LPG conversion costs

[Profpriv]

I am running a rather thirsty 940 Celebration Estate of the 1997/8 vintage,and am seriously considering the conversion.

Does anyone have the faintest idea what it costs to convert? Its a 2.3ltr LP Turbo.

[mikealder]

Have a look at This Thread for some idea - Mike

[capt jack]

Around about £800 for the bits, if you DIY, around £1500 if you have it done.

You'll probably save 8 or 9 pence per mile on your total fuel bill, so you'll recover your costs in around 18,000 miles if you have it done, or around 10,000 miles if you DIY.

To make sense, I reckon you need to be planning to keep the car for at leats 3 times the cost-recovery mileage - ie: 30,000 or 54,000 miles.

I reckon that my LPG conversion has saved me around £12,000 in fuel - but that's over 150,000 LPG miles and 5 years.

Jack

[john h]

Originally Posted by capt jack

Around about £800 for the bits, if you DIY, around £1500 if you have it done.

You'll probably save 8 or 9 pence per mile on your total fuel bill, so you'll recover your costs in around 18,000 miles if you have it done, or around 10,000 miles if you DIY.

To make sense, I reckon you need to be planning to keep the car for at leats 3 times the cost-recovery mileage - ie: 30,000 or 54,000 miles.

I reckon that my LPG conversion has saved me around £12,000 in fuel - but that's over 150,000 LPG miles and 5 years.

Jack

I agree but there is another angle; don't forget resale value. I sold my BMW for £4500 which was almost twice what I paid for it 18 months earlier. Various factors there, but the main one was the LPG. So, for me, it added the installation cost onto the sale value to the car.

It just means that, when considering LPG installation costs, not every penny of the set-up has to be justified by fuel savings.

John

[capt jack]

Interesting point about the re-sale value John, thanks.

Personally, I'd be wary of buying a DIY converted car - I think I'd want to know that it had been done by an authorised LPG conversion company.

When I was 'converted' 5 or 6 years ago I was advised that my V70 would probably be more difficult to sell because the trade was wary of LPG. The plan therefore was and is to keep the car as long as possible. I guess in the intervening period that times, percceptions and values have changed.

My car is now 14, has well over 200,000 miles on the clock, still looks great and drives very well indeed.

I have thought at different times about selling, but to be honest it is a fabulous, reliable, comfortable car, and I really can't think of anything that could beat it!

Cheers

Jack

[classicswede]

Installed price would be £1200.

If I was to ever buy a pre converted car to use myself a DIY one would usualy have more hope of being a good conversion compared to the majority of the trade. When engineers and plumbers fit a DIY lpg conversion they will normaly take time with it a care about the car so will not botch the anything on there. Mechanics that DIY tend to be rough from experiance.