Thread: Running Cost V8 D1 Petrol a winner for me

I have now been the owner of a Disco1 V8 Manual ES for 12 months.
As I promised 12 months ago I would keep very accurate records to substantiate my belief that a V8 petrol would be economically viable.

I purchased the above vehicle with 167367 k's on the clock, it was fitted with 120 litre long-ranger tank (which I admit it needs) ARB bar, dual batts and was in reasonably good condition and everything worked, (a couple of minor leaks) and presented quited well. I wanted/needed a 7 seater and the kids just love the side mounted seats in the rear. I did not consider fitting gas as it would take too much space and I personally did not want any more clutter under the bonnet nor some of the other incidental issues with LPG, yet alone availability in some of the remote areas I will be frequenting (I have owned LPG vehicles previously and they do have their place but not for my needs). Since purchase I have fitted Lightforce lights, Cooper ATR's, replaced the clutch and a few other minor fixes and given all the lubricants a couple of birthdays.

Now we all have different priorities in life and we will always make the figures support any argument we put forward but I am very happy with the total running/operating & ownership costs for the last 12 months so some facts and figures:

Total cost of vehicle, accys, repairs and parts not including consumables over 12 months = $8733 (Vehicle alone was only $6.5K)
Total Running cost of fuel, consumables (including tyres) and insurance & rego = $7630 (Running cost only per Klm = 36 cents)

I have now covered 21133 ks which equals a total of $0.77 cents per Km.
My projected cost for the next 12 months will bring this down to $0.60 or less if I don't have any repairs or incidentals above $2K which I feel is reasonable (At minimum I am planning front CV overhaul and shocks all round) anything past 2 years without a major motor replacement or similar and I will drop to less than $0.50 per Km.

Had I gone for an equivalent diesel in condition and K's (I am not anti diesel and would own one if they drove as well as a V8 and fitted my budget) I would have paid min $13-15 k plus for a similar vehicle by the time I had it on the road at a similar standard.

Considering I was able to pay cash for my Petrol D1 and would have had to use credit to extend past $10K I am also saving on interest payments which I have not included in any comparison.

I am not looking to get into any significant debate as to what is cheaper to run as there are so many variables and by human nature we will all twist the figures to suit our own points of view.

Benefits of owning a cheap vehicle (as in less than $10k initial cost) =

I only need 3rd party property insurance ($100- a year) I have saved approx $25K plus in insurance payments in my life, I have only written of 1 vehicle valued at approx $4,500 so I am about $20K ahead over 30 or so years. If I total wrecked my Disco tomorrow I would be ****ed off but not out of pocket (now if only I had saved all that insurance money in a separate interest bearing account ??)

A cheaper older 4 x 4 I don't worry the least bit about a few "battle scars" in fact I think they add character.

Able to purchase a high end optioned vehicle with lots of goodies like leather, power seats, sunroofs, CD stacker etc etc for about the same price of similar condition lesser optioned vehicles. (I still do quite a few K's around town and on the bitumen so all the "Goodies" are appreciated).

Parts are readily available in wrecking yards and an argument can be made that V8 petrol parts are cheaper than diesel parts ???? (at least from what I have observed) If I completely blew the mechanicals in my D1 I sincerely believe I could purchase a V8 wreck for a couple of K or less. It is all argumentative and subjective.

Lots of money saving advice available from enthusiasts (like here on this forum) for cheap fixes/alternatives and learning from others mistakes rather than dealing with the "Stealerships".

I hope to get about 5 years (250,000 k's) out of my D1 any more will be a major bonus. I will abuse it, swear at it (it has let me down once), kick it occasionally, wield a few spanners when required and hopefully have a lot of fun with it. When it dies I will just put it out to pasture (wrecking yard). I could not give a toss about resale so that tear in the leather that I have stitched up in a similar manner to when I stitched up the cat after a fight with a "bully" will suffice. that minor dent in the front door can just stay there unless I have to pull the door apart (when a window mechanism fails most likely). The squeaks and rattles are now at the stage they all sing in harmony with each other and I can always turn the stereo up louder.
Those minor blisters (and they are only minor at this stage) of cancer developing around the alpine windows hopefully will not become craters or holes before the old girl dies a natural death in a few years time.

Well that's my take on owning a V8 petrol.
I am more than happy to continue paying for "Premium Fuel" which it enjoys and gets me better than 20 litre to the hundred (if I try really hard I can get 16 - 17 litre/hundred but I don't often have that much patience.

An added bonus is the amount of money I am saving on speeding fines (and demerit points) I find my manual V8 in 4th purrs along perfectly at 60 k's and in all the hot spot 50kph zones I just leave it in 3rd. (works for me!) not the most economical way of driving but again saves money (& license) in the long term yet I still get to drive around a V8 LOL


Thommo
V8 D1 ES

Nice going Thommo. Us V8 drivers have to stick together !!

Originally Posted by Thommo

I am more than happy to continue paying for "Premium Fuel" which it enjoys and gets me better than 20 litre to the hundred (if I try really hard I can get 16 - 17 litre/hundred but I don't often have that much patience.

On a run, my 4.6 RR gets 13.2-13.5 litres / 100km if I restrict it to 100kph, even less if there's not too much mountain work. Around town, 17-18 litres / 100km is the norm.