you were looking for a "forever" barge it'd be a very convincing prospect, especially if you did a few thousand miles per year - 20 years of service almost guaranteed if you could find a cambelt in another 15+ years.The barge hunter in me would love to buy a low-miles one - especially in a black/dark blue colour, which are quite rare. But in all honesty, I'm not sure what I would get from an LS400 with 90000 fewer miles under its wheels. The LS does not attract the same level of interest as a W126 with a similarly low mileage.
JZZ30 said:
MorganP104 said:
Steady on, old chap! We don't do "hate" on this thread (plenty of other places on PH for that sort of thing).
Healthy debate and a dose of opinion is fine... Out and out slagging, not so much.
It's true! I came away relatively unscathed after posting pics of my SC430 Healthy debate and a dose of opinion is fine... Out and out slagging, not so much.
Time's a great healer.
LS400 owners often think that a 130,000 mile LS400 ("just broken in") drives like a 50,000 mile LS400. They don't, unless the suspension has been refreshed, and no-one seems to dip into their pockets for that apart from a couple of front ball joints if they're feeling saucy. Even looking through detailed Lexus service histories shows a reluctance for "Full Lexus Service History" cars to have anything more than a few ARB drop links etc. They'll handle OK (for a barge) but once you hop into a low miler you really notice it, and then you want to refresh the suspension on your own one, and then Mr Toyota gets the thumb screws out.
Anyway, the good ones are being held onto. Oh yeah, they can look really, really good on top and have serious issues underneath at the rear suspension which often MOTs don't catch out (rear sub frame mounting points are particularly vulnerable.) Probably better than many barges their age, but you need to get the car on a ramp if you want to buy a keeper.
Anyway, the good ones are being held onto. Oh yeah, they can look really, really good on top and have serious issues underneath at the rear suspension which often MOTs don't catch out (rear sub frame mounting points are particularly vulnerable.) Probably better than many barges their age, but you need to get the car on a ramp if you want to buy a keeper.
MorganP104 said:
JZZ30 said:
MorganP104 said:
Steady on, old chap! We don't do "hate" on this thread (plenty of other places on PH for that sort of thing).
Healthy debate and a dose of opinion is fine... Out and out slagging, not so much.
It's true! I came away relatively unscathed after posting pics of my SC430 Healthy debate and a dose of opinion is fine... Out and out slagging, not so much.
Time's a great healer.
SpeckledJim said:
MorganP104 said:
JZZ30 said:
MorganP104 said:
Steady on, old chap! We don't do "hate" on this thread (plenty of other places on PH for that sort of thing).
Healthy debate and a dose of opinion is fine... Out and out slagging, not so much.
It's true! I came away relatively unscathed after posting pics of my SC430 Healthy debate and a dose of opinion is fine... Out and out slagging, not so much.
Time's a great healer.
To be fair, Clarkson's and the old Top Gear's style of reviewing was more an exercise in humour and style than critical analysis of a car. Swooping shot of car on moody grey day at air field (if they like it), lots of tracking shots, intro jokes from Clarkson followed by explanations of why the car is not up to the standard of the 911/M3 etc. And then the [insert Japanese car] is sent spanking to depreciation hell.
MorganP104 said:
r129sl said:
I post this only because the stripes are so bad they're good:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-w124-230CE...
I like that, but the fact the stripes don't run the full length of the car (front wing, ahead of the nearside front wheel) is setting my OCD off something chronic.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-w124-230CE...
[eye twitch] Hmmm... [/eye twitch]
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