Car swap - who wants an AMG Merc for 3 months?
Discussion
Mcfazz79 said:
Mcfazz79 said:
I would gladly proffer my 2010 FFRR TDV8 Vogue SE - with the essential rear screens to entertain the infant child....
I have also recently replaced the well know and highly temperamental ventilated seat heater unit and intercooler pipes so no risk of blanket fogging the continentals on the mountain passes.
I have also recently replaced the well know and highly temperamental ventilated seat heater unit and intercooler pipes so no risk of blanket fogging the continentals on the mountain passes.
So, gentlemen (and ladies?), time to update this thread which has, quite frankly, astounded me in terms of responses, interest and general good feeling. Thanks all! Lady F and I were comparing the weird cattiness of Mumsnet, which she turned to for some new baby advice and swiftly decided never to visit again, to PH, where we seem to genuinely want to help each other out.
Mind you, I hope that some self-interest, in terms of the possession of 5.5litres of twin turbo V8 with almost 600bhp, loosely attached to the road by some mechanical bits and inadequate rear rubber, also featured! I've been out in the CLS this weekend, with no baby for the first time in weeks, and frankly with all the driver aids off and everything set to Sport+/Manual, it is an eye-widening and savage experience...
...which definitely needs careful treatment in the cold and wet - it was wheelspinning at 50mph down the A3 yesterday night under hard acceleration (on new tyres, mind you). I may have switched it back to Comfort pretty quickly, taken everything down several levels, and gone back to wafting around with the superb stereo doing its thing. But this morning's drive on the roads of Surrey, in the autumn sunshine, on dry roads, was an absolute blast. This car would probably suit someone who has another, more sensible vehicle in the garage in case things get really bad this winter.
To that end, I have accepted the kind offer of a PHer who posted on this thread, and will be swapping the 63 for a TDV8 FFRR, on M+S rated tyres, which honestly sounds like the perfect family ski truck. The generous individual loaning it to me has access to another 4x4, so will not spend his winter slithering around and terrified, which seems like a good situation for both of us!
If the other owner agrees, I will update this thread with diary entries of the Rangie doing its inimitable thing in the Alps. He called on its capabilities during the heavy snows early this year, and said it was like driving a big, safe sofa around. I rather hope the CLS doesn't give him the opposite experience
Mind you, I hope that some self-interest, in terms of the possession of 5.5litres of twin turbo V8 with almost 600bhp, loosely attached to the road by some mechanical bits and inadequate rear rubber, also featured! I've been out in the CLS this weekend, with no baby for the first time in weeks, and frankly with all the driver aids off and everything set to Sport+/Manual, it is an eye-widening and savage experience...
...which definitely needs careful treatment in the cold and wet - it was wheelspinning at 50mph down the A3 yesterday night under hard acceleration (on new tyres, mind you). I may have switched it back to Comfort pretty quickly, taken everything down several levels, and gone back to wafting around with the superb stereo doing its thing. But this morning's drive on the roads of Surrey, in the autumn sunshine, on dry roads, was an absolute blast. This car would probably suit someone who has another, more sensible vehicle in the garage in case things get really bad this winter.
To that end, I have accepted the kind offer of a PHer who posted on this thread, and will be swapping the 63 for a TDV8 FFRR, on M+S rated tyres, which honestly sounds like the perfect family ski truck. The generous individual loaning it to me has access to another 4x4, so will not spend his winter slithering around and terrified, which seems like a good situation for both of us!
If the other owner agrees, I will update this thread with diary entries of the Rangie doing its inimitable thing in the Alps. He called on its capabilities during the heavy snows early this year, and said it was like driving a big, safe sofa around. I rather hope the CLS doesn't give him the opposite experience
Edited by Harry Flashman on Sunday 7th October 12:38
This thread is what pistonheads is all about. I now assume it's like an episode of dragons den where the respective parties now perform due diligence to ensure it's a pukka deal and the paper work is in good order.
Will there be mileage limits etc imposed? Any caveats to the deal?
Look forward to the respective threads chronicling the journey of each respective swapies.
Well done all, pistonheads at it's finest. I will now go and depress myself in all the other "bmw chav's" and "Audi assholes" threads and wonder about what motivates these posters.
Will there be mileage limits etc imposed? Any caveats to the deal?
Look forward to the respective threads chronicling the journey of each respective swapies.
Well done all, pistonheads at it's finest. I will now go and depress myself in all the other "bmw chav's" and "Audi assholes" threads and wonder about what motivates these posters.
To be honest I’d be writing up some sort of agreement/contract about who’s responsible for what during the loan, be looking for insurance before swapping etc. Harry may have cover for any car he has so many but other things like maintenance, MOT if due during the loan period, any repairs etc due. Maybe even as far as mileage limits (although that may may getting to France a tad difficult!) and what amounts to fair wear and tear. I’m sure Harry wouldn’t be too pleased at having a set of rear tyres down to the cords when he’s been taking excellent care of the RR for example.
MissChief said:
To be honest I’d be writing up some sort of agreement/contract about who’s responsible for what during the loan, be looking for insurance before swapping etc. Harry may have cover for any car he has so many but other things like maintenance, MOT if due during the loan period, any repairs etc due. Maybe even as far as mileage limits (although that may may getting to France a tad difficult!) and what amounts to fair wear and tear. I’m sure Harry wouldn’t be too pleased at having a set of rear tyres down to the cords when he’s been taking excellent care of the RR for example.
Been thinking about this (I am a lawyer by training, after all). Pretty simply done: we already discussed insurance for ourselves and each others' wives on the phone. Basically, we each have to insure the other's car on our own insurance, so our own NCB etc is at risk. I expect a simple contract stating that in a write-off situation, we have to hand the proceeds of the insurance over, and that in a fixing the vehicle for damage situation, we behave reasonably, and fix it. Mileage limits seem fair (although I am a relatively relaxed about this, as the RR will do two big trips and then about 50 miles a week. I am quite relaxed about the CLS having reasonable miles put on it too. We'll probably agree to replace tyres should they come back too worn or damaged. We are also planning on a swap in November, which gives us plenty of time to get used to each others' vehicles and make sure we don't have any concerns about imminent issues etc. I'm pretty confident in my Merc, having just bought it, and the RR has just been in to get a few minor bits sorted, so ostensibly, both cars should be in good nick and ready for winter.
Frankly, the chap I spoke to seemed a reasonable fellow, into his cars, used to high performance vehicles, and with the resources to deal with stuff (all of these things do matter - it's how our informal car club works at home; and why when my friend backed my Aston into a bollard a year back, he just got it fixed with no qualms). MOTs are not due during the period, nor any services, I believe, but should I take the RR over a service interval due to my use, I'd be perfectly happy to have it serviced at my cost. Next service on the Merc is a minor one, so I hope the other chap feels the same way should he take it over the service mileage (unlikely I believe). Anyway, we are meeting for a beer in a few weeks to work all this stuff out.
My car is the more valuable of the two by a factor of 3, so more risk is with me. But that was sort of the point of this thread - to offer something a bit special to someone, in exchange for something helpful to me. As I said to the RR owner on the phone, I really want the 4x4 not because I anticipate driving it across snowfields, but because on the rare times you have really bad weather, I feel safe with me, wife and infant in the car. And if I have to drive a baby to hospital in a snowstorm (hopefully a situation that will not arise), that 4x4 could be literally a life saver.
I am a believer in trusting other people, and treating them fairly. The other owner seems to be the same sort of person. Time to have a little faith!
Edited by Harry Flashman on Sunday 7th October 17:47
All i can say is this is the sort of thing that brought me to Pistonheads years ago.
In the last few years it has declined in to Facebook with cars. (Mostly utter bulls
t)
This thread and a couple more are the type that keep me interested and coming back. Keep up the good work Mr Flashman and his new friend!
In the last few years it has declined in to Facebook with cars. (Mostly utter bulls
t)This thread and a couple more are the type that keep me interested and coming back. Keep up the good work Mr Flashman and his new friend!
Harry Flashman said:
MissChief said:
To be honest I’d be writing up some sort of agreement/contract about who’s responsible for what during the loan, be looking for insurance before swapping etc. Harry may have cover for any car he has so many but other things like maintenance, MOT if due during the loan period, any repairs etc due. Maybe even as far as mileage limits (although that may may getting to France a tad difficult!) and what amounts to fair wear and tear. I’m sure Harry wouldn’t be too pleased at having a set of rear tyres down to the cords when he’s been taking excellent care of the RR for example.
Been thinking about this (I am a lawyer by training, after all). Pretty simply done: we already discussed insurance for ourselves and each others' wives on the phone. Basically, we each have to insure the other's car on our own insurance, so our own NCB etc is at risk. I expect a simple contract stating that in a write-off situation, we have to hand the proceeds of the insurance over, and that in a fixing the vehicle for damage situation, we behave reasonably, and fix it. Mileage limits seem fair (although I am a relatively relaxed about this, as the RR will do two big trips and then about 50 miles a week. I am quite relaxed about the CLS having reasonable miles put on it too. We'll probably agree to replace tyres should they come back too worn or damaged. We are also planning on a swap in November, which gives us plenty of time to get used to each others' vehicles and make sure we don't have any concerns about imminent issues etc. I'm pretty confident in my Merc, having just bought it, and the RR has just been in to get a few minor bits sorted, so ostensibly, both cars should be in good nick and ready for winter.
Frankly, the chap I spoke to seemed a reasonable fellow, into his cars, used to high performance vehicles, and with the resources to deal with stuff (all of these things do matter - it's how our informal car club works at home; and why when my friend backed my Aston into a bollard a year back, he just got it fixed with no qualms). MOTs are not due during the period, nor any services, I believe, but should I take the RR over a service interval due to my use, I'd be perfectly happy to have it serviced at my cost. Next service on the Merc is a minor one, so I hope the other chap feels the same way should he take it over the service mileage (unlikely I believe). Anyway, we are meeting for a beer in a few weeks to work all this stuff out.
My car is the more valuable of the two by a factor of 3, so more risk is with me. But that was sort of the point of this thread - to offer something a bit special to someone, in exchange for something helpful to me. As I said to the RR owner on the phone, I really want the 4x4 not because I anticipate driving it across snowfields, but because on the rare times you have really bad weather, I feel safe with me, wife and infant in the car. And if I have to drive a baby to hospital in a snowstorm (hopefully a situation that will not arise), that 4x4 could be literally a life saver.
I am a believer in trusting other people, and treating them fairly. The other owner seems to be the same sort of person. Time to have a little faith!
Edited by Harry Flashman on Sunday 7th October 17:47
MissChief said:
History is littered with people out of pocket because they had faith, but I’m sure you won’t have any trouble!
More recent history, including my own, is littered with stories of people who may not have met without the internet and who have, with adequate application of common sense, trusted people they have never met before and had a happy outcome. I'm quite certain that both car owners know what they are doing and aren't expecting that they will be handing over their keys to someone with a heavy accent who owns an internet cafe in Lagos. You can sleep safe, I'm sure.Outstanding thread!
Unfortunately saw too late, and also my car is Dubai, to offer the services of my Toyota Sequoia.
The good wife would probably appreciate the good ol made in Indiana, USA and also 4wd, great ground clearance, seats eight adults, triple isofix in row two and a gas guzzling 5.7 litre V8.
It's about the size of an M1-A1 main battle tank and weighs about the same.
So..... If anyone in Dubai wants to swap their Mercedes schnell-mobile for a mobile warehouse, let me know!
:-)
Have fun in the snow!
Unfortunately saw too late, and also my car is Dubai, to offer the services of my Toyota Sequoia.
The good wife would probably appreciate the good ol made in Indiana, USA and also 4wd, great ground clearance, seats eight adults, triple isofix in row two and a gas guzzling 5.7 litre V8.
It's about the size of an M1-A1 main battle tank and weighs about the same.
So..... If anyone in Dubai wants to swap their Mercedes schnell-mobile for a mobile warehouse, let me know!
:-)
Have fun in the snow!
LDN said:
Nice one! Enjoy the RR. M+S tyres should see you right but be aware; chains on board, still a must!
Legal requirement to have them on board where I am going, so looking for some in the correct size...ETA: and where you have a place, too! Advice: can I buy chains for a big 4x4 with wheels that size en route? Hypermarche chains are generally cheaper than buying them over here.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Monday 8th October 07:51
Harry Flashman said:
Legal requirement to have them on board where I am going, so looking for some in the correct size...
ETA: and where you have a place, too! Advice: can I buy chains for a big 4x4 with wheels that size en route? Hypermarche chains are generally cheaper than buying them over here.
You may be able to get the right size chains en route... but from experience; buy some Thule / Konig chains from Amazon in the UK. If the size is in any way rare; you could find yourself without. Also, Thule / Konig will likely be easier to fit should you need to. ETA: and where you have a place, too! Advice: can I buy chains for a big 4x4 with wheels that size en route? Hypermarche chains are generally cheaper than buying them over here.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Monday 8th October 07:51
M+S rated tyres should be ok in most conditions; but the locals fit proper winters and almost never see the need for chains. Of course, you don’t want to put proper winter boots on, as it’s not your car long term; so decent chains might not be a bad idea. Sure you’ll be fine though!
Once you get to the Alps, chains can be very expensive; but worse case scenario; there’s a big Carre Four in Saint Jean D’Aulps that could have a set; avoid the independent garage next door as they are a rip off (same goes for any work that you hopefully won’t need doing!) Other than that, there’s a NORAUTO in Thonon that have most sizes and aren’t too expensive.
Because I’ve changed cars that many times; I’ve ended up with about five different Thule chain sets; all of which have never been used! You should keep an eye on eBay also. £120 to £150 should get you a pair of decent chains, new. Of course, maybe cheaper if you can find some on eBay.
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