Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 21]
Discussion
Autobantz said:
Foeux said:
An Audi A8 4.2tdi LWB debrief.
Blaaaady excellent 
This is what it's all about. One up, two up or four up. It doesn't matter; nothing beats a big barge for obliterating continents.
Surely a Lwb estate (oops, I mean Avant) would have filled a market gap.
nobrakes said:
A LWB A8 of any variety is on my wish list.
Surely a Lwb estate (oops, I mean Avant) would have filled a market gap.
I beg to differ - outside of thread logic, anyone in the market to buy a new top-of-the-range LWB uber-barge (A8/Sklasse/7er, etc) would be in the position to buy >1 car to suit needs. You buy the big saloon because you want one, and all the implied status (however intangible that may be - how often does one go to red-carpet events, for example?) that comes with it. If you’re doing load lugging, then you use the other car/below stairs help/Range Rover* instead. Estates are for the working man, there’s no ‘swank’ in an estate. If you can afford to drop £150k (or finance, no judgement here!) on a top of the range ‘limo’, you can afford another car as well.Surely a Lwb estate (oops, I mean Avant) would have filled a market gap.
It’s only when you get to us weirdos in the £5k region that the idea of an uber-estate appeals, but the wise marketeers don’t listen to us… With modern platform sharing & adaptability, if there was a market, those grand-estates would exist, but they don’t, so by circular logic, the market doesn’t exist. Yes, I know there’s a fail there.
*Other big, boxy modes of conveyance exist, but the RR defines the genre (for Europe) IMO. [Those clever people in other countries who buy Suburbans or Alphards probably have it better than we do in the UK, but that’s a whole other topic & i’m in danger of doing a Pratchett & having footnotes on my footnotes, so will end here!]
On the subject of long range EV's. On a campsite the far side of Bordeaux I recently saw a Tesla (model 3 maybe) a Ford Mustang? As in the electric SUV thing. And a Mitsubishi Outlander (?) PHEV think thing. Would the latter two be hybrids?
It's 780km to Dieppe and 940km to Calais.
Anyway, it's a bloody good effort. Although I'm guessing it's no worse/slower than towing a caravan that far?
In honour of Macron's hopefully (not) brief return. We did it under diesel power....an old 6 cylinder mercedes one.
It's 780km to Dieppe and 940km to Calais.
Anyway, it's a bloody good effort. Although I'm guessing it's no worse/slower than towing a caravan that far?
In honour of Macron's hopefully (not) brief return. We did it under diesel power....an old 6 cylinder mercedes one.
Prinny said:
nobrakes said:
A LWB A8 of any variety is on my wish list.
Surely a Lwb estate (oops, I mean Avant) would have filled a market gap.
I beg to differ - outside of thread logic, anyone in the market to buy a new top-of-the-range LWB uber-barge (A8/Sklasse/7er, etc) would be in the position to buy >1 car to suit needs. You buy the big saloon because you want one, and all the implied status (however intangible that may be - how often does one go to red-carpet events, for example?) that comes with it. If you’re doing load lugging, then you use the other car/below stairs help/Range Rover* instead. Estates are for the working man, there’s no ‘swank’ in an estate. If you can afford to drop £150k (or finance, no judgement here!) on a top of the range ‘limo’, you can afford another car as well.Surely a Lwb estate (oops, I mean Avant) would have filled a market gap.
It’s only when you get to us weirdos in the £5k region that the idea of an uber-estate appeals, but the wise marketeers don’t listen to us… With modern platform sharing & adaptability, if there was a market, those grand-estates would exist, but they don’t, so by circular logic, the market doesn’t exist. Yes, I know there’s a fail there.
*Other big, boxy modes of conveyance exist, but the RR defines the genre (for Europe) IMO. [Those clever people in other countries who buy Suburbans or Alphards probably have it better than we do in the UK, but that’s a whole other topic & i’m in danger of doing a Pratchett & having footnotes on my footnotes, so will end here!]
Agree with the above comments about luxo-barge estates (I have dogs and always wished that they existed)
My brother in law was, until recently, CEO of a sizeable PLC.
His weekday daily was a Mercedes S class, which came with a chauffeur.
His weekend hack is a 3 year old Range Rover Vague, as he goes shooting, lives in Gloucestershire at weekends, and has dogs.
His wife has a Telsa model S.
They lived in London during the week.
So you are spot on with your analysis.
The nearest they ever got to an estate car was a BMW 3 series touring that he bought for his wife because he though he looked silly being driven around London in the passenger seat of a Mini Cooper S. She was furious, as he did it without asking her, she loved the Mini and hated the BMW. Surprisingly, they are still married.
Now he has retired to Gloucestershire they are slumming it without the S class.
Oh, and he has a gorgeous Jaguar SS in the garage for high days and holidays, He always was good at buying appreciating/appreciated assets.
Something like this one (nicked from a usd car ad)
My brother in law was, until recently, CEO of a sizeable PLC.
His weekday daily was a Mercedes S class, which came with a chauffeur.
His weekend hack is a 3 year old Range Rover Vague, as he goes shooting, lives in Gloucestershire at weekends, and has dogs.
His wife has a Telsa model S.
They lived in London during the week.
So you are spot on with your analysis.
The nearest they ever got to an estate car was a BMW 3 series touring that he bought for his wife because he though he looked silly being driven around London in the passenger seat of a Mini Cooper S. She was furious, as he did it without asking her, she loved the Mini and hated the BMW. Surprisingly, they are still married.
Now he has retired to Gloucestershire they are slumming it without the S class.
Oh, and he has a gorgeous Jaguar SS in the garage for high days and holidays, He always was good at buying appreciating/appreciated assets.
Something like this one (nicked from a usd car ad)
Last few photos of the long slug with some of its friends in a suitably dignified spot. I will definitely miss it but also feel confident I am selling in the best possible nick for the next person. I spent loads on Car-Vertical doing checks of various vehicles and looked at a lot before I bought this one. Someone else will benefit from my hard work (and fresh service, cold aircon and new tyres).
As for not selling our own cars on the thread but being allowed to link to the ads of strangers everywhere, I have had the situation explained.
As for not selling our own cars on the thread but being allowed to link to the ads of strangers everywhere, I have had the situation explained.
Foeux said:
Last few photos of the long slug with some of its friends in a suitably dignified spot. I will definitely miss it but also feel confident I am selling in the best possible nick for the next person. I spent loads on Car-Vertical doing checks of various vehicles and looked at a lot before I bought this one. Someone else will benefit from my hard work (and fresh service, cold aircon and new tyres).
As for not selling our own cars on the thread but being allowed to link to the ads of strangers everywhere, I have had the situation explained.
Were there any common themes in the car vertical checks you made? Never used it myself.As for not selling our own cars on the thread but being allowed to link to the ads of strangers everywhere, I have had the situation explained.
I nearly used CarVertical for the SL but I baulked at the cost. I can't recall which one I used but it's just HPI/Experian with a fancy website.
I need a suggestion please to remove a musty smell from the boot of the CL. I don't own a wet vac. I have used AutoGlym interior spray stuff and a brush and then let it dry in the sun but it's not much better.
I need a suggestion please to remove a musty smell from the boot of the CL. I don't own a wet vac. I have used AutoGlym interior spray stuff and a brush and then let it dry in the sun but it's not much better.
At a micro level, a cut-pile carpet is basically lots & lots of open-ended loops (they’re whole as they come out of the tufting machine for about 3 cycles, then run up against a knife that breaks the loop to make the pile - can you guess what sort of manufacturing I used to work on?) that pass through a fibreglass (typically) backing sheet, which is then fixed (so that the pile doesn’t pull out) with a latex (or other) layer applied to the bottom face. Further backing layers then get applied to the latex layer to make up the finished article.
So it get wet (shower, pressure washer) and give it one hell of a scrubbing, but ideally in one direction only so that you’re moving displaced detritus away from the original site & it’ll gradually clear. If you can keep the water running over the place you’re scrubbing, that should carry away anything displaced rather than you pushing it back in.
Hang it on the washing line to dry - put the backside against the sun where possible, as the roots will take longer to dry than the tips of the pile, so that’s better for heat transfer. If it’s a sunny day, put it in the loft as the sun goes down (pile face up) and see if you can evaporate more by heat transfer overnight. It might well take a few days to dry fully. If you know anyone who’s got a commercial oven (takeaways with Pizza ovens are good, body shops with paint booths are better) see if you can get them to stick it on a low heat for a bit (55-60 perfectly good).
So it get wet (shower, pressure washer) and give it one hell of a scrubbing, but ideally in one direction only so that you’re moving displaced detritus away from the original site & it’ll gradually clear. If you can keep the water running over the place you’re scrubbing, that should carry away anything displaced rather than you pushing it back in.
Hang it on the washing line to dry - put the backside against the sun where possible, as the roots will take longer to dry than the tips of the pile, so that’s better for heat transfer. If it’s a sunny day, put it in the loft as the sun goes down (pile face up) and see if you can evaporate more by heat transfer overnight. It might well take a few days to dry fully. If you know anyone who’s got a commercial oven (takeaways with Pizza ovens are good, body shops with paint booths are better) see if you can get them to stick it on a low heat for a bit (55-60 perfectly good).
Well, yeah, but why use 5 words when you can write a load of guff that 99.99% of the people reading the thread will not care about in the slightest? It’s nowhere near as much fun! I have a limited set of knowledge (I won’t go as far as saying I have a special set of skills, however), and the stuff I do know about bores most people to tears - hell, it bores me, so I consider it my civic duty to share the pain.
Or i could be stuck working late & bored, with nowt better to do.
Or i could be stuck working late & bored, with nowt better to do.
Anyone fancy a lovely looking Scandibarge that, unusually, doesn't require a concession for only having four cylinders?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/10257236...
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/10257236...
Prinny said:
I beg to differ - outside of thread logic, anyone in the market to buy a new top-of-the-range LWB uber-barge (A8/Sklasse/7er, etc) would be in the position to buy >1 car to suit needs. You buy the big saloon because you want one, and all the implied status (however intangible that may be - how often does one go to red-carpet events, for example?) that comes with it. If you’re doing load lugging, then you use the other car/below stairs help/Range Rover* instead. Estates are for the working man, there’s no ‘swank’ in an estate. If you can afford to drop £150k (or finance, no judgement here!) on a top of the range ‘limo’, you can afford another car as well.
It’s only when you get to us weirdos in the £5k region that the idea of an uber-estate appeals, but the wise marketeers don’t listen to us… With modern platform sharing & adaptability, if there was a market, those grand-estates would exist, but they don’t, so by circular logic, the market doesn’t exist. Yes, I know there’s a fail there.
*Other big, boxy modes of conveyance exist, but the RR defines the genre (for Europe) IMO. [Those clever people in other countries who buy Suburbans or Alphards probably have it better than we do in the UK, but that’s a whole other topic & i’m in danger of doing a Pratchett & having footnotes on my footnotes, so will end here!]
There really should be/should have been Lexus GS and LS estates - absolute barge heaven. It’s only when you get to us weirdos in the £5k region that the idea of an uber-estate appeals, but the wise marketeers don’t listen to us… With modern platform sharing & adaptability, if there was a market, those grand-estates would exist, but they don’t, so by circular logic, the market doesn’t exist. Yes, I know there’s a fail there.
*Other big, boxy modes of conveyance exist, but the RR defines the genre (for Europe) IMO. [Those clever people in other countries who buy Suburbans or Alphards probably have it better than we do in the UK, but that’s a whole other topic & i’m in danger of doing a Pratchett & having footnotes on my footnotes, so will end here!]
BrettMRC said:
Prinny said:
I beg to differ - outside of thread logic, anyone in the market to buy a new top-of-the-range LWB uber-barge (A8/Sklasse/7er, etc) would be in the position to buy >1 car to suit needs. You buy the big saloon because you want one, and all the implied status (however intangible that may be - how often does one go to red-carpet events, for example?) that comes with it. If you’re doing load lugging, then you use the other car/below stairs help/Range Rover* instead. Estates are for the working man, there’s no ‘swank’ in an estate. If you can afford to drop £150k (or finance, no judgement here!) on a top of the range ‘limo’, you can afford another car as well.
It’s only when you get to us weirdos in the £5k region that the idea of an uber-estate appeals, but the wise marketeers don’t listen to us… With modern platform sharing & adaptability, if there was a market, those grand-estates would exist, but they don’t, so by circular logic, the market doesn’t exist. Yes, I know there’s a fail there.
*Other big, boxy modes of conveyance exist, but the RR defines the genre (for Europe) IMO. [Those clever people in other countries who buy Suburbans or Alphards probably have it better than we do in the UK, but that’s a whole other topic & i’m in danger of doing a Pratchett & having footnotes on my footnotes, so will end here!]
There really should be/should have been Lexus GS and LS estates - absolute barge heaven. It’s only when you get to us weirdos in the £5k region that the idea of an uber-estate appeals, but the wise marketeers don’t listen to us… With modern platform sharing & adaptability, if there was a market, those grand-estates would exist, but they don’t, so by circular logic, the market doesn’t exist. Yes, I know there’s a fail there.
*Other big, boxy modes of conveyance exist, but the RR defines the genre (for Europe) IMO. [Those clever people in other countries who buy Suburbans or Alphards probably have it better than we do in the UK, but that’s a whole other topic & i’m in danger of doing a Pratchett & having footnotes on my footnotes, so will end here!]
TyrannosauRoss Lex said:
Aren't estate cars generally less refined than saloons? Maybe that's why you never see an S Class/A8/7 series estate?
It depends entirely on how good the soundproofing is in the boot area. My old Escort estate was noticeably noisier than the saloon but the C-class l has was just as plush as the saloon. Some estates also have the added advantage (but complexity) of air suspension on the rear.
In reality, how much extra room would an S-class estate offer up over a high spec E-class estate?
TyrannosauRoss Lex said:
BrettMRC said:
Prinny said:
I beg to differ - outside of thread logic, anyone in the market to buy a new top-of-the-range LWB uber-barge (A8/Sklasse/7er, etc) would be in the position to buy >1 car to suit needs. You buy the big saloon because you want one, and all the implied status (however intangible that may be - how often does one go to red-carpet events, for example?) that comes with it. If you’re doing load lugging, then you use the other car/below stairs help/Range Rover* instead. Estates are for the working man, there’s no ‘swank’ in an estate. If you can afford to drop £150k (or finance, no judgement here!) on a top of the range ‘limo’, you can afford another car as well.
It’s only when you get to us weirdos in the £5k region that the idea of an uber-estate appeals, but the wise marketeers don’t listen to us… With modern platform sharing & adaptability, if there was a market, those grand-estates would exist, but they don’t, so by circular logic, the market doesn’t exist. Yes, I know there’s a fail there.
*Other big, boxy modes of conveyance exist, but the RR defines the genre (for Europe) IMO. [Those clever people in other countries who buy Suburbans or Alphards probably have it better than we do in the UK, but that’s a whole other topic & i’m in danger of doing a Pratchett & having footnotes on my footnotes, so will end here!]
There really should be/should have been Lexus GS and LS estates - absolute barge heaven. It’s only when you get to us weirdos in the £5k region that the idea of an uber-estate appeals, but the wise marketeers don’t listen to us… With modern platform sharing & adaptability, if there was a market, those grand-estates would exist, but they don’t, so by circular logic, the market doesn’t exist. Yes, I know there’s a fail there.
*Other big, boxy modes of conveyance exist, but the RR defines the genre (for Europe) IMO. [Those clever people in other countries who buy Suburbans or Alphards probably have it better than we do in the UK, but that’s a whole other topic & i’m in danger of doing a Pratchett & having footnotes on my footnotes, so will end here!]
And whilst I think they’d have sold a few in Europe, they’d hold next-to no cachet in the US or Far East.
Derventio said:
TyrannosauRoss Lex said:
Aren't estate cars generally less refined than saloons? Maybe that's why you never see an S Class/A8/7 series estate?
It depends entirely on how good the soundproofing is in the boot area. My old Escort estate was noticeably noisier than the saloon but the C-class l has was just as plush as the saloon. Some estates also have the added advantage (but complexity) of air suspension on the rear.
In reality, how much extra room would an S-class estate offer up over a high spec E-class estate?
I owned 2 LS400 saloons back in the day, did a total of over 150,000 miles in them, and would have had an estate like a shot back in 2003 when I got my first dog.
Bought a Volvo 850 T5 estate instead, followed by Mercedes ML, a E320 estate and then various Saab 9-5 estates.
Never had a Lexus since for this lack of estate reason, and I suspect I am not the only UK owner of a 30kg dog who likes to swim and get muddy while out on walks.
Or perhaps they just decided that people like me ought to buy 4x4s and SUVs? Sensible argument I guess. I wonder how many XF estates Jaguar sold? You don't see many. But you do see plenty of E Class estates, 5 series tourings and A6 avants if you like German cars.
Bought a Volvo 850 T5 estate instead, followed by Mercedes ML, a E320 estate and then various Saab 9-5 estates.
Never had a Lexus since for this lack of estate reason, and I suspect I am not the only UK owner of a 30kg dog who likes to swim and get muddy while out on walks.
Or perhaps they just decided that people like me ought to buy 4x4s and SUVs? Sensible argument I guess. I wonder how many XF estates Jaguar sold? You don't see many. But you do see plenty of E Class estates, 5 series tourings and A6 avants if you like German cars.
brickwall said:
Can one retrofit Apple CarPlay to these infortainment systems? If so it materially ‘updates’ the day-to-day usability of the car.
Very much so: https://www.mr12volt.com/en-gb/products/most-carpl...These units also allow the original functions to remain intact, they usually present themselves as a media input to the MOST loop. So if you have a car where body functions and settings are controlled from the screen, it's still available.
Not used that particular one from Mr12Volt, but I do have one of their products in my E87 and it works flawlessly.
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