Thread: Diesels not an economic choice?

Originally Posted by Rovernaut

That equates to 90 litre @$1.30 per litre = $117 per tank
howerver, LPG 90 litres @ 44.5c per litre = $40.04

I use 20 litres per 100 kms on Lpg, so 800 kms range would use 160 litres @44.5CPL = $71.20, THATS A SAVING OF $45.80 FOR THAT DISTANCE COVERED.
SO IS DIESAL STILL CHEAPER IN THE LONG RUN?

Fair comment. Another problem is that rego for a v8 is far higher than that of a 4 or 5 cyl diesel. Also try and buy gas out in the country and even on the Islands around Brissie.



I once borrowed a petrol/gas nissan and took it to Tewah beach which is a stones throw from Noosa. The guy I borrowed it from ran the gas out just before he swapped my vehicle for his on the north side of the car ferry. We had no gas for a week and the thing chewed petrol like it was free! He still raved at the ecomomy of gas, no good if you cannot get any though.

One man's petrol, gas or diesel is another man's poison.

Originally Posted by barryj

Fair comment. Another problem is that rego for a v8 is far higher than that of a 4 or 5 cyl diesel.

Not in NSW.

I think the issue is the total cost - you can't just think of fuel, it's maintenance as well.

On some brands, e.g., Toymota, the cost of fuel filters and oil filters for diesels is astronomical. The LR TDi engines use the same oil filters as the V8 and a $5 Ryco Z10 will suit.

Also on some brands the price differential between a diesel and a petrol, again Toymota is a good example, can be really significant. It wasn't for Tdi LRs.

Certainly resale is better on a diesel because people only look at fuel costs. An excellent example of price differential is the 3.5 V8 County vs the 3.9 Isuzu County.

Another issue may be dealer maintenance. How many people these days maintain their own cars? The cost of a service by a dealer can be ridiculously high.

Ron
Ron

Ron

I think ford are looking at the whole picture. In terms of the extra cost of making the car, therefore the premium you pay at the dealer for getting the petrol engine, for example the TDi Golf my boss bought set him back nearly 40k, but he gets 5L/100km, he could have gotten the equivalent petrol for 5-8k less which is a considerable amount of fuel. When you look at the extra interest you pay on the loan, the fact that 5-8k would make up the extra $30/week cost for fuel you would need to do some serious Km's a year to get that saving back.

But in Australia we look at things differently. We are happier quite often to pay an extra $50 a week on a car loan to get the diesel to save $30 a week at the bowser, which is what ford are trying to get across. Whilst diesel is dearer than petrol a diesel engine uses less fuel which makes a diesel look like the economic choice but when you weigh up all the costs its not the choice.

Take a V8 Disco for example. You can get Disco II V8 bloody cheap, sometimes as much as 10k cheaper than a TD5, that 10k would add $50 a week to a loan repayment easily, not to mention the 8 odd percent interest on top of that. Now weigh up the fact that unleaded is 10c/L cheaper than diesel buying the V8 looks like the economic choice. But people dont think about it that way. We think yes but its costing me alot more per week to fill the V8 but they dont look at all the other costs of owning a TD5 and add them all up. Matt

as a follow on to Ron and ACE,,,

if you gather the posts from our Tech forum,,
the Diesels suffer MANY more published problems than the V8,, all more expensive,,

it seems the people that buy diesels are looking short term,, OMG !!! look at the pump price!!! Lets buy a diesel!!

add TEN THOUSAND dollars to the purchase price.

and ask yourselves,,

how long will you own that diesel?

now YOU do the math.

10,000 in fuel,, WHOOOO!!!!

bring it on!!!

Originally Posted by Ace

I think ford are looking at the whole picture. In terms of the extra cost of making the car, therefore the premium you pay at the dealer for getting the petrol engine, for example the TDi Golf my boss bought set him back nearly 40k, but he gets 5L/100km, he could have gotten the equivalent petrol for 5-8k less which is a considerable amount of fuel. When you look at the extra interest you pay on the loan, the fact that 5-8k would make up the extra $30/week cost for fuel you would need to do some serious Km's a year to get that saving back.

But in Australia we look at things differently. We are happier quite often to pay an extra $50 a week on a car loan to get the diesel to save $30 a week at the bowser, which is what ford are trying to get across. Whilst diesel is dearer than petrol a diesel engine uses less fuel which makes a diesel look like the economic choice but when you weigh up all the costs its not the choice.

Take a V8 Disco for example. You can get Disco II V8 bloody cheap, sometimes as much as 10k cheaper than a TD5, that 10k would add $50 a week to a loan repayment easily, not to mention the 8 odd percent interest on top of that. Now weigh up the fact that unleaded is 10c/L cheaper than diesel buying the V8 looks like the economic choice. But people dont think about it that way. We think yes but its costing me alot more per week to fill the V8 but they dont look at all the other costs of owning a TD5 and add them all up. Matt

I agree with you but you also have to take into consideration what you intend to do with the vehicle average km per week, how much towing, 4wding and look at the fact that the price of diesel does not fluctuate as much as petrol and it is readily available almost anywhere, the engine last a lot longer (if maintained) also think about how long you intend to keep the vehicle for. If I was to change vehicles every 3 years (like the vp of Ford would like us to), didn't tow much, and only did short around town stints a v8 would be in consideration. I intend keeping my vehicle for at least another 8 years (I don't think the v8 would last that long without a rebuild)

Originally Posted by dobbo

I agree with you but you also have to take into consideration what you intend to do with the vehicle average km per week, how much towing, 4wding and look at the fact that the price of diesel does not fluctuate as much as petrol and it is readily available almost anywhere, the engine last a lot longer (if maintained) also think about how long you intend to keep the vehicle for. If I was to change vehicles every 3 years (like the vp of Ford would like us to), didn't tow much, and only did short around town stints a v8 would be in consideration. I intend keeping my vehicle for at least another 8 years (I don't think the v8 would last that long without a rebuild)

still have my D1-- 8 years, MY 200,000 kays
runs like a train,,
wanna drag?
wanna tow something?

(and mines a youngster on this forum-- it just seems our V8 owners dont brag about klms)

A drag race with a trailor attached now that would be interesting.

By the way I like your new location

Originally Posted by dobbo

A drag race with a trailor attached now that would be interesting.

By the way I like your new location

The whole world needs some "real life" testing,,,



and thanks dobbo,,

ya gotta laugh,,,