Luxury Barge for £10k

[Mr.Nobody]

I am looking for a car for a family member, they are after a large barge. Some they have considered are the

BMW 7 Series
Audi A8
Mercedes S Class
Lexus LS430/460
Jaguar XF

As they only do around 4k a year, would anyone be able to recommend some engines and models? They have seen a 760li but I have tried to persuade them that it would be quite expensive to maintain. Another one that I have seen is a Passat W8, from what I can tell they are quite rare, I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of them?

[RedWhiteMonkey]

I'll ask the obvious question, why do they need a barge for just 4000 miles a year? They are probably just asking for huge maintenance bills for little actual benefit.

[Mr.Nobody]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

I'll ask the obvious question, why do they need a barge for just 4000 miles a year? They are probably just asking for huge maintenance bills for little actual benefit.

They just fancy a large car.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Mr.Nobody said:

They just fancy a large car.

Fair enough, its their cash. Is there a maximum mileage/age that they would consider?

[AC43]

Mr.Nobody said:

I am looking for a car for a family member, they are after a large barge. Some they have considered are the

BMW 7 Series
Audi A8
Mercedes S Class
Lexus LS430/460
Jaguar XF

As they only do around 4k a year, would anyone be able to recommend some engines and models? They have seen a 760li but I have tried to persuade them that it would be quite expensive to maintain. Another one that I have seen is a Passat W8, from what I can tell they are quite rare, I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of them?

The 5.5 V8 in the S500 is pretty good. 380+ bhp and the same in torque. Bullet proof. I've got it in my 4,000 mile a year E Class. Also available in the CLS & CL.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105273...

Edited by AC43 on Wednesday 2nd June 11:38

[Mr.Nobody]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

Fair enough, its their cash. What is the budget and maximum mileage/age that they would consider?

They have a budget of £10k but would stretch to £12k for the right car. Age and mileage are not an issue. They are more concerned about the history of the car and the previous maintenance.

[Mo28]

Instead of the XF they should consider the XJ, that's more of a barge. Also there's the VW Phaeton if they're after something different and come with a W12 variant.

[Mr.Nobody]

Mo28 said:

Instead of the XF they should consider the XJ, that's more of a barge. Also there's the VW Phaeton if they're after something different and come with a W12 variant.

The XJ would be an option. The VW Phaeton looks very good.

[Jamescrs]

XF does not appear to sit in the rest of the line up particularly well.

I have recently been in a friends A8 albeit the diesel version whcih is probably not appropriate in this case but it was a very nice place to be. I would probably go for the Audi in this case as I feel it it quite understated compared tot he BMW and S Class although the Sclass would also be up there for me with the BMW then the Lexus behind them

[Mr.Nobody]

AC43 said:

The 5.5 V8 in the S500 is pretty good. 380+ bhp and the same in torque. Bullet proof. I've got it in my 4,000 mile a year E Class. Also available in the CLS & CL.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105273...

Edited by AC43 on Wednesday 2nd June 11:38

That looks excellent.

[Mr.Nobody]

Jamescrs said:

XF does not appear to sit in the rest of the line up particularly well.

I have recently been in a friends A8 albeit the diesel version whcih is probably not appropriate in this case but it was a very nice place to be. I would probably go for the Audi in this case as I feel it it quite understated compared tot he BMW and S Class although the Sclass would also be up there for me with the BMW then the Lexus behind them

I agree about the A8 they are a bit under the radar and do look very nice on the inside. I will see if I can find a nice Petrol version.

[Mr.Nobody]

What do we think: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104302...

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Mr.Nobody said:

What do we think: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104302...

I was about to post that. Obviously you'd need to inspect properly but it looks good in the photos and has low mileage for the age. Whilst there is nothing inherently wrong with the tech you need to remember that it is 15 years old so if the latest gadgets are a must then that might be a problem. I'd imagine that's a lovely (if thirsty) thing to drive.

[AC43]

Mr.Nobody said:

AC43 said:

The 5.5 V8 in the S500 is pretty good. 380+ bhp and the same in torque. Bullet proof. I've got it in my 4,000 mile a year E Class. Also available in the CLS & CL.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105273...

Edited by AC43 on Wednesday 2nd June 11:38

That looks excellent.

Personally, I'd have the S Class purely because I'm on my 4th Merc and am more familiar with them than anything else. And I like the waft. The closest equivalent would probably be an XJ but I know nothing about them in terms of reliability, etc.

[leef44]

Are they petrolheads in the sense that they care about the size of the engine and the number of cylinders?

If not then the more pragmatic option might be to go for a smaller engine in the top of the range e.g. S350 MB rather than S500. V6 Phaeton instead of W12.

If they can find a petrol version it would be better than a diesel for the small annual mileage.

[Mr.Nobody]

leef44 said:

Are they petrolheads in the sense that they care about the size of the engine and the number of cylinders?

If not then the more pragmatic option might be to go for a smaller engine in the top of the range e.g. S350 MB rather than S500. V6 Phaeton instead of W12.

If they can find a petrol version it would be better than a diesel for the small annual mileage.

They would consider a smaller engine but a top of the range model. I would imagine a smaller engine but a top spec would hold its value somewhat and be easier to sell on. Thanks for the suggestion.

[AC43]

leef44 said:

Are they petrolheads in the sense that they care about the size of the engine and the number of cylinders?

If not then the more pragmatic option might be to go for a smaller engine in the top of the range e.g. S350 MB rather than S500. V6 Phaeton instead of W12.

If they can find a petrol version it would be better than a diesel for the small annual mileage.

I've tried the 350 in an E Class and I'd go for the 500 all day long. It won't cost any more to buy, will barely use more fuel but the additional torque makes a huge difference.

And it's already third in line after the various AMG's and V12's. So very pargamatic.

[Over over under steer]

Run away from that generation 7 series, though I've not owned one three friends have and each was a very very poor experience - regular trips to the garage and big bills. Buying an older one would be even worse.

That S500 is a more sensible shout, still able to throw a big bill at you, but much lower risk. You could consider a Lexus LS, great reliability, comfy, luxurious, and mechanically in a different league.

If they are only paying £10k for that car I am working on the assumption that an entirely possible bill at half the value of the car would not be easy to digest.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

This looks like a lot of barge for just over four thousand pounds - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106013...

[Mr.Nobody]

I’ve seen this:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106013...