Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 14]

[Bonefish Blues]

trooperiziz said:

Hmmm... the hunt for a non-grotty MX5 is trickier than I expected. It's looking like closer to £2k for a nice sport in good condition, or £1k for a non sport that's a bit tired.

I'm leaning towards spending a bit more to have a chance of getting a good one.

5 speed with 15s for preference (having has a 6 speed with 16s!)

[ElectricSoup]

olly755 said:

JOB2.5-16 said:

A little under thread budget but surely excusable for the quirk of being an M104 powered W210. Looks the part in the photos and with a good MOT history is surely “good value” despite not being a medals won old Merc.

M104 would be quite fruity in that too no doubt, much more so than the later M112, if not quite as reliable. Wiring loom and head gasket rules apply!

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

Edited by JOB2.5-16 on Sunday 19th May 22:24

OT: Noticing the tow bar on this one leads me to a bit of a “coming out” type question. Does anybody tow with their barges, and to be more specific, <whisper> tow a caravan?

Not that I own one, nor in fact have I ever slept in one, although my approaching middle age is starting to think it’s a good idea, especially seeing as the family would love it. My pals are all buying teeny weeny VW vans with some MDF in them for terraced house money and attempting all sorts of Guinness world records at squeezing in them. A big engined comfy barge dragging an equally comfy double bed and your own shower and loo sounds more like it to me, especially for around a tenth of the money.

So It's not just me then. I'm wondering about getting a nice 'van in a few years time and have done some initial investigations. I've concluded that I need a twin axle 'van, as you can find these with a permanent bedroom rather than a sitting room only which converts in to a bed (transverse bed for preference) and loo/shower in the end, furthest away from kitchen/seating/dining areas. Something like a Lunar Delta Ti if you're minded to look them up. Of course these are quite heavy, and of course one needs a heavy car to tow them. Much as I'd like something like a big Lexus saloon to do the job, I'm regrettably coming to the conclusion that a proper SUV is going to be king here, and am settling on the VW Touraeg, as it has a thing called Trailer Stability Control as standard. And this sounds like a very good "extra" indeed.

[SpeckledJim]

I'd love a caravan.

What puts me off is caravan parks. I'd want to be nowhere near a caravan park.

[Krikkit]

SpeckledJim said:

I'd love a caravan.

What puts me off is caravan parks. I'd want to be nowhere near a caravan park.

Me too - that's what attracts me to a full-size camper instead, you can park up wherever you choose instead of having to sit with others.

That said, spending a decent wedge on either seems a bit odd, given that you could stay in a very nice hotel many times over for each caravan stay. Unless you're committing to staying in it a great deal over a few years it won't pay itself back by far.

[RicksAlfas]

If you have a camper van, when you get to where you are going and you want to go out for the day you have to decamp. If you have a caravan you leave it where it is and go off in the barge.

[XMified]

JOB2.5-16 said:

A little under thread budget but surely excusable for the quirk of being an M104 powered W210. Looks the part in the photos and with a good MOT history is surely “good value” despite not being a medals won old Merc.

M104 would be quite fruity in that too no doubt, much more so than the later M112, if not quite as reliable. Wiring loom and head gasket rules apply!

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

Edited by JOB2.5-16 on Sunday 19th May 22:24

That's quite a respectable old thing....adding 2 cylinders and getting into mid-thread territory, you could have this:

• Disclaimer: no, I have not checked the MOT history, nor ascertained if the egregious rear tints could be peeled off.*

W210, V8, not a shed, what's not to like?


EDIT: 5 minutes research has lead me to this being a shed of the week last year, at half the price, and being given a royal drubbing by the PH collective. Wonder how bad it really is...

Edited by XMified on Monday 20th May 11:15

[SpeckledJim]

RicksAlfas said:

If you have a camper van, when you get to where you are going and you want to go out for the day you have to decamp. If you have a caravan you leave it where it is and go off in the barge.

I'm sold on this as a key benefit.

And you can seemingly get 10 times more caravan for your money.

[Krikkit]

SpeckledJim said:

RicksAlfas said:

If you have a camper van, when you get to where you are going and you want to go out for the day you have to decamp. If you have a caravan you leave it where it is and go off in the barge.

I'm sold on this as a key benefit.

And you can seemingly get 10 times more caravan for your money.

I'd stick a bike trailer on it so I could get out and enjoy myself and leave it where it was...

[SpeckledJim]

Krikkit said:

SpeckledJim said:

I'd love a caravan.

What puts me off is caravan parks. I'd want to be nowhere near a caravan park.

Me too - that's what attracts me to a full-size camper instead, you can park up wherever you choose instead of having to sit with others.

That said, spending a decent wedge on either seems a bit odd, given that you could stay in a very nice hotel many times over for each caravan stay. Unless you're committing to staying in it a great deal over a few years it won't pay itself back by far.

Yup, If Team Speckle Go Caravanning (which is not a script likely to win backing), it'll be with a £3k shed, with the ambitious plan of using it twice, hating it, giving it a bloody good ciffing (which is a thing) and getting rid a year later for £3k.

Also pouring cold water on the prospect is the fact we have an absolutely palatial camping set-up, carefully, slowly and assiduously built from eBay and Gumtree, for the total outlay of about £500.

[E65Ross]

Krikkit said:

SpeckledJim said:

I'd love a caravan.

What puts me off is caravan parks. I'd want to be nowhere near a caravan park.

Me too - that's what attracts me to a full-size camper instead, you can park up wherever you choose instead of having to sit with others.

That said, spending a decent wedge on either seems a bit odd, given that you could stay in a very nice hotel many times over for each caravan stay. Unless you're committing to staying in it a great deal over a few years it won't pay itself back by far.

I have absolutely no idea on their resale value, as you could clearly get some money back, which you couldn't if you stayed away. Still, I'd rather stay away.

[ElectricSoup]

SpeckledJim said:

RicksAlfas said:

If you have a camper van, when you get to where you are going and you want to go out for the day you have to decamp. If you have a caravan you leave it where it is and go off in the barge.

I'm sold on this as a key benefit.

And you can seemingly get 10 times more caravan for your money.

This. It's my retirement plan to spend winters in the Med with a 'van, and summers in UK/Northern Europe with it. Downsize the house to something small and cheap as a permanent base (UK or France depending on Brexit and its associated sthousery, although I'm applying to be a dual national with another EU passport on the way as a my backup plan), and spend most of the time elsewhere. Hence as big and comfortable a 'van as possible, necessitating a Very Large Car.

[Bonefish Blues]

E65Ross said:

I have absolutely no idea on their resale value, as you could clearly get some money back, which you couldn't if you stayed away. Still, I'd rather stay away.

Strong, it seems to me.

[Krikkit]

SpeckledJim said:

Also pouring cold water on the prospect is the fact we have an absolutely palatial camping set-up, carefully, slowly and assiduously built from eBay and Gumtree, for the total outlay of about £500.

That's another good point - a trailer tent, or a tent with trailer plus a load of guff would make a good holidaying companion. Especially with one of the new-generation air beam tents that go up in no time. Plus the trailer could be used for other bits the rest of the year.

[slk 32]

Jaffers said:

Northbrook said:

GTI16V said:

Afternoon all.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-wagon/173...

Restored, yet the driver's bolster has exploded? Wouldn't be my choice at £4k, particularly not in white, although it does look quite clean.

And it's a poorly written ad that doesn't mention the mileage (160,000) and claims that it's got both climate control and cruise control but there's no evidence of either in the photos (I'm open to being corrected though...)

Plus, wrong wheels I believe, from a 210

[Biglips]

Hang on, you guys are planning to retire? And with a barge? The two are mutually exclusive.

Surely you have to keep working to pay for the continuous bork and then will be taken to your grave in said barge (assuming it doesn’t break down en route to the cemetery)

[tobinen]

The new Harry's Garage features some more costs updates

[SpeckledJim]

Biglips said:

Hang on, you guys are planning to retire? And with a barge? The two are mutually exclusive.

Surely you have to keep working to pay for the continuous bork and then will be taken to your grave in said barge (assuming it doesn’t break down en route to the cemetery)

Barges are cheap if the philosophy is managed retreat. It is either trying to improve them, or trying to recover from a disastrous explosion of something or other that costs all the money.

Any of us could get 4 pleasant years out of a £2k Lexus, then get shot of it rapido through gumtree for £500.

Cost: £1 a day to own, plus sundries.

5 years and 30,000 miles in my XJS have cost less than £4,500, including buying the bloody thing, welding 50% of the bits you can't see, and repainting 80% of the bits you can.

[phil_cardiff]

trooperiziz said:

phil_cardiff said:

Are mk3 MR2s available? Everyone should own a mid-engined exotic once right?

They are, but not really tempted, I might have a look.

Check my car history, I've done the mid engine Japanese thing a couple of times before

Just a bit! Should have done my research...

[Krikkit]

SpeckledJim said:

5 years and 30,000 miles in my XJS have cost less than £4,500, including buying the bloody thing, welding 50% of the bits you can't see, and repainting 80% of the bits you can.

That's a bargain, I bet you couldn't find another for that outlay these days, never mind run it!

[SpeckledJim]

Krikkit said:

SpeckledJim said:

5 years and 30,000 miles in my XJS have cost less than £4,500, including buying the bloody thing, welding 50% of the bits you can't see, and repainting 80% of the bits you can.

That's a bargain, I bet you couldn't find another for that outlay these days, never mind run it!

It was lucky accidental timing to drop on mine at a throw-away price in not-throw-away condition, at around the point the market finally woke up to them.

Even if it was now worth nothing at all, it would have been a cheap adventure. Because I haven't tried to make it something it'll never be: very nice.