Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 12]

[anonymous-user]

dscam said:

That looks superb. A really great car, despite a strong price it is put into perspective by what you’d need to spend on anything modern/new and remotely interesting.

I love mine, best car I've ever owned and never seems to go wrong. We paid around the same price 2 years ago. They are worth every penny

[Gruber]

SpeckledJim said:

Krikkit said:

Gruber said:

Incidentally, since you mentioned your Clio 172... what’s your view on where’s best bang per buck on french hot hatchery - 172, 182, 200 etc? I’m sorely tempted to get one.

I think I've had or driven most of the cheap hot hatches, and the 1*2 is by far the best.

In non cup form you get lots of amusing toys so they're comfortable enough to tolerate for a day on the motorway. The engine is a cracker and gives the whole car a pantomime feel of a huge lump in a tiny car. Mine is for sale shortly, got to slim down the fleet ready to move house.

If you're on a really tight budget then a 1.7 puma is incredible value, I bought one for 400 quid and ran it for a year spending about 50 quid on tinkering. It had a fabulous gear knob, and the engine is, again, a cracker.

I can get very boring about Pumas. Super, super, super things. The FRP is the best FWD I’ve driven, and the normal 1.7 is a terrific thing to drive as well.

The mkI Ka is also a brilliant drive. Miles more fun than expected, or necessary, and I’d choose one over almost anything for an hour’s thrash around the lanes.

Bit bigger, but the late 90’s Primera is also a brilliant chassis, easy to drive hard, and great fun.

So is the mkI Ka while I’m off topic.

Thanks both

There’s a french hot hatch-shaped hole in my car ownership history, and a little Clio would fit the bill.

krikkit: Do please ping me a link to yours when the time comes.

[ian316]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Thread favourite mtsv has had this for sale:

http://www.mtsv.co.uk/info/LXLS430BC.htm

I'm joining the club; delivery is tomorrow and I'm rather excited about it. Specsavers appointment booked for the afternoon!

Now that's a colour to make me very jealous

[Bennyjames28]

One of the post interesting threads on the whole site.

I know one day I will find myself tempted to pick up a big old barge. I just cant justify or stomach the potential upkeep costs.

[harrykul]

I'm another advocate of the Puma, I've had two, both 1.7s under a grand. Sold the first one for an E46 coupe and realised that I'd made a mistake and bought another within weeks!

One of the best driving cars I've ever had!

[Prinny]

Prinny said:

Well, the batch loads are still running, but it’s hard work scrolling through page after page without actually reading it all again. In big-boy pages, I am at the end of pg 65, which is 2nd March. We have:

8/10 - CLK
10/10 - E300TD
12/10 - LS400
16/10 - CLS500
23/10 - 750i
27/10 - 343
1/11 - 525i
2/11 - 520i
11/11 - 325i
15/11 - E500
18/11 - FFRR
19/11 - GS300
24/11 - LS400
27/11 - FFRR
6/12 - V70
6/12 - 525i
12/12 - 420SEL
17/12 - Outback H6
19/12 - 535d
23/12 - 745i
23/12 - Superb
30/12 - A6
31/12 - GS300
6/1 - 190E
7/1 - 525i
8/1 - GS300
12/1 - X308
13/1 - Freelander
5/2 - V70
18/2 - 728i
24/2 - A6
27/2 - 500SL (free)

At that point, time for a break - will finish tomorrow. But - think back - 0a’s “I love my Jag” comment is still to come. (sorry 0a).

Part 2...

3/3 - LS400
10/3 - X-type
30/3 - 330i
30/3 - LS400
30/3 - 650i
31/3 - X308
31/3 - LS400
7/4 - X3
8/4 - Omega
16/4 - Accord
17/4 - SL280
19/4 - E3
25/4 - SL500
4/5 - V70
12/5 - X-type
18/5 - E500
20/5 - Daimler
22/5 - Phone magnet (and why not!)
25/5 - LS430
25/5* - LS430 (Buccal didn’t give me a date to go on other than ‘last week’, so date of reporting of purchase is used).

Lowest cost (excluding the free SL) is the #1 purchase CLK at £300

Highest cost at £6995 is Alec.e & the 650i

I have not included Bob-lad’s FFRR, or my M6 purchases, as they’re at 4xthread limit, & that’s too far out, but ‘free’ to £7k feels fine.

As near as makes no difference, the thread is 8 months old, & 51 thread purchases, or just over 6/month. If you’d asked me before compiling this, I’d have said maybe 20 total. Frightening how soon you forget.

Other stats:
Audi - 2
BMW - 13
Honda - 1
Jaguar/Daimler - 5
Land Rover - 3
Lexus - 10
Mercedes- 10
Skoda - 1
Subaru - 1
Vauxhall - 1
Volvo - 4

Not 100% on this next but, but I think it’s 49 petrol & 2 diesel.

Edit: And the whole point of this. The most frequently purchased model? The Lexus LS with 7. Therefore this thread can be justifiably renamed!

Edited by Prinny on Saturday 26th May 11:26

[ian316]

I think those stats are dodgy due to Derin's bmw affliction

[golfer19]

You have too much time in your hands but well done.

[Fattyfat]

Someone on here? Pre Sacco W124

https://www.usedcarsni.com/1989-Mercedes-E-Class-W...

[sawman]

browsing the trader to see if there was a possibility of getting something comfy with a towbar, for the price of putting a towbar on the family Rav4.

came across this: Jaag

I know its not one of the toppermost gentlemans carriages, and only just bargey but might be comfy enough for a summer of boat towing outings - pity its not an estate. are there any major gotchas with these?

edit to add, recent MOT advisory rusty rear springs and shocks. springs seem cheap enough but shocks a bit more - maybe the previous owner didn't fancy the investment

Edited by sawman on Saturday 26th May 12:06

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Prinny said:

Part 2...
.
.
.

Edit: And the whole point of this. The most frequently purchased model? The Lexus LS with 7. Therefore this thread can be justifiably renamed!

Great stuff Prinny, and I share your surprise at the sheer number of buys.

However, the Lex-love seems comparatively recent. Previous incarnations of the thread have been heavy on MB and, perhaps to a slightly lesser extent, BMW.

There's no way I'm crunching any numbers, but the title's just fine as it is; were we to change it, we'd find a zealous Mod had moved us to the Japanese sub-sub-sub-section!

[ian316]

sawman said:

browsing the trader to see if there was a possibility of getting something comfy with a towbar, for the price of putting a towbar on the family Rav4.

came across this: Jaag

I know its not one of the toppermost gentlemans carriages, and only just bargey but might be comfy enough for a summer of boat towing outings - pity its not an estate. are there any major gotchas with these?

lack of inner and outer sills behind the plastic covers apart from that not a lot

[anonymous-user]

Working CLK 430 with nearly a years MOT for £500

V8 for 1/10 of the budget. Doesn’t look too bad bar the roof which can just stay up.

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

[CharlesdeGaulle]

My disappointing Lexus news is that the delivery chap failed to collect the car so it's still in W Yorks. We're trying to find an alternative means of delivery, but I may yet have to jump on a train over the bank holiday which, as you can imagine, isn't a very appealing prospect.

[Christian85]

I haven’t seen any VW Phaetons mentioned in here? Are they to be avoided with a very large extendable barge pole?

[0a]

I had a nice long phone call with the XJ’s new owner last night. Good chap. New engine installed and it goes for MOT next week!

[Prinny]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

My disappointing Lexus news is that the delivery chap failed to collect the car so it's still in W Yorks. We're trying to find an alternative means of delivery, but I may yet have to jump on a train over the bank holiday which, as you can imagine, isn't a very appealing prospect.

If pricing/timing is more reasonable, & if you can get to Manchester, I’ll happily get you the last leg over t’hill and into god’s county. Alec.e & I might be meeting up tomorrow for a 6-series mini-meet, and I’m meant to be wfh on Monday, but I’ve already done 6 hrs yesterday & 3 this morning (which is why I had the time to compile some figures), so work owe me some time back anyway (and I can flex the rest regardless). Just let me know...

[0a]

nobrakes said:

55palfers said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Thread favourite mtsv has had this for sale:

http://www.mtsv.co.uk/info/LXLS430BC.htm

I'm joining the club; delivery is tomorrow and I'm rather excited about it. Specsavers appointment booked for the afternoon!

Lovely.

Great colour too. Luxuriate at your leisure.

That’s a wise purchase. To have spotted that car at that garage - surely one of the buys of the thread.

I was in agreement but thinking “it must have been expensive”. Then I realised the price is still on the ad. Disgusting.

[Escapegoat]

Christian85 said:

I haven’t seen any VW Phaetons mentioned in here? Are they to be avoided with a very large extendable barge pole?

Considered the unloved 3.2 petrol Phaeton before I bought my LS400. Love hte understated looks, and all of those toys!

Five minutes of Web browsing sobered me up. The biggest influence was seeing a forum post about the cost of fixing a frayed loom cover (something clever for the bootlid mechanism): over £10,000. Because it was only available from VAG as one huge complete loom.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

0a said:

I was in agreement but thinking “it must have been expensive”. Then I realised the price is still on the ad. Disgusting.

It was published as TBA when I posted it, otherwise I wouldn't have done so. I actually paid less than that.