Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 18]

[carinaman]

There's a SC430 on AT for £5,876 It looks Doom Blue meets BLMC Midnight Blue.

[21st Century Man]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

I've just ordered a 4 cylinder 3 Series but it is specced for me so is at the higher end of the Barge-lite-gizmo-scale. I haven't gone for HUD or blingy wheels, or uprated audio (who needs it with Continental radio stations and German techno-pop?) or the 'Driving Assistant Pack Professional' (Active Cruise Control, auto speed limit assist, cross-roads or wrong-way warning etc, on the basis that I can drive and don't want the sodding car doing it for me) and have instead focused on comfort.

Barring massive engine, it's the spec and colours that I would want when it's a bottom-feeding 15 year old at Shed money.

ETA - including the Storage package. Sad loser that I am.

I am dissapoint.

One moment it's a mint original E500, the next it's an LC500. Then you go and buy a bloody new 3 series!

Esteemed threadist my arse, be off with you!

[Macron]

21st Century Man said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

I've just ordered a 4 cylinder 3 Series but it is specced for me so is at the higher end of the Barge-lite-gizmo-scale. I haven't gone for HUD or blingy wheels, or uprated audio (who needs it with Continental radio stations and German techno-pop?) or the 'Driving Assistant Pack Professional' (Active Cruise Control, auto speed limit assist, cross-roads or wrong-way warning etc, on the basis that I can drive and don't want the sodding car doing it for me) and have instead focused on comfort.

Barring massive engine, it's the spec and colours that I would want when it's a bottom-feeding 15 year old at Shed money.

ETA - including the Storage package. Sad loser that I am.

I am dissapoint.

One moment it's a mint original E500, the next it's an LC500. Then you go and buy a bloody new 3 series!

Esteemed threadist my arse, be off with you!

Was there enough of a discount for it to be in thread??

[bolidemichael]

d_a_n1979 said:

Phil Dicky said:

d_a_n1979 said:

LetsTryAgain said:

d_a_n1979 said:

What like you did with me a few weeks back

I know sarcasm is difficult in prose, but I was being facetious.

I know; hence the

I know that some folk on here simply cannot cope with folk slating sellers such as Motorhub; as they should all be 'given a fair chance'...

That makes no sense to me, so I'll slate them at every opportunity...

It's been done to death..shall we.move on.

And my point exactly...

I inadvertently opened the event horizon! There was quite a bit of turbulence that I missed over the last two volumes, it would appear.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Krikkit said:

What did they offer you as a trade-in for your LS?

It is value-less here. 1000 EUR against the new one.

If conditions allow in July, I'll drive or transport it over if any threadists wanted it at sensible money, or fancied flying over and collecting.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Macron said:

21st Century Man said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

I've just ordered a 4 cylinder 3 Series but it is specced for me so is at the higher end of the Barge-lite-gizmo-scale. I haven't gone for HUD or blingy wheels, or uprated audio (who needs it with Continental radio stations and German techno-pop?) or the 'Driving Assistant Pack Professional' (Active Cruise Control, auto speed limit assist, cross-roads or wrong-way warning etc, on the basis that I can drive and don't want the sodding car doing it for me) and have instead focused on comfort.

Barring massive engine, it's the spec and colours that I would want when it's a bottom-feeding 15 year old at Shed money.

ETA - including the Storage package. Sad loser that I am.

I am dissapoint.

One moment it's a mint original E500, the next it's an LC500. Then you go and buy a bloody new 3 series!

Esteemed threadist my arse, be off with you!

Was there enough of a discount for it to be in thread??

Not keen to derail 1-5 too much, and I have posted this over the past couple of weekends, but LC500 was 80,000 EUR, 3 Series is 36. A long way from thread, but decent discounts nonetheless.

To balance my account, I do still have some shonky classics and the new one is petrol, so I haven't completely gone to the dark side.

[tobinen]

Is it metallic green with tan leather?

[SpeckledJim]

tobinen said:

Is it metallic green with tan leather?

Mmmm. [rubs knees...does duvets]


(conflates Vic&Bob with Trev&Simon)

[anonymous-user]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

I haven't gone for HUD

Have you had HUD before?

I never had, then I bought a new (from stock) M3 with it. Never thought I'd want it. Then when I got it, I loved it. When it went, I missed it.

The HUD is gud.

[BlackStang5point0]

RonaldMcDonaldAteMyCat said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

I haven't gone for HUD

Have you had HUD before?

I never had, then I bought a new (from stock) M3 with it. Never thought I'd want it. Then when I got it, I loved it. When it went, I missed it.

The HUD is gud.

I can concur with this re: the HUD - very very useful option to have.

[Rubins4]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

I'm in this place at the other end of the scale.

I've just ordered a 4 cylinder 3 Series but it is specced for me so is at the higher end of the Barge-lite-gizmo-scale. I haven't gone for HUD or blingy wheels, or uprated audio (who needs it with Continental radio stations and German techno-pop?) or the 'Driving Assistant Pack Professional' (Active Cruise Control, auto speed limit assist, cross-roads or wrong-way warning etc, on the basis that I can drive and don't want the sodding car doing it for me) and have instead focused on comfort.

Barring massive engine, it's the spec and colours that I would want when it's a bottom-feeding 15 year old at Shed money.

ETA - including the Storage package. Sad loser that I am.

Edited by CharlesdeGaulle on Tuesday 2nd March 10:33

This was a mistake.

My pals' M140i had the (i believe) H.K uprated system. One of my favorite memories is firing across Germany in the middle of the night at c.150mph, listening to a mix of epic modern classical musical and techno (not simultaneously) turned up to 11, stopping only for petrol, coffee, cigarettes and pastries.

[Rubins4]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

It is value-less here. 1000 EUR against the new one.

If conditions allow in July, I'll drive or transport it over if any threadists wanted it at sensible money, or fancied flying over and collecting.

I may genuinely be interested in this. South East based. Will need full details of LS, of course.

[21st Century Man]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

To balance my account, I do still have some shonky classics

[TyrannosauRoss Lex]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Not keen to derail 1-5 too much, and I have posted this over the past couple of weekends, but LC500 was 80,000 EUR, 3 Series is 36. A long way from thread, but decent discounts nonetheless.

To balance my account, I do still have some shonky classics and the new one is petrol, so I haven't completely gone to the dark side.

To be fair, the new 3 series is a very, very good car.

[5 In a Row]

Rubins4 said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

I'm in this place at the other end of the scale.

I've just ordered a 4 cylinder 3 Series but it is specced for me so is at the higher end of the Barge-lite-gizmo-scale. I haven't gone for HUD or blingy wheels, or uprated audio (who needs it with Continental radio stations and German techno-pop?) or the 'Driving Assistant Pack Professional' (Active Cruise Control, auto speed limit assist, cross-roads or wrong-way warning etc, on the basis that I can drive and don't want the sodding car doing it for me) and have instead focused on comfort.

Barring massive engine, it's the spec and colours that I would want when it's a bottom-feeding 15 year old at Shed money.

ETA - including the Storage package. Sad loser that I am.

Edited by CharlesdeGaulle on Tuesday 2nd March 10:33

This was a mistake.

My pals' M140i had the (i believe) H.K uprated system. One of my favorite memories is firing across Germany in the middle of the night at c.150mph, listening to a mix of epic modern classical musical and techno (not simultaneously) turned up to 11, stopping only for petrol, coffee, cigarettes and pastries.

We tested 2 varieties of the 4 series back to back and one had the standard stereo. God it's awful, reminded me of listening to taped music on a mono radio cassette as a kid.
We went for the car with the HK upgrade.

[anonymous-user]

TyrannosauRoss Lex said:

To be fair, the new 3 series is a very, very good car.

For all the moaning on PH has there ever been a 3 series that wasn't a very, very good car by contemporary standards? I've enjoyed every single one of them I've driven, they're always head and shoulders above the competition if you have even the slightest interest in how the car feels to drive.

I used to get to borrow cars out of a fairly extensive pool and I had to surmise that Audi only ever sold A4s to people who had never driven a 3 series for comparison, even the rep special Efficient Dynamics 3 series was so much better. If anything the difference was even more marked with the 6 cylinder cars.

[Timberwolf]

stickleback123 said:

TyrannosauRoss Lex said:

To be fair, the new 3 series is a very, very good car.

For all the moaning on PH has there ever been a 3 series that wasn't a very, very good car by contemporary standards? I've enjoyed every single one of them I've driven, they're always head and shoulders above the competition if you have even the slightest interest in how the car feels to drive.

Most of the griping over the years IME has been less about its competence and more the inevitable increase in size and comfort plus taming of the more wayward handling characteristics; "it's gone too soft and made too many compromises for the mainstream" is at least as old as the E36 and I dimly remember hearing the odd complaint that while the E30 was less likely to develop an unexpected desire to murder its own occupants on a slightly greasy patch of road, it had lost its edge over the E21's raw exposure of semi-trailing arm handling characteristics.

Of course online there's the inevitable "hurr 3 series is awful lol" but I think that's proving the point - it's done for attention and if you're making iconoclastic statements for the enjoyment of a reaction there's no point picking something that isn't near-universally regarded as a class leader. And while I think it's fair play to deride the humble M Sport appended 3 as the Cortina GL of its day, I doubt they'd sell quite so many if it didn't feel immediately superior once you've turned the steering wheel more than a few degrees in either direction.

[mondayo]

stickleback123 said:

For all the moaning on PH has there ever been a 3 series that wasn't a very, very good car by contemporary standards? I've enjoyed every single one of them I've driven, they're always head and shoulders above the competition if you have even the slightest interest in how the car feels to drive.

I used to get to borrow cars out of a fairly extensive pool and I had to surmise that Audi only ever sold A4s to people who had never driven a 3 series for comparison, even the rep special Efficient Dynamics 3 series was so much better. If anything the difference was even more marked with the 6 cylinder cars.

I've just had a look on line and it seems that the current 3 series doesn't have the new humongous grille, so that's good.

What have you gone for CDG? 320i estate with mocha interior?

[anonymous-user]

Timberwolf said:

Most of the griping over the years IME has been less about its competence and more the inevitable increase in size and comfort plus taming of the more wayward handling characteristics; "it's gone too soft and made too many compromises for the mainstream" is at least as old as the E36 and I dimly remember hearing the odd complaint that while the E30 was less likely to develop an unexpected desire to murder its own occupants on a slightly greasy patch of road, it had lost its edge over the E21's raw exposure of semi-trailing arm handling characteristics.
.

I do wonder how many people who moan about how tame they are now would last more than 20 miles of spirited driving on a bumpy road with some dips and crests and maybe a bit of adverse camber in one of the older cars without ending up in a ditch/coffin. Even the tamer variants like an E32 could get a bit wayward, and the sort of ham fisted driving I witness when the driver in front is "going fast" in a modern car would have ended very poorly indeed.

[Emeye]

I thought options were the reserve of press and main dealer demonstrators or old people buying a car to keep forever? I have only "owned" two new car, one was a company car and the other a personal lease and came as they were - options were too expensive when it came to BIK or monthly payments, so I can see why most are billy basic as the most people either PCP or lease - shopping for a car for my mum, I noticed Audi don't even bother putting the full OTR price in the window of their cars, just the monthlies.