Expensive barges ..... that arn't so expensive......

[wackojacko]

Well as the title suggests this is about expensive cars that... well... arn't so expensive to pick up these days.


This has been prompted by my recent urge towards an Audi A8 3.0 TDI / 730D.

730D
130k
Lovely colour
30mpg
Vast cabin space
Large boot
Leather and toys
All yours for £5200 !

(would get rid of the moody tints though)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...



730D Sport
Silver
107K
Black Leather and toys

£6500 !

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...



A8 3.0 TDI Quattro
Blue
Cream leather
122k

all for £6500

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...





I was also suprised by SE spec E60 530D's at around £5000-£6000 with leather and a few toys, even more suprised by SE 535D prices



Sure the over supply of the market is helping drive prices down and the fact they may be slightly pricey to repair especially the Audi air suspension, however my point is.... WHY wouldn't you ?
Expensive looks and style, not outrageous economy, practical and something to be proud to own.


What are peoples thoughts ?
Anyone else been shocked at prices of other barges of similar status ?

[wackojacko]

[surveyor]

30 mpg? Why so low?

[Meths]

They're a bit boring and to other people "it's just another audi"


-puts on flame-proof jacket-


You can pick up a tvr for that price, it will be about the same to fuel, less to insure and less depreciation


28mpg from a derv wasn't fun.

Edited by Meths on Tuesday 18th December 21:50

[marmitemania]

Had to smile at the Audi advert where he mentions the refurbed alloys and new tyres. Why would you put Linglongs on any car? Let alone a car like this, makes you wonder if the correct and very expensive oil has been used.

[V88Dicky]

Pah


They're all high mileage oil burners, you're not trying hard enough!


Supercharged V8 lovelyness;

http://autotrader.mobi/used-cars/advert/2012244757...

[wackojacko]

Meths said:

You can pick up a tvr for tat price, it will be about the same to fuel, less to insure and less depreciation

I can't being 19, TVR's M cars etc are a no until 21. However these are not bad to insure at all.


Either these or a dsg mk5 Golf R32....

[7mike]

5.8 V12

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...


or a bit more economical

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

[Meths]

I'm 21

There will always be plenty of "bargain barges" these days. Especially as we are obsessed with MPG. In-fact, The first comment after a new car used to be "nice car", now it's "what mpg does it get?" So good cars are a lot less desirable than they used to be

If you want a big barge, take your time and find a good one that's been looked after. Theres plenty out there.

wackojacko said:

However these are not bad to insure at all.

These aren't the "go-to" cars for young people, hence the low insurance cost. I insured a BMW 530i for under £500 when I was 20. Saxo costs £1500 to insure at that point. go figure.

Edited by Meths on Tuesday 18th December 22:10

[405dogvan]

Still got money to lose on those - get an older/similar miles car for half the money - get to the SHED thread!!

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Also - why diesels? Diesels are WAY WAY more likely to burn your wallet out (pumps, turbos, DPFs and so on) - big engined petrols are much more sensible, so long as you're not doing 20K+ a year in them

[Meths]

Big-engined petrols are also cheaper to buy as well.

[Benbay001]

V88Dicky said:

Pah


They're all high mileage oil burners, you're not trying hard enough!


Supercharged V8 lovelyness;

http://autotrader.mobi/used-cars/advert/2012244757...

I viewed that very car before i bought mine!
The outside was in good condition but the seats were well warn.
Didnt drive it.
Great cars. (But i would say that)

[Fox-]

surveyor said:

30 mpg? Why so low?

Because its a huge car with a torque converter automatic? Just because its diesel doesnt mean it does 50mpg.

[blitzed007]

I was looking at purchasing one of these two vehicles. I have ruled out the Mercedes S class around this era due to terrbile reliability issues (according to forums). I guess the Audi and BMW will have there fair share of problems but the Mercedes seems to get much more bad press.

The Audi A8 looks bland, more like an extended A4, unless your looking at the S8 then it looks like a totally different beast.

The BMW is odd looking but nice and i feel it would have much more of a wow factor than the Audi. Having owned both Audi and BMW in the past, Audi doesnt really do anything for me and are quite boring to look at and drive whereas driving the BMW would be like an event.

For me i would go for something with the mileage under 100k and get a warranty, because if something goes on one of these its going to be big bucks.

Edited by blitzed007 on Tuesday 18th December 23:44

[Stedman]

I REALLY am tempted by an E65/66. Yummy yummy zim zimmar

[Fox-]

blitzed007 said:

For me i would go for something with the mileage under 100k and get a warranty, because if something goes on one of these its going to be big bucks.

I would not expect the sort of warranty that you can buy on a £5k 7 Series to protect you from big bucks repair bills, they are likely to be not worth the paper they are written on. The BMW warranty is good - and available irrespective of age and mileage, but the price on a 7 Series is just insane.

[wackojacko]

Stedman said:

I REALLY am tempted by an E65/66. Yummy yummy zim zimmar

Indeed, they're great value. All I could find on the 7 was the swirl flap issues and the occasional gearbox failure when racing them around or a remap / combination of the 2.

I'm also very tempted by an E60 530d / 535d both cars with a remap would be an excellent daily smoker.

[ILoveMondeo]

200 quid a corner for tyres, and all the other consumables are expensive.

Higher tax,

Lots of stuff to go wrong that is very expensive to fix, air suspension, complex slush boxes, electrical gizmos.

It's not just about the mpg.

Ball ache in a multi story.

Loads of reasons why even an economy diesel barge is a lot less than its smaller counterparts.

Not that it stopped me getting one. But I will be trading in when the warranty runs out, I don't want a 2000 bill for air suspension thanks!

Will still be a barge though. Probably another A8, or perhaps a new XJ if funds allow.

[CampDavid]

Some bills from my E38 folder:

Air conditioning compressor replaced, system fixed: £1200
Radio not working: £600
Main oil seel (rear of engine, between gearbox and engine: £1200 (negotiated to £800)
Waterpump: £600

Other bills I've not face: Fuel tank at £2000, autogearbox at £1500 (recon) + a whole bunch more.

All above are main dealer and, yes, independants will be cheaper (up to 30% but you can haggle with a main agent) but lets not lose sight of this, big ships can cause you some serious financial discomfort. You need to factor this in when buying, having access to a couple of grand in case of disaster is pretty much vital.

Of course you can ignore some of the issues, I could have not had the main seel done or the waterpump and just kept an eye on it. A lot of people do this and most of the time the bill passes to the next lucky owner, making buying a good barge a bit of a skill in itself.

[CampDavid]

ILoveMondeo said:

Not that it stopped me getting one. But I will be trading in when the warranty runs out, I don't want a 2000 bill for air suspension thanks!

If you think £2000 for the suspension is bad, wait until you find out how much nasty trading it in is. It'll be like a clown's pocket