Getting the most out of things....

[sbe]

Woo hoo !

My car clocked 400,000km on the way to work today

(A friend said that's about 800,000 for a normal car given how I drive :cool: )

OK, it's got some issues, but it made it !!! Now that its "run-in" :D , some servicing and it should be good for a few more years yet :eek:

[Sim]

Our car turned 10 years old last week (we bought it new). Still struggling to reach 100,000km. Gotta do a few more drives to Adelaide and back I think !

[GreatPig]

My car is about 17 years old and still runs like a charm.

Pity about the rust though...

GP

[Garry K]

Sounds like the one about my grandfathers axe - still in great condition after 60 years continuouse use.


Replaced the handle 13 times and the head 3 times though:p


SBE - does it have a little sign on the top that says "TAXI" ...wow 400K, thats amazing.

Is that the original engine and what sort of car?

GarryK

[sbe]

It's a 1990 Ford Fairlane. It wasn't a taxi beforehand.....

As far as I know, its the original engine. Third transmission (they just cant take it these days !!!)

Of course, to put the rest in context.....

Rack & Pinion a little sad.....
Motor head gasket gone (Chemiweld's a wonderful thing! Not worth fixing)
Has an advanced oil filtration and renewal system (leaks oil - needs filling)
Few other 'characteristics'

But it made it.....

All creature comforts work (A/c, PS, C/Locking, P/Windows, CD Stacker etc), on LPG so costs stuff all to run, Body in good condition, interior good, no real rust (tiniest bit over wheel arch).

In reality, probably has around another 1-3 years or so before it's dead. But I'm happy I've got my run out of it!

Cheap comfortable motoring.

Once the engine really goes - chemiweld's only going to work so long - that'll probably be the end of it. The repair costs would not be worth it given the value of the car (stuff all, and even less to a dealer!).

[Andrew_A]

Sbe,

I just filled up on the weekend (silly me) at 95.5c on the Gold Coast.

How much does it cost to convert a car to LPG?

My 89 Camry CSX is up to 180,000k

WaySolid

[Ecogirl]

I just filled up on the weekend (silly me) at 95.5c on the Gold Coast.


Wow that's cheap! I paid 106.9c/l yesterday in Drwn....

[Thommo]

My 2L Mitsi Van did over 250K before I replaced it with another 2L Mitsi Van. Guess what? The new one had no more power than the old one. I reckon it could have done 400k too.

Always use the best oil you can. I like Penzoil semi-synthetic. $31 for 5L but worth it. Semi-synthetics don't degrade as quickly as standard mineral oils so it doesn't matter so much if you "forget" to change oil for a little while. Good value for low milage drivers too because you can leave it in the sump much longer before degradation.

Thommo

[geoffw]

Wow that's cheap! I paid 106.9c/l yesterday in Drwn....
Don't Queensland subsidise the petrol?

[Thommo]

Don't Queensland subsidise the petrol?
No! They just don't tax it! :)

[XBenX]

Friends car needs some Chemiweld - did a google search and here I am back at somersoft, small world hey :P

[wish-ga]

In Sydney it is around 115 and hasn't been under 110 for ages.

Bugger...

[NickB]

2.50 Turkish Lira per litre in Turkey (=2.50 Oz $) last week.
Can't understand that as it is so close to Iraq.

Cheers,
Nick

[Merovingian]

In Sydney it is around 115 and hasn't been under 110 for ages.

Bugger...

Much the same here in Adelaide. We tend to have the best prices on a Tuesday or sometimes a Monday, then it creeps up to a point on Firday, where it is frozen for the weekend.

Unleaded: $1.05 ~ $1.18
Diesel: $1.23
Autogas: $0.56

Quite disgusting, really... How 'bout a tax cut? I mean sheesh, we apparently get slapped with the GST on a post-excise petrol price — i.e. double taxing. :(

[keithj]

In Sydney it is around 115 and hasn't been under 110 for ages.Come up to the blue mtns - it was 98.9c last week (after 4c discount) - though not usually at the w/e.

Also, some people are suggesting that the petrol rise is the equivalent of a 0.25% interest rate rise. It probably is to most PPOR owners, but as an IP investor it's cheaper for me to pay higher petrol (even double taxed) than an extra 0.25% on all variable loans.

[House_Keeper]

How much does it cost to convert a car to LPG?



It depends on the car. The cheapest would be the Ford Falcon, as there is a bigger market (the taxis).

I converted mine a few years ago. It costs me $2k. I have recovered that in 3 years. Since then, my LPG costs are half what they would be in petrol.

Beware though that the government has announced an end to the low-tax regime of LPG. This is due to come progressively over the next few years. I'm not sure what the price different is likely to be at the end, although it is likely to be significant enough to keep the LPG industry going.

Our Falcon has just passed 200,000 kms and runs perfectly. I suspect the body will fall apart before the engine does (less wear on LPG), as we don't do a lot of kms per year.

Cheers,

[flyingace]

Hi all

I've checked the cost of converting my 1990 Fairmont to LPG and it was $1700 for a system with a five year old tank or $2100 for a new one. The Fairmont has done well over 300,000 km and runs like a charm but it is a bit of a guzzler.
Being an older car it fails to impress the women however which is hard for a single fellow like me so I just use the old line - Want to come back to my place and look at my property potfolio? It hasn't worked yet!

Cheers