Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 12]

[Krikkit]

I bow to greater experience in that regard then - perhaps, as you say, a layover from the FoMoCo days that they aren't brave enough to throw out yet? I wonder if the F-pace and newer platform cars are still running the same architecture, or if they've gone to multi-channel. The provision for things like HD video streaming, multi-screen nav etc would push well past 1Mbit now.

Regarding fasteners that's definitely a hangup from the Ford days- there was a noticeable drop in quality in that department between the x300 and x308 in my experience.

[Geekman]

I've had 3 Jags from the Ford days, put between 20-50k on each of them with no major issues. Now got an Audi of a similar era, with lower mileage and supposedly better condition, put around 5k on it and it's been in the repair shop more than I've been driving it. Outside of seriously unreliable stuff like 90s Maseratis and Bentleys, it's very hard to generalise with reliability when it comes to used cars.

[funkyrobot]

Two from Old Colonel Cars. Any good?

E38 728 Individual

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273176090725



E39 520

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273180253050



The 5 series was on ebay last week for £1500. It'll now have an MOT at end of sale but the price has gone up nearly £500!

I'm wary of any trader trying to flog something as a 'trade sale' though.

[Croutons]

stewjohnst said:

Anyone know anything about Muranos by the way?

I covered 22K in one in the days of fuel cards. Assorted thoughts follow as they arrive!

Switchgear and buttons still remarkably similar to the Mk2 Qashqai, ie they work well enough Nissan didn't change them, dash similar, and looked a bit nasty for a range topper tbh. Leather in them is real, unlike in later Nissans. Check heated seats warm through, the real cow takes a while to heat, so don't be surprised if it take a few miles.

If you don't mind the plastic wall, they go well, and if looked after go on for years. 24ish mpg but with no thought as to cost from.me, more would have been achievable.

By now I'd expect examples serviced by people who know them to be fine, suspension will probably creak a bit, alloys probably be scuffed, would not like to pay to replace a reverse camera if not working or slow. Bose stereo good for the time. Suspect there are quieter cars at speed too, but they're old hat now, I had radio 1 blaring on the M4 and nvh would not have been a consideration for me at the time.

Cvt is binary, either it works or it doesn't, and if you don't get on with it (it sounds like a slipping clutch as it sounds like that's what it's doing as it over revs). Again, with fuel and noise not an issue I really didn't care. Plenty of space, good kit, probably a good buy, but post 03/06 has £555 tax, so probably hard to sell! Not many left by the look of it, no real surprise when I can imagine plenty of owners, even with cared for cars, getting an MOT / service bill with a couple of consumables like brakes and tyres, or a cat, and thinking they can't be arsed when they're not that quick and you have to pay that 555 fee.

Conclusion, alright if you need the space and don't mind the tax, a rare sight, but probably won't end up in Practical Classics.

[Lowtimer]

funkyrobot said:

Two from Old Colonel Cars.

I'm wary of any trader trying to flog something as a 'trade sale' though.

Well, he's got to clear his trade-ins somehow. It's plain in the advert that he doesn't see them as being cars capable of standing alongside his normal retail stock. Of the two I would be more interested in the E38 than the E39.

Edited to say:
hahaha, smarten your ideas up, Colonel
"HERE WE WILL HAVE A SELECTION OF CARS THAT DONT FIT IN WITH THE IMMACULATE CARS WE SELL AT OLDCOLONELCARS.CO.UK "

This is what it says on the ebay ads, but then it says it again on the listings for the same cars which are for sale, you guessed it... right alongside the more expensive ones at oldcolonelcars.co.uk

https://oldcolonelcars.co.uk/listing/bmw-e38-7-ser...
https://oldcolonelcars.co.uk/listing/bmw-e39-5-ser...

Edited by Lowtimer on Friday 27th April 19:02

[BigBen]

Krikkit said:

I bow to greater experience in that regard then - perhaps, as you say, a layover from the FoMoCo days that they aren't brave enough to throw out yet? I wonder if the F-pace and newer platform cars are still running the same architecture, or if they've gone to multi-channel. The provision for things like HD video streaming, multi-screen nav etc would push well past 1Mbit now.

video streaming and in fact any multimedia stuff has never been on CAN bus, it is purely for control, so for instance the volume control from the steering wheel will be on CAN (or its cheaper cousin K-line) but any higher bandwidth content will be on its own bus, likely MOST or some other optical bus.

Ben

[SpeckledJim]

This is like bearding in a foreign language. I like it. S’like holidays.

[SpeckledJim]

Normally bearding is stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know, but I’m glad to know now. That ^^^ wasn’t just stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know, but it’s also stuff I now know I still don’t know.

[0a]

I was back in the 190 today. What a lovely sweet thing it is. Driving along the motorway at reasonable speed it definitely has something the LS doesn’t have. That old merc feelgood factor. It’s noisier, slower and smaller. It needs a good run. I love the looks of it. It has no squeaks or rattles whatsoever despite turning 30 this year.

[0a]

SpeckledJim said:

Normally bearding is stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know, but I’m glad to know now. That ^^^ wasn’t just stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know, but it’s also stuff I now know I still don’t know.

Evil new fangledness. No need for it.

[Krikkit]

Liking those two from the Colonel - I can sympathise with his markups, he does have to stand by them as a trader, even if they're trade-ins.

I'm very much uncertain about the next barge later in the year - I really fancy an X308R, but finding a good one in thread budget looks a bit testing. I think it might also be one of those "forever" kind of cars, which would preclude further barging opportunities. On the secondary list are an X308 and X350 in non-R, LS400, E38, W220 and C215...

BigBen said:

Krikkit said:

I bow to greater experience in that regard then - perhaps, as you say, a layover from the FoMoCo days that they aren't brave enough to throw out yet? I wonder if the F-pace and newer platform cars are still running the same architecture, or if they've gone to multi-channel. The provision for things like HD video streaming, multi-screen nav etc would push well past 1Mbit now.

video streaming and in fact any multimedia stuff has never been on CAN bus, it is purely for control, so for instance the volume control from the steering wheel will be on CAN (or its cheaper cousin K-line) but any higher bandwidth content will be on its own bus, likely MOST or some other optical bus.

Ben

The last time I looked it was being used to transmit nav directional info and other screen-related items, I haven't really looked any further into it for many years.

Forgive my noobishness.

[Caruso]

0a said:

SpeckledJim said:

Normally bearding is stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know, but I’m glad to know now. That ^^^ wasn’t just stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know, but it’s also stuff I now know I still don’t know.

Evil new fangledness. No need for it.

Quite, I thought the whole point of taking the car is to avoid the taking the bus, and now they're saying there is a bus in the car?!

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Lowtimer said:

hahaha, smarten your ideas up, Colonel
"HERE WE WILL HAVE A SELECTION OF CARS THAT DONT FIT IN WITH THE IMMACULATE CARS WE SELL AT OLDCOLONELCARS.CO.UK "

I like the look of the e38 but really don't like the tone or approach of the marketing. 'Here we have' alles ubur die platz is off-putting for a start, as is 'Old Colonel' itself; I was a Colonel once and this chancer can fk right off using undeserved and unearned terms like that.

I recognise that I'm not amongst the hard-core BMW fans, but this bloke really pisses me off.

[olly755]

derin100 said:

SpeckledJim said:

'fleet' (hate that cheesy term, we need a new one)

Armada?

Fleet is a bit wky. A more appropriate collective term for my old bangers is probably a “litter”.

[Krikkit]

What about a goring of barges? They often draw blood.

[BigBen]

0a said:

SpeckledJim said:

Normally bearding is stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know, but I’m glad to know now. That ^^^ wasn’t just stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know, but it’s also stuff I now know I still don’t know.

Evil new fangledness. No need for it.

To bring it back to thread worthy topics the first mainstream car to feature CAN was the W140 S-Class iirc

[0a]

BigBen said:

0a said:

SpeckledJim said:

Normally bearding is stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know, but I’m glad to know now. That ^^^ wasn’t just stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know, but it’s also stuff I now know I still don’t know.

Evil new fangledness. No need for it.

To bring it back to thread worthy topics the first mainstream car to feature CAN was the W140 S-Class iirc

We didn't all have to know about it though then?! Whatever it is it seemed to work generally.

[phil_cardiff]

Tired of my budget eco box and with the cash from a new job burning a hole in my pocket I'm thinking of returning to the fold. But what to research/buy?

Criteria:
40mpg or more average
Reasonably quick
Pleasant handling
Very good sound system (willing to modify here)
Preferably an estate

[Prinny]

phil_cardiff said:

Tired of my budget eco box and with the cash from a new job burning a hole in my pocket I'm thinking of returning to the fold. But what to research/buy?

Criteria:
40mpg or more average
Reasonably quick
Pleasant handling
Very good sound system (willing to modify here)
Preferably an estate

Your first two seem to be somewhat at odds? (Though I guess it depends on your definition of reasonable & of quick).

V70 (as the pre 2004 D5 163)/E320Cdi/530d would be my suggested front-runners, I’m not an Audi person, but A6 has to be there too, I suppose. Struggling after that. Skoda Superb?

[Caruso]

A bankruptcy of barges.