In the continuing saga that I am having regarding what to do with my car situation, I would like some suggestions from everybody (and not along the lines of "scrap it!" please!!):
My Cavalier was bought when I was still in London and not with much time in the car or daily journeys in mind (I wanted a good motorway cruiser). Having moved North, I now have a 1 hour each way commute over about 25 miles to work every day. Although pretty efficient, the car uses a lot of £'s worth of petrol now and so my question is should I:
a) Keep the Cavalier and get it converted to LPG, bearing in mind the car has 70k miles on the clock and is 93MY - Is this a good idea and is the car likely to stand up to another 100k without large issues? I am aware that mpg is not quite as good on LPG, so how big is the difference?
b) Get rid of the Cavalier and get something else (I do NOT like small cars and wouldn't want anything smaller than say Golf-sized) and if so what would be a good idea to buy and convert to LPG/or is diesel a better way to go?
Whatever I decide on I am going to put at least 100k on it and probably run it into the ground so want something as reliable as poss (another worry re the Cavalier...).
Cheers for any advice and I look forward to reading any responses
|
|
i would get rid of the cavalier, and buy an older type VW passat (1988 - 1996 model)
|
|
|
There's a lot of people around the forum who know more about these things than me, but...
I'd say it might be worth trying to find a decent Citroen ZX with the 1.9 diesel engine. They run forever if properly looked after and are pretty comfy. The performance isn't exactly scorching but they get you there and are pretty economical. The same set up in a 306 will cost you £s more - never understood that, they're the same car underneath.
|
|
if you go for the citroen ZX, go for a turbo diesel, not just a normal diesel.
|
|
I've driven over 130K in both, the TD is excellent, quick and fairly frugal, but would it be expensive to sort a knackered turbo? Was thinking that another 100k miles on a car with some miles on it already would mean the turbo going eventually.
|
|
|
|
I've got a 116,000 mile Golf GTI that has been converted to LPG.
Best move I have ever made. It will pay itself back in 12,000 miles so who cares if it doesn't make 200,000?
|
|
|
Beware of cowboy LPG conversions. There are a lot of guys out there trying to make a fast buck on the back of a 'spend money to save money' trend who haven't got a clue. I spent half of today trying to sort one of these cases out.
HJ
|
Dan,
So what is the fuel consumption of the Cavalier on your commuting run.
David
|
I get between 37 and 40mpg depending on how I drive which still isn't bad by anybody's standards but still costs a small fortune every month!
I think LPG conversion may be a good way forward but am just concerned that if I do it and something expensive goes wrong on the car I will be back to square one.
|
You see Dan I was thinking about getting you into a Xantia diesel about the same age as your Cavalier. But if you are already getting close to 40mpg (miracle...my 1.8i Cavalier used to do 28mpg, but it was a firms car in my former life and the front tyres lasted just 11,000 miles!) the improvement to 47mpg is not so great. Hardly worth the change.
I would be wary of spending money on this Cavalier unless you can see the cost recovered in year one so year two is into clear profit. To plan savings over a longer period with a normal car is risky, cars aren't investments. The exception has to be such things as Guy's Golf or a V8 Range Rover where they may have a longer life in the hands of enthusiasts.
My change from petrol to diesel was a dramatic saving. The old 1905cc petrol BX was doing some very very short runs and sometimes only 27mpg. On the same runs the 1905ccTD Xantia is doing 42mpg.
David
|
I think you might be right there David, I am certainly very wary of spending a grand to have a good LPG conversion done on the car. Problem is it isn't superbly efficient but isn't inefficient enough to warrant the extra cash.
I think I'll just bite the bullet, keep it for as long as I can to get my money's worth and then start looking at new cars at a later date. I have realised that however much money you throw at a car, you can always throw more!
Might invest in a lottery ticket at the weekend - I promise if I win I'll buy you a brand new Xantia!
|
Dan,
Thanks but I can save a little of your lottery cash. All I want is a £5K met blue MB diesel estate.
Think of that first scratch on the brand new car.
David
|
I'm not too keen on the first scratch on a second hand car either!
Will bear your Merc in mind should I win the lottery at the weekend :o)
Out of interest, are early Xantia Diesels non-ECU? Also what are Auto boxes like on Xantias?
Car engines might have "improved reliability" these days but the engines always seem so delicate to me. I remember the old (International) tractor we used on the farm I used to live on. That thing was about 30 years old and must have had the equivalent of half a million miles on it on it, we simply used to change the oil when it went black and kept the radiator topped up.
I am someone who likes the quiet life (we'll ignore the relationship side of things here) and would just like a car I can keep well serviced and it'll go on forever, does such a thing exist?!
|
Dan,
To go totally non-ECU/electronics on the Xantia you need about a '93 LX without ABS or Airbag, also just a nice old fashioned injector pump with no electronics.
I don't rate the auto-box long term but some do, at least it avoids an expensive clutch job.
Modern car engines are not delicate if looked after. Our Citroen TD fleet have covered 94,000, 220,000 and 245,000 miles on original engines/turbos without even a head gasket.
My International 434 Tractor is 31yrs old and going well, everything is over-engineered compared to a car so I suppose I see what you mean.
As for your last request. A 1993 Citroen ZX/Xantia at around 80,000 miles with history will have no rust and go another 120,000 with ease....and cost peanuts.
But I'm biased you know.
David
|
|
|
|
I'm sure HJ, in now way, is refering to my conversion as "Cowboy"
Agricultural, Yes (it was done in a barn) - Cowboy, No.
|
Guy,
I guess yours was a budget job though to get the cost back in one year.
David
|
|
|
|
|
