Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 12]

[TobyLerone]

Gents, I didn't mean to get all bent out of shape about service history. I apologise if it can't acros like that.

I only meant that, stamps in the book are worthless without proof of works completed.

It's never stopped me buying a car, at over the odds... And FWIW, I think the Phaeton I linked would be a good buy.

It's all risk management, I guess. At a dedicated Indy, or main dealer, you're more likely to have a nicer example than stamps from Barry's Backstreet Garage. Especially when we're taking about cars which cost 6 figures when new.

[josh00mac]

namealreadytaken said:

Its about a year since I got the 1988 W126 barge so I thought id post a summary.





I covered 2901 miles in that time, mostly motorway miles into London from the north. I haven't kept a record of overall mpg but it is normally around 22 to 24.

I upgraded the stereo adding new wiring, Bluetooth HU, DAB etc and 4 new speakers, a small under seat sub-woofer and sound deadening, it sounds acceptable now.
It's been a lovely place to eat up the miles. The seats are comfortable and don't give me lumbar pain like our other cars.

it's been very reliable, the only non service parts have been a new radiator as the original sprung a pin pick and whilst I was there changed the gearbox cooler Hoses. I haven't yet had to call upon my breakdown cover (touch wood)

I serviced it with new oil/filter, air filter, plugs etc. Parts were cheap and easy to obtain and the car is very easy to work on.

Sadly it's been sat for the past 3 months due to new baby and the missus wouldn't let me use a non isofix seat with our child, but I hope to use it more in the spring once I convince her it is safe.

It just failed the MOT on the exhaust back box having a large hole but I am happy as it had no other faults or recommendations and I pre-empted the exhaust failure, so I have a new full stainless exhaust to fit and also some new steering parts to freshen the handling up.

Edited by namealreadytaken on Wednesday 17th January 13:48

Lovely, lovely barge. I am after one but not for more than 3.5k ideally - quite rare to find in the ads lately. Or they are priced unrealistically.

[SimonTheSailor]

@r128sl - love the black on black on ! Having had a large black saloon before they look fabulous when clean, utter bds to wash and polish ! (But I would still have others)

Other car looks great also, like the lighter colour, subtle change from silver.

I have absolutely no need whatsoever for a LWB car, let alone a large saloon, but would like to drive to a wedding in Italy at the end of May so an Uber saloon would do nicely !!

[phil_cardiff]

dme123 said:

SimonTheSailor said:

Never realised they did these Saabs in 2.8 V6 Turbo versions ? Must be an easy 300bhp+ after a simple remap - if you like that sort of thing.

Can't comment on price as don't know about them.........

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Saab-9-3-2-8T-V6-Aero-V...

I'm becoming rather wary of SAABs, as despite the internet know it all confirmation bias single make forum bores consensus that parts are not a problem that has certainly not been the case for a colleague.

The heater fan speed resistor on his 2009 9-3 died before Christmas and despite trawling breakers and specialists to find one slightly wrong part after another it was not until last week that the correct part arrived direct from China. No heater for almost two months and hours of work and wasted money buying part after part that wasn't right. All for driving a slightly better trimmed Vauxhall. They are neither good enough or interesting enough to be worth the risk and effort.

Well I liked my 9-5 aero and would consider another. Hardly anything goes wrong with them either and when it does it's usually a cheap fix. Neo brothers were very good for parts too.

[Krikkit]

r129sl said:

SimonTheSailor said:

S500 LWB anybody ? Mercedes SH, looks great, get a few hundred off - bargain ?

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

These are a total bargain, if you ask me. There are quite a lot out there, more petrol V8s than we usually find these days, which is good; but quite a few have been neglected, which is bad; and quite a few more were blandly specified when new, which is also bad (no light ivory, sob).

For some time I have been obsessed with this one: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

It is out of budget (and unsurprisingly not selling). However, it is SWB (which I would prefer), low mileage, and very, very nicely specified, being a 500, on the short wheel base, the 16" wheels (don't they look great?), exclusive nappa leather (alcantara headlining, leather dash, doors and console) and a pretty full roster of bits and bobs to go wrong over the next few years. It is quite unusual for a SWB to have heated, ventilated, electrically adjustable rear seats...

Then there is this one local to me. Facelift; but LWB.Nice colour; fancy interior again; low price; monstrously full spec. Shame about the wheels. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-MERCEDES-BENZ-S-CL...6oAAOSwlpZaUPi7

I don't know whether the extra size over my w210 would be tedious.

On which note, I am tooling around in my friend's very tidy w211 E500 Elegance. These are my thoughts. It is significantly faster than the w210 E430. The E500's power and torque are not that much greater but I think it is about 100kg lighter and it has the 7-speed gearbox. The air suspension is different but not better: it is no quieter and the low speed ride is inferior; by contrast the ride at higher speed is better. It is less Merc-like in feel. I am not convinced the build quality (body rust aside) is any better at all. The lighting is better but not massively so. It is no quieter than the E430, if anything the tyre noise is greater (235/45 R17 v 245/45 R17, so that's not it). I decided I wouldn't be swapping my 210 for a 211 anytime soon: I'd rather spend the money on putting an E55 engine into the 430.

But would a w220, especially a SWB, hit the spot?

I was looking at W220 500's yesterday, they do seem very under-valued, comparatively speaking.

The first one (black/black) has been up for sale on AT with that dealer since June, so a really hard haggle is definitely possible.

Personally I can't stand black exteriors, so it'd be the second one for me. Like you I have reservations about the LWB cars being too big - 95% of my miles are just me, and the rear seats might get used for 20 hours a year, so why carry an extra foot of car around?

RE: W211 I think tyres may be more significant than you think - I've had two sets on the front of mine (alignment issues) and the difference in noise between the 1st and 2nd (ditchfinder and Kumho) was noticeable.

I totally agree on the low-speed ride though, I find mine surprisingly poor (again, 245/45/17), but once up to 30 or so it's excellent.

[tobinen]

Am i right in thinking the 220 is Sacco's last design?

I quite like them apart from the odd-shaped head unit with satnav. The black one r129sl posted looks very good but it's too dear even at that low mileage IMO. Probably why it hasn't sold in over six months. Must be a wealthy trader who can sit on stock that long.

[Dr Interceptor]

I just got an email from eBay to advise that the BMW 760 mentioned a few pages back has been re-listed £500 cheaper.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-760il/132479509405

[Blown2CV]

Dr Interceptor said:

I just got an email from eBay to advise that the BMW 760 mentioned a few pages back has been re-listed £500 cheaper.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-760il/132479509405

one could either see this as a massive opportunity or massive alarm bells.

seller said:

Rolls Royce engine. 445 bhp. Absolute flying machine!!

[Mark-C]

Blown2CV said:

seller said:

Rolls Royce engine. 445 bhp. Absolute flying machine!!

That's just made me sing "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"

Liking the Phaeton - definitely fancy one if I ever end up with a big commute again.

[SpeckledJim]

Chromegrill said:

For what it's worth there are four Phaetons on Autotrader at this very moment for £3000 or less including one that's LPG, though none have ten cylinders.

The LPG one looks like a good option. Very smart, tidy and sensible for the money.

lpg rools ok.

[BigBen]

r129sl said:

These are a total bargain, if you ask me.

....and also if you ask me. The phrase 'a lot of car for the money' has never been truer. Despite having a 600 for sale I suspect the 500 is the sweet spot of the range for the bargist, or at least requires a lot less bravery to buy and run. That said the 500 would be missing the 'holy st' acceleration of the 600TT which I would miss. A lot.

[fathomfive]

r129sl said:

These are a total bargain, if you ask me. There are quite a lot out there, more petrol V8s than we usually find these days, which is good; but quite a few have been neglected, which is bad; and quite a few more were blandly specified when new, which is also bad (no light ivory, sob).

For some time I have been obsessed with this one: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...



It is out of budget (and unsurprisingly not selling). However, it is SWB (which I would prefer), low mileage, and very, very nicely specified, being a 500, on the short wheel base, the 16" wheels (don't they look great?), exclusive nappa leather (alcantara headlining, leather dash, doors and console) and a pretty full roster of bits and bobs to go wrong over the next few years. It is quite unusual for a SWB to have heated, ventilated, electrically adjustable rear seats...

Then there is this one local to me. Facelift; but LWB.Nice colour; fancy interior again; low price; monstrously full spec. Shame about the wheels. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-MERCEDES-BENZ-S-CL...6oAAOSwlpZaUPi7



I don't know whether the extra size over my w210 would be tedious.

On which note, I am tooling around in my friend's very tidy w211 E500 Elegance. These are my thoughts. It is significantly faster than the w210 E430. The E500's power and torque are not that much greater but I think it is about 100kg lighter and it has the 7-speed gearbox. The air suspension is different but not better: it is no quieter and the low speed ride is inferior; by contrast the ride at higher speed is better. It is less Merc-like in feel. I am not convinced the build quality (body rust aside) is any better at all. The lighting is better but not massively so. It is no quieter than the E430, if anything the tyre noise is greater (235/45 R17 v 245/45 R17, so that's not it). I decided I wouldn't be swapping my 210 for a 211 anytime soon: I'd rather spend the money on putting an E55 engine into the 430.

But would a w220, especially a SWB, hit the spot?

I purchased a Mini from this seller last weekend, as he's local to me too, and found him decent enough to deal with.

I spotted the S-Class from a distance but didn't get the chance to take a look.

He had a couple of E-Class' in too, one of which had sold and looked very nice indeed.

[SpeckledJim]

BigBen said:

r129sl said:

These are a total bargain, if you ask me.

....and also if you ask me. The phrase 'a lot of car for the money' has never been truer. Despite having a 600 for sale I suspect the 500 is the sweet spot of the range for the bargist, or at least requires a lot less bravery to buy and run. That said the 500 would be missing the 'holy st' acceleration of the 600TT which I would miss. A lot.

And me. I gather W220 are popular amongst Mercedes technicians as a good choice for a tough reliable comfortable daily.

[Phil Dicky]

Blown2CV said:

Dr Interceptor said:

I just got an email from eBay to advise that the BMW 760 mentioned a few pages back has been re-listed £500 cheaper.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-760il/132479509405

one could either see this as a massive opportunity or massive alarm bells.

seller said:

Rolls Royce engine. 445 bhp. Absolute flying machine!!

Not bad advert seems pretty genuine for ebay...list of the history and work done would be handy on the listing.

[r129sl]

tobinen said:

Am i right in thinking the 220 is Sacco's last design?

I quite like them apart from the odd-shaped head unit with satnav. The black one r129sl posted looks very good but it's too dear even at that low mileage IMO. Probably why it hasn't sold in over six months. Must be a wealthy trader who can sit on stock that long.

I think the w220 is the last design Sacco had a hand in, but it is not really his. According to Wikipedia, Briton Steve Mattin did it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Mattin

I quite like the funny head unit with the various elements set into the wood. The facelift version is obviously miles cheaper to manufacture. However, the screen is pretty low res, iPod and iPhone integration is pretty impossible, the latest map updates are four years old, and you have to change map disc with every country you go to.

Krikkit said:

RE: W211 I think tyres may be more significant than you think - I've had two sets on the front of mine (alignment issues) and the difference in noise between the 1st and 2nd (ditchfinder and Kumho) was noticeable.

I totally agree on the low-speed ride though, I find mine surprisingly poor (again, 245/45/17), but once up to 30 or so it's excellent.

It is on brand new Continentals.

The ride is quite odd. On broken town streets, it is inferior to a steel sprung car, though it can handle speed bumps beautifully if you take them at a certain speed. On the open road, be it smooth trunk road or broken rural road, at speeds above 30 or so as you say, the ride is really first rate.

Overall I was more impressed with the w211 this morning. The weather was abominable, heavy rain, strong winds. The wipers are very good (although they could clear a little more of the screen at driver's side 'A' pillar). The tyres are definitely noisier than the w210's, but overall I think I can discern an improvement in refinement. It is not night and day like the difference between 124 and 210 but it is there.

The interior has also grown on me, though it lacks the traditional Mercedes character. I don't like the blue-grey bright instrument lighting (which clashes with the yellow button lighting) and the digital fuel and temperature gauges are awful. The seats are great: this car has heated, ventilated, multi-contour, electrically adjustable, kappa leather-upholstered seats, so they ought to be good.

And it is a bit thirstier than the E430.

[Blown2CV]

Phil Dicky said:

Blown2CV said:

Dr Interceptor said:

I just got an email from eBay to advise that the BMW 760 mentioned a few pages back has been re-listed £500 cheaper.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-760il/132479509405

one could either see this as a massive opportunity or massive alarm bells.

seller said:

Rolls Royce engine. 445 bhp. Absolute flying machine!!

Not bad advert seems pretty genuine for ebay...list of the history and work done would be handy on the listing.

yea TBH he seemed to be honest in the rest of his description. Not sure about the truth in the RR engine bit... seems a bit like the "my audi has a lambo engine" misconception

[BigBen]

SpeckledJim said:

BigBen said:

r129sl said:

These are a total bargain, if you ask me.

....and also if you ask me. The phrase 'a lot of car for the money' has never been truer. Despite having a 600 for sale I suspect the 500 is the sweet spot of the range for the bargist, or at least requires a lot less bravery to buy and run. That said the 500 would be missing the 'holy st' acceleration of the 600TT which I would miss. A lot.

And me. I gather W220 are popular amongst Mercedes technicians as a good choice for a tough reliable comfortable daily.

I did a bit of work with Aston Martin a few years back and quite a few of their engineers seemed to have W220s as daily drivers, that or 996 Porsches or both.

[mattman]

Interesting SL500 - standing for 10 years and sounds like a half baked attempt to get it running again - Borktastic or worth rescuing?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[CharlesdeGaulle]

mattman said:

Interesting SL500 - standing for 10 years and sounds like a half baked attempt to get it running again - Borktastic or worth rescuing?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Not well-used and boring silver, but low mileage and a 500. Refusing offers won't help him, and it'll need some cash and TLC to be genuinely usable and desirable.

Everything will be fixable so it could be worth a punt, but I'd be surprised if there was much enthusiasm for it at 5.5. At a grand less, it argues a stronger case.

[Prinny]

Blown2CV said:

Phil Dicky said:

Blown2CV said:

Dr Interceptor said:

I just got an email from eBay to advise that the BMW 760 mentioned a few pages back has been re-listed £500 cheaper.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-760il/132479509405

one could either see this as a massive opportunity or massive alarm bells.

seller said:

Rolls Royce engine. 445 bhp. Absolute flying machine!!

Not bad advert seems pretty genuine for ebay...list of the history and work done would be handy on the listing.

yea TBH he seemed to be honest in the rest of his description. Not sure about the truth in the RR engine bit... seems a bit like the "my audi has a lambo engine" misconception

As I said back then, it’s almost fully loaded (missing rear screen). It doesn’t seem too bad on the surface, but (as was mentioned) anyone selling a car who CBA to vac. out the footwells makes you wonder what else they CBA about...

Digressing a bit, If it’s not gone in another two weeks, I’m getting to the point I’d offer him 4k and use it as spares for mine, or think about tinkering with the engine to see what it can do. At approx. 75hp/litre, it’s not massively stressed, so a bit of tuning, maybe a blower (as supercharger whine is awesome!) then (if it fits) bung it in a z4 for sts & giggles. (I should stress that this is an idle fantasy and very unlikely to happen).

Or I could strongly suggest our resident scelerisque ranae buy it, and I can have his insight!