Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 13]

[JF87]

C216s just don't do it for me at all. Give me a C215 any day - surely one of the century's most handsome designs.

[SpeckledJim]

Lord.Vader said:

SpeckledJim said:

BigBen said:

EarlOfHazard said:

Lord.Vader said:

W221 now in budget?


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

A few more under £6k ... any issues?

I'd say it's been clocked.

They seem to be coming into budget fairly regularly so no reason to suspect clocking.

I paid £6750 for mine 18 months ago.

How have you found it? I quite fancy one, as the budget doesn't stretch to a Black Badge RR Dawn.

Pleased with it. It's pretty high spec, LWB, and only missing active cruise control from the list of stuff I'd like. The styling isn't to my taste, inside or out.

The clever seats are just incredible. I can't see any way to get four people around more comfortably for the money.

[W00DY]

In the right colour, on the right wheels I think the C216 is the last good looking car Mercedes made. Apart from the GT and G-wagen, obviously.

[SpeckledJim]

They've certainly got presence and a bit of 'fk off factor'.

Not as nice as C215, IMO, which despite being in its doldrums period at the moment, is going to be remembered as one of the real great designs, I expect.

[JF87]

This is the cheapest C216 on Autotrader (£6,500 with a bubbly arch - - and a big crack in the rear screen).



Don't mind the colour and love all the toys... but it looks like a fat CLK with an underbite.

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

[E65Ross]

The C216 is a wonderful car. I was lucky enough to go in a CL63, was a nice car and a very nice interior, if a little dated compared to what it was standing in for at the time of a repair job, gearbox was especially so.... But still very good on the whole.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

E65Ross said:

The C216 is a wonderful car. I was lucky enough to go in a CL63 ...

Wrong thread mate - not less than 5k. Wonderful cars/boring budget st/rusting already/executive taxi ...

[DavidJJ]

StonedRollin said:

I bought a low mileage 55 plate one of these, admittedly not from a main dealer, for top budget back in November 2016 and have since covered 45k miles in it.

A few pointers to watch out for:-
- gas struts on the boot are prone to give up through age so make sure when the boot is open it literally requires no effort to lift and swings up of its own accord. If it slams closed then the struts are done. They are not an expensive or difficult fit and are a satisfying hour long job. Replacement new struts can be had for £20 a corner and are easy enough to fit once you remove a couple of clips holding the boot lining in place.
- the radio aerial is laminated into the rear windscreen and is a common fault on older ones (mine included) where if you have the radio on a FM channel and put the rear demister and wing mirror heaters on then you get static interference. It is something to do with the aerial separating from the rear window but is more an inconvenience than anything else

Other thoughts:-
- i'm not tall (5'10") and tend to sit closer than most to the steering wheel and there isn't a lot of room behind me. If you regularly transport 4 adults around i'd bear this in mind. If you don't or only have small kids in the back then likely not an issue. There is plenty room in the front for a couple of adults and it is very comfortable.
- in the 45k i've done i've averaged 33mpg and that is a mix of motorway and town rush hour start/stop/static traffic. I don't have a particularly heavy right foot but will be sitting at 80mph as much as possible when on the open road
- if you are looking for sporting pretences then look elsewhere. It can lift its skirt and make decent haste if need be but it more is about making smooth and comfortable progress
- rear seats are fixed in place so unless it can fit in the boot or through the ski hatch then you aren't transporting it
- Tax band is K so i don't think you will be the full £540pa - i think you'll be £290pa which is fine with me
- gearbox is a sealed for life unit that apparently requires no oil change. I've spoken to Lexus about this as it makes me nervous but they swear blind on not changing it. If you google this you can find endless discussions about it with a few people having been able to change the oil. So far though i haven't found anyone saying that their gearbox has failed so i guess that is good news
- paddles are handy when you knock it into 'Sport' mode as it will hold onto gears for longer but if you simply set the ECU to Power then it does exactly the same if you plant the right foot. Good novelty to manually change the gears with the paddles though as they are pleasing to the touch - sad but true
- it should be super smooth and super quiet. I've had a few people ask me if mine is a hybrid
- heated and ventilated seats are ace and on a long journey in winter it is satisfying to cool down your derriere with a little cool air

Make sure you report back on the test drive. Good luck.

Paul

Firstly, thank you SO much for this, appreciated.

Left work later than I wanted and endured some awful traffic getting there so I didn't get to see it until it was properly dark, which wasn't ideal.

Only negatives were a smallish dent in the nearside wing they've agreed to pull out should I proceed and the headlight covers looked as if they were yellowing a little but might have been me.

Service history solid and all through Lexus. Winced at the last bill in September which was caused by the alternator failing, plus they got a new battery fitted and got the front discs done, came in at well over £1k. Handy for the next buyer...

Regarding your comments, yeah - the good thing is rear seat room isn't an issue, I'm scraping 28mpg using 99 RON in my current car so frankly 33mpg on 95 RON would be a dream, and really just want it for the comfort aspect.

So, here's the thing, I actually really liked it, just an all round good vibe if that makes sense. Great interior condition too. I'd be the third owner. But - I didn't test drive it, mainly as I got there 15 minutes before they closed and outside was pretty much gridlocked anyway. But having already ticked the "viewed it in the dark" box, I need to take another look and drive the thing.

Apparently someone else is looking at it in the morning, but going to play it cool and either sneak out/go at lunchtime for another viewing and drive. Either way I'll make a final decision tomorrow!

[BlueHave]

JF87 said:

This is the cheapest C216 on Autotrader (£6,500 with a bubbly arch - - and a big crack in the rear screen).



Don't mind the colour and love all the toys... but it looks like a fat CLK with an underbite.

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

Only a decent wrap and a change of alloys. could sort that out. Not sure 90's bathroom aquamarine paint colour and the wheels off a poverty spec C-Class do anything for the CL

[r129sl]

BlueHave said:

JF87 said:

This is the cheapest C216 on Autotrader (£6,500 with a bubbly arch - - and a big crack in the rear screen).



Don't mind the colour and love all the toys... but it looks like a fat CLK with an underbite.

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

Only a decent wrap and a change of alloys. could sort that out. Not sure 90's bathroom aquamarine paint colour and the wheels off a poverty spec C-Class do anything for the CL

The colour is a matter of taste but the curiosity about those wheels (and similar on other Mercs) is that they are by far and way the best available in terms of quality and functionality. They are forged, so lighter and stronger with better heat dissipation than the others (which are cast) and they have nice meaty sidewalls so offer better ride, better handling and, in all save the most extreme, track-based scenarios, better grip.

[olly755]

JF87 said:

This is the cheapest C216 on Autotrader (£6,500 with a bubbly arch - - and a big crack in the rear screen).



Don't mind the colour and love all the toys... but it looks like a fat CLK with an underbite.

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

I like everything about that, wheels and colour included. It sounds daft but the styling reminds me of a modern day Continental R, especially when viewed from the rear quarter. Admittedly I’m perusing the photos on my tiny old scratched phone.

Corrision is a big disappointment on a high end car at only 11 years old though. Have Mercedes not learned their lessons? And of course, trader vendor selling as a trade sale is shorthand for “it’s about to let go”.

[SpeckledJim]

r129sl said:

The colour is a matter of taste but the curiosity about those wheels (and similar on other Mercs) is that they are by far and way the best available in terms of quality and functionality. They are forged, so lighter and stronger with better heat dissipation than the others (which are cast) and they have nice meaty sidewalls so offer better ride, better handling and, in all save the most extreme, track-based scenarios, better grip.

Mine is on 19" AMG jobbers that probably cost an absolute fortune new, but I'd prefer the smaller ones for the reasons you list.

Dropping one into a big pothole is a moment of full-body pucker (mine, not the car's) and The Keeper of All Information buckled one last winter, thankfully repaired not replaced.

[StonedRollin]

DavidJJ said:

Firstly, thank you SO much for this, appreciated.

Left work later than I wanted and endured some awful traffic getting there so I didn't get to see it until it was properly dark, which wasn't ideal.

Only negatives were a smallish dent in the nearside wing they've agreed to pull out should I proceed and the headlight covers looked as if they were yellowing a little but might have been me.

Service history solid and all through Lexus. Winced at the last bill in September which was caused by the alternator failing, plus they got a new battery fitted and got the front discs done, came in at well over £1k. Handy for the next buyer...

Regarding your comments, yeah - the good thing is rear seat room isn't an issue, I'm scraping 28mpg using 99 RON in my current car so frankly 33mpg on 95 RON would be a dream, and really just want it for the comfort aspect.

So, here's the thing, I actually really liked it, just an all round good vibe if that makes sense. Great interior condition too. I'd be the third owner. But - I didn't test drive it, mainly as I got there 15 minutes before they closed and outside was pretty much gridlocked anyway. But having already ticked the "viewed it in the dark" box, I need to take another look and drive the thing.

Apparently someone else is looking at it in the morning, but going to play it cool and either sneak out/go at lunchtime for another viewing and drive. Either way I'll make a final decision tomorrow!

No worries

There's no way Lexus would put an IS of that age and mileage out on the forecourt unless it was perfect or darn near so, so i was assuming that service history would be spot on.

Coincidentally my headlights had fogged over to the point of needing sorted before the winter approached. I just bought a Meguirs kit (£20?) and used my drill and they are now good as new.

Hope you get a run in the car.

I'm actually thinking about changing mine at the end of the year as I've had it for a couple of years and will hopefully be in a position to buy something a little newer. What to buy though..................

[tobinen]

olly755 said:

Corrision is a big disappointment on a high end car at only 11 years old though. Have Mercedes not learned their lessons? And of course, trader vendor selling as a trade sale is shorthand for “it’s about to let go”.

Agreed, assuming it's not a prior repair, that is very poor.

[Geekman]

tobinen said:

Agreed, assuming it's not a prior repair, that is very poor.

I've never seen any corrosion on any C216, including those with higher miles than that example. I'd guess poor repair tbh.

[Dr Interceptor]

Geekman said:

I've never seen any corrosion on any C216, including those with higher miles than that example. I'd guess poor repair tbh.

I'd agree, It either looks like a bad repair, or some damage to the lip of the arch which has subsequently corroded.

The previous owner CEO certainly got some mileage for his depreciation..

[JF87]

C215 biturbos are now dropping into reach. Inevitably though the cheap ones are all flawed. This has been knocking about for aeons - currently at £5.2K, and may not end too much higher as the vendor signally failed to find a buyer at £7,495 BIN. Must be one of the very first biturbos on a 52 plate (in fact I think it's the earliest facelift C215 I've seen of any sort).



Colours and spec to die for. But no s/h, a bit of bubbling, a lot of stone chips and a fog light half full of mossy water. Also, the vendor - to turn his own rhetorical guns on him - comes across as rather a 'bulb'.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mercedes-cl-600-bi-turb...

[josh00mac]

Exiting Bargelife update: marginal interest on the P38. It is priced too high and the advisories that my new-to-me MOT tester gave have raised a few buyers eyebrows (surface corrosion on the springs, corrosion to rear brake lines)

I will reduce it next week before using the cash to buy a golf (he says)

This morning I cycled past a nice black LS400 that I have long admired on my commute. Its only gone and got a hand written for sale note in the window.... oh god ive been looking at that LS400 for ages.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

josh00mac said:

This morning I cycled past a nice black LS400 that I have long admired on my commute. Its only gone and got a hand written for sale note in the window.... oh god ive been looking at that LS400 for ages.

It's fate. Get it on your drive pronto.


You won't regret it.*





* Well, obviously, you might. No warranty suggested or implied etc etc.

[0a]

I like my LS400. I do look at newer Lexi in a different way since owning and driving one for a while.

Probably the same once you've worn dungarees for a while - appreciation of how easy and comfortable they are once you forget how naff they look.