We are *ALMOST* there ..

OzJavelin · 09-06-2006, 08:36 AM

Paid $1.459 for petrol this morning. I told my wife a few months ago that when it hits $1.50 we would be sharing a car to work. We only work about 5min drive from each other, we start at the same time, just my wife (who works for the govt) leaves about an hour earlier than me to go home .. I think she might have to learn to cope ..

BTW: It's about a 60km round trip, to-from work with no public transport available (semi-rural)

nat_daly · 09-06-2006, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

just my wife (who works for the govt) leaves about an hour earlier than me to go home .. I think she might have to learn to cope ..

lol!!!!

**Polyal** · 09-06-2006, 11:40 AM

well I rarely put premium in my car, every now and then to give it a treat. $1.55 a litre! I only put $30 in which was bugger all

sam12h · 09-06-2006, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

Paid $1.459 for petrol this morning. I told my wife a few months ago that when it hits $1.50 we would be sharing a car to work. We only work about 5min drive from each other, we start at the same time, just my wife (who works for the govt) leaves about an hour earlier than me to go home .. I think she might have to learn to cope ..

BTW: It's about a 60km round trip, to-from work with no public transport available (semi-rural)

Just point out she can build up some flex time & have the occasional day off. Given that, why are you not sharing already?

Tote · 09-06-2006, 11:51 AM

Yeah, we're in the same position, it does her career good to spend some more time there. We only run the landrover when she has meetings etc which usually turns out once a week. Gotta love company cars with free fuel ))
regards,
Tote

sam12h · 09-06-2006, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polyal

well I rarely put premium in my car, every now and then to give it a treat. $1.55 a litre! I only put $30 in which was bugger all

$30 damn near fills the LPG tank from empty in the EB

. That would be about 400km worth of LPG (14-15L/100km).
Dad's ute has always been on gas (even the previous one), but recently Mum's car & now Dad's Fairlane have been converted to LPG. $1.50 is just beyond a joke

:
My wife spends significantly less on LPG for the Disco (even @ 18-19L/100km) than she would on train fares. Oh, & driving the EB to perth & back (we had the time & other reasons) was cheaper than any other means of motorised travel available.

$47.9clp vs $1.479pl
Let me think.......

seano14 · 09-06-2006, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam12h

That would be about 400km worth of LPG (14-15L/100km).

$47.9clp vs $1.479pl
Let me think.......

hmm, so let's estimate, i reckon 50L of unleaded would get you 400km also.

60L of LPG = $28.80
50L of ULP = $73.50

price of LPG conversion ~$3000

cost of that is enough for 40 full tanks of ULP, or ~16000km.

and after you convert you're still paying for the gas, i guess it just depends on how long you intend to keep the car before deciding if its worth. for me it isnt!

turboute · 09-06-2006, 12:09 PM

How did you go between NSW and WA are there Plenty of gas stops along the way?

Yeah OZ javelin I understand - whenever we are working similar hours me and the missus drive in with the same car.

**Polyal** · 09-06-2006, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam12h

$30 damn near fills the LPG tank from empty in the EB

. That would be about 400km worth of LPG (14-15L/100km).
Dad's ute has always been on gas (even the previous one), but recently Mum's car & now Dad's Fairlane have been converted to LPG. $1.50 is just beyond a joke

:
My wife spends significantly less on LPG for the Disco (even @ 18-19L/100km) than she would on train fares. Oh, & driving the EB to perth & back (we had the time & other reasons) was cheaper than any other means of motorised travel available.

$47.9clp vs $1.479pl
Let me think.......

yeah I had the pleasure of owning a gas car a while back, certainly makes you feel better filling up at thse prices.

That $30 I paid barely made it go over the first marker on the gauage!

marcosambrose · 09-06-2006, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seano14

and after you convert you're still paying for the gas, i guess it just depends on how long you intend to keep the car before deciding if its worth. for me it isnt!

What if the price of petrol continues to rise? then the length of time it would be to regain the costs would become less and less.

seano14 · 09-06-2006, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcosambrose

What if the price of petrol continues to rise? then the length of time it would be to regain the costs would become less and less.

cost of LPG will continue to rise also. yep, i guess you have to calculate the cost to convert, and then the cost of gas over that same ~16000km also, eventually it would be worthwhile.

kinda like buying a prius, i think they said you'd have to do 300,000km in one before it becomes worth buying, as opposed to a cheap 4cyl petrol car

sam12h · 09-06-2006, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turboute

How did you go between NSW and WA are there Plenty of gas stops along the way?

Yeah OZ javelin I understand - whenever we are working similar hours me and the missus drive in with the same car.

The Eb is dual fuel still (hopefully not for much longer) so it didn't matter. Dual fuel needs to use some petrol occasionally anyway to keep the EFI system clean.
The trip was in April/May last year. Could have done it without using any petrol at all as there were no more than 250 or 300km i think between LPG bowsers. Biggest gaps were on the Nullabor, & the highest price we saw was @ Nullabor, 93.9cpl. Ran out a few times but only cos we didn't fill up the LPG at every available servo (didnt pay 93.9cpl, waited to next servo & it was 89.9cpl). If you fill up the LPG at every opportunity (so as not to take the chance that the next one is out) you could go coast to coast without needing petrol at all.

sam12h · 09-06-2006, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seano14

cost of LPG will continue to rise also. yep, i guess you have to calculate the cost to convert, and then the cost of gas over that same ~16000km also, eventually it would be worthwhile.

kinda like buying a prius, i think they said you'd have to do 300,000km in one before it becomes worth buying, as opposed to a cheap 4cyl petrol car

When i converted the falcon, the price of petrol was about 2.5-3 times that of gas (high 30's vs just around a $1). Now it still fluctuates between 2.5 & 3 times that of gas (mid $0.50's avg vs $1.40's). The time to recover the cost (which I had almost done in the EB before we left on the interstate trip) has actually dropped since the $ gap between the fuels is wider (about a 65c difference 2 years ago is almost a $1 difference now).

seano14 · 09-06-2006, 12:35 PM

yeah, i didnt mean the difference was always in proportion

just meant, there's the large initial cost followed by cheaper fuel.. it would do my head in calculating the amount of km you'd need to do to break even, and then start getting gains. maybe it's 30,000km?

i guess the bargain would be buying a falc that's already got LPG in her!

sam12h · 09-06-2006, 01:00 PM

There are plenty of calculators available. It will depend on how many km you do & what car you drive, but the EB's conversion has paid for itself twice in two years. Small cars will take longer, but still be worth it if you keep em long enough.

Car pooling & smaller vehicles (scooter sales are up tremendously) should also be encouraged, especially in the cities. As should walking & cycling. Less pollution, less traffic, less cost to individuals. The public transport system here in Sydney could also be improved greatly & where the hell can you ride a push bike safely?

We are far too reliant as a society on the petrochemical industry. Every fuel crisis & the wheels seem to stop turning. Grocery & other retail prices all go up with rising fuel costs. Alternetive renewable sources of energy should be more accepted & encouraged.

Did you know that the petrol-electric hybrid has bee around since the 1920's? Dad has an ancient book with the design in it. The only difference now is battery technology has come a long way & there is an accepted need for them.

OzJavelin · 09-06-2006, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam12h

Just point out she can build up some flex time & have the occasional day off. Given that, why are you not sharing already?

Because she works for the govt!!!!!

It's 2:45pm on Friday and she just called me to say she was already home ...

dansedgli · 09-06-2006, 03:28 PM

Ouch! $1.50 is getting up there.

I ride a 250cc motorbike about 400kms a week. It works out cheaper than getting the train at approx $30 a week. There is no way I could afford over $100 a week in petrol if I drove a car that far.

I also bought a SWB Maverick a month ago and its on dual fuel. I love filling up for 49c.

My GF converted her AU to dual fuel recently. I think even with the large initial outlay, just the feeling that you get when you can spend $1 less per litre is worth it. Its obviously all in your head but filling a tank for $100 is a killer.

XRchic · 09-06-2006, 03:34 PM

Hmmm. We run the XR8 and the XR6 every day. We both live about 35 km from work in different directions. 140km per day roughly. I havent put my Unichip back in because when it goes back, I have it tuned for 98. Too expensive for now.

sam12h · 09-06-2006, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

Because she works for the govt!!!!!

It's 2:45pm on Friday and she just called me to say she was already home ...

Ah yes... POETS day.