Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 15]
Discussion
I didn't run it for ages, or for loads of miles, but my 55 reg 750i was faultless in my ownership.
EY05 MVT (Think it was 'V'). Monaco blue with the very pale blue leather. A delight.
Only sad part was agreeing £5500 with a buyer and the cock wobble tried chipping me to £4500 when he arrived.
If i hadn't been getting a divorce I'd have taken they key back off him and showed him the door.
Even got the A/C gassed for him, too!
EY05 MVT (Think it was 'V'). Monaco blue with the very pale blue leather. A delight.
Only sad part was agreeing £5500 with a buyer and the cock wobble tried chipping me to £4500 when he arrived.
If i hadn't been getting a divorce I'd have taken they key back off him and showed him the door.
Even got the A/C gassed for him, too!
About the 650i - I bought this back in August 2016 to replace an E46 M3 which I had kept for just over 2 years. I regret selling that car to this day, and to make matters worse, it was the second E46 M3 that I have owned and I regretted selling the first one too! But, I fancied something a little different after the frenetic drive of the M car - anyone who has driven one will know (I think) that you just feel compelled to really wring its neck all the time. Great cars IMO, but back to the E63...
This picture was when I picked it up. It's a very standard spec (apart from the optional bird feeder on the front
), certainly light on the options ticked, other than the pan roof which makes the interior lovely and airy along with the light (p)leather seats. Basic idrive, so no satnav or heads up, but that wasn't a concern with mostly using Waze as a more suitable navigation solution on the phone. I had a kufatec fiscon bluetooth unit retrofitted when I bought it, so that helped with calls when I was doing the higher miles (my mileage has dropped significantly in the last 18 months or so, but more on that later). It was running on those 18's when I bought it with run flat tyres, which were absolutely hateful, lacking feel and making for a harsh ride in my experience. It was one of the first things I wanted to change so, whilst looking at tyre options, I also had one eye on any complete wheel sets, finally finding a set of 19" style 218 wheels, which have a nice concave to them and fill the (quite large) arch much better. After a wheel refurb and a set of 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tyres I was good to go. On a separate note, I have never know a tyre to last so long. I'm pretty sure I got around 24k miles out of the first set of rears and it rides beautifully on them. Not cheap but well worth it. Here's an interior shot...
It is a lovely car in my experience over the last 44k odd miles. Opinions on looks vary, but I do think that the Bangle era 6'ers have grown in to their looks. Certainly not cheap to run, I've averaged around 23mpg (it will achieve 32ish mpg on a run at 70ish, which isn't too bad) over that time and the road tax is in the higher bracket being a 57 plate. It's also a fairly rapid car for its size in my opinion, 60 comes up pretty quickly at low 5+ seconds and it doesn't take long at all to be hitting three figures from a start. All with that lovely V8 feel and constant acceleration. Insurance is reasonable at around £270 per year. Servicing and consumables aren't cheap, it takes a LOT of oil at 8 litres per change come service time. Tyres aren't cheap at around £800 all round for a decent set, but it is running 275's on the rear. Suspension 'consumables' aplenty as it's quite harsh on these bits, though seems to be the case of many 5/6/7's of this era. I've not kept a tally of spends on these as it's not something I want to think about too much Generally though, it's not been an expensive car to run, given its fuel consumption, and I was well aware of that cost when I bought it having come from the M3, which loved a drink. For long distance, it's great. I do use it quite a bit overseas travelling to the Netherlands and Belgium and it is a joy on the roads over there. I had a gearbox oil and oilpan (the filter is built in) change about 4 months ago as the gear changes started to feel a bit clunky. That wasn't too bad at around £300 at a nearby gearbox specialist.
Now on to the dreaded talk of oil leaks/loss and this engine in particular generally wanting to s
t itself of all fluids. (Touches wood) I haven't had any particular issues of this kind in the time I've had the car. Over the last year or so, I have noticed that it does want a small top up of oil every few thousand miles between service. This is around a litre between oil services. I'm not sure whether this is the start of something to be concerned about or that maybe it's because my mileage has reduced significantly in this time. My commute is only around 12 miles each way and virtually all through 30 limit villages and a couple of back/country lane cut throughs, so barely enough time for the engine to warm up at all.
Which brings me on to one part that I had to buy recently, due to some idiot not knowing how wide the lane was that we were both travelling down and knocking my drivers mirror. The result being that the mirror glass popped out and smashed. I bought a couple of pattern mirrors but none fitted correctly and the quality was dire generally. One didn't have the correct connections on the back either. The result - around £375 for the mirror glass and the mirror casing (outer cover), which was an awful lot I felt for a bit of glass and plastic.
Here's a more recent pic of the 6...
A quick summary of my barge history and hence why a long time lurker of this corner of PH. There has been quite a mix of 'other' cars with this lot through the years. In (a rough) ownership order...
1984 W123 200D
1983 W123 240D
1985 S123 280TE
1987 W124 230E
1988 W124 300E
1989 E34 530i
1994 Rover 620ti
1986 W126 300SE
2000 BMW E46 328i (mini barge?)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 Overland
1999 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro Sport
2000 Audi A6 Avant 2.4SE
2005 W211 E320CDI
2007 E63 650i
I hope this wasn't too much for a first post. Looking forward to getting more involved here. Thanks all for the great reading material so far...
This picture was when I picked it up. It's a very standard spec (apart from the optional bird feeder on the front
), certainly light on the options ticked, other than the pan roof which makes the interior lovely and airy along with the light (p)leather seats. Basic idrive, so no satnav or heads up, but that wasn't a concern with mostly using Waze as a more suitable navigation solution on the phone. I had a kufatec fiscon bluetooth unit retrofitted when I bought it, so that helped with calls when I was doing the higher miles (my mileage has dropped significantly in the last 18 months or so, but more on that later). It was running on those 18's when I bought it with run flat tyres, which were absolutely hateful, lacking feel and making for a harsh ride in my experience. It was one of the first things I wanted to change so, whilst looking at tyre options, I also had one eye on any complete wheel sets, finally finding a set of 19" style 218 wheels, which have a nice concave to them and fill the (quite large) arch much better. After a wheel refurb and a set of 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tyres I was good to go. On a separate note, I have never know a tyre to last so long. I'm pretty sure I got around 24k miles out of the first set of rears and it rides beautifully on them. Not cheap but well worth it. Here's an interior shot... It is a lovely car in my experience over the last 44k odd miles. Opinions on looks vary, but I do think that the Bangle era 6'ers have grown in to their looks. Certainly not cheap to run, I've averaged around 23mpg (it will achieve 32ish mpg on a run at 70ish, which isn't too bad) over that time and the road tax is in the higher bracket being a 57 plate. It's also a fairly rapid car for its size in my opinion, 60 comes up pretty quickly at low 5+ seconds and it doesn't take long at all to be hitting three figures from a start. All with that lovely V8 feel and constant acceleration. Insurance is reasonable at around £270 per year. Servicing and consumables aren't cheap, it takes a LOT of oil at 8 litres per change come service time. Tyres aren't cheap at around £800 all round for a decent set, but it is running 275's on the rear. Suspension 'consumables' aplenty as it's quite harsh on these bits, though seems to be the case of many 5/6/7's of this era. I've not kept a tally of spends on these as it's not something I want to think about too much
Generally though, it's not been an expensive car to run, given its fuel consumption, and I was well aware of that cost when I bought it having come from the M3, which loved a drink. For long distance, it's great. I do use it quite a bit overseas travelling to the Netherlands and Belgium and it is a joy on the roads over there. I had a gearbox oil and oilpan (the filter is built in) change about 4 months ago as the gear changes started to feel a bit clunky. That wasn't too bad at around £300 at a nearby gearbox specialist. Now on to the dreaded talk of oil leaks/loss and this engine in particular generally wanting to s
t itself of all fluids. (Touches wood) I haven't had any particular issues of this kind in the time I've had the car. Over the last year or so, I have noticed that it does want a small top up of oil every few thousand miles between service. This is around a litre between oil services. I'm not sure whether this is the start of something to be concerned about or that maybe it's because my mileage has reduced significantly in this time. My commute is only around 12 miles each way and virtually all through 30 limit villages and a couple of back/country lane cut throughs, so barely enough time for the engine to warm up at all. Which brings me on to one part that I had to buy recently, due to some idiot not knowing how wide the lane was that we were both travelling down and knocking my drivers mirror. The result being that the mirror glass popped out and smashed. I bought a couple of pattern mirrors but none fitted correctly and the quality was dire generally. One didn't have the correct connections on the back either. The result - around £375 for the mirror glass and the mirror casing (outer cover), which was an awful lot I felt for a bit of glass and plastic.
Here's a more recent pic of the 6...
A quick summary of my barge history and hence why a long time lurker of this corner of PH. There has been quite a mix of 'other' cars with this lot through the years. In (a rough) ownership order...
1984 W123 200D
1983 W123 240D
1985 S123 280TE
1987 W124 230E
1988 W124 300E
1989 E34 530i
1994 Rover 620ti
1986 W126 300SE
2000 BMW E46 328i (mini barge?)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 Overland
1999 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro Sport
2000 Audi A6 Avant 2.4SE
2005 W211 E320CDI
2007 E63 650i
I hope this wasn't too much for a first post. Looking forward to getting more involved here. Thanks all for the great reading material so far...
Edited by stevethegreek on Saturday 16th November 22:31
It's a handsome car, alright and the interior is nice and light. I could never bring myself to ditch the RFTs. Driving to Europe, I didn't want to carry another alloy with me in the boot for the sake of experimenting with the ride. I found that the car relaxed significantly with the traction control turned off and was hilarious around the Nordschleife.
TyrannosauRoss Lex said:
It'll do, I guess 
I have been fortunate to drive several cars with considerably more power but 375bhp certainly feels adequate. As said above, certainly gets to 100 easy enough! It just makes for a more relaxing drive and makes overtaking easier. Certainly a step up from the 1.6 Corolla 
I didn't know that they managed 375bhp. That's pretty damn good! I have been fortunate to drive several cars with considerably more power but 375bhp certainly feels adequate. As said above, certainly gets to 100 easy enough! It just makes for a more relaxing drive and makes overtaking easier. Certainly a step up from the 1.6 Corolla I've really warmed to Lexus. I spent an evening in an LC500 recently and that was an excellent car. Great looks, a fantastic V8 and built by Toyota. Good combination!
stevethegreek said:
1984 W123 200D
1983 W123 240D
1985 S123 280TE
1987 W124 230E
1988 W124 300E
1989 E34 530i
1994 Rover 620ti
1986 W126 300SE
2000 BMW E46 328i (mini barge?)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 Overland
1999 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro Sport
2000 Audi A6 Avant 2.4SE
2005 W211 E320CDI
2007 E63 650i
I doth tip my cap. Impressive resume.1983 W123 240D
1985 S123 280TE
1987 W124 230E
1988 W124 300E
1989 E34 530i
1994 Rover 620ti
1986 W126 300SE
2000 BMW E46 328i (mini barge?)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 Overland
1999 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro Sport
2000 Audi A6 Avant 2.4SE
2005 W211 E320CDI
2007 E63 650i
Just following on from the 650 post, I acquired a 645 convertible in the summer and so far so good and it's impressed me particularly being a slight BMW phobe. I got it really as it was a v8 manual and it seemed a great (and surprisingly affordable) way to tick that box.
I believe from my hasty couple of days pre purchase research that the 650i is better generally but from what read they are both reliable as regards being stranded but the 645 has the aforementioned leaks which are labour intensive to fix. But with diy and/or as a second car this can be worked around. Valve stem seals was an issue I read about but that's testable before buying reasonably easily. I have three cars so the 2005 cars appealed tax wise and frankly the manual ones are so rare I just had to accept any otherwise good one.
Lots of 100k plus ones for sale so I'm hopeful mine at half that might give me some years without too much trouble. On that point there are a lot for sale still that were for sale at the same time I got mine around June time! So buy wisely as I think they are up there with the most difficult cars to sell.
I believe from my hasty couple of days pre purchase research that the 650i is better generally but from what read they are both reliable as regards being stranded but the 645 has the aforementioned leaks which are labour intensive to fix. But with diy and/or as a second car this can be worked around. Valve stem seals was an issue I read about but that's testable before buying reasonably easily. I have three cars so the 2005 cars appealed tax wise and frankly the manual ones are so rare I just had to accept any otherwise good one.
Lots of 100k plus ones for sale so I'm hopeful mine at half that might give me some years without too much trouble. On that point there are a lot for sale still that were for sale at the same time I got mine around June time! So buy wisely as I think they are up there with the most difficult cars to sell.
Edited by Scootersp on Saturday 16th November 23:51
Car looks great ross
Im tempted by one of these.
To the other poster on about the 645. The suspension is weak. Also they leak like a bh from various seals. The idrive can have a wobble at times. The valve stem seals need doing. On the plus side they are quick and make a nice sound. About a year ago i test drive an 18 plate e220cdi. I was all set on buying it but after the 645 it seemed dull as dishwater. Extremely slow. Im now on the lookout for something more practical and will be selling mine for either a 7 series or ls460.
Im tempted by one of these.
To the other poster on about the 645. The suspension is weak. Also they leak like a b
h from various seals. The idrive can have a wobble at times. The valve stem seals need doing. On the plus side they are quick and make a nice sound. About a year ago i test drive an 18 plate e220cdi. I was all set on buying it but after the 645 it seemed dull as dishwater. Extremely slow. Im now on the lookout for something more practical and will be selling mine for either a 7 series or ls460.Scootersp said:
Lots of 100k plus ones for sale so I'm hopeful mine at half that might give me some years without too much trouble. On that point there are a lot for sale still that were for sale at the same time I got mine around June time! So buy wisely as I think they are up there with the most difficult cars to sell.
Sounds like you did well. Got some pictures? I'm under no illusion that when I come to sell mine I'll probably be lucky to get around thread max in order to sell. Prices for these are all over the place, some 650's with around 100k still listed at near £10k. The market is just not there for that kind of money I don't think. I've resigned myself to keeping mine for the foreseeable as it's still a great car for what it may be worth realistically..
BFleming said:
stevethegreek said:
1984 W123 200D
1983 W123 240D
1985 S123 280TE
1987 W124 230E
1988 W124 300E
1989 E34 530i
1994 Rover 620ti
1986 W126 300SE
2000 BMW E46 328i (mini barge?)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 Overland
1999 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro Sport
2000 Audi A6 Avant 2.4SE
2005 W211 E320CDI
2007 E63 650i
I doth tip my cap. Impressive resume.1983 W123 240D
1985 S123 280TE
1987 W124 230E
1988 W124 300E
1989 E34 530i
1994 Rover 620ti
1986 W126 300SE
2000 BMW E46 328i (mini barge?)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 Overland
1999 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro Sport
2000 Audi A6 Avant 2.4SE
2005 W211 E320CDI
2007 E63 650i
Macron said:
BFleming said:
stevethegreek said:
1984 W123 200D
1983 W123 240D
1985 S123 280TE
1987 W124 230E
1988 W124 300E
1989 E34 530i
1994 Rover 620ti
1986 W126 300SE
2000 BMW E46 328i (mini barge?)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 Overland
1999 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro Sport
2000 Audi A6 Avant 2.4SE
2005 W211 E320CDI
2007 E63 650i
I doth tip my cap. Impressive resume.1983 W123 240D
1985 S123 280TE
1987 W124 230E
1988 W124 300E
1989 E34 530i
1994 Rover 620ti
1986 W126 300SE
2000 BMW E46 328i (mini barge?)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 Overland
1999 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro Sport
2000 Audi A6 Avant 2.4SE
2005 W211 E320CDI
2007 E63 650i
1987 W124 230E
1988 W124 300E
1989 E34 530i
1986 W126 300SE
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 Overland
1999 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro Sport
Comparative reviews of the above please!
Wonder what tlc this £3690 630i needs, bar the fake Alpina alloys being melted back into bean cans. Nice interior colour and 110k. Not going to look at mot history in case it’s not dreadful!
https://www.gumtree.com/p/bmw/bmw-630-3.0-auto-200...
https://www.gumtree.com/p/bmw/bmw-630-3.0-auto-200...
This was my 2005 645. In the first 18 months I changed the rocker cover gaskets twice (first garage messed up) this involves lowering the engine for access so it’s not cheap.
Then the engine sump as it’s plastic and warps, then the gearbox sump (same issue).
More recently it developed an intermittent misfire, curable by restarting due to vanos issues. This would have been a £2k plus bill to actually fix.
The drivers door seal leaked slightly, it’s a £300 part.
Occasional Idrive issues fixed by sending the unit away to be repaired.
Valve stem seals were going too, that’s £1k upwards to fix.
Plus other random things over the time I had it. It had 63k on it when I traded it two months ago.
I loved the car and miss it a lot, even through the faults and garage visits I really didn’t want to move it on. It was the most troublesome car I’ve ever had, and my favourite by miles.
I don’t miss 18mpg on average.
Now I’m 2 months into 2 litre diesel ownership the 420 GC is capable, has enough power for the commuting trundle and should be reliable.
I’m having bad thoughts about another 6 series or a big Lexus though. It turns out that having a sensible amount of power doesn’t make you chuckle when booting it up a slip road.
I have very sinilar issues to yours. Did you ever get to the problem of the misfire? Mine occasionally goes lumpy and all the warning lights come on the dash. It goes in to limp hkme mode. I turn it off and on then all good. It fks me off. Its an unreliable piece of st at times but i refuse to sell it! It looks stunning and fresh for a 15 year old car. Its the only car ive ever cared for. Il be sad to sell it.
ks me off. Its an unreliable piece of st at times but i refuse to sell it! It looks stunning and fresh for a 15 year old car. Its the only car ive ever cared for. Il be sad to sell it.stevethegreek said:
Scootersp said:
Lots of 100k plus ones for sale so I'm hopeful mine at half that might give me some years without too much trouble. On that point there are a lot for sale still that were for sale at the same time I got mine around June time! So buy wisely as I think they are up there with the most difficult cars to sell.
Sounds like you did well. Got some pictures? I'm under no illusion that when I come to sell mine I'll probably be lucky to get around thread max in order to sell. Prices for these are all over the place, some 650's with around 100k still listed at near £10k. The market is just not there for that kind of money I don't think. I've resigned myself to keeping mine for the foreseeable as it's still a great car for what it may be worth realistically..
Manual V8 anything, bar perhaps a rover 75 seems to be almost double!?
wjwren said:
I have very sinilar issues to yours. Did you ever get to the problem of the misfire? Mine occasionally goes lumpy and all the warning lights come on the dash. It goes in to limp hkme mode. I turn it off and on then all good. It fks me off. Its an unreliable piece of st at times but i refuse to sell it! It looks stunning and fresh for a 15 year old car. Its the only car ive ever cared for. Il be sad to sell it.
Mine was looked after by a specialist, initially he set the vanos to maximum lift as that’s often a cure. ks me off. Its an unreliable piece of st at times but i refuse to sell it! It looks stunning and fresh for a 15 year old car. Its the only car ive ever cared for. Il be sad to sell it.The fault showed as a vacuum issue on random cylinders (initially thought it was a leaking hose or failing coil so I was monitoring it) it was looking like worn vanos gears, essentially something you can live with if you don’t mind restarting the car occasionally while your wife rolls her eyes.
I bought mine when I worked offshore and did low miles, also had a pickup for winter.
Now I’m onshore and commuting 30 miles a day I needed to get down to one car for cost reasons and the mighty 645 was proving to be too impractical and thirsty for the job. It would also be properly scary in an Aberdeen winter.
The 420d feels like an appliance in comparison, people compliment it (my dad loves the thing) but I just can’t get excited.
All this 6 series talk is leaving me confused. On one hand I think they are a lot of car for the money, but at the same time I hear so many tales of woe. Either way, I am off to the classifieds now.
Congratulations Ross on the Lexus, having worked at Lexus when these and the ls600h were current I feel an affiliation with them...good luck.
Congratulations Ross on the Lexus, having worked at Lexus when these and the ls600h were current I feel an affiliation with them...good luck.
Right, well having delved a bit more into the recent history in the past 2 years it has had the following done.....
New water pump, aux belt, oil/air filter and oil, spark plugs and coolant (April this year under 5k miles ago)
anti-roll bar drop link and 2 new exhausts, front and rear upper suspension arms, new rear brake discs and pads (under 10k miles ago)
2 rear compliance arms (14k miles ago)
new ride height sensor (15k miles ago)
front track control arms O/S and N/S), front discs and pads, as well as engine oil and filter) (15.5k miles ago)
2x lower suspension arms, front and rear wheel bearing/hub assembly, new starter motor (25k miles ago)
Most of the stuff before that is basic servicing. So it's had a fair bit done in the last 2 years and 25k miles....that's why it drives well
There are a couple of minor niggles I have found....the first....where the door mirror isn't seated right it's a tiny bit loose and over bumps can cause a slight rattle, the driver's exterior door handle is a bit sticky (some Bilt Hamber Ferrosol will sort this....it's WD40 on steroids), The glovebox is a bit loose (they all do this, sir) but it's not making a noise so I'm not fussed for now, there is a VERY faint drone on the motorway. I will get it to Micheldever tyres in about a month or so once I've run it for a while and found any other issues and get them to sort it. The mirror....I'm not fussed about the electric folding not working but the rattling is something I want sorted, but it's still minor at most and with the radio on quiet you can't hear it. I will also get them to clear all of the drain holes (especially the sunroof) just out of precaution.
So....in reality for a car with 99k miles on, where I have paid under 10% of the original purchase price, I don't think I can grumble at those faults!
I will do a reader's cars thread when I get the chance to get some more photos and do a write up.
edit - as someone noted in the advert it stated it recently had a cambelt change. This was indeed in the paperwork. It was for the right customer, from the same garage that have been seeing the Lexus for many years, but it was for a Renault Scenic
As already noted, the LS460 uses a chain
New water pump, aux belt, oil/air filter and oil, spark plugs and coolant (April this year under 5k miles ago)
anti-roll bar drop link and 2 new exhausts, front and rear upper suspension arms, new rear brake discs and pads (under 10k miles ago)
2 rear compliance arms (14k miles ago)
new ride height sensor (15k miles ago)
front track control arms O/S and N/S), front discs and pads, as well as engine oil and filter) (15.5k miles ago)
2x lower suspension arms, front and rear wheel bearing/hub assembly, new starter motor (25k miles ago)
Most of the stuff before that is basic servicing. So it's had a fair bit done in the last 2 years and 25k miles....that's why it drives well
There are a couple of minor niggles I have found....the first....where the door mirror isn't seated right it's a tiny bit loose and over bumps can cause a slight rattle, the driver's exterior door handle is a bit sticky (some Bilt Hamber Ferrosol will sort this....it's WD40 on steroids), The glovebox is a bit loose (they all do this, sir) but it's not making a noise so I'm not fussed for now, there is a VERY faint drone on the motorway. I will get it to Micheldever tyres in about a month or so once I've run it for a while and found any other issues and get them to sort it. The mirror....I'm not fussed about the electric folding not working but the rattling is something I want sorted, but it's still minor at most and with the radio on quiet you can't hear it. I will also get them to clear all of the drain holes (especially the sunroof) just out of precaution.
So....in reality for a car with 99k miles on, where I have paid under 10% of the original purchase price, I don't think I can grumble at those faults!
I will do a reader's cars thread when I get the chance to get some more photos and do a write up.
edit - as someone noted in the advert it stated it recently had a cambelt change. This was indeed in the paperwork. It was for the right customer, from the same garage that have been seeing the Lexus for many years, but it was for a Renault Scenic
As already noted, the LS460 uses a chain Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff