Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 22]
Discussion
0a that looks a fine thing. clear glass and silver wheels really do make all the difference.
On that note, what is thread's verdict on the best L322 TDV8 for the discerning bargiste?
As I understand it;
- 3.6 are cheaper to buy and are still great things to drive, but it is a case of 'when, not if' for turbo failure, and replacement is something like £3000
- 4.4 are both more powerful and more efficient, have the lauded ZF8 gearbox and still look relatively modern inside and don't tend to have turbo failure problems, but this is reflected in asking prices, but I think I read that the active dampers are very expensive and are a weak point?
what else differentiates them? Are either proving to be more reliable with all the electronics, is one less rust prone than the other?
On that note, what is thread's verdict on the best L322 TDV8 for the discerning bargiste?
As I understand it;
- 3.6 are cheaper to buy and are still great things to drive, but it is a case of 'when, not if' for turbo failure, and replacement is something like £3000
- 4.4 are both more powerful and more efficient, have the lauded ZF8 gearbox and still look relatively modern inside and don't tend to have turbo failure problems, but this is reflected in asking prices, but I think I read that the active dampers are very expensive and are a weak point?
what else differentiates them? Are either proving to be more reliable with all the electronics, is one less rust prone than the other?
deadtom said:
0a that looks a fine thing. clear glass and silver wheels really do make all the difference.
On that note, what is thread's verdict on the best L322 TDV8 for the discerning bargiste?
As I understand it;
- 3.6 are cheaper to buy and are still great things to drive, but it is a case of 'when, not if' for turbo failure, and replacement is something like £3000
- 4.4 are both more powerful and more efficient, have the lauded ZF8 gearbox and still look relatively modern inside and don't tend to have turbo failure problems, but this is reflected in asking prices, but I think I read that the active dampers are very expensive and are a weak point?
what else differentiates them? Are either proving to be more reliable with all the electronics, is one less rust prone than the other?
FWIW I've seen even very late ones with horrific rust.On that note, what is thread's verdict on the best L322 TDV8 for the discerning bargiste?
As I understand it;
- 3.6 are cheaper to buy and are still great things to drive, but it is a case of 'when, not if' for turbo failure, and replacement is something like £3000
- 4.4 are both more powerful and more efficient, have the lauded ZF8 gearbox and still look relatively modern inside and don't tend to have turbo failure problems, but this is reflected in asking prices, but I think I read that the active dampers are very expensive and are a weak point?
what else differentiates them? Are either proving to be more reliable with all the electronics, is one less rust prone than the other?
deadtom said:
GeniusOfLove said:
FWIW I've seen even very late ones with horrific rust.
Should this be understood as 'they all rust' or 'later ones rust more than earlier ones'?GeniusOfLove said:
Crook said:
+1 Auto
Verdict rejected on appeal.
IME of owning a late L322 TDV8 for two years (SORNed for longer than I have driven it)
Rear arches - they all go in the end if not now. Same for the tailgate.
Subframe rot - standard but not all affected. It will have it eventually if it doesn't now.
Active dampers: not that common to go wrong.
Oil cooler leaks - standard but not too bad to DIY.
Engine - it will take big mileage with regular oil changes at ~6,000 miles.
DPF - doesn't like lots of short journeys (as with anything really)
You don't have to spend a fortune to buy one unless you have a low mileage-fetish, FFRR forum-member pampered one. A couple have popped up there for under top thread in decent colours. They don't fetch a lot at auction now.
Rear arches - they all go in the end if not now. Same for the tailgate.
Subframe rot - standard but not all affected. It will have it eventually if it doesn't now.
Active dampers: not that common to go wrong.
Oil cooler leaks - standard but not too bad to DIY.
Engine - it will take big mileage with regular oil changes at ~6,000 miles.
DPF - doesn't like lots of short journeys (as with anything really)
You don't have to spend a fortune to buy one unless you have a low mileage-fetish, FFRR forum-member pampered one. A couple have popped up there for under top thread in decent colours. They don't fetch a lot at auction now.
I have a 2011 L322 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE, as I may have mentioned on here once or twice.
I am one year in now. Car has just passed 130,000 miles.
The car came from another PH owner and seemed to me to have had most of the expensive things fixed prior to my ownership.
Ignoring routine things like servicing and tyres, I have only had one other expense, a full DPF, which had to be cut off the car and put through the big cleaning machine and then welded back on - total cost about £500 inc labour.
It also needed the inlet manifold cleaning, which is a part of the same problem - too many town miles..
Rust: I have a small patch (40mm square) at the front edge of the driver's door that has been touched up, the usual tailgate bottom right corner rust bubbles and a number of paint chips on the front bumper. No rust on the wings etc.
The underside is fine, I had it checked by an experienced mechanic/TVR specialist, who is a personal friend, he had it up mon ther ramp and was surprised how good it was underneath.
Look for a good one, they are about.
Interiors - yes, the beige leather lwould be nice, but it always looks rather worn in the adverts.
The black leather on my car looks pretty well brand new and looks to me to be a much more durable grade.
Also, the windows are big and there's a sun roof on mine, so it doesn't seem dark inside.
Exterior: colour really affects the price. In the 3 months after I bought mine I was bombarded online by adverts for them.
I was susprised to see that, for the same spec, age and mileage, they varied from £5k for drug dealer black/black to £25k for Huntin, Shootin and Fishin dark green/tan interior , such as the late Queen's car or Jeremy Clarkson's.
All I would say is don't be put off by drug dealer spec - they are surprisingly nice inside. Go test drive them and see how they feel to you.
I am one year in now. Car has just passed 130,000 miles.
The car came from another PH owner and seemed to me to have had most of the expensive things fixed prior to my ownership.
Ignoring routine things like servicing and tyres, I have only had one other expense, a full DPF, which had to be cut off the car and put through the big cleaning machine and then welded back on - total cost about £500 inc labour.
It also needed the inlet manifold cleaning, which is a part of the same problem - too many town miles..
Rust: I have a small patch (40mm square) at the front edge of the driver's door that has been touched up, the usual tailgate bottom right corner rust bubbles and a number of paint chips on the front bumper. No rust on the wings etc.
The underside is fine, I had it checked by an experienced mechanic/TVR specialist, who is a personal friend, he had it up mon ther ramp and was surprised how good it was underneath.
Look for a good one, they are about.
Interiors - yes, the beige leather lwould be nice, but it always looks rather worn in the adverts.
The black leather on my car looks pretty well brand new and looks to me to be a much more durable grade.
Also, the windows are big and there's a sun roof on mine, so it doesn't seem dark inside.
Exterior: colour really affects the price. In the 3 months after I bought mine I was bombarded online by adverts for them.
I was susprised to see that, for the same spec, age and mileage, they varied from £5k for drug dealer black/black to £25k for Huntin, Shootin and Fishin dark green/tan interior , such as the late Queen's car or Jeremy Clarkson's.
All I would say is don't be put off by drug dealer spec - they are surprisingly nice inside. Go test drive them and see how they feel to you.
Crook said:
GeniusOfLove said:
Crook said:
+1 Auto
Verdict rejected on appeal.
Those Hondamatic gearboxes were never brilliant, they use parallel axis gears like a manual where each ratio gets a dedicated clutch unlike the epicyclic gearsets of "conventional" autos and they never seem to shift as smoothly.
Four ratios really isn't enough for anything that isn't a complete and total torque monster either, which most assuredly is not a way you'd describe any Honda four pot.
Thanks all for your insights, so is it fair to say that a tidy 3.6 would be a better buy than a ropey 4.4, but a clean and tidy 4.4 is the pick of the bunch?
To me, clear glass and silver wheels are pretty much non negotiable, and while one of the shades of green over tan would be nice I also love the dark blue exterior colour that is also fairly popular, and dark interior is also preferable but not critical to me.
If I did go for it, the thing would also be pressed into work occasionally and would be used for towing moderately heavy trailers. I have also been looking at discovery 3 and 4, but it seems that they are just as expensive for good condition cars, and the crankshaft failure on the D4 is a concern. Am I overlooking something (other than 7 seats in the disco) that would recommend the discovery over the range rover for the same sort of money?
To me, clear glass and silver wheels are pretty much non negotiable, and while one of the shades of green over tan would be nice I also love the dark blue exterior colour that is also fairly popular, and dark interior is also preferable but not critical to me.
If I did go for it, the thing would also be pressed into work occasionally and would be used for towing moderately heavy trailers. I have also been looking at discovery 3 and 4, but it seems that they are just as expensive for good condition cars, and the crankshaft failure on the D4 is a concern. Am I overlooking something (other than 7 seats in the disco) that would recommend the discovery over the range rover for the same sort of money?
deadtom said:
Thanks all for your insights, so is it fair to say that a tidy 3.6 would be a better buy than a ropey 4.4, but a clean and tidy 4.4 is the pick of the bunch?
To me, clear glass and silver wheels are pretty much non negotiable, and while one of the shades of green over tan would be nice I also love the dark blue exterior colour that is also fairly popular, and dark interior is also preferable but not critical to me.
If I did go for it, the thing would also be pressed into work occasionally and would be used for towing moderately heavy trailers. I have also been looking at discovery 3 and 4, but it seems that they are just as expensive for good condition cars, and the crankshaft failure on the D4 is a concern. Am I overlooking something (other than 7 seats in the disco) that would recommend the discovery over the range rover for the same sort of money?
Just my two cents. I had the 3.6 and the turbos went, very frustrating as was around 120k and had done a lot of preventative maintenance on it. There is always something to fix on these cars I find. When it worked though I loved it. They do rust bad as well, I got the arches done on mine. When I took it in the bodyshop they had a runout model Westminster in which was covered in rust from the cills, arches and the tailgate. To me, clear glass and silver wheels are pretty much non negotiable, and while one of the shades of green over tan would be nice I also love the dark blue exterior colour that is also fairly popular, and dark interior is also preferable but not critical to me.
If I did go for it, the thing would also be pressed into work occasionally and would be used for towing moderately heavy trailers. I have also been looking at discovery 3 and 4, but it seems that they are just as expensive for good condition cars, and the crankshaft failure on the D4 is a concern. Am I overlooking something (other than 7 seats in the disco) that would recommend the discovery over the range rover for the same sort of money?
I just think what with the price of L405s now I really do think it makes sense to try and stretch to one of those as it is a much much better car IMO.
Aluminium bodywork, more modern and it drives so so much better, they actually handle pretty well. I am biased as recently bought a 5.0 SC model though.
I would love an L405 and there is some overlap of prices, but from my occasional searches it looks like a smart L322 4.4 TDV8 with moderate mileage is quite easy to find in the 8 - 10k bracket, but the L405 seems to start at 10k at the very least, and that would be an early high mileage TDV6. A TDV8 with moderate mileage from 2015 onwards (when reliability was significantly improved I think?) is £15k +
maxwellwd said:
I just think what with the price of L405s now I really do think it makes sense to try and stretch to one of those as it is a much much better car IMO.
This is my attitude too, I think the L405 managed to make the L322 look old and shonky the second it was launched too.deadtom said:
I would love an L405 and there is some overlap of prices, but from my occasional searches it looks like a smart L322 4.4 TDV8 with moderate mileage is quite easy to find in the 8 - 10k bracket, but the L405 seems to start at 10k at the very least, and that would be an early high mileage TDV6. A TDV8 with moderate mileage from 2015 onwards (when reliability was significantly improved I think?) is £15k +
If you're paying someone to work on it that £5k difference might get eaten up quite quickly. deadtom said:
_Rodders_ said:
If you're paying someone to work on it that £5k difference might get eaten up quite quickly.
Are the L405s really that much of an improvement, reliability wise? I'd be surprised if the newer car weren't more robust and reliable, it has the benefit of over a decade more experience and doubtless a far larger development budget.
The lack of corrosion alone makes it worth it for me though.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff