Ask Manny about his A8. Nearly 200k on the clock if I recall correctly and still going.

Indeed,

If only Matt was not so far away he could have had a go / look at mine to see what they are like. I have the Quattro Sport version of the 3.7, so as such has the same lowered suspension as the S8. Despite its size it handles really well, partly because its made of aluminium so weighs a lot less than cars of a similar size (1695KG IIRC).

No mate a lovely big straight six with loads of torque,

2002 (2002 MY) BMW 530d E39 series automobile data summary

What body style? sedan/saloon with 4/5 seats How long? 4775 mm How heavy? 1575 kg What size engine? 2.9 litre, 2926 cm³ How many cylinders? 6, Straight How much power? 183.5 PS / 181 bhp / 135 kW @ 4000 rpm How much torque? 390 Nm / 288 ft.lb / 39.8 kgm @ 1750-3000 rpm How quick? 0-100 km/h: 8.00 s How fast? 225 km/h, 140 mph What fuel economy? 9.8/5.7/7.2 l/100km urban/extra-urban/combined What CO₂ emissions? 192 CO₂ g/km

This 530d is a turbo. Come on now its like amatuer hour. Straight six turbo diesel.

S500 V12

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201246492169614

500 series

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201219469222371

XJ V12

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201245491371883

XJ8

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201238485599987

I'd love to have the spare cash to run a barge.

Ah. I forgot about the S500 merc. Not sure if 2k is enough, havent checked. Surely the basic S500 V8 with about 300bhp would be close? Big unstressed engine should last for donkeys.

This 530d is a turbo. Come on now its like amatuer hour. Straight six turbo diesel.

Definitely turbo charged. If it wasn't it would be really slow and would no way produce 180bhp!

I drove a BMW 740i years ago.

Was lovely. Very comfy, climate control, sat nav, built in phone (retro 90's Nokia anyone?!), buttery smooth gearbox and the engine was lovely.

Also been passenger in a BMW 728 and it still shifted and sounded nice.

Phil

Ah. I forgot about the S500 merc. Not sure if 2k is enough, havent checked. Surely the basic S500 V8 with about 300bhp would be close? Big unstressed engine should last for donkeys.

Other half's uncle in Germany had one. Was very nice.

It had TV in the back, sat-nav, climate, heated and cooled seat, power tailgate etc etc.

He used to pick us up from the airport with it and it was very comfy. The engine would rarely need to get much above 2000rpm and 200 km/h+ felt like nothing. The the one time he needed to boot it to get past a lorry it was a real treat and sounded lush.

Phil

Do it but only on the basis you have somewhere to keep it and break it for parts if the worst happens.

My uncle had a Volvo 740 estate, was a beast. Solid old barge it was, he loved it. Not really my style though, I'm not after a status symbol but I do fancy something with a bit of flair to it. The Volvo just doesn't cut it in that department.

The weight advantage of the A8 is impressive, fair chunk less than the BMW, which will help with the speed, economy & handling, plus the Quattro is gonna be miles better in crap weather. I was looking at 7 series sports, nice purposeful look while still looking subtle. The A8's I've looked at on eBay (all be it just one or two to get a price idea) looked a bit, plain. Maybe I need to find a tidy one to nose at.

My uncle had a Volvo 740 estate, was a beast. Solid old barge it was, he loved it. Not really my style though, I'm not after a status symbol but I do fancy something with a bit of flair to it. The Volvo just doesn't cut it in that department.

The weight advantage of the A8 is impressive, fair chunk less than the BMW, which will help with the speed, economy & handling, plus the Quattro is gonna be miles better in crap weather. I was looking at 7 series sports, nice purposeful look while still looking subtle. The A8's I've looked at on eBay (all be it just one or two to get a price idea) looked a bit, plain. Maybe I need to find a tidy one to nose at.

I forgot these A8's were all aluminium where they not?? I dare say that would be pricey to sort any dings etc. Saying that i havent had a crash in almost 20 years so probably not a major concern.

TBH i would be happy with an A8 or a 7 series but yes quattro would be lovely in winter. But its just something else to go wrong whereas 2 wheel drive is far more simple and reliable i would have thought.

In my moments of insanity a 2005 V6 (petrol) Cayenne or Toureg would fit the bill nicely, with option to LPG.

In my moments of insanity a 2005 V6 (petrol) Cayenne or Toureg would fit the bill nicely, with option to LPG.

I love the toureg.Mate has a 2.5tdi. Think they look really simple, clean and tidy. The cayenne is a bit ugly however the brand new one is very nice.

One of these on LPG would be ace. Diesel running costs with the multi cylinder petrol smoothness and noise.

I love the toureg.Mate has a 2.5tdi. Think they look really simple, clean and tidy. The cayenne is a bit ugly however the brand new one is very nice.

One of these on LPG would be ace. Diesel running costs with the multi cylinder petrol smoothness and noise.

Touareg is a nice car. Other halfs uncle has one now. A newer model 3.0 TDI.

Just done a search on ebay and the cheapest I can find is a lovely looking V6 Petrol Sport with all the toys for £4,100. Bit over budget here.

If you can find an Audi A8 it's definitely the better car technically than the BMW and would be my choice.

Could then be pretty fun to have it remapped with the speed limiter removed for some Autobahn fun!

I've been weighing this up too. I have my Cee'd as my daily driver and I recently got left some money. Not much but enough for me to spend about 1500 quid on something thirsty and bargelike.

I'm not keen on the a8 of the vintage in budget, as they look a bit small. The 7 series was an option until I discovered that you can't easily replace the stereo with aftermarket kit.

I really really fancy a Jag S Type...but they appear unreliable and a bit of a pain. The S80 T6 is also a bit of an option but theyare very rare.

I want something with some noise, something a bit exciting when I floor it..

V8 or V12 or don't feckin bother imho

These cars and engines will be gone soon so enjoy them

The 728i is a good place to put your money. I have the same engine in my 3-Series and it's a peach. Still over 100bhp/tonne, so it'll move, but expect no more than 25mpg in town- I've seen 18mpg on my commute. :(

Post-98 cars will have the Nikasil issue resolved, and the engines are pretty bombproof. Auto boxes get grumpy around the 150k mark.

You can get so much car for your money, but make sure you analyse all the potential pitfalls and budget accordingly. For example, servicing a V12 can cost an absolute fortune! German barges may or may not have a full complement of working electrics, and they can be costly & time consuming to suss out.

Luckily, cars of that era (Mercedes aside, post-98) tend not to rot and rust hugely. The old square S-Class is particularly indestructible. The A8 is usefully aluminium, but can dent easily and costs a fortune to have bodywork issues sorted.

I really like the 7 series but there appears to be no choice but to keep the original stereo system.

I had a 530d touring. I had it remapped to about 220bhp and lots of torque. Quick car but cost me £5k over 18months in repairs and servicing. I had to let it go and ended up with Octavia.

BMW costs of ownership not great.

It only had 150,000 miles on it when I let it go in 2008. I had to get something more economical as the company I worked for at the time changed their expenses policy and I would have ended up subsidising the company had I kept it. Awesome machine when it worked though.

535d m sport is also very fast, but don't expect to be wafted around. I had one for a few weeks and it was one of the most uncomfortable cars I have ever had. I would never, ever recommend ANY m sport BMW based on that experience.

As far as RWD vs Quattro goes, its not a massive issue in winter, as I`ll still have the Mrs fiesta to steal if I get desperate.

The 728i is a good place to put your money. I have the same engine in my 3-Series and it's a peach. Still over 100bhp/tonne, so it'll move, but expect no more than 25mpg in town- I've seen 18mpg on my commute. :(

Post-98 cars will have the Nikasil issue resolved, and the engines are pretty bombproof. Auto boxes get grumpy around the 150k mark.

You can get so much car for your money, but make sure you analyse all the potential pitfalls and budget accordingly. For example, servicing a V12 can cost an absolute fortune! German barges may or may not have a full complement of working electrics, and they can be costly & time consuming to suss out.

Luckily, cars of that era (Mercedes aside, post-98) tend not to rot and rust hugely. The old square S-Class is particularly indestructible. The A8 is usefully aluminium, but can dent easily and costs a fortune to have bodywork issues sorted.

I can cope with that kinda economy, if I can get over 20mpg average I`d be happy. From what I`ve read the Nikasil isnt an issue this far down the line, it was a issue that happened quickly, any engines that would be affected by it would have been scrapped by now. The gearbox was one thing I was a bit worried about, what kinda work would a 150k box be wanting? I`m not sure if they are sealed for life or what tbh. Not a fan of the old S classes, bit too retro block style for me tbh lol. The more I read about them the more I like the idea of a 728i sport. They're not overly common but have a few nice additions on them.

I really like the 7 series but there appears to be no choice but to keep the original stereo system.

Hummmmm, TBH i`d be temped to just leave it in there anyway, might have to dust off the CD burner though! lol

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/lexus/soarer/lexus-soarer-v8/894352 gooo on you know you want to;)

The gearbox is apparently sealed for life, and can cost around 600-700 to sort out..! Or you can turn it into a manual and enjoy it how it should be.

I know of a 328i used as a drift car that has over 350,000 on the clock, so the engine should be fine! Chain driven so just tensioners to worry about.

Have a look out for one with some Style 32s. They look immense.

Yeah, I seem to remember someone saying about having to go to ZF in Germany for gearbox work! I'll have to look into it. The auto box is a massive plus for me, I wanna be lazy and waft home lol. Im all over the Style 32s, they look sweet!

The gearbox is apparently sealed for life, and can cost around 600-700 to sort out..! Or you can turn it into a manual and enjoy it how it should be.

I've read that a gearbox specialist can drill out the gearbox, drain and refill even the sealed for life boxes. Otherwise 'life' is about 150k.

There's no need, you can still take the gearbox sump off replace the filter etc without needing to drill anything. At least on the 7

I really like the 7 series but there appears to be no choice but to keep the original stereo system.

Yes but you can stick a nice OEM looking widescreen BMW nav system in them with just a bit of re-coding.

The 740 I drove had the old 4:3 screen system in and that was actually still pretty good and produced good sound.

Most of them have CD changers in too so not an issue.

If you can stretch to it then get the 740i. It has to be a V8 in a luxo barge. Think the one I drove was a 2002 model and was like new with just 57,000 on the clock. Beautiful car and very effortless.

Phil

I'm considering a 735i. I just trying to work out whether I could fit a Parrot MKi9200 in, giving me ipod connectivity and bluetooth.

I looked at replacing with another OEM system but didn't see anything about the widescreen system.

Another option is a Merc S430. But again...the tech is all built in it seems and a little "old"