LUXOBARGE (sub5k) of the week/day

bear1

Voodoomelon wrote: »

They're a decent looking car and the power and refinement supposedly is great. However those dash controls look like something out a Nissan Primera, so dated, couldn't live with it considering the year!

The sat nav, electric window switches and the stalks next to the steering wheel are the exact same as in our auris.
Wouldn't give a ****e though.

gonko

Voodoomelon wrote: »

They're a decent looking car and the power and refinement supposedly is great. However those dash controls look like something out a Nissan Primera, so dated, couldn't live with it considering the year!

Touch screen, reversing camera, park assist, car park spot scanner, voice command for anything in the car etc etc. Auto tinting glass on the dial cluster, wing mirrors and rear mirror, built in bluetooth, the car even reads your text messages to you, and you can speak a reply to the car and it will send the message for you.

These are the best in class, hands down. And I've owned pretty much all the big ones in the class. Power and refinement is just out there. Luxury inside with real rolled wood on the dash parts, none of the fake plastic muck.

Not to mention the 14 speaker mark levinson sound system. Amazing sound quality.

They are nothing like a primera lol.

Duke O Smiley

The high miler in question has an impressive 400k kms. Its of no interest to my dad who has been looking for a car nigh on three months now. Will be on donedeal this evening for anyone interested I'm sure.

gonko

Duke O Smiley wrote: »

The high miler in question has an impressive 400k kms. Its of no interest to my dad who has been looking for a car nigh on three months now. Will be on donedeal this evening for anyone interested I'm sure.

I'd imagine the battery was done at some point. Mine was done about 2k ago by myself, had to replace a cell. With 252k on the clock now.

Duke O Smiley

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/chrysler-300c-le-5-7l-hemi-4dr-nct-10-17/15578349



Barge or no? 5.7 V8

jharr100

Barge ? absolutely .. NCT just out though

murphyebass

Duke O Smiley wrote: »

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/chrysler-300c-le-5-7l-hemi-4dr-nct-10-17/15578349



Barge or no? 5.7 V8

If ever there was a car that screamed Celtic tiger that is it.

Probably bought new by a taxi man or builder.

Wouldn't mind giving it a spin with that engine but definately not as a daily driver.

Voodoomelon

gonko wrote: »

Touch screen, reversing camera, park assist, car park spot scanner, voice command for anything in the car etc etc. Auto tinting glass on the dial cluster, wing mirrors and rear mirror, built in bluetooth, the car even reads your text messages to you, and you can speak a reply to the car and it will send the message for you.

These are the best in class, hands down. And I've owned pretty much all the big ones in the class. Power and refinement is just out there. Luxury inside with real rolled wood on the dash parts, none of the fake plastic muck.

Not to mention the 14 speaker mark levinson sound system. Amazing sound quality.

They are nothing like a primera lol.

Never said they weren't well equipped, but in terms of interior aesthetics they are FAR from the best in this class, possibly the worst.

mickdw

I got a loan of a gs 450h a few years back with a view to buying. Based on power figures, it seemed like a no brainer.
After spending a weekend with it, a didn't go for it. Yes power is excellent but I found there was little feel to, didn't like the interior wood colour and the drivers seat didn't go anywhere low enough - and I'm not looking for boy racer seating position.
Oh and the fake gears via the manual option was better left out.
I didn't buy but it was a 40k car at the time. Might look like perfection at 5k or so though.

landmarkjohn

gonko wrote: »

Touch screen, reversing camera, park assist, car park spot scanner, voice command for anything in the car etc etc. Auto tinting glass on the dial cluster, wing mirrors and rear mirror, built in bluetooth, the car even reads your text messages to you, and you can speak a reply to the car and it will send the message for you.

These are the best in class, hands down. And I've owned pretty much all the big ones in the class. Power and refinement is just out there. Luxury inside with real rolled wood on the dash parts, none of the fake plastic muck.

Not to mention the 14 speaker mark levinson sound system. Amazing sound quality.

They are nothing like a primera lol.

A fine commendation for the big Toyota

gonko

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Never said they weren't well equipped, but in terms of interior aesthetics they are FAR from the best in this class, possibly the worst.

You have no idea what you are talking about....clearly.

gonko

landmarkjohn wrote: »

A fine commendation for the big Toyota

Indeed...can we talk about Toyota reliability :-)

The Lexus has it all .
The non hybrids have better boot space tho......the only downside with the 450h

gonko

mickdw wrote: »

I got a loan of a gs 450h a few years back with a view to buying. Based on power figures, it seemed like a no brainer.
After spending a weekend with it, a didn't go for it. Yes power is excellent but I found there was little feel to, didn't like the interior wood colour and the drivers seat didn't go anywhere low enough - and I'm not looking for boy racer seating position.
Oh and the fake gears via the manual option was better left out.
I didn't buy but it was a 40k car at the time. Might look like perfection at 5k or so though.

If your after feel in a car, then this is not the class to be looking at.
The CVT transmission feels weird but is more efficient obviously....so that's personal preference.
Fwiw, it easily would out handle my previous e60 for example. Maybe down to the adaptive suspension.
Part of me is a BMW fan boy to be honest, and i do kick around the idea of selling my Lexus every few months lol.
I'll likely have a BMW in the near future, but making no mistake the Lexus is a better car.

Teddington Cuddlesworth

gonko wrote: »

You have no idea what you are talking about....clearly.

Lexus, in fairness, know little about aesthetics when it comes to interiors.
Even carrying forward to the newer generation gs300h, it's bland and their infotainment graphics are from the 00's.

Saying that, I still miss my 06 GS.

I'm in a 2015 ISF Sport this weekend and even that is a little bland.
Great handling but that's where the compliments end.

mickdw

gonko wrote: »

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Never said they weren't well equipped, but in terms of interior aesthetics they are FAR from the best in this class, possibly the worst.

You have no idea what you are talking about....clearly.

Ah they are poorly styled internally no doubt.
Too much toyota that doesn't cut it at exec level.

jharr100

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-s-350/17010244


Its no lexus , but I suppose it's still luxury in its own way .

bear1

Sold..

acronym Chilli

When I was in the market a few weeks ago I went to see the following car:
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/lexus-gs-300-4dr-auto/14733060

2005, GS300, 163k km, 2 previous owners. Just under €3k asking.
The NCT quoted is October 2017, but the guy selling it will put a fresh NCT on it as a condition of sale.

Personal disclosure/story
I wanted a comfortable motorway-machine. I test-drove this and thought it was super. Very smooth, very relaxing drive with automatic etc. The chap selling it has a few cars for sale, but is more of a mechanic than trader AFAICS. He came across as very straight, and the car has service history and is on market following owner's death. It's clean and everything seems to be working.

What stopped me buying it was (of all things) that it doesn't have parking sensors which were a pre-condition of my number one "stakeholder" if getting something so large.
I was juggling options, and later on I really calculated out fuel costs, tax, etc., and realised just how much I'd be spending to run GS300 versus what I was using previously (petrol Saab 93) or versus other options (finally got 1.9 diesel A6) for high mileage.

I'm surprised to still see the car for sale, but for anyone interested in these I'd recommend looking at it, in spite of relative lack of pictures. It's not big money for what it is as a driving experience/solution (but of course, it'll probably be very very had to re-sell!)

commited

Looks like the back bumper needs a smart repair but still a good deal:
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2007-gs300-nct-amp-tax/16764359

Truckermal

commited wrote: »

Looks like the back bumper needs a smart repair but still a good deal:
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2007-gs300-nct-amp-tax/16764359

Wheels need a refurb too but still good value.

Truckermal

acronym Chilli wrote: »

When I was in the market a few weeks ago I went to see the following car:
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/lexus-gs-300-4dr-auto/14733060

2005, GS300, 163k km, 2 previous owners. Just under €3k asking.
The NCT quoted is October 2017, but the guy selling it will put a fresh NCT on it as a condition of sale.

Personal disclosure/story
I wanted a comfortable motorway-machine. I test-drove this and thought it was super. Very smooth, very relaxing drive with automatic etc. The chap selling it has a few cars for sale, but is more of a mechanic than trader AFAICS. He came across as very straight, and the car has service history and is on market following owner's death. It's clean and everything seems to be working.

What stopped me buying it was (of all things) that it doesn't have parking sensors which were a pre-condition of my number one "stakeholder" if getting something so large.
I was juggling options, and later on I really calculated out fuel costs, tax, etc., and realised just how much I'd be spending to run GS300 versus what I was using previously (petrol Saab 93) or versus other options (finally got 1.9 diesel A6) for high mileage.

I'm surprised to still see the car for sale, but for anyone interested in these I'd recommend looking at it, in spite of relative lack of pictures. It's not big money for what it is as a driving experience/solution (but of course, it'll probably be very very had to re-sell!)

That's a strange spec as it don't have the heated and cooled seats either! Did you see the LS he has? That would be worth buying if you had room for storage!

FYI on the price I paid 3.5K for mine in June 2015 and it's the Executive spec. Fuel costs or tax don't bother me so it's ideal for me..

Atlantic Dawn

commited wrote: »

Looks like the back bumper needs a smart repair but still a good deal:
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2007-gs300-nct-amp-tax/16764359

Only 2 owners from new too (1 previous as the dealers would call it ). I'd love to know how it would fair at next NCT in January, an early one could be done now but very unlikely dealer will do that, especially at that price.

acronym Chilli

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Only 2 owners from new too (1 previous as the dealers would call it ). I'd love to know how it would fair at next NCT in January, an early one could be done now but very unlikely dealer will do that, especially at that price.

When I looked at Ray Kavanaghs one, not so much dearer, it might have been 10 wks ago at this stage. There was several weeks tax left, and NCT was valid but only a couple of months left on it. He was absolutely fine to bring it for early NCT within that asking price, test centre is only round the corner.

acronym Chilli

Truckermal wrote: »

That's a strange spec as it don't have the heated and cooled seats either! Did you see the LS he has? That would be worth buying if you had room for storage!

FYI on the price I paid 3.5K for mine in June 2015 and it's the Executive spec. Fuel costs or tax don't bother me so it's ideal for me..

I saw the LS but didn't drive it. The GS is quite fresh, the LS less so.

I was quite prepared to take same approach to tax and fuel costs... Even though driving 20k miles a year. But when I totted up how much it was costing i just couldn't see the sense! Tonight I filled up diesel a6 and fuelio calculates 4.55 l/100km (over 150miles on motorway); plus it's 1.9 TDI so tax drops a bit from 2l SAAB, plus insurance didn't go up, plus it only cost me €1000 to buy.

Though I liked the GS, and could afford to run it, it wasn't enough of a draw to justify premium over A6. (for me, only a personal choice!)

Duke O Smiley

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-a8-4-2-tiptronic-quattro-lwb/16983239



4.2 V8, 1 year NCT, €3250

bazz26

Duke O Smiley wrote: »

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-a8-4-2-tiptronic-quattro-lwb/16983239



4.2 V8, 1 year NCT, €3250

Might be cheaper for you to insure than the Panda.

m17

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz-s-class-2004/17018255Mercedes Benz s320 86k miles nct Jan 2019 €2990

Blazer

^^ damn that's tasty.

ongarite

BMW 730ld, NCT till Sept 18, 2 months tax left for €4,950:
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2006-bmw-730ld-facelift-nct-tax-offers/17001136

ArnieSilvia

How do these 730d's compare with A8 3.0 TDI of the same era? Anybody driven these back to back? Looking for car with air suspension and quiet interior for lots of motorway miles atm

As for the s-class I must say that I sat in one recently and was disappointed. I drive an S-type Jag and while it's not a height of refinement, it has plenty of character compared to 98-04 S-class which felt flimsy in comparison somehow? Especially the door, steering wheel, stupid flush fitted buttons you can't tell without looking at them, just like someone said on pistonheads that if you removed the badge it could be mistaken for some Korean design from 00's, meh

Voodoomelon

Not too many E65s have air suspension, especially true of the 730d. Bizarrely, it was standard on the prefacelifts V8s and when they brought in the 2005 facelift, they took it away!

Even without it though, the suspension is excellent, the right combination of good handling and comfort. But comfort like most cars is dictated by wheels size; there is a notable difference in comfort between 18", 19" and 20" wheels. There was even a 17" wheel option for maximum comfort, but it looks atrocious.

E65 suspension was a marked improvement on the E38, as was wind noise and insulation.

mickdw

m17 wrote: »

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz-s-class-2004/17018255Mercedes Benz s320 86k miles nct Jan 2019 €2990

I relative of mine had one of those from new that he used to park for about a month at a time. It turned into a nightmare. At about 2.5 years, the issues started and it was never free of trouble.
I'd be very afraid of them and his was an 03 facelift so should have been the reliable model.

m17

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2006-bmw-730d-se-nct-08-18-tax-end-11-17/16786813BMW 2006 730d se nct 08/18 tax 11/17 205,088 miles 9 previous owners €3600

commited

ArnieSilvia wrote: »

How do these 730d's compare with A8 3.0 TDI of the same era? Anybody driven these back to back? Looking for car with air suspension and quiet interior for lots of motorway miles atm

As for the s-class I must say that I sat in one recently and was disappointed. I drive an S-type Jag and while it's not a height of refinement, it has plenty of character compared to 98-04 S-class which felt flimsy in comparison somehow? Especially the door, steering wheel, stupid flush fitted buttons you can't tell without looking at them, just like someone said on pistonheads that if you removed the badge it could be mistaken for some Korean design from 00's, meh

You should be looking at A8s and XJs. XJ isn't a huge leap up from your S-type in terms of interior but is a better ownership proposition.

ArnieSilvia

commited wrote:

You should be looking at A8s and XJs. XJ isn't a huge leap up from your S-type in terms of interior but is a better ownership proposition.

Well, I've got two S-types, 03 and 05, one is a sport, another luxury and both drive differently.
I like the sport one, a keeper, it's unique in its own right, plus it's mint, it's black with ivory interior, works 100% and it cost me pennies, plus some minor work but no probs as I have a ton of parts for these. Handling is superb, never felt unsettled, pure joy.
Trouble is, I do Dublin-Cork-Dublin weekly and would like less noise, vibration and harshness Wife is taking it over then, she loves it.

The luxury one is ok but I'd like a step up as it's a dog at this stage, so much wrong with it. Been looking at xj's for a long time but as you said, not much between the two and most Jag owners don't sell their cars, they dispose of them (my own experience). Very hard to find a loved example.

One issue with changing cars is that the 2.5 V6 in the S-type is quite economical for the size of the car and fun I'm having with it, my long term average is 8.5 l/100km, others would need to be a diesel to match it, unless it's the XJ6.

Thanks for the info on air suspension in 7er, I thought all of them are on it

ArnieSilvia

m17 wrote:

BMW 2006 730d se nct 08/18 tax 11/17 205,088 miles 9 previous owners €3600

Nice car but the wheels on it are pure vomit!!! First thing to go!

Voodoomelon

ArnieSilvia wrote: »

Thanks for the info on air suspension in 7er, I thought all of them are on it

I forgot about the E66 long wheelbases like my own, they all have rear self leveling air suspension.

Truckermal

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/genuine-lexus-gs-450h/16535416

This looks very Genuine bot WOW look at his pics!

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/lexus-gs450h-saloon-car/16712631

This one looks very genuine too and both cars are for sale a while now...

m17

Truckermal wrote: »

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/genuine-lexus-gs-450h/16535416

This looks very Genuine bot WOW look at his pics!

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/lexus-gs450h-saloon-car/16712631

This one looks very genuine too and both cars are for sale a while now...

That frist one its a great buy it's in brilliant nick

Duke O Smiley

That first one is lovely but not much use to an Irish buyer if its in Spain!

bear1

Tell ya though it would be some drive back.
Also the seller would have to give the buyer the VRC.
Might be messy if you're stopped coming back with a document not in your name but scribbled in pen at the back.
Out of the 2 though I'd take the first one hands down.

Greybottle

Two great exaamples of how a good ad sells a car. There the same car..same year, same spec, same colour, same interior colour, similar mileage.

But the first one is polished an hovered and the ad gives the impression that he cares for the car and is an enthusiast. The second ad mentions 'cup holders for rear seats pop out,' as one of its top options; you almost miss the fact that it has new shocks and a service history which is far more interesting to a potential buyer for a car like that.

Just shows you what a bit of time and effort into writing up a good ad can do.

Look at Car 1 first pic and compare it to Car 2 6th pic. Both are the same intrior shot from the same angle. One has hovered the car and cleaned it, the other hasn't. It makes all the difference.

bear1

I think the 2nd car doesn't even have the mats.
First car is the looker there

mickdw

I wouldn't dream of putting a car up with fifty carpet. It's stupid.

mickdw

I wouldn't dream of putting a car up with fifty carpet. It's stupid.

mickdw

I wouldn't dream of putting a car up with fifty carpet. It's stupid.

grogi

bear1 wrote: »

I think the 2nd car doesn't even have the mats.
First car is the looker there

It does. But beige mats don't really work well.

Duke O Smiley

Beige floor mats are a terrible idea

Truckermal

Duke O Smiley wrote: »

That first one is lovely but not much use to an Irish buyer if its in Spain!

It's in Dublin! He only took the pics on holidays!

Top Dog

Truckermal wrote: »

It's in Dublin! He only took the pics on holidays!

Maybe he's since brought it back, but it does say in the advert ...

At the moment the car it's in Benidorm (Spain) Two weeks ago I drove the car there.

Can't imagine the phone is ringing much for a car that can't reasonably be viewed - regardless of condition.