On a budget. 120 series petrol vs 150 diesel. Help with making a choice please

[MelbournePark Member Find all posts View Profile Close MelbournePark]

The other thing is that as fuel prices increase, the difference in the fuel costs increase further.

Over 100,000kms:
8.5 x 1000 @ $1.527 (cheapest diesel SOR for me) = $12,979
11.5 x 1000 @ $1.397 (cheapest ULP SOR for me) = $16,065

The price above should be calculated at the mid point of the fuel price ie if the fuel price doubles over the 100k, then the price should be the mid point between the current and double or 150% greater. So the $3000 difference becomes $4,500. And if those figures are 15% conservative, then the difference will be close enough to $6,000. If one tows etc, then more like $8,000 I reckon.

Also depreciation will increase for the higher fuel consumption vehicle as fuel prices increase.

Incidentally, I filled up my tank in Geelong with my 90 series V6 GXL, when it was pretty new. I barely made the outskirts of Geelong from Melbourne, and then I filled tanks.

Now lets guess - how much did it cost to fill?

Another issue too is the kind of mileage. Ie highway mileage flatters petrol motors. Off road, stop start and city traffic hurts petrol consumption more than a diesel.




OK ... it cost $60.

That gives us a reminder of fuel price changes.

And I use high octane for the old girl now - which is why I now am getting 13 litres on the highway per 100Km. Not bad IMO.

The vehicle mechanically is superb but perhaps the rear shockers are needing replacement (the shocks and springs were all replaced in 2004 I think).

But I'm going to get a diesel. As most do - 5% of sales are now going to petrol.

My wife hates diesels, and she loves get up and go, but we had a decent run with diesel and she was surprised by how smooth and quiet it was on the highway.

Incidentally, what are the timing chain intervals for the current D4D?

[shodown Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shodown]

The other thing is that as fuel prices increase, the difference in the fuel costs increase further.

Over 100,000kms:
8.5 x 1000 @ $1.527 (cheapest diesel SOR for me) = $12,979
11.5 x 1000 @ $1.397 (cheapest ULP SOR for me) = $16,065

The price above should be calculated at the mid point of the fuel price ie if the fuel price doubles over the 100k, then the price should be the mid point between the current and double or 150% greater. So the $3000 difference becomes $4,500. And if those figures are 15% conservative, then the difference will be close enough to $6,000. If one tows etc, then more like $8,000 I reckon.

My wife hates diesels, and she loves get up and go, but we had a decent run with diesel and she was surprised by how smooth and quiet it was on the highway.

Incidentally, what are the timing chain intervals for the current D4D?

Also should mention fuel cycles - I dont know about the other states, but diesel is pretty consistent here, even when we had a shortage!! ULP on the other hand can increase by 20cpl in a day based on the fuel cycle.

We have an 07 Mondeo TDCI which is surprisingly very zippy and quiet, gone are the days of diesels driving like tanks. Though I doubt you'll get as many km's out of the modern diesels as a result.

Pretty sure timing belt is still 150k interval

Kevin

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

You also need to consider if factoring the fuel cycle prices where you will be filling, if your Prado is a city based vehicle then benefiting from the fuel discount cycle on Petrol is a plus for the petrol owners. If however you live or travel in the country then fuel discount cycles are only something we hear about but never see.

Currently Petrol and Diesel here are within 1 cent of each other, over the last year or 2 Diesel has been more expensive than Petrol, historically though looking over my time of owning diesels for the last 20 years most of that time Diesel has been cheaper, how they will compare in the future is anyone's guess.

Cheers Andrew

[MelbournePark Member Find all posts View Profile Close MelbournePark]

Also too, I have found that while low octane is cheaper than diesel, higher octane is not, plus for petrol the detergents are a good thing.

I think diesel is cheaper for the fuel I put in my 90 series.

[MelbournePark Member Find all posts View Profile Close MelbournePark]

But with diesel, you need to find a Cetain 50 fuel ... evidently its not so easy with our diesel fuel. Evidently BP's best diesel meets that standard. Plus diesel additives that assist with cleaning are recommended by many ... I think it costs around $5 to $6 per full tank / 150 litres for a typical additive.

Some also recommend 3rd party fuel filters to be installed ... some say with down to 1 micron filters. But the fuel flow needs to be approved by Toyota - hindering the flow is not on.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

The Cetane levels have been discussed at length previously. All diesel sold in Australia meets the minimum Cetane requirement stated by Toyota.

Cheers Andrew

[Beach Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beach]

The other thing is that as fuel prices increase, the difference in the fuel costs increase further.

Over 100,000kms:
8.5 x 1000 @ $1.527 (cheapest diesel SOR for me) = $12,979
11.5 x 1000 @ $1.397 (cheapest ULP SOR for me) = $16,065

The price above should be calculated at the mid point of the fuel price ie if the fuel price doubles over the 100k, then the price should be the mid point between the current and double or 150% greater. So the $3000 difference becomes $4,500. And if those figures are 15% conservative, then the difference will be close enough to $6,000. If one tows etc, then more like $8,000 I reckon.

Also depreciation will increase for the higher fuel consumption vehicle as fuel prices increase.

Incidentally, I filled up my tank in Geelong with my 90 series V6 GXL, when it was pretty new. I barely made the outskirts of Geelong from Melbourne, and then I filled tanks.

Now lets guess - how much did it cost to fill?

Another issue too is the kind of mileage. Ie highway mileage flatters petrol motors. Off road, stop start and city traffic hurts petrol consumption more than a diesel.




OK ... it cost $60.

That gives us a reminder of fuel price changes.

And I use high octane for the old girl now - which is why I now am getting 13 litres on the highway per 100Km. Not bad IMO.

The vehicle mechanically is superb but perhaps the rear shockers are needing replacement (the shocks and springs were all replaced in 2004 I think).

But I'm going to get a diesel. As most do - 5% of sales are now going to petrol.

My wife hates diesels, and she loves get up and go, but we had a decent run with diesel and she was surprised by how smooth and quiet it was on the highway.

Incidentally, what are the timing chain intervals for the current D4D?

Throw in the servicing costs and a set of injectors every 100k.

[shodown Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shodown]

Throw in the servicing costs and a set of injectors every 100k.

Refer to my original post with the fuel consumption calcs - I allowed injector costs.

Can anyone give accurate differences on servicing costs?

[Ansible Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Ansible]

So far I am getting around 950kms from a fill. Town driving only at the moment.

What and how are you driving?
I'm in a 2005 V6 GXL and I'm getting around 1150-1200km before really puckering about drying out the tank, and even then only ever manage to fill ~150-155L. Do you "loud pedal" a lot?
I'm not having a go, especially being very new to the 4WD scene, I'm just wondering what's going on.

...but the thought of filling the v6 is pretty scary.

I thought the same thing initially. I just came from a 2.3L straight 4 Mazda 6, and when I was told the economy would be going from about 9.1L/100km to ballpark 14-15L, I was a little put out. I chortled the first time I filled the tank and ended up with a $200 pricetag, but what can I do? The engine is almost twice the capacity, the 4WD weighs about 30-40% more than the Mazda, I can now tow things if I choose to do so, and I can make it over a speed bump (and so much more) without worrying about having to abandon ship.