Hi everyone

I'm debating about chopping in my Volvo D5 estate for something with a bit more space for the mutts.  I quite fancy a something along the lines of the Ford Explorer and thinking of trying LPG.   What I want to know from all you Guru's out there,  is how much difference there is on fuel consumption, road tax, servicing , fuel availability,  Basically any pros and  cons (apart from the price of fuel)

Jill

My only comment on it is that in after factory conversions the lpg tank takes up an awful lot of space. A friend has a mercedes estate which would be a great dog car but the tank takes up half the boot. Not sure what the factory fitted lpgs are like? The car is incredibly economical though :)

Hi Archiebongo,

The only things that spring to mind immediately with LPG are;

1. Has the system been fitted professionally (make sure you see a conversion certificate from a reputable garage). That's assuming you'd be buying 2nd hand, if you're buying new it's not a problem.

2. LPG tends to be less economical in terms of MPG fuel conumption, but because of the low cost, it works out cheaper the petrol/diesel.

3. LPG is very cheap at the moment, I can't remember how long duty has been frozen for, but end of 2008 rings a bell, in which case, the governemt could put it up to the same rate as petrol.

4. It isn't supplied at all filling stations. Most major stations in large towns will have LPG, and I've noticed many very rural garages have it, but I think it's something like only 1 in 6 garages stock LPG.

Hope that helps. :)

Claire

I asked a friend about LPG as her Jeep Cherokee is converted to LPG - and she said 'I wouldn't bother'.

It's biofuels I want to know more about.

Not sure if you can take them on a ferry either if that is something you might want to do?

You can take LPG vehicles on ferries as long as the LPG tank is switched off

Thanks everyone for your replies.  Think I'll wait and see what happens with cars and fuels over the next few years.  I have debated about biodiesel but its not easy to get hold of.

Jill

Hi, I had a v8 Discovery which was converted to LPG.  It drove very well, no problems at all. You can take them on a ferry, but not through the tunnel. The tanks on ours were underneath, and used no boot space at all.   More and more fuel stations are stocking LPG, and it worked out to be more fuel efficient than my 1.8 petrol Zafira.  HTH

Jacque x