Diesel or LPG ?

BillScarab

Be careful of the bi-fuel Volvos, I'm sure some of them run on CNG not LPG and CNG is harder to find.

AdrianHi

djt100 wrote: »

107/ C1 /Aygo Cheaper still, Only problem is i don't want to drive 80 miles a day in one!

Key point that, an Astra is an OK tool for doing 80 miles a day, those smaller cars will be very tiring as the months pass on that mileage.
There were not many factory LPG cars on the market, sounds like either a diesel something Astra sized or LPG Astra is the way to go since you have a supply of LPG nearby. If the car is used mostly for the daily commute you should be able to plan fuel re-fills so you always do it with LPG.
LPG conversions are expensive and only really worth it if you are trying to run a V6 or V8 on half decent fuel costs. You need to pick the equipment and fitter carefully, there are horror stories out there. http://www.lpginfo.co.uk/

djt100

Yep, As much as I want economy I also need a bit of comfort, I going from a Volvo C70 so V.Comfortable and plenty of power, so where I go from here is downhill so need a good compromise, girlfriend has a 2002 polo 1.4 petrol and its ok for distance but for a 1.4 it's gutless and high tax band ,she had a 1.25 ka before that was a much better car, not as well built but a better car none the less, more comfortable, Quieter,faster and more enomomical.

AdrianHi

I don't know if you have had a diesel before or not, but one of the characteristics of a modern turbo diesel is lots of torque and acceleration mid-range at typical motorway speeds. This makes for quiet and easy long distance cruising. By way of example:
2005 BMW 330i 50-75 mph in 4th gear 6.6 seconds (six cylinder 3.0L petrol engine)
2005 BMW 320d 50-75 mph in 4th gear 6.7 seconds (4 cylinder 2.0L turbo diesel)
No mis-typing here, a 4 cylinder turbo diesel mid-range really is as quick as a much bigger petrol engine even thought the 0-60 dash is not as good. Worth keeping in mind, might be worth the extra 100-200 a year in fuel to have this behaviour.

djt100

AdrianHi wrote: »

I don't know if you have had a diesel before or not, but one of the characteristics of a modern turbo diesel is lots of torque and acceleration mid-range at typical motorway speeds. This makes for quiet and easy long distance cruising. By way of example:
2005 BMW 330i 50-75 mph in 4th gear 6.6 seconds (six cylinder 3.0L petrol engine)
2005 BMW 320d 50-75 mph in 4th gear 6.7 seconds (4 cylinder 2.0L turbo diesel)
No mis-typing here, a 4 cylinder turbo diesel mid-range really is as quick as a much bigger petrol engine even thought the 0-60 dash is not as good. Worth keeping in mind, might be worth the extra 100-200 a year in fuel to have this behaviour.

Yep deffo worth a little extra £ for a little extra Go :T

Tucker

Wow - 58p. Your LPG is expensive!!

From those calculations the diesel currently makes more sense, as you will also use some petrol using a dual fuel car, as they start in petrol mode and flick over to LPG once the car hits the temp needed to burn LPG. So, even if you keep the LPG topped up, it will require some petrol for every start up.

GunJack

Round here typical costs are:

UL: 109ppl
diesel: 119ppl
LPG: 48ppl

So round here (N Wales) the differential between LPG and diesel is greater, so the saving would be greater.

Tucker

The variation in LPG prices is big compared to petrol. I suspect it's driven by competition or lack of in most cases.

Locally here there are 6 outlets selling LPG in one large town. Two are 24 hour forecourts and the rest are small independant retailers. It clearly forces them to be a little more competitive as the most expensive are the 24 hour ones at 49.9p.

Because of this availability, quite a few of the private hire cars are now running on LPG and one retailer told me they are currently converting at the rate of 1 or 2 per week now. Most are petrol Toyota's and it's positive for me as a user as it will ensure that suppliers will increase in number rather than decrease and keep them competitive.

If you live in a town with one outlet, then it seems you are held by the short and curly's and they can make a hefty profit per litre. Some must me taking 10p more per litre than others, as I'm sure they will be buying it for similar amounts??