LPG converted cars still worth it nowadays?
Discussion
I guess the question is worth it compared to what?
Fundamentally nothing's changed about the economics of LPG for a good while now, as long as the engine is suitable and you're going to keep the car for at least a few years the conversion should make a lot of sense at that mileage.
What's LPG availablility like generally in the area? Not sure I'd want to rely on a single filling station.
Fundamentally nothing's changed about the economics of LPG for a good while now, as long as the engine is suitable and you're going to keep the car for at least a few years the conversion should make a lot of sense at that mileage.
What's LPG availablility like generally in the area? Not sure I'd want to rely on a single filling station.
IMO yes but with caveats
But don't skimp on the conversion. There are cheap people who are cheap for a reason but there are also pricey conversions which are not much better. To convert an LPG car well takes time which unfortunately costs money. Consider the Euro has plummeted against the £ that won't help matters either ; most LPG kits are from Italy as they've been doing LPG'd cars for decades.
Having a suitable engine also helps.
When done right LPG cars are superb. But they can be a world of pain when they are not. I used to convert them and indeed have been bitten a couple of times but also been laughing alot with joy on the other side too.
As an example our Mondeo 1.8i Mk3 used to do around 30-38MPG depending on if you took the motorway or drove it purely around town. On LPG it cost around 9-11p/mile in fuel. Even now it would still be around that.
But don't skimp on the conversion. There are cheap people who are cheap for a reason but there are also pricey conversions which are not much better. To convert an LPG car well takes time which unfortunately costs money. Consider the Euro has plummeted against the £ that won't help matters either ; most LPG kits are from Italy as they've been doing LPG'd cars for decades.
Having a suitable engine also helps.
When done right LPG cars are superb. But they can be a world of pain when they are not. I used to convert them and indeed have been bitten a couple of times but also been laughing alot with joy on the other side too.
As an example our Mondeo 1.8i Mk3 used to do around 30-38MPG depending on if you took the motorway or drove it purely around town. On LPG it cost around 9-11p/mile in fuel. Even now it would still be around that.
Safer to get a modern diesel? Is that a joke?
Servicing costs me £30 a year, I've covered about 150k miles in two different LPG converted cars and have friends with LPG converted cars that have been great.
As said above don't skimp on your conversion and make sure its with someone reputable as some of the horrors that end up being brought into the local LPG garage to be corrected are scary.
At that kind of mileage you should be covering your costs pretty quickly.
I'm still running the system from my previous LPG car, I just had it transferred to my new one when I got rid of the old one. Apart from your initial install you don't get any big bills with them. A mate had a Mazda 6 done 6 years ago, covered 130k miles and all he's had changed is the gas pump which cost £90 and we fitted ourselves in ten minutes.
I've covered 60k in my current car and haven't had to touch the gas system yet other than its yearly £30 service, 90k in the previous car and I had a new set of injectors (£100).
I'd say go for it
Servicing costs me £30 a year, I've covered about 150k miles in two different LPG converted cars and have friends with LPG converted cars that have been great.
As said above don't skimp on your conversion and make sure its with someone reputable as some of the horrors that end up being brought into the local LPG garage to be corrected are scary.
At that kind of mileage you should be covering your costs pretty quickly.
I'm still running the system from my previous LPG car, I just had it transferred to my new one when I got rid of the old one. Apart from your initial install you don't get any big bills with them. A mate had a Mazda 6 done 6 years ago, covered 130k miles and all he's had changed is the gas pump which cost £90 and we fitted ourselves in ten minutes.
I've covered 60k in my current car and haven't had to touch the gas system yet other than its yearly £30 service, 90k in the previous car and I had a new set of injectors (£100).
I'd say go for it
I recently bought a Japanese import, a Nissan Elgrand, 3.5ltrs Auto, normally mpg would be 16 - 20mpg. I immediately had it converted to LPG and now get between 32 - 42 mpg (That's taking what it costs me to fill with LPG, refer that cost to gallons of fuel, and work out the mpg from that)
I agree though, don't go cheap on the system, get the best that you can afford, and from a reputable installer.
Previously I'd had a VW T5 TDI Transporter Caravelle, that used to give me 26 - 33 mpg, so I'm more than happy with the Elgrand on LPG.
I agree though, don't go cheap on the system, get the best that you can afford, and from a reputable installer.
Previously I'd had a VW T5 TDI Transporter Caravelle, that used to give me 26 - 33 mpg, so I'm more than happy with the Elgrand on LPG.
Hey Gafferjim, I’m currently looking at buying an Elgrand/Toyota Regius and I’m keen to get the LPG conversion done as I’ll likely have to use the van as a commute as well. Is it still running well? Anything I should look out for when buying? Also (this is probably a really stupid question but hey ho) once the conversion is done. Can the van still run on petrol? And how do you alternate?
Thanks
Thanks
Gafferjim said:
I recently bought a Japanese import, a Nissan Elgrand, 3.5ltrs Auto, normally mpg would be 16 - 20mpg. I immediately had it converted to LPG and now get between 32 - 42 mpg (That's taking what it costs me to fill with LPG, refer that cost to gallons of fuel, and work out the mpg from that)
I agree though, don't go cheap on the system, get the best that you can afford, and from a reputable installer.
Previously I'd had a VW T5 TDI Transporter Caravelle, that used to give me 26 - 33 mpg, so I'm more than happy with the Elgrand on LPG.
I agree though, don't go cheap on the system, get the best that you can afford, and from a reputable installer.
Previously I'd had a VW T5 TDI Transporter Caravelle, that used to give me 26 - 33 mpg, so I'm more than happy with the Elgrand on LPG.
Gafferjim said:
I recently bought a Japanese import, a Nissan Elgrand, 3.5ltrs Auto, normally mpg would be 16 - 20mpg. I immediately had it converted to LPG and now get between 32 - 42 mpg (That's taking what it costs me to fill with LPG, refer that cost to gallons of fuel, and work out the mpg from that)
I agree though, don't go cheap on the system, get the best that you can afford, and from a reputable installer.
Previously I'd had a VW T5 TDI Transporter Caravelle, that used to give me 26 - 33 mpg, so I'm more than happy with the Elgrand on LPG.
Hello mate, I just got one of these elgrands....could you let me know where you got it converted please or the particular kit you got? Thanks for your help I agree though, don't go cheap on the system, get the best that you can afford, and from a reputable installer.
Previously I'd had a VW T5 TDI Transporter Caravelle, that used to give me 26 - 33 mpg, so I'm more than happy with the Elgrand on LPG.
Tom
dtfwang said:
Hi, I've just booked an LPG conversion for a Highway Star. What is the best tank size to get?
Thanks
What mileage do you do?Thanks
Do you undertake long trips?
What are the cost differentials between different tank sizes?
How much room does each take up?
How much boot/storage space do you need / are able/happy to lose?
How long is a piece of string?
dtfwang said:
Hi, I've just booked an LPG conversion for a Highway Star. What is the best tank size to get?
Thanks
The biggest you can live with. The tank will only fill to about 70% of it's advertised volume and your car will use 5-15% more gas than it did petrol. If you car does 450 miles on 50l of petrol it'll do less than 300 miles on a full 50l LPG tank.Thanks
ETA: Also, with that in mind, find out how long your tank will take to fill and make sure you're happy with that because the cheaper single port tanks are slow to fill and you may prefer to spend the extra on a multi-port tank to bring filling time down.
Edited by HustleRussell on Thursday 6th June 12:20
I got my Elgrand converted last September.
It's been great so far.
Go for the biggest tank you can fit.
Usually pay 59.9p, and sometime as low as 53p. My conversion cost £1795, Inc spark plug change which is a pig of a job on these. It should have paid for itself in about another 4 months.
It's been great so far.
Go for the biggest tank you can fit.
Usually pay 59.9p, and sometime as low as 53p. My conversion cost £1795, Inc spark plug change which is a pig of a job on these. It should have paid for itself in about another 4 months.
Gafferjim said:
I recently bought a Japanese import, a Nissan Elgrand, 3.5ltrs Auto, normally mpg would be 16 - 20mpg. I immediately had it converted to LPG and now get between 32 - 42 mpg (That's taking what it costs me to fill with LPG, refer that cost to gallons of fuel, and work out the mpg from that)
I agree though, don't go cheap on the system, get the best that you can afford, and from a reputable installer.
Previously I'd had a VW T5 TDI Transporter Caravelle, that used to give me 26 - 33 mpg, so I'm more than happy with the Elgrand on LPG.
HI IM LOOKING TO DO THE SAND ON THIS VAN , how much did it cost you please to convertI agree though, don't go cheap on the system, get the best that you can afford, and from a reputable installer.
Previously I'd had a VW T5 TDI Transporter Caravelle, that used to give me 26 - 33 mpg, so I'm more than happy with the Elgrand on LPG.
Kelbel1985 said:
Gafferjim said:
I recently bought a Japanese import, a Nissan Elgrand, 3.5ltrs Auto, normally mpg would be 16 - 20mpg. I immediately had it converted to LPG and now get between 32 - 42 mpg (That's taking what it costs me to fill with LPG, refer that cost to gallons of fuel, and work out the mpg from that)
I agree though, don't go cheap on the system, get the best that you can afford, and from a reputable installer.
Previously I'd had a VW T5 TDI Transporter Caravelle, that used to give me 26 - 33 mpg, so I'm more than happy with the Elgrand on LPG.
HI IM LOOKING TO DO THE SAND ON THIS VAN , how much did it cost you please to convertI agree though, don't go cheap on the system, get the best that you can afford, and from a reputable installer.
Previously I'd had a VW T5 TDI Transporter Caravelle, that used to give me 26 - 33 mpg, so I'm more than happy with the Elgrand on LPG.
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