Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 15]

[SlowV6]

E65Ross said:

Thanks fellas.

But can someone please explain this whole green digital clock thing to me?!

I very much hope the car gets fixed tomorrow..... Then forecourt shots on Wednesday (along with THAT rear armrest, of course )

Damn right. No one stands a hope in the pub rear-armrest "measuring contest". I want to read a road test report that is so long it has a tiny vertical scroll bar. Great work and hope you enjoy!

Re: digital clock. In 1989 when the first LS400 appeared it mattered not that you had spent £40k in 1989 money to worship at the new Church of the Giant Toyota, you still got the same digital clock with the two little stalks as the 1.0 Starlet.

[ReaperCushions]

E65Ross said:

nblr said:

TyrannosauRoss Lex

Your first post on PH, and it's gold

Like a sniper on the battlefield... one shot one kill. Take a bow nblr.

Ross, your new name has just been selected, congratulations.

[E65Ross]

SlowV6 said:

E65Ross said:

Thanks fellas.

But can someone please explain this whole green digital clock thing to me?!

I very much hope the car gets fixed tomorrow..... Then forecourt shots on Wednesday (along with THAT rear armrest, of course )

Damn right. No one stands a hope in the pub rear-armrest "measuring contest". I want to read a road test report that is so long it has a tiny vertical scroll bar. Great work and hope you enjoy!

Re: digital clock. In 1989 when the first LS400 appeared it mattered not that you had spent £40k in 1989 money to worship at the new Church of the Giant Toyota, you still got the same digital clock with the two little stalks as the 1.0 Starlet.

Ah I see there are definitely some bits in the LS460 which appear a bit Toyota, something I was worried about when it came to feeling as special as the E65. The overall ambience of the cabin is just magnificent though and pictures don't do it justice. I think though when it comes to pub top trumps on the rear armrest that Prinny with his 760Li may trump me? He certainly does in the engine department!

What I will say is that the 7 speed gearbox definitely a bit sharper than the old 6, but still nothing like today's 8 speed ZF. You can tell it's built for comfort and not being sporty.... No gear change buttons on the steering wheel!

I just hope the MOT is OK. The mirror thing isn't the end of the world by any means.... It just doesn't fold/unfold when locked/unlocked or when you ask it to. You can still operate the glass angle so it works fine as a mirror..... But if I can get it sorted beforehand then why not.

I know this will cost a lot more to run than the Corolla (heck, ANYTHING costs more than the Corolla!) but as long as it's not as bad as the E65 I'll be happy.

[PenultimateSpiderman]

Well, if you want something V8 and bargey, and with a box on the back.....



Zero description and a screwed in towing eye makes me wince though. 5 brave pills.

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

[/quote]

Think the company car is a cover story. They've clearly killed someone who has then made a mess of the boot carpet and lip.

[wjwren]

Im in two minds. Newer mondeo or older barge. I work from home. The last MOT i had on the car id done 2800 miles since last year. Ive always fancied an s class - newer shape so around 06 plate onwards. Thoughts on these please? Im off to check the prices and see if they are in budget!

[0a]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

bolidemichael said:

I have perused and rationalised, for the benefit of this thread:

I wish you were Santa and in charge of my Christmas present list.


ETA - ignore the others please Santa, the Double Six is mine.

Has CDG been a good boy this year? If not, it's a leased Vauxhall diesel for you.

[E65Ross]

wjwren said:

Im in two minds. Newer mondeo or older barge. I work from home. The last MOT i had on the car id done 2800 miles since last year. Ive always fancied an s class - newer shape so around 06 plate onwards. Thoughts on these please? Im off to check the prices and see if they are in budget!

I've been a new-ish Mondeo and an S Class. There really is no contest as to what's nicer!

A half decent one is not quite in budget, an S500 can be had for around £7k for a nice one, maybe a little less. The facelift models look nicer but they're still nice cars. I really quite like the newest shape though.... Be a while before they're in budget though!

I recently saw a video on the W222 vs W220 for £1k which was funny.

https://youtu.be/X-blhwYSUU8

[Bussolini]

Car is into a specialist for a two hour inspection tomorrow, with the intention of getting the exhaust fixed plus whatever else is deemed essential. Feel quite nervous...

The lad picked up my car this evening and will drop it off tomorrow evening, great service!

[Speed addicted]

wjwren said:

Im in two minds. Newer mondeo or older barge. I work from home. The last MOT i had on the car id done 2800 miles since last year. Ive always fancied an s class - newer shape so around 06 plate onwards. Thoughts on these please? Im off to check the prices and see if they are in budget!

As someone that’s just gone from a beautiful but flawed (as in many little faults that would cost the earth to fix) 645 to a sensible 420d grancoupe I’d heartily recommend getting something older, bigger and with armchairs for seats.
I miss the V8, I miss leaving the door open while I started it, the way it would break traction when leaving damp junctions, the way it turned journeys into a comfortable way of trying not to get caught speeding.

The 420d is capable, 4x4 so it works well on the current slippery roads, and extremely competent at any speed.
It’s also a really dull way of covering 12k miles a year while being amazed that cars can use so little fuel. It’s saving me so much that it’s covering it’s costs compared to running the 645.

I can see something large and comfy in my not too distant future. Those Lexus Ls600 hybrids are starting to look pretty appealing.

Edited by Speed addicted on Monday 11th November 20:55

[olly755]

SlowV6 said:

Re: digital clock. In 1989 when the first LS400 appeared it mattered not that you had spent £40k in 1989 money to worship at the new Church of the Giant Toyota, you still got the same digital clock with the two little stalks as the 1.0 Starlet.

They’ve come a long way in 30 years. My new, shiny, and recently facelifted Toyota now has a BLUE one, akin to a Sony Digicube circa 1980.

[SpeckledJim]

defblade said:

cornershop said:

tobinen said:

Gents, I seem to recall on this thread someone recommended a vent-mounted mobile phone holder. If so, please let me know the brand, thanks.

I have my bank cards in my phone case, so use a simple non magnetic clip on device to avoid de-magnetising the cards - works very well.

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

And I recently picked up this little beastie which you simply drop your phone into, and the weight of the phone holds the side clamps in, then goes back to small size when you remove. Neat and nicely engineered, no fighting tight clamps or magnets (or not getting it in tight enough). At £6.50 it's a bargain, I'd pay "full" price to replace it now I'm used to it.

I haven’t bought a st old car for a while, but just to show what a BSD I am, I've pulled the trigger on one of those.

I’ll report back.

[0a]

Did they really make these until 1991. Crazy! I absolutely love it though.

[wjwren]

My father in law had an 08 ls600h in 2009. It was a lovely car but in my eyes not a patch on the 07 s500 he had before it.

[bolidemichael]

Speed addicted said:

I miss the V8, I miss leaving the door open while I started it

I used to do this with my 645Ci, too! Mainly because the exhaust was too quiet and it didn't suit it, unlike my E500 where a lovely quiet exhaust is quite serene.

[Rubins4]

Evening ‘all.

Since there hasn’t been much Lexus chat in here for a while, what is Thread consensus on the mk2 IS250, petrol naturally. They seem on to in and around thread budget for a seemingly acceptable mini-barge?

[SlowV6]

0a said:

Did they really make these until 1991. Crazy! I absolutely love it though.

I recall only the V12 was still being made in that shape. Guess it didn't fit under the XJ40 bonnet but the Queen still wanted one so they had to keep making it. It must have been abysmal up against a 750i of the time!!

[SlowV6]

Rubins4 said:

Evening ‘all.

Since there hasn’t been much Lexus chat in here for a while, what is Thread consensus on the mk2 IS250, petrol naturally. They seem on to in and around thread budget for a seemingly acceptable mini-barge?

You mean the Best Lexus 1 - 5 thread?

They have the green digital clock.

GS300 better imho or 450h (boot space compromised on these)

[SlowV6]

SpeckledJim said:

I haven’t bought a st old car for a while, but just to show what a BSD I am, I've pulled the trigger on one of those.

I’ll report back.

We have a £6.50 mpow and it's great. Big enough clamps to fit phone in whilst still in pleather case with bank cards etc.

[forzaminardi]

Rubins4 said:

Evening ‘all.

Since there hasn’t been much Lexus chat in here for a while, what is Thread consensus on the mk2 IS250, petrol naturally. They seem on to in and around thread budget for a seemingly acceptable mini-barge?

I had a IS250 for a while. It was an excellent car but a little boring.

Plusses - Absolutely brilliant value for money as a whole, generally extremely reliable, very comfortable, loads of gadgets to muck about with (some way ahead of their time, others just silly like the rear sun-blind), brilliant stereo, people seem to think they're way fancier than they are (if you care).

Minuses - not very swift, thirsty, engine is a bit dull, not a thrilling car to drive.

The only thing that annoyed me was the so-called manual mode on the gearbox - the flappy paddles don't actually change gear, they simply change up or down what counts as top gear, which I can see absolutely no rationale for. Other than that, I can't fault it; on balance it was probably the best car I had in terms of zero problems and value for money, but it'll not make your heart beat faster. I fancy a IS-F now we live in Oz though...

PS apparently the manual has terrible gear ratios, and the diesel is to be avoided (obviously)

[CharlesdeGaulle]

forzaminardi said:

... very comfortable, loads of gadgets to muck about with (some way ahead of their time, others just silly like the rear sun-blind) ...

I made a similar comment when I bought my LS - it didn't go down well. We have a number of blind-fanciers here.