Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 12]

[Krikkit]

How good is the OBC on an E38 for diagnostics? Could be something simple like a crank or camshaft sensor which is dodgy.

[classicyanktanks]

BorniteIdentity said:

Having just sold my lovely little w202, I can confirm that very few people are buying cars right now. So, if anyone’s in the market, haggle and haggle hard.

Not in mustang land / anything American pre 70's / Any American cars really.

Worst car I had to sell was a frogeye sprite, massive bunch of timewasters.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

BorniteIdentity said:

I honestly think if I was going to go ‘full midlife’ then I’d have the Lotus Elise I’ve wanted since I was 17. In a colour that confirmed to any doubters that I might be pushing 50, but I’m not against having a 20 year old ‘companion’.

I've ticked that box, and jolly fun it was too. The Elise is, as you say, out of budget and is a sports car rather than a GT cruiser for tubby golfers or American women with lustrous skin and expensive hair. Access in and out was challenging for those of us with creaky joints, but the drive is second to none. I certainly plan to have another Lotus before very long.

In the meantime, my meagre budget and a degree of 'full midlife'-denial, sees me favour the unfavoured, and the Lexus SC is currently a left-field choice which marks me as a discerning individual, content to carve my own furrow. Maybe.

Edited by CharlesdeGaulle on Friday 19th January 16:06

[Milemuncher]

I drove a new Lexus SC back in 2007 at a Lexus demonstration day when they were trying to gain conquest sales from BMW and Mercedes.

I recall it having an incredibly lazy engine and transmission and handling like a boat. I hated it.

The LS and GS I drove the same day were very nice things though. I came very close to getting a GS450h shortly afterwards but went for a CLS instead.

[Lowtimer]

Krikkit said:

How good is the OBC on an E38 for diagnostics? Could be something simple like a crank or camshaft sensor which is dodgy.

Plus the ABS / TC module is probably cooked according to the symptoms described.

Edited by Lowtimer on Friday 19th January 18:58

[STILLJOE]

Where does the E430 sit on the borkability scale - there's one local to me up for £1500 now

link for anyone with facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1582781245...

MOT history looks ok too, reg is S350 OPX for those without that social media mostrosity

[Zonergem]

Average for bork. Extreme for corrosion. Check the spring perch.

But r129sl's is a sweetie.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...

[cornershop]

STILLJOE said:

Where does the E430 sit on the borkability scale - there's one local to me up for £1500 now

link for anyone with facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1582781245...

MOT history looks ok too, reg is S350 OPX for those without that social media mostrosity

I’d avoid based purely on the angle of the front seat backs (gangsta wannabe)

[Scooobydont]

STILLJOE said:

Where does the E430 sit on the borkability scale - there's one local to me up for £1500 now

link for anyone with facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1582781245...

MOT history looks ok too, reg is S350 OPX for those without that social media mostrosity

Page 466 of vol 11, I am 99% sure that is the same car I posted a few pics of when it was on autotrader, the car was for sale in Falkirk, not sure where this one is though as I don't have facebook. If this is the new owner selling it on after a few months it doesn't bode well, which is a shame as it looks really nice. The last pic with the ad description is the same as the description that was in autotrader I quoted as well, pretty sure it's the same car actually, just not sure if it's the same owner.

EDIT, forgot to link it:

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

Edited by Scooobydont on Friday 19th January 21:34

[STILLJOE]

Scooobydont said:

Page 466 of vol 11, I am 99% sure that is the same car I posted a few pics of when it was on autotrader, the car was for sale in Falkirk, not sure where this one is though as I don't have facebook. If this is the new owner selling it on after a few months it doesn't bode well, which is a shame as it looks really nice. The last pic with the ad description is the same as the description that was in autotrader I quoted as well, pretty sure it's the same car actually, just not sure if it's the same owner.

EDIT, forgot to link it:

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

Edited by Scooobydont on Friday 19th January 21:34

thanks gents - looks like the private plate may have been changed then. It's in Bathgate - a stone's throw away. Whatever I get has to be a reliable daily and unlikely to throw up an eye watering bill within the first couple of months. Looks like this is too much of a risk. Have a loan of a friend's car just now so am determined not to rush in to my first barge purchase without due diligence (I apologise as this is not really the bargist way)

[em177]

Over to the bargista. This CLK55 looks too cheap to be true. No?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

[bob-lad]

em177 said:

Over to the bargista. This CLK55 looks too cheap to be true. No?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

Every panel growing rust warts.
nasty.

[mondayo]

Speaking of dodgy panels...the tatty green E500 estate is back on the bay
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

[tobinen]

This looks pretty reasonable, talking of E430s. Nothing too scary in the MoT history

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-E430-Avantgard...

[RZ1]

em177 said:

Over to the bargista. This CLK55 looks too cheap to be true. No?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

That about 10 mins away from me!

[93DW]

mondayo said:

Speaking of dodgy panels...the tatty green E500 estate is back on the bay
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

The thing that made me chucke about the ad was this quote "We are an online auction company, with some key differences to public auction sites like British Car Auctions"

The pictures are taken at BCA! Looks like its come from we buy any car so thats certainly something to be aware of

[Stegel]

93DW said:

mondayo said:

Speaking of dodgy panels...the tatty green E500 estate is back on the bay
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

The thing that made me chucke about the ad was this quote "We are an online auction company, with some key differences to public auction sites like British Car Auctions"

The pictures are taken at BCA! Looks like its come from we buy any car so thats certainly something to be aware of

In fairness to the trader, they’re a low margin operator that picks up stuff at main auctions and punts it on via eBay. They have a clear “no like, no buy” policy. This is the green E class’s at least third time round on eBay - whether it has a real major issue on inspection or is simply being bid on by dreamers who wake up when they sit in it is impossible to say. I’d imagine plugging in a reader could be essential.

[TobyLerone]

Stegel said:

In fairness to the trader, they’re a low margin operator that picks up stuff at main auctions and punts it on via eBay. They have a clear “no like, no buy” policy. This is the green E class’s at least third time round on eBay - whether it has a real major issue on inspection or is simply being bid on by dreamers who wake up when they sit in it is impossible to say. I’d imagine plugging in a reader could be essential.

Not to mention that, if the panels are so beat up and the outside skin of the car is so unloved (I think it's fair to assume most of us here would spend multiple times the value of our barges to keep them nice ) then what is the rest of it like?

Unserviced? Tatty / destroyed interior? Smelly smokers car? It's a fair risk I guess...

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Stegel said:

93DW said:

mondayo said:

Speaking of dodgy panels...the tatty green E500 estate is back on the bay
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

The thing that made me chucke about the ad was this quote "We are an online auction company, with some key differences to public auction sites like British Car Auctions"

The pictures are taken at BCA! Looks like its come from we buy any car so thats certainly something to be aware of

In fairness to the trader, they’re a low margin operator that picks up stuff at main auctions and punts it on via eBay. They have a clear “no like, no buy” policy. This is the green E class’s at least third time round on eBay - whether it has a real major issue on inspection or is simply being bid on by dreamers who wake up when they sit in it is impossible to say. I’d imagine plugging in a reader could be essential.

I'd be happy to take a punt on that if I could get it reasonably close-ish to the money it's at now. Certainly at sub-2 it's appealing.

Decent spec, sensible miles, decent colour. I haven't looked at the MOT history, natch, but barring any test-drive concerns I'd risk it. Get my local paint shop to smarten it up a bit, give it a service, and then see how I got on. The temptation would inevitably be to 'invest' in it, but I reckon that would make a decent and honest motor.

ETA - wonder what it went for before?

[MorganP104]

classicyanktanks said:

The description on this one is quite brilliant guys.
ALL SEEM FINE,WHEN YOU SWITCH ENGINE OFF YOU GET MESSAGE 'engine fail safe' AND WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING YOU SOMETIMES GET traction and ABS light come, BUT CAR DRIVES FINE.
ONLY ONE KEY, NO BOOKPACK previous owner does have history and spare key I've had no luck getting it off him.
No MOT
I BROUGHT THIS C........

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

I like an E38, but I wouldn't touch that with a Guinness Book of Records-sized bargepole. Electronics/ECU/electrics/wiring loom/various sensors (take your pick) will be toast. No, no, and thrice no.