Luxo barge contenders

[Me9]

After reading all 8 pages (bloody good reading and a lot of work done, hat off to you sir!) of SiC's Mk1 TT woes and seeing a he recently bought an old E320 estate, I kinda feel he's qualified (if he sees this and can be bother saying anything)

Right..

An 05 E320d mot up this week needs a few bulbs, the abs looked at (I think the sbs unit is ok as it's all wheel sensors coming up on the reader) and some other stuff I can't remember.  Body is really pretty good despite some (and really not much at all) rust at the bottom of the back arches. 

It drives fine just a bit heavy steering. 

 

The other contender 

 

06 530d also estate ie E61 M Sport, mot due end of Feb. Not sure what it will need but it has the seat belt warning light that seemingly some kind of wire loop thingy puts it off. Body wise front bumper needs fixed (bad crack) and a dent in the tailgate but drives as it should. 

 

Yes I know it's all personal taste etc and may well come down to if one prefers some "luxury" or a "drivers car" (aye right)

I've no bloody idea what to do so maybe some pointers from the shiters can help an old coont make his mind up..

[Split_Pin]

In terms of the seat it will be the occupancy sensor and you can buy a bypass kit on ebay. It means the belt has to be connected even when someone isn't in the seat otherwise the car will chime a warning at you however.

Other than that, I'm not up on old BMW, other than I'd steer clear of a ropey one.

[Me9]

That's it the occupancy sensor cheers, so the belt has to fastned all the time, bit of a bugger that.

You didn't mention the Merc unless they're not your thing.

[Schaefft]

You could have the occupancy mat coded out, if the car thinks it doesn't exist there's no seatbelt needed either. Very standard procedure for anyone working on BMWs.

If it's about one or the other the answer is quite simple: S211 for Comfort, E61 for handling.

[Tayne]

I wouldn't buy another e61, they seem to like to break.

[Me9]

2 hours ago, Schaefft said:

You could have the occupancy mat coded out, if the car thinks it doesn't exist there's no seatbelt needed either. Very standard procedure for anyone working on BMWs.

If it's about one or the other the answer is quite simple: S211 for Comfort, E61 for handling.

True yes it can be coded out too more expensive than a cheap loop wire as we know. 

Also true, one's for comfort the other for handling/"driving"

[Me9]

18 minutes ago, Tayne said:

I wouldn't buy another e61, they seem to like to break.

I know what you say, yes there seems to be a kind of "cheapness" with this model compared to earlier ones. 

The pre lci (which this is) is arguably better made than the post one but still NOT the same as the older E39/46 etc. 

Despite the many views but only you guys replying, I think it's possibly swinging towards the 3 star..... maybe not though. 

[Schaefft]

1 minute ago, Me9 said:

I know what you say, yes there seems to be a kind of "cheapness" with this model compared to earlier ones. 

The pre lci (which this is) is arguably better made than the post one but still NOT the same as the older E39/46 etc. 

Despite the many views but only you guys replying, I think it's possibly swinging towards the 3 star..... maybe not though. 

There's just a lot more tech that seems to go wrong, more often than in the Mercedes anyway. The pre-LCI E60 has a cheaper feeling interior as well, especially compared to the E39. The facelift improved things a little if you get the right spec.

[S2000]

I have been looking at very early BMW F11’s or an E Class estate for Dog walking transport and inter village school runs, we currently (amongst other stuff) use a K74 L200 but the fuel economy is dire at low 20’s. I’ve had BMW’s of 3,4,5,6 series and a couple of Alpina’s to boot but only a 190E and 300E from Merc. 
 

A friend has a E220 with well over 200K under its belt and is in a bronzite colour and it is a more comfortable place to be than the BMW’s which pick out every imperfection on the road and can be quite tiring to drive. It could be an optical illusion but I thought the merc looked longer than the e61 but they are the same. Personally I think the Merc’s have aged better than the E61 and certainly that’s where my money will go.

 

 

[Me9]

18 hours ago, Schaefft said:

There's just a lot more tech that seems to go wrong, more often than in the Mercedes anyway. The pre-LCI E60 has a cheaper feeling interior as well, especially compared to the E39. The facelift improved things a little if you get the right spec.

There's quite a bit of tech in the W211 E too. Yes the pre lci is cheaper too as you say, they're all cutting back on quality. The only ones that aren't are probably the like of RR, Aston etc but then they're a completely different price bracket. 

But yes this old E seems to be a more quality place to be than the E61 pre or post. 

[Me9]

18 hours ago, S2000 said:

I have been looking at very early BMW F11’s or an E Class estate for Dog walking transport and inter village school runs, we currently (amongst other stuff) use a K74 L200 but the fuel economy is dire at low 20’s. I’ve had BMW’s of 3,4,5,6 series and a couple of Alpina’s to boot but only a 190E and 300E from Merc. 
 

A friend has a E220 with well over 200K under its belt and is in a bronzite colour and it is a more comfortable place to be than the BMW’s which pick out every imperfection on the road and can be quite tiring to drive. It could be an optical illusion but I thought the merc looked longer than the e61 but they are the same. Personally I think the Merc’s have aged better than the E61 and certainly that’s where my money will go.

 

 

Like you, I've had a lot of stuff over the years including older 3,5 not had a 7 though.

My old E has aged better than both my E61s (got a 520 and 530 both disiesel 😊) . But then it's how things have been looked after. 

I'm really torn between them as when I'm in the 530d the torque is there instant and handles good for barge. Then when in the Merc, enjoy the comfort and luxury...... honest to christ I'm buggered if I know what to do. 

Plus I've still got an old TT 225 hence reading all 8 pages of SiCs escapades.

 

I should ideally sell everything and get something newer and behave.....😊🙄