So indecisive!

[Bailes1992]

Unless I can track down my fathers ST220 I'm not going to bother!

I can't think of any of my cars I'd like to have BACK, almost all of them were knackered by the time I'd finished with them.

I'd love to drive an XR2 again though some day

Thing is until my Father got his ST220 I had no interest at all in cars!
It was the car that got me into cars! So if I'm going I buy one then why not buy that very car!
It was in a fairly bad way when my Dad handed it back at 5 years old. DMF was rattling, car had a few bad scratches, stone chips, exhaust was bent, rear light cluster cracked, alloys badly kerbed and corroded etc etc.
The guy who bought it at 5 years old paid just £3,500! He had it resprayed, wheels resprayed, he fitted Focus ST brakes (ST220 brakes are poor), changed the clutch and he fitted a stainless exhaust. That was the last I heard about it until I got hold of him last week about buying it.

[rwb]

I've been biting my tongue on this, but since Welly and the Captain have already had a go: PENSION and MORTGAGE. And let that be the end of this thread.

[Bailes1992]

Car shopping has come to a dead end it seems.
Still waiting to hear about my Fathers ST220 and I popped up to see the ex police ST220 today as I was only 2 miles away and it was a bag 'o' crap! It was 2 different colours of white, headlining ripped to bits, drivers seat belt wouldn't retract, no boot trims, odd tyres, seized brakes, seats ripped and torn, holes in the dash everywhere etc etc.

I'm considering LPG again on my car. That way not only would I benefit from reduced running costs I wouldn't be able to get rid until it has at least broken even, which if I've done my sums right will be in 2-3 years time.
Had a quote of £2000 for a top spec system from CRD Performance. I've been told to expect my fuel costs to drop by 20-25%. My car costs me 14.39p/m to drive. That means a saving of 3.5p/m. £2000 / 0.035 = 57k payback period.
I should also be able to stretch oil changes out a little and I get a massive £5pa off my road tax!
http://www.crdperformance.com/lpg/lpg-c ... -vehicles/

Theres another company in North Wales who come highly recommended that could fit a Europegas system for £1600. Again I was told a reduction in fuel costs of around 25% should be achievable with my sort of driving. This should take 51k to break even.
http://europegas.pl/en/Products/LPG-CNG ... d,272.html

Both systems work by reducing the rail pressure (less stress on the fuel pump) so less diesel is injected and replacing it with LPG. The CRD Performance system has a piggy back ECU that monitors the diesel ECU and mimics a petrol ECU so a standard petrol LPG system can be fitted. The Europegas system is fully stand alone and benefits from having knock and exhaust gas temperature sensors.

I get another £500/m pay rise Sept 2015. That money will be used to save a deposit for a new house. Our current house will be rented out and used as a pension. Hopefully I will have 2-3 houses paid off to rent out by the time I retire.

[steve_earwig]

If everything stays the same (interest rates, house prices, European pyramid scheme, political ineptitude etc.) for the next, umm, 45 years-odd... Still, better than flushing it down the loo in a bank.

I get a massive £5pa off my road tax!

Wow, that's a stonking great incentive right there! I don't understand why everyone isn't doing it

[Bailes1992]

If everything stays the same (interest rates, house prices, European pyramid scheme, political ineptitude etc.) for the next, umm, 45 years-odd... Still, better than flushing it down the loo in a bank.

That's exactly why I'd prefer if my money went into property as the value should always have some sort of correlation to general inflation.

[Welly]

Does your insurance go up when you carry LPG gas around? I saw a Rangie on fire on the M1 a couple of years ago under 10 mtr high flames, closed the road to for fear it would go pop

[Bailes1992]

Does your insurance go up when you carry LPG gas around? I saw a Rangie on fire on the M1 a couple of years ago under 10 mtr high flames, closed the road to for fear it would go pop

My insurance company said providing it is fully registered and I have a UKLPG certificate then there would be no extra charge.

[steve_earwig]

I was carrying 2x 20Kg bottles of lpg for the cooker as well as 20 litres of finest Croatian no star around the other week, should I have told my insurers?

[Bailes1992]

I was carrying 2x 20Kg bottles of lpg for the cooker as well as 20 litres of finest Croatian no star around the other week, should I have told my insurers?

Did you have the car inspected by one of those UKLPG installers? I heared there is loads of them in Croatia!

[steve_earwig]

Er, no Where'd you heared that? I thought the only LPG installers here were home grown and come complete with 10-gallon hats and spurs

[rwb]

LPG for diesel? Not heard of that.

*** starts Excel

diesel-lpg.jpg

That's with diesel at 1.35 per litre and not taking into account the cost of LPG.

Meh.

[Bailes1992]

LPG for diesel? Not heard of that.

Many reasons for that!
I think the main reason is years ago LPG systems for diesel were very basic. They simply dribbled gas in off idle. This offered poor control and resulted in an over stressed engine, overheating, detonation and eventually melted pistons. Many fleet companies got stung with this king of setup so the reputation still lingers.
The other reason is cost. It's more expensive than a standard conversion and can take 4x longer to pay back! How many people actually do the sort of mileage that you need to do in order to pay it back in a car old enough not to worry about warrentys?

In Australia converting diesels is quite a big industry but out there the government gives massive grants for people wanted to convert their cars. Many petrol cars out there are available with LPG from the a factory too!

LPG offers many benefits as well as reduced running costs.
A traditional diesel only burns 70-80% of the diesel injected. Add a little LPG (10-20% of the diesel injected) and that figure rises to 100% burn rate! But you have LPG in the cylinder, so not only are you getting more bang from the diesel (which means you need less of it) but you need even less of it because you have LPG giving you power also!
Because the diesel is burning fully and cleanly you reduce NOx emmisions by 50% and particulates are reduced considerably.
The LPG does burn hotter which means faster warm up time. Faster the engine warms up the more efficient it is!
The oil should stay cleaner for longer because there will be less soot left over from the combustion process.
EGR's, Turbo vanes and DPFs should be more resistant to getting sooted up.
You should get an increase in throttle response and torque. This can be slight or fairly large depending in the type of system you have fitted.
And you get a £5 per year discount on your road tax.

[dirtydirtydiesel]

Car shopping has come to a dead end it seems.
Still waiting to hear about my Fathers ST220 and I popped up to see the ex police ST220 today as I was only 2 miles away and it was a bag 'o' crap! It was 2 different colours of white, headlining ripped to bits, drivers seat belt wouldn't retract, no boot trims, odd tyres, seized brakes, seats ripped and torn, holes in the dash everywhere etc etc.

I'm considering LPG again on my car. That way not only would I benefit from reduced running costs I wouldn't be able to get rid until it has at least broken even, which if I've done my sums right will be in 2-3 years time.
Had a quote of £2000 for a top spec system from CRD Performance. I've been told to expect my fuel costs to drop by 20-25%. My car costs me 14.39p/m to drive. That means a saving of 3.5p/m. £2000 / 0.035 = 57k payback period.
I should also be able to stretch oil changes out a little and I get a massive £5pa off my road tax!
http://www.crdperformance.com/lpg/lpg-c ... -vehicles/

Theres another company in North Wales who come highly recommended that could fit a Europegas system for £1600. Again I was told a reduction in fuel costs of around 25% should be achievable with my sort of driving. This should take 51k to break even.
http://europegas.pl/en/Products/LPG-CNG ... d,272.html

Both systems work by reducing the rail pressure (less stress on the fuel pump) so less diesel is injected and replacing it with LPG. The CRD Performance system has a piggy back ECU that monitors the diesel ECU and mimics a petrol ECU so a standard petrol LPG system can be fitted. The Europegas system is fully stand alone and benefits from having knock and exhaust gas temperature sensors.

I get another £500/m pay rise Sept 2015. That money will be used to save a deposit for a new house. Our current house will be rented out and used as a pension. Hopefully I will have 2-3 houses paid off to rent out by the time I retire.

Sam, obviously you can show us all how to do life properly , so stop asking us all our opinions.
Seven years ago my wife & I earnt about 55k before tax & we were happy & COMFORTABLE!!!!!
Then we had our first child & we were very happy, 18 months later we had second child (both planed)
Then the wife got made redundant , fast forward seven years & the wife hasn't worked for five years & I have two boy's to clothe & feed God love em!
Sorry for the spelling, But it's very late & I have done 72hours this week (that's at work working, NOT traveling to & from)
So All I am trying to say is don't be to Cocky, you don't know what round the corner

[OllieNZ]

+1 to that

[Captain Jack]

+1

Best lessons are learnt from your own mistakes. I learnt a lot from mine but try conveying those lessons to others...