Thread: Would you buy another L322?

One point often overlooked when comparing running cost of Petrol V Diesel is resale when you sell it on. As mentioned the diesel was some 10k cheaper then the equivalent petrol, yet now they are 7ish K$ more, so just on this point alone the diesel was ~17k cheaper to own for the first owner - now add fuel, insurance, rego. Now no one can say for sure but I would put money on it that in the next 7-9 yrs the TD6 will depreciate less (%) then the petrol - the sums on how long it will take to save x000$ in extra purchase price on fuel don't take this into consideration.

To get an idea of how much something will cost to own (holding costs) I use basic home loan interest rates (if you don't have a home loan that is the basic income that you should be able to make on the spare $ you need to front up for the diesel)- if you finance the car, you have the higher rate to work with. So I would say a diesel is going to cost (7000 * .07 =) $490 per year extra in holding cost for the extra cash you had to commit for diesel over petrol. Will it cost 490 less to run each year? Diesel will definitely be worth significantly more (even as parts) when your done with it, so most of the 7k will be recouped, just look at diesel v petrol disco 1 & 2s.

at 11L/100 v 15 thats 36% extra, in Brisbane Premium ULP is more expensive than diesel (L322 V8 is spec for 95 Premium), so to be conservative for the PULP variant, lets say they are the same. 490/1.50(liter) = 326L of fuel. 326/36% = 905L to use for the year @ 11/100 = 8636km / year to save the holding cost difference of diesel over petrol. now add the others mentioned. I also add that I'm more likely to keep a diesel longer resulting in fewer vehicle changes.

Taking the following assumptions.
-You will get most of the extra purchase price back when you're finished with it (compared to selling a petrol)
-Premium ULP is the same cost as diesel (it's always slightly more here)
-Holding cost of 7% (not going to get 7% in cash)
You will need to drive 9000ish km / year to cover the extra holding cost. Add (guessing here) 2-3k for depreciation that will see some of the 7k vanish when you sell, subtract the other costs mentioned, being really conservative 17-20000kms would easily cover it.

I don't agree with Grumbles re fuel issues, After 16yrs of diesel vehicle ownership (we currently have 3) and a boat with a pair of diesels (fueled at marinas- generally regarded as the worst quality available), I've never had a more than 10% of the separator worth of water, and that has only been in the boat. I've picked up 2 loads of crap PULP in the trailer boat in the last 2 years, both stopped the engine, admittedly there's no damage (huge inconvenience and clean out) but I would trust the diesel more than petrol...

I know its not mentioned here much, and I am expecting some ridicule for mentioning it, but when I started asking about the place for tips on L322's i was advised of the cooling systems having issues keeping the V8 cool in hotter areas. Given the cooling issues I have had in the past with my classics and P38, this was a big factor for me. Wether it was scare tactics or good advice I don't know, but it came up a number of times.

its a bit odd thogh it doesn't come up on the forums that much.

mind you I was looking in the mid 20's when I bought my car and there was only two petrols I saw which were in this bracket and both had fairly high k's.

I have heard of pressurising issues with the V8 coolant system, but not of them overheating. Personally I would be suprised if they did. Remember this car was developed by BMW, and one of their target markets was the Middle East, so the cars design brief was to be able to operate in extreme conditions. I think the attitude on earlier ones was "It works ok in the UK, hope is alright everywhere else"

The L322 is a very different beast to anything that came before it.

I hadn't heard of overheating issues and haven't had any on ours even on our occasional 45 degree days, but you very often see V8s with stained under bonnet insulation from where the plastic expansion tanks have a habit of splitting and going pop spraying the contents everywhere.

Originally Posted by ariddell

Wondering if people are put off by the fact it has had the wheels swapped for 20s and a load of audio kit fitted for iPod/iPhone integration. Thinking I may swap it back to completely original spec if that's a factor.
.

Okay - I've been looking and reading - I feel a bit like a stalking trout about to take a fly...and get myself hooked to an L322....lol

The 20 inch wheels - I am confused and can't find answers. Some questions please. Are they factory standard? What size tyres do they run? Can you get All Terrains in this size? Does anyone have an idea what a 20 inch tyre is worth please?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Grumbles

Okay - I've been looking and reading - I feel a bit like a stalking trout about to take a fly...and get myself hooked to an L322....lol

The 20 inch wheels - I am confused and can't find answers. Some questions please. Are they factory standard? What size tyres do they run? Can you get All Terrains in this size? Does anyone have an idea what a 20 inch tyre is worth please?

Thanks.

See if I can answer some of these. If you find you are getting hooked on the L322, then you are screwed - you will end up buying one and loving it - nothing you can do about that..

I believe the 20's were available as standard on the 06 onwards vogue and bolt straight on - I will check, as they may have been available earlier - not 100% on that one. Size of tyre is 255/50R20 - that makes it within a mm or so of the 18's, but a265/50R20 will fit without issue - this will put your speedo out a poofteenth. I think you can get an all terrain for these - as well as a mud terrain, but they are about 35" - get the grinder out!!!

Prices vary depending on what you want, but from about $200 to $500 each. Mine are closer to the $200 end...

18" , 19" & 20" all standard rim sizes.
255/60-18
255/55-19
255/50-20 for tyres
Later model L322 with Brembo brakes resricted to large Rims

Ive gone with 18" due to the greater side wall especially on our so called hwy ( goat tracks). Many have fitted larger than stock size tyres but dont go too big.

Gary

There you go - rim sizes clarified while I was looking it up elsewhere... Thanks Gary.