petrol & diesel 4 x 4's

[redrocker]

Hi swaggers

I have a queastion

petrol over diesel

i want  to buy a 4x4  i dont have a lot of cash i would like to know why would  i buy a diesel  over a petrol  there are a lot of petrol models on the market more than diesel and i can buy a petrol model cheaper
please let me decide

Thanks
redrocker

[muzza01]

I have a diesel because I prefer them.  There are plenty of great petrol 4Bs out there.  There is absolutely no reason not to buy a petrol 4B. Do you mind if I ask what your budget is.  What brand of 4B due you prefer.

[Bunyip]

I had a 4.5L Petrol/LPG 80 Series Cruiser and have moved to a 4.2L Turbo Diesel 100 Series.

I find there is substantially more tourqe in the diesel makes towing heaps easier.

Also safer to carry additional fuel with a diesel. Only issue is I still need to carry some ULP for the chainsaw but the heater (water and air) is diesel.

Bunyip

[Roo]

The real question is where do you want to take your fourby and do you plan to drag anything behind it?

[Squalo]

It used to be a lot cheaper to run a diesel, that advantage has largely evaporated as petrol engines have become more efficient.

Diesel requires servicing more often (eg. change oil every 5000km, and they tend to hold a lot more oil than a petrol motor).

Diesels handle water crossings better than petrol - no spark circuitry to get wet.

Diesels have much higher compression than petrol, so are better for idling down steep descents when offroad.

[dazzler]

Depends on what model. Take Prado for instance. In the 120 series the running costs between petrol and diesel are very similar.

If you are on a budget the prado 120 90 series 2.7 petrol 4cyl is good value and ultra reliable.

[dirtpilot]

If your on a budget i assume you are looking at 10 years or older 4x4's. In that era it dosent matter what you get. Petrol ones are generally cheaper to buy and diesel costs more to service. Newer 4x4's..... well thats another thing. Ask this question in another 10 years time and the answer will be petrol.

[Streety]

If your on a budget i assume you are looking at 10 years or older 4x4's. In that era it dosent matter what you get. Petrol ones are generally cheaper to buy and diesel costs more to service. Newer 4x4's..... well thats another thing. Ask this question in another 10 years time and the answer will be petrol.

Really, I thought Diesel was the future? better fuel economy, better towing, better off roading due to big torque down low.
Petrol cars are really at the end of their technological  evolution where as diesel is really on a few years in

In $$ terms as said already a petrol is cheaper to buy & service but uses a lot more fuel per klm, the Diesel is dearer to buy and service but a lot cheaper to fuel per klm.
How old is the real determining factor, i wouldn't buy a diesel for economy if it was over 10 years old

[Smitty]

If your working to a budget and decide on diesel, just get it checked out because doesn't matter what make they cost a fortune when they decide to break compared to a petrol rebuild but generally you get higher mileage out of a Diesel engine...

[GeeTee]

Unless you need the touring range - and I doubt you will yet, if you are a beginner on a budget - buy petrol.

With few exceptions (in fact none I can think of right now!) it will cost you a little more each week to fill (assuming it is a daily driver) but will be cheaper to buy and cheaper to service, and less often

[Moto Mech]

Touring range? I have a petrol Cruiser and have a range of about 1300kms, gotta love a long range tank.......until I have to fill both tanks up

[Bird]

this should be fun

[Jasjul]

Really, I thought Diesel was the future? better fuel economy, better towing, better off roading due to big torque down low.
Petrol cars are really at the end of their technological  evolution where as diesel is really on a few years in

In $$ terms as said already a petrol is cheaper to buy & service but uses a lot more fuel per klm, the Diesel is dearer to buy and service but a lot cheaper to fuel per klm.
How old is the real determining factor, i wouldn't buy a diesel for economy if it was over 10 years old

There's still plenty of life left in petrol motors, and they're also starting to follow the path of smaller capacity with turbos, which fills in the torque hole at the bottom of the rev range.  Even the Americans are doing it.  The F150 can be had with a turbo 3.5 V6, which has similar power and torque, to the 5.0 V8, but goes harder whilst using less fuel.  Diesel still has the advantage of range, but petrols are catching up, and I believe they're easier to engineer for tighter emission levels.

[Barry G]

Because I was looking for value for money in an older 4x4 I was impressed by the Holden Jackaroo,as it has always been under valued in $ terms, relative to its ability.
As I'm on the dark side of 50 I started from the default preference of manual diesel, as that was the 'thinking' of what a 'real' 4x4 was back in the 1980s.
A few questions on here and a bit of googling quickly convinced me that the later Jackaroo (Isuzu) diesel was EXTREMELY 'problematic'.
Likewise, that auto, rather than manual was the way to go.
Having done some 4x4 training in my $7250, 2000 Jackaroo Monterey, I'm damn sure it, with its LSD rear diff, will let me tow anywhere I want to go, albeit using the chicken run if I ever get to 'Gunshot'.
Not even going to bother with a gas conversion, as for the $7000 it would cost, I'll buy a damn lot of fuel, and a long range tank.  Besides, gas not necessarily easy to re-fill in outback areas.
So, my advice would be go for an 1-15 year old petrol 4x4, and enjoy the best value for money in off-roading!

[westvic]

Some of the $$ reasons have changed over the years too. Diesel used to be cheaper to buy than petrol AND better economy. Now, where i live at least, diesel is around 10c per liter MORE than unleaded. Go figure.

Also, i reckon a diesel engine should last longer than a petrol before major $$ work needed. This is more true the older the vehicle, which is usually determined by budget.

Really comes back to what you want a 4x4 for. To get started, have some fun, and learn about what can be done go for a well preserved petrol. You are more likely to pick up a petrol "mum's taxi" than a diesel one.

[MDS69]

Diesels are great for towing but be realistic, what percentage per year (or over the life of ownership) of kilometres will be towing. Petrol has power to burn (and the fuel bill with it). Wave bye bye to the diesel as you pass them up the hill towing.
As has already been mentioned petrol is at least 10c/L cheaper where I live anyway. The older diesels require 5000km oil changes. The modern diesel is up to around 15,000km service intervals like their petrol cousins though if I owned one I would drop the oil and filter at 7500km.
Horses for courses but I don't think you would necessarily be disappointed with either choice.

Also keep in mind if you require new injectors or an injector pump rebuild then $$$$$$$$$$$$$

[nbd73]

Diesels are great for towing but be realistic, what percentage per year (or over the life of ownership) of kilometres will be towing. Petrol has power to burn (and the fuel bill with it). Wave bye bye to the diesel as you pass them up the hill towing.

Excluding 200series!! The only petrol vehicles towing a trailer up hill that will wave bye bye will be supercharged/turbocharged vehicles like a range rover or X5, and they will still be revving damn hard in 3rd gear and drinking ULP faster than a footballer on mad Monday.
But I do agree with concerns regarding any costs involved in future repairs/rebuilds that may be required. I think the days if people keeping diesel vehicles for a half a million k's are nearing the end> I don't even want to contemplate what it would cost to overhaul a 200 series diesel engine. Could be the sort of experience that books someone into a mental hospital.

[MattNQ]

Excluding 200series!! The only petrol vehicles towing a trailer up hill that will wave bye bye will be supercharged/turbocharged vehicles like a range rover or X5, and they will still be revving damn hard in 3rd gear and drinking ULP faster than a footballer on mad Monday.
.

I had to laugh - latest issue of CTA mag had a 200 series towing a camper that was getting fuel 'economy' figures of 29L per 100km  - like petrol you still pay a price for decent power.

[nbd73]

I had to laugh - latest issue of CTA mag had a 200 series towing a camper that was getting fuel 'economy' figures of 29L per 100km  - like petrol you still pay a price for decent power.

CT or the Queen Mary? Seriously, mags like CTA are put together by rank amateurs these days, it would not surprise me if that was just a typo. Either that it they forgot to mention they left the handbrake on, oh and its low range in powder soft sand.
Flat strap on the highway towing about 1500kg up and downhill at around 110 the worst I've had us about 20l/100km. The V8 jeep I had used about another 5l/100km to do the same, and it was sitting around 4000 on the tacho to maintain that pace, which it still couldn't up steeper hills.
No, I'm happy with diesel, so relaxed to tow with.

[Barry G]

...  fuel 'economy' figures of 29L per 100km  - like petrol you still pay a price for decent power.

This is because fuel tax, apart from the diesel rebate to some 'special interest groups' is moving towards being based solely on the energy value of the fuel.
This is also the reason that the differential between petrol and LPG is becoming less.  Makes no sense IMO, given that LPG is cleaner than petrol, but that is another issue.

[chester ver2.0]

Excluding 200series!! The only petrol vehicles towing a trailer up hill that will wave bye bye will be supercharged/turbocharged vehicles like a range rover or X5, and they will still be revving damn hard in 3rd gear and drinking ULP faster than a footballer on mad Monday.
But I do agree with concerns regarding any costs involved in future repairs/rebuilds that may be required. I think the days if people keeping diesel vehicles for a half a million k's are nearing the end> I don't even want to contemplate what it would cost to overhaul a 200 series diesel engine. Could be the sort of experience that books someone into a mental hospital.

Yes but if you look at the 200 series the new V8 petrol is now on paper getting the same fuel economy as the diesel and with a 10k price difference (even more second hand) and unleaded being generally cheaper it is getting harder to choose between the 2 for the occasional tower as 10k buys a lot of unleaded

[WilSurf]

I was surprised to hear that the fuel economy of a diesel 6I Cruiser was the same as my petrol V8.

[paulo]

Still a bit off topic again, but I reckon when reviews are done on vehicles for towing "economy" the reviewers are not paying for the fuel and therefore not driving as the average punter would be whilst towing up hills and such....

[red t ute]

You can buy a good diesel GQ Patrol for $7500.00 or a very flash petrol one for that sort of price.
They are by far the best priced 4X4 they will go any where and are cheap and easy to fix.

[GeeTee]

Still a bit off topic again, but I reckon when reviews are done on vehicles for towing "economy" the reviewers are not paying for the fuel and therefore not driving as the average punter would be whilst towing up hills and such....

you are right to some degree, the influences of deadlines, getting the job done in a tight time frame, the need to get photos etc before the sun goes down means quite a lot of stop-start and heavy fuel use when doing magazine jobs. It's always best to have a dedicated 'fuel test road loop' to get a more real world fuel use figure