Pistonheads car swapping (alternative to P1 etc?)
Discussion
Possible alternative to P1 car club etc..
Now I know it would never really work and there'd be too many potential issues/screw ups (well some may still be happy to give it a go?), but wouldn't it be great if there was a forum/system for car swaps.
So if you're bored of your car you go there, and offer up your car for a swap. Then someone else who wants to swap comes in and offers to swap with their car, for X length of time, and if you agree then you swap and get to experience something different.
May be a bit much for expensive exotic owners, but for cheapo car owners I bet there'd be people who'd be interested to try my 190E cosworth for a week and I'd use their car (hopefully something a bit different like a Clio Williams). Or maybe you just want to try the competition so an E30 M3 owner would like to swap??
It would never work out, but would be nice if it could somehow! Maybe each person could have a rating like ebay, and you get rated when you swap.. people would then know if you are a nice chap, you treat the car well or abuse it etc.
Russell
Now I know it would never really work and there'd be too many potential issues/screw ups (well some may still be happy to give it a go?), but wouldn't it be great if there was a forum/system for car swaps.
So if you're bored of your car you go there, and offer up your car for a swap. Then someone else who wants to swap comes in and offers to swap with their car, for X length of time, and if you agree then you swap and get to experience something different.
May be a bit much for expensive exotic owners, but for cheapo car owners I bet there'd be people who'd be interested to try my 190E cosworth for a week and I'd use their car (hopefully something a bit different like a Clio Williams). Or maybe you just want to try the competition so an E30 M3 owner would like to swap??
It would never work out, but would be nice if it could somehow! Maybe each person could have a rating like ebay, and you get rated when you swap.. people would then know if you are a nice chap, you treat the car well or abuse it etc.
Russell
A couple of buddies and I used to make sure we were covered on each others insurance and then swap cars occasionally - stuff like Elises, MGTFs etc, so nothing too exotic and all about the same value. It worked well until people started changing to cars which nobody wanted to borrow!
pentoman said:
Possible alternative to P1 car club etc..
Now I know it would never really work and there'd be too many potential issues/screw ups (well some may still be happy to give it a go?), but wouldn't it be great if there was a forum/system for car swaps.
So if you're bored of your car you go there, and offer up your car for a swap. Then someone else who wants to swap comes in and offers to swap with their car, for X length of time, and if you agree then you swap and get to experience something different.
May be a bit much for expensive exotic owners, but for cheapo car owners I bet there'd be people who'd be interested to try my 190E cosworth for a week and I'd use their car (hopefully something a bit different like a Clio Williams). Or maybe you just want to try the competition so an E30 M3 owner would like to swap??
It would never work out, but would be nice if it could somehow! Maybe each person could have a rating like ebay, and you get rated when you swap.. people would then know if you are a nice chap, you treat the car well or abuse it etc.
Russell
Really like your Merc. Hope you don't mind if I ask how much one should set me back? Also where did you find it?
I want one, but most have interstellar mileage
Dakkon said:
Complete thread hijak but does a 190E have an LSD?
Oh you've got me started now!
The 16v models (most but not all I think) have 'ASD' which is indicated by a triangular light in the speedo and ASD light in the dash.
ASD has a special diff with, I believe 10% lock up standard. It works by detecting a difference in wheel speed between the front and any one of the rear wheels (i.e. wheelspin) and then locks up the diff hydraulically, to 100% if I recall correctly, which basically means you get maximum possible traction for pulling away, and a fairly normal LSD effect in corners when the wheels spin, and none of the downsides of a fixed LSD.
Smart eh? If it goes wrong (which it can) it disables itself and you just get lots of inner wheel spin. It uses the ABS sensors to minimize extra weight etc.
DanH said:
Really like your Merc. Hope you don't mind if I ask how much one should set me back? Also where did you find it?
I want one, but most have interstellar mileage
A good, useable one could be from £2000 up (but with lots of miles), but really nice lots-of-history ones, especially with low mileage are rare. They tend to fetch a lot of money (up to ~£7000 for a late car even with 100,000 miles).
There's two schools of thought, buy one of these top-dollar loads of history ones and have a very nice car, or pay about half that for one missing some history and probably some issues to sort. The first option is nice to have but it's a Mercedes not a bloody Italian supercar so not really necessary, so long as you're not expecting it to run like clockwork like a brand new Honda and never see a garage between services. However these top-dollar cars do seem to (eventually) sell for good money.
I went for the second option, which for some of you will sound like absolute hell (car has no history bar the odd previous MOT and recent bills) but for me is not - I own another 190E and know them very well; to me it's just another old Merc 190E, with the same old things that go wrong (elec windows, speedos, idle, whiney diff, watch for rust, a few 16v specific things) and fixing most things is about as easy as it gets, though for 16v idle problems you'll want a specialist or *good* independent mechanic
. Obviously it helps having a family garage 
. A late 2.5 is nice, they only made ~5,000 worldwide versus ~18,000 2.3s, some say an automatic is best but I think it would be much less fun, plus the gears are more spaced out. 2.5 and 2.3 are very similar, 20bhp difference (non-cat models) and smoother torque curve in the 2.5 but I've never driven a 2.3 so....
(As you can tell, I can go on about this subject forever)
Anyway back on topic - I guess nobody thinks a PH swap shop with member ratings would be cool??
Russell
DanH said:
Whats the issue with leccy windows on the 190E? My mum had one and it had that as an intermittent fault for the last few years of its life.
As to a swapshop, not really something that would appeal unless I get to pilot a better car
The motors stop working.. takes an hour or two to swop in a new one but it's a bit of a hassle. You can check the switch is lighting up so you know it has power. Both mine have broken offside rear electric windows, I never sit in the back so I can't be bothered to fix one let alone two!
Re: car swaps.. Maybe some of our F360 or GT2 owners would be interested in a swap?
Or you fancy trying something similar but with more everyday ability (M5, RS6?). Or just something different, an NSX type-R, or Bentley Continental? Any of those take your fancy for free for a week? Maybe it's just me.. I like to try anything, from a Focus to a 106 Rallye.
Russell
Frankly I'd be happy to try a clio 182 for a week etc. Its just the practicality of it all that lets it down!
Beyond the insurance issue, theres the impracticality of the cost per mile being so radically different depending on the car. Its better when some independant company are taking the hit e.g. Revo250 or P1
DanH said:
Frankly I'd be happy to try a clio 182 for a week etc. Its just the practicality of it all that lets it down!
Beyond the insurance issue, theres the impracticality of the cost per mile being so radically different depending on the car. Its better when some independant company are taking the hit e.g. Revo250 or P1
tell you what, ill swap my GT3RS for your GT3RS for a weekend
gt said:
DanH said:
Frankly I'd be happy to try a clio 182 for a week etc. Its just the practicality of it all that lets it down!
Beyond the insurance issue, theres the impracticality of the cost per mile being so radically different depending on the car. Its better when some independant company are taking the hit e.g. Revo250 or P1
tell you what, ill swap my GT3RS for your GT3RS for a weekend
er... lend you a car... you'd cover it in silly stickers
>> Edited by DanH on Tuesday 25th October 14:48
DanH said:
DanH said:
Frankly I'd be happy to try a clio 182 for a week etc. Its just the practicality of it all that lets it down!
Beyond the insurance issue, theres the impracticality of the cost per mile being so radically different depending on the car. Its better when some independant company are taking the hit e.g. Revo250 or P1
tell you what, ill swap my GT3RS for your GT3RS for a weekend
er... lend you a car... you'd cover it in silly stickers
>> Edited by DanH on Tuesday 25th October 14:48
Yuo wouldnt like mine, it rattles
gt said:
gt said:
DanH said:
Frankly I'd be happy to try a clio 182 for a week etc. Its just the practicality of it all that lets it down!
Beyond the insurance issue, theres the impracticality of the cost per mile being so radically different depending on the car. Its better when some independant company are taking the hit e.g. Revo250 or P1
tell you what, ill swap my GT3RS for your GT3RS for a weekend
er... lend you a car... you'd cover it in silly stickers
>> Edited by DanH on Tuesday 25th October 14:48
Yuo wouldnt like mine, it rattles
Mines magically stopped doing that now pretty much. It squeaks instead. I've checked and the rabbit isn't still attached to the car.
...will accept Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porkers etc? 
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