Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 18]

[Blown2CV]

Sahjahd said:

If any of my old Mercedes had been so kind to me in 30,000 miles, I would probably still have it.

A few weeks ago, I bought (£6.5k) this 2008 150,000 mile XJR


I have only done a couple of 000 miles in it so early days, but reading the comprehensive history back to day 1, it has had a cooling system refresh, a couple of suspension parts, servicing, consumables such as brakes and tyres, and nothing else, yet everything works, apart from a few stone chips and parking blemishes, it's difficult to distinguish from a new car.

Ah sounds like you’re due a big bill soon then best of luck!!

[Rubins4]

lemansky said:

Rubins4 - get on and buy CdG's LS before I decide to buy a spare!
Can't recommend these Lexus enough.

I’m trying!

bolidemichael said:

Oh Christ, there's another thread? Does that one move as fast as this?

My sentiments entirely, keeping up with one is hard enough.

[anonymous-user]

alec.e said:

Apologies Ian for missing this!

In short, its going well, nearly put the same miles on it that it covered in the whole last year!
I have rebuilt the air suspension compressor for £15, the suspension fault I am convinced is due to a dodgy solenoid connection in the boot- wiggle the connector and the fault goes away...

Done some paintwork too, changed the grille, put my old plate on it too. Guess its a keeper then?

Edited by alec.e on Sunday 7th March 18:48

Isn't that on the 17" wheels that were only around on the XJ6 non SE models for the first year? If so how does it ride? I found my SE spec car a bit jigglier than expected on 19" wheels and always thought it would be much more magic carpet like on the 55 profile 17" tyres.

[bolidemichael]

Nicks90 said:

bolidemichael said:

Dapster said:

Nicks90 said:

That's really nice, but I struggle in my mind with the point of an e430 amg
Surely if you want lots of power and horrendous mpg + massive bork factor, you just buy a 500 and be done with it.
What does the 430 have over the 500? Maybe 2-3mpg - but then loses out everywhere else.

Or am I missing the 'point' of one of these?

It isn't an "AMG" - that's just a stuck on badge. The 430 was the big engined barge for wafting from the office to the golf club. The E55 was a proper hairy chested "AMG" and 80 odd more bhp. In the W210, the 430 was the biggest engine you could get before going AMG. The non AMG E500 only came out in the W211 which followed this.

r129sl would certainly be able to answer this as he had a thread. I recall that he enjoyed driving it briskly and missed it when it was gone. So it can't have been too bad. It has no airmatic, unlike the 500, however and I presume that the 211 represented a step change in technology. It still feels modern.

EDIT: I think that's a great find and possibly worth the asking price due to the colour combo, stated provenance (I haven't done an MOT check) and the lack of corrosion.

Edited by bolidemichael on Sunday 7th March 18:52

I stand corrected and bow down to the superior beardage. I thought all hairy chested v8's of Merc origins post 1995 were amg machines of some form or another. Marketing ballcocks and all that modern Merc polaver thing.
In which case, an e430 with 16"rims and big sidewalls sounds wonderful!

I honestly am attracted more to my 500 that the equivalent 55. I think that it's the understated nature of the proposition. It's still able to cover ground very rapidly and in comfort, without perhaps that addictive super bike-esque bursts of accelerative power. This may explain why I maintain a clean licence, the AMG would ruin me

[anonymous-user]

bolidemichael said:

I honestly am attracted more to my 500 that the equivalent 55. I think that it's the understated nature of the proposition. It's still able to cover ground very rapidly and in comfort, without perhaps that addictive super bike-esque bursts of accelerative power. This may explain why I maintain a clean licence, the AMG would ruin me

Agreed, I think a 380bhp 5.5 litre E500 in grandad spec would be a superb daily and a bit of a sleeper. At this stage of their lifecyle it's far more likely to have had an easy life than any of the AMGs, which will have been owned by a series of hooligans and dreamers, very often of ever decreasing ability to feed it expensive parts and maintenance, but and inversely proportional ability to source gash modifications and stick on tat.

Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 7th March 19:46

[Macron]

g3org3y said:

LetsTryAgain said:

g3org3y said:

My seller also had rubber mats in his advert photos!

Not to mention his finger over the shutter...
That X5 (yours) looks smart as a carrot.

Thank you, I didn't want black (drug dealer) or white (Essex). The grey looks decent though. I wasn't planning on getting the 4.8i, but this green one came up and it looked so good, I couldn't resist. I think one of the only options it doesn't have is Active Steering. Has pretty much everything else. Seller also included the 20 inch summer wheels/tyres (currently on 18s/winter tyres). My wife enjoys driving it. She's less keen on filling it up though.

Dibs when you move it on please!

[mondayo]

bolidemichael said:

Oh Christ, there's another thread? Does that one move as fast as this?

That one moves much more slowly.... we're talking serious money on there

[ess]

31mph said:

The 7 series is even worse imo



Look at the gnashers on that

Spotted an Alpina version of the current 7ner in Thorpe Bay today and the grille looks even bigger in-the-metal.
Laughable.

S

[bolidemichael]

stickleback123 said:

bolidemichael said:

I honestly am attracted more to my 500 that the equivalent 55. I think that it's the understated nature of the proposition. It's still able to cover ground very rapidly and in comfort, without perhaps that addictive super bike-esque bursts of accelerative power. This may explain why I maintain a clean licence, the AMG would ruin me

Agreed, I think a 380bhp 5.5 litre E500 in grandad spec would be a superb daily and a bit of a sleeper. At this stage of their lifecyle it's far more likely to have had an easy life than any of the AMGs, which will have been owned by a series of hooligans and dreamers, very often of ever decreasing ability to feed it expensive parts and maintenance, but and inversely proportional ability to source gash modifications and stick on tat.

Edited by stickleback123 on Sunday 7th March 19:46

You probably haven't been keeping up my litany-of-outlay ownership thread then

[Chrishum]

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1316226

Perhaps not the best but for £3500 certainly a great smoker for the brave.

[bolidemichael]

Apropos of nothing, the listing date feature has been removed from car and classic, which is a disappointment.

[Chrishum]

Given the number of views was 10 when I copied the link and was 20 when I last looked I don't think that advert is very old.

[alec.e]

stickleback123 said:

alec.e said:

Apologies Ian for missing this!

In short, its going well, nearly put the same miles on it that it covered in the whole last year!
I have rebuilt the air suspension compressor for £15, the suspension fault I am convinced is due to a dodgy solenoid connection in the boot- wiggle the connector and the fault goes away...

Done some paintwork too, changed the grille, put my old plate on it too. Guess its a keeper then?

Edited by alec.e on Sunday 7th March 18:48

Isn't that on the 17" wheels that were only around on the XJ6 non SE models for the first year? If so how does it ride? I found my SE spec car a bit jigglier than expected on 19" wheels and always thought it would be much more magic carpet like on the 55 profile 17" tyres.

Yes it’s the 17”s, rides very nicely, look awful, but kind of fitting... Less crashy than the 19/20s.

[BigBen]

bolidemichael said:

I honestly am attracted more to my 500 that the equivalent 55. I think that it's the understated nature of the proposition. It's still able to cover ground very rapidly and in comfort, without perhaps that addictive super bike-esque bursts of accelerative power. This may explain why I maintain a clean licence, the AMG would ruin me

One of the reasons I didn't keep my SL55 was I scored quite a few points on my license because the sound of the 55 engine is so addictive. If I had been in a 500 I probably could have saved myself the thick end of a grand as it wouldn't have been possible to be doing that speed by that lay by........

[anonymous-user]

Chrishum said:

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1316226

Perhaps not the best but for £3500 certainly a great smoker for the brave.

Easily the best looking modern Mercedes IMO, but while they don't seem to rot our quite as badly as the W220 S-Class I would find it very hard to part with more than shed money for any car with visible rust.

The conventional wisdom is that the naturally aspirated CL55 is to be avoided, as is the naturally aspirated CL600 but for that price that can be seen as a CL500 with a bit more go. It speaks to the craziness in the market briefly discussed earlier that £3,500 for a 20 year old rusty and unloved barge seems reasonable though.

[Emeye]

mondayo said:

bolidemichael said:

Oh Christ, there's another thread? Does that one move as fast as this?

That one moves much more slowly.... we're talking serious money on there

Ah, so is there any point to this thread any more? Maybe shut it down and then create a £10-15k thread?

Psychology suggests if someone posts a £6k E49 in the £5-10k thread it’s a bargain rather than an overpriced desperate money grab in this thread. We can all reset our expectations to Covid car dealer land and peace and harmony is restored to all.

[bolidemichael]

BigBen said:

bolidemichael said:

I honestly am attracted more to my 500 that the equivalent 55. I think that it's the understated nature of the proposition. It's still able to cover ground very rapidly and in comfort, without perhaps that addictive super bike-esque bursts of accelerative power. This may explain why I maintain a clean licence, the AMG would ruin me

One of the reasons I didn't keep my SL55 was I scored quite a few points on my license because the sound of the 55 engine is so addictive. If I had been in a 500 I probably could have saved myself the thick end of a grand as it wouldn't have been possible to be doing that speed by that lay by........

Well the 500 does gather momentum, but it somehow feels more appropriate and more invisible on a motorbike

Certainly, there isn't too much aural drama from the M113 though it does 'trample' when pressed. The sweetest accelerative zone is from seventy to one thirty. I like to think that the ubiquitousness of the profile helps it stay under the radar, too. Who knows?

Having said that, I would very much like a CL65 one day, just because.

[Macron]

Emeye said:

Ah, so is there any point to this thread any more? Maybe shut it down and then create a £10-15k thread?

• makes whatever sound it makes when feathers are being spat**

Seriously, where would I post French tat and Vauxhalls that no one will ever buy? See the £1500 Laguna 3.0 estate on AT for example...

[deeen]

Emeye said:

mondayo said:

bolidemichael said:

Oh Christ, there's another thread? Does that one move as fast as this?

That one moves much more slowly.... we're talking serious money on there

Ah, so is there any point to this thread any more? Maybe shut it down and then create a £10-15k thread?

Psychology suggests if someone posts a £6k E49 in the £5-10k thread it’s a bargain rather than an overpriced desperate money grab in this thread. We can all reset our expectations to Covid car dealer land and peace and harmony is restored to all.

I like this thread because, while I might find £3k down the back of the sofa one day, there's definitely not £9k down there!

[XMified]

bolidemichael said:

Well the 500 does gather momentum, but it somehow feels more appropriate and more invisible on a motorbike

Certainly, there isn't too much aural drama from the M113 though it does 'trample' when pressed. The sweetest accelerative zone is from seventy to one thirty. I like to think that the ubiquitousness of the profile helps it stay under the radar, too. Who knows?

Having said that, I would very much like a CL65 one day, just because.

Michael, is yours the earlier 306bhp or the later 385bhp?

I find the 306bhp to be more than adequate- especially in the speed-crippled UK.