14 year old R230 to SW France

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swithin

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Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
289
Location
Kent
Car
99 SL500, 2014 C250 AMG Sport +, 2016 C220d, Range Rover 4.2sc, Mini Cooper S
Evening all, recently back from a trip with my daughter and dog to a mates place near Bergerac in France.

Daughter is 8 so had the seat all the way forward so she could reach sweets in glove box and also gave our dog, a 25kg Dutch Shepherd plenary room at the back.

For Sasha in the back I had stiffened foam put in front of the storage boxes then put 1 strong piece of cardboard on the foam and storage then wrapped it in 2 dog blankets.

I live 50 mins from Eurotunnel so filled up in the UK and made it to Tours with a 1/4 tank remaining😁. An R129 boarded the train just ahead of us, beautiful condition and very nice to see an owner using it to its fullest. Filled up at Tours for around €65 and got all the way to my friends place with just over 1/4 tank left.

This I thought was fantastic as we were travelling at around French motorway speeds🤔 and after filling up at Tours and 10 miles down the motorway my distance left showed 512 miles 👍🏻. Last year we did the same journey in my 2014 C250 diesel and had to refuel 75 miles from my mates place. Therefore I am shocked at how well the 5.5L 2007 R230 did.

Thank god I had the aircon condenser replaced before we left as at one point we got in the car which showed 47c.

The journey on the motorways was fantastic, effortless acceleration superior comfort, oh and surprising amount of luggage space with the roof up.

On the country roads in the last 90 mins of our journey to Bergerac the ABC suspension cam into its own. Only had one slight scare where they had redone the road and loose stones were everywhere which is a bit slippy when you slam in the anchors to allow the oncoming left hand drive car in the middle of the very thin country road go by.

If you have one of these grand tourers, I highly recommend a European trip. Empty motorways with proper speed limits and fantastic country roads.

I bought this to sell on.........not anymore!
 
2nd photo was taken after 10 miles On the motorway out of Tours showing 513 miles to a full tank using 95ron at €1.269 a litre. Flashfuel.fr I used to find cheap fuel near towns I was near as motorways we’re as high as €1.65 for unleaded😫.
 
And so undervalued, absolute bargain for me when I got it in April with only 36500 miles on it.
 
Sounds like a great trip!

You need to be a bit careful about having a dog in the back though ... the rules in the UK changed a couple of years ago and they have to be "suitably restrained" now, so they can't get into the front to distract the driver or cause injury in a crash. Not sure how actively this is enforced though, or what the situation is in other European countries!
 
Glad to see people have their priorities right, being concerned with the dog's welfare!

According to the RAC:

France child car seats
Children under the age of 10 are not allowed to travel in the front seats of vehicles without using a special child restraint, unless there is no rear seat, the rear seat is already occupied with children under 10 or there are no seat belts.

Children up to the age of 10 must travel in an approved child seat or restraint, adapted to their age and size. European regulations classify child restraints in five different groups according to the child's weight:
 
I know it is academic now that the OP is back from his trip , but the most practical thing might be one of those dog cages if one could fit behind the passenger seat ( I know space is restricted in the 230 ) .

in my R129 there is either a load space or the occasional rear seats , where the dog could be restrained in a harness attached to the rear seat belts .
 
where the dog could be restrained in a harness attached to the rear seat belts .
Do make sure the harness and seat belts are correctly adjusted to hold the animal in the seat. My wife was telling only yesterday of a Jack Russel that was incorrectly restrained and managed to jump out of the open window of the moving car and garrotted itself. Not a pleasant experience for the owner, or the vet who attended
 
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Whereabouts near Bergerac? We are only half an hour away. Just returned from shopping there.

And, yes, not unusual in the height of summer to see mid-high 40s inside a parked car. Use a foil windscreen cover ... only a fiver or so and they do keep the temp down ... to the 30s!
 
Whereabouts near Bergerac? We are only half an hour away. Just returned from shopping there.

And, yes, not unusual in the height of summer to see mid-high 40s inside a parked car. Use a foil windscreen cover ... only a fiver or so and they do keep the temp down ... to the 30s!
I know you weren't talking to me but a friend of mine lives in St Savinien. Is that close to you?
 
Interesting post for use on similar, but dog-free trips. I'm still looking for a 5.5 SL500, but keep getting distracted.

A 2007 380bhp SL500 seems loopy value at half the price of a 911 or a couple of grand less than a Boxster 3.2S.
 
I know you weren't talking to me but a friend of mine lives in St Savinien. Is that close to you?

I believe that's up near Saintes in the Charente ... a good 2.5 - 3 hours from us. Lovely area ... we looked there before settling down here.
 
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I believe that's up near Saintes in the Charente ... a good 2.5 - 3 hours from us. Lovely area ... we looked there before settling down here.
You're right. I know he often goes to Bergerac, but I think he has a cousin who lives there. I'm looking forward to my next visit, which will also probably be in an R230 SL 5.5, which I went in last time a couple of years ago.
 
You're right. I know he often goes to Bergerac, but I think he has a cousin who lives there. I'm looking forward to my next visit, which will also probably be in an R230 SL 5.5, which I went in last time a couple of years ago.

If you're coming all this way, let me know and we can meet up for a beer and I'll show you around this lovely "bastide" area.
 
Sounds like a great trip!

You need to be a bit careful about having a dog in the back though ... the rules in the UK changed a couple of years ago and they have to be "suitably restrained" now, so they can't get into the front to distract the driver or cause injury in a crash. Not sure how actively this is enforced though, or what the situation is in other European countries!
Sasha wears a full dog harness and the lead is looped round the roll bar. This gives her ample movement and if i have to brake suddenly she's held from coming in between the seats. As she's wearing a body harness she's not choked either.
 
I know it is academic now that the OP is back from his trip , but the most practical thing might be one of those dog cages if one could fit behind the passenger seat ( I know space is restricted in the 230 ) .

in my R129 there is either a load space or the occasional rear seats , where the dog could be restrained in a harness attached to the rear seat belts .
Sasha is 25kg so a cage, which i would hate to use anyway, would be impossible. We have a soft cage for her and that only just fits in the boot of our old Rangie, so absolutely no chance anywhere in any SL. My mate takes his 55kg German Shepherd to France in his Ford Kuga in a backseat harness and Sasha had virtually the same amount of room as he did, she could even sit up comfortably and move around to get comfortable.
 
Whereabouts near Bergerac? We are only half an hour away. Just returned from shopping there.

And, yes, not unusual in the height of summer to see mid-high 40s inside a parked car. Use a foil windscreen cover ... only a fiver or so and they do keep the temp down ... to the 30s!
Hi Swotty, we were based in Bayac, between Beaumont and Couze St Front. A mate of mine has a place out there.
 

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