No, There is no discernible benefit to alloys.

If you want 45mpg from a petrol engine at 70mph then you probably won't be able to get anything bigger than a 1.2

That's not really true. Bigger engines tend to be mated to taller gears. A 2 litre engine @ 2000RPM is almost indistinguishable to a 1.6@2500RPM in terms of efficiency. At 70mph your battle is with air resistance-and you're going to lose. At 80mph, engine efficiency is a moot point, in spite of tall claims some turbo diesel drivers make about stellar economy at high motorway speed.

The secret to fuel economy lies in the brain rather than than under the bonnet.

Edited by unthrottled on 22/05/2011 at 19:02

At a saving of 60p/litre, you need to buy 550-750 gallons of fuel just to break even...

Actually it's worse than that. Your mpg will reduce by ~20% since the volumetric energy density of lpg is ~25% less.

Never understood the generous tax break on lpg-switching from one hydrocarbon to another doesn't significantly alter efficiency or emissions.

Theres virtually nothing in that price bracket to meet all of those. Cruise control and Climate Control and definatley Sat Nav (£1000+ optional extra on new cars, if you need one get a cheapy portable off ebay) all have to go. Leather seats as well probably.

The thing is, you can get a perfectly good used car which meets all those luxurious requirements, you have one right now, the Ghia X is a fantastic car, and you can pick them up cheap, due to their average economy, high tax bill and large size, nobody wants them. So you can get alot of car for your money. Something in that price bracket to do good economy and cheap to run will not be a nice big cruise mobile. Cheap to run cars carry a hefty price premium to buy them in the first place, and as good a car as the Mondeo V6 is, its worth sod all on a trade in and it'd have to be in exceptional condition to get over 1k on a private sale.

You say you need a towbar, thats an interesting point, i would recommend a diesel, as a small engined petrol car couldnt tow a bag of feathers up a hill, something like a 406 HDi, i had one myself, 45mpg easily, built like a tank (surprising given Peugeot's reputation) and not totally awful to drive either.

Q: What's the right car?

A: Citroën C5 Tourer.

Ah, you noticed that the OP omitted "reliable" in his checklist too then?

<Paradiddle>

<Ka-ching!>

Loads of well equipped cars in that price range Škoda Octavia 1.9TDI, Seat Toledo. Citroën C5, Mondeo TDDI. Early Toyota Avensis Diesel. The problem is by spending so little you could be buying a heap of trouble. In the real world gaining 10-20 mpg doesn't make financial sense if you've got rid of a perfectly reliable car and bought something that gives you trouble - just one major fault will wipe out 1-2 years of potential fuel cost savings. Fuel cost seems to be more overbearing than it actually is because you're filling up regularly. When you take other costs into consideration it's not that big an issue.

If you're struggling to run your car then it's not the fuel costs that's the issue - you need a smaller car - forget the toys and downsize the car to something you can afford to run. For £2.5K you could buy a decent Mitsubishi Colt which will be cheap to run and reliable.

Haha wow I didnt expect so much response to my first post. Thanks for all advice even if some of it was a bit blunt borderlining offensive haha.

I have done countless hours off research since im off work for a bit and there is sod all else to do. I have come up with quite a reasonable amount of cars that fit the bill. Such as;

Citroen c5 2.2 HDi Exclusive SE (Has everything on the list and more)

Ford Mondeo 2.2 155PS TDCi Ghia X (Again plenty to keep the gadget hungry busy)

Peugeot 406 2.0HDi Executive (Full list again)

Rover 75 2.0CDTi Conniseur SE (Full shabang plus a TV)

Renault 1.9DCi Initaile (quite unreliable though :/ )

Peugeot 607 2.0 HDi (kitted and imposing to boot)

So there is pleanty out there. The mondeo seems the best bet surprisingly as it has a heck of a punch for a diesel and with a small bit of magic can be brought up to 200bhp and touches the good side of 300lbft of tourque. In answer to some questions it will be towing things as heavy as another car so braked towing weight would be ideally 1500kg plus, majority of driving will be in town areas but motorway work will be required so must be quiet. I only drive at 60mph on the motorway so high speeds on the motorway arent neccassery.

Ive also spotted a pre converted jeep grand cherokee 4.7 V8 on lpg which is faster than my mondeo :| However insurance is a no go there as is tax nearly £300 *gulp*

Opinions on the above motors would be fab.

Scott