i know ford were planning to have it at the start of ‘05 (i think it was) but was delayed due to copyright issues in being able to use the system.

Gas in my area went from 50-55c/L to 65c seemingly just for the holidays. But it’s still much cheaper to run my old EB on gas than petrol.

I paid $1000 for the car a few years ago already converted, so I didn’t have to recoup the costs of a conversion, and I am miles in front.

that is just blatent profiteering by the servo if you are paying that.
anyhow even at 75c you would still be getting a better deal.
we are still getting it for 60c as you say where i see it

the vapour injected systems that are now here actually dont mean an increase in consumption by very much at all. when tested on a ford territory they didnt even record an increase by 1L (nearly but not quite.

well has your vehicles torque suffered? actually no here is a quote that proves NRMA doesnt know what the hell they are talking about and they are probably to blame for the many ill informed people out there.

Quote (from a reputable LPG source)
“On Autogas, torque is available at lower engine revs, which aids driveability – particularly in stop/start city driving. In some cases total torque is actually increased.”

I know the savings are real because i have a Dedicated gas falcon running the older system and i dont go anywhere near as high as 16L/100k. when i switched to it the money i forked out each week at the bowser was instantly halved and that takes into account any extra consumption.

co2 emissions will still be better than that of petrol either way you look at it.
did NRMA tell people that LPG also reduces other toxic emissions by up to 90%? not just the co2 but the other gases that come from a tail pipe that are linked to many illnesses and diseases including cancer?

also LPG has the same energy content (if not better) as unleaded. its not the energy content of the fuel thats the problem…. its the old school technology that feeds it into the motor. its like a carby unleaded motor V an EFI motor if you like.

but at last the “EFI” versions of LPG have arrived and it is set to feature in the dedicated LPG falcon range

the same territory with LPG example i gave before recorded lower running costs than a prius when they were run together

LPG vs. Petrol

So you’ve done all your calculations and decided to convert your car to LPG like over 70,000 other Australians. It sounds good in theory and the government rebate of $2000 is a great help. The fuel figures show your savings in dollars will have your conversion paid off within a year or two depending on your vehicle and the mileage done. But have you got all the facts?
Environmental impact

The environment is another winner in the change you have made by lowering greenhouse emissions. The Australian Greenhouse Office website states that the mass of CO2 gas released of the exhaust pipe by the burning of one litre of fuel is:
» 2.3 kg for Petrol
» 1.5 kg for LPG.
LPG = Less kilometres per litre

You can expect a 20-30 per cent increase in gas consumption over petrol per kilometre because the lower energy content of gas requires more to be burned in the engine compared with petrol. For example, a six cylinder Commodore achieves 10.9 litres per 100 km on petrol compared to 16 litres per 100km when run on LPG.
Excise
(or about 1.6 to 1.1 (99.2C to $1.61))
There is no government excise until July 2011. But then the price of LPG will gradually rise over 5 years.

The excise will increase as follows:
» 1 July 2011 increase of 2.5%
» 1 July 2012 increase of 5.0%
» 1 July 2013 increase of 7.5%
» 1 July 2014 increase of 10.00%
» 1 July 2015 increase of 12.5%

In knowing all this, is or was a change to LPG worth it?

Do all the figures add up and, despite the cost savings, has your vehicle’s power and torque suffered? It is less efficient when towing or carrying heavy loads, especially on long trips and going up hills?

ive always wondered how the price increase of can be justified aswell. it is a natural product to OZ, we export a hell of a lot of it , and we are constantly burning it off due to no use.

people go on about Unleaded fuel price profiteering when LPG suppliers are worse. why? well cause they can be and no one says anything cause the LPG car drivers are still halving their fuel bill by using it.

a read a few years back that Taxis were complaining about it. i thought you beauty they might have a watch dog on that now too (like everything) but what the government did to shut them up was de-regulate the taxi fares meaning they could simply pass their extra costs to the consumer.

I think a special license for 4×4/SUV is a good way to go, and not just a theory test but you have to be able to go off roading safely. I’m sure that will weed out a few of the urban landcruisers.

Coming to a city near you soon… a ta guess

The diesel market here has risen from 18% to 40% of cars in 5years, it had to with fuel at £2.55/litre

And over $2/L for fuel? Ouch again. Good thing UK isn’t the size of Australia, with such long travel involved.

Were you around in the 70’s? A 10 year old car then was ready for the scrap heap. A scratch would instantly rust. Boots would leak and rust out the floor. Sure you could keep them on the road but you were replacing major components or it would look and drive like crap.

A 10year old Corolla should be rust free, still have a good engine. Plus a new one is cheap to buy so you may just trade it in.

In 1977 I made the mistake of buying a HQ V8 it was already an old car. EHs were almost all rusty and very old looking. The only good ones were the restored ones.

Well that’s how I remember it.

As for the performance of a Jazz, they go fine, Much better then an EH Holden and no-one complained then. No A/C then either a long drive was hell in summer.

A year ago, a workmate was planning to replace his written off VT Commodore with a Commodore or Falcon. But his fiance insisted on a 4WD/SUV and they ended up with a Prado. She said “to feel safer”??

He says it’s been a good vehicle, except he’s paying more for tyres, fuel, etc. He goes fishing and says there was only one occasion when he actually needed a 4WD to get into a spot, and would prefer to have bought a sedan.

just a thought……

perhaps they should be put on a seperate licence/rego category so that a prospective owner must prove themselves?

awaiting 4X4 owners to fire up………..