Diesil versus Petrol

Driver53

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As I've posted below I'm in the market for a 'new' CLs 320CDi with 50k miles or more on the clock. Because I'm quite specific in what I want, i'm thinking of expanding my search to include Petrol versions.

Driving 24k miles pa I reckon that fuel costs will be £1100 per annum more with Petrol -so a 'no-brainer'. But I seem to get the impression that Petrol versions are around £1000 to £1500 cheaper than their diesil equivalent ? As for repairs/maintenance, would they be broadly the same ?

Rgs,

Driver53
 

JBell

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By "new" do you mean the current shape or the facelift of the original?

Driving 24k a year Diesel in a no-brainer, the CLS 350CDi "Grand Edition" is lovely
 

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24k must mean diesel, although the servicing can cost more unless you spend the saving in buying and have a gas conversion, then you can enjoy the wonders of a nice petrol engine
 
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D

Driver53

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By "new" do you mean the current shape or the facelift of the original?

Driving 24k a year Diesel in a no-brainer, the CLS 350CDi "Grand Edition" is lovely



Prob an 06/07 plate.
 

Rob law

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I have an 06 diesel which I love but you need a decent independent garage, as I found in Cardiff area main dealers are mega expensive and not all that good, in my experience.

But also i have spent a fortune on the car to keep it going!! had three E class mercs before and never a single problem of any consequence. But I love the car!!!
 

MBDevotee

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Dreaming of a CL55k - one day maybe....
Buy the petrol and LPG convert it.

My experience is the Diesels are less reliable, but more importantly the bill to fix the problem will be MUCH higher with the diesel (petrol injector around £40 - diesel, £250 for example).

I have a ML500 and previously CLK320 petrol both running LPG, never had any problems at ALL with engine or LPG system, and got equivalent of 55mpg from the CLK - try getting THAT out of a 320CDi (Won't happen!)

A good LPG system will come with a couple of years warranty and 75p per litre of fuel. As fuel costs rise, LPG will remain at 50% of diesel cost - it has for the last 10 years and the Govt has no interest in upping the relative duty as the percentage of drivers on it is so small the negative publicity would outweigh any miniscule revenue gains.

LPG engines run cleaner, emit less pollution than either Petrol or Diesel.

I bought a CLK270CDi as people portrayed the diesel as a better bet than LPG - in my experience, that just isn't the case.

The ONLY (and I mean ONLY) downside of LPG is you will need to do about 30,000 miles before the Conversion is paid for, BUT as you rightly say, the car is usually 1500 cheaper to start with so it depends on how you look at it really - Buy petrol and convert and it's only cost you what a diesel would have cost you - but if you need to sell, early on you won't get all the cost of the conversion back on the deal whereas the diesel will be worth more relative to what you paid. Saying that - what you'll save in servicing will more than cover this after about 2 or 3 years not to mention the fuel saving.

Oh and the other reason? The petrol is a far far nicer drive! More power, better sound and much more responsive. I know people say the diesels have more torque, but the way it comes in means you only have from 2000rpm to 4000rpm usable power band whereas the petrol goes well from 2000 to 5500 or 6000 rpm which is far better.
 
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EmilysDad

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Buy the petrol and LPG convert it. .....

The ONLY (and I mean ONLY) downside of LPG is ......

When you have a boot full of LPG tank, WTF do you put 'stuff' :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: A toroidal tank in the spare wheel well isn't big enough to be of any real use.
 
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robparker

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The spare wheel tank in my V6 c-class is enough for 200 miles and it only does an actualy 25mpg average, I just have the spare wheel loose in the back and am yet to need more space ina trip. I have had saloons with the big tanks before, and that way the spare can stay in its rightful place and there is still a good amount of boot space. It wont be a problem for the majority of people. You could always get a roof box for those odd occasions
 

EmilysDad

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The spare wheel tank in my V6 c-class is enough for 200 miles and it only does an actualy 25mpg average, I just have the spare wheel loose in the back and am yet to need more space ina trip. I have had saloons with the big tanks before, and that way the spare can stay in its rightful place and there is still a good amount of boot space. It wont be a problem for the majority of people. You could always get a roof box for those odd occasions

But some people might like to be able to use all of the boot provided by the manufacturer. Putting the spare wheel in the boot surely defeats the idea of saving space & using a toroidal LPG tank :confused::confused:
Lack of boot space is the major stumbling block with my other car for not wanting to better the low 20s mpg (a vertical toroidal tank in place of the spare wheel gets in the way of accessing the rear light cluster)
 

robparker

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how often do you need to fully fill the boot? If you have a job/hobby where you always need a totally full boot, dont get LPG. Most people dont drive around with boots crammed full of crap all the time, therefore its not a problem
 

whitenemesis

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One may only require the full boot space once or twice a year (holidays) but you can't just whip out the LPG tank for those occasions, so it's an inconvenience.
Not really though, as one could easily fit a roof box?
 

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My CL boot would hardly be affected with an LPG tank, but will I ever do the mileage, or will I change the car in 2 years, all so hard.
 

rpe2

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how often do you need to fully fill the boot? If you have a job/hobby where you always need a totally full boot, dont get LPG. Most people dont drive around with boots crammed full of crap all the time, therefore its not a problem

So that's why I've never seen an LPG hearse.. :shock:
 

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Which petrol engine, some V6's and V8s have timing gear/balancer shaft issues which make any V6 diesel repairs seem cheap. Research the petrol issue carefully.

By 2007 both all clear and it was the 272 more than the 273 that was only a bush on the 273
 

jberks

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What about longevity?
Diesels are well proven to do 250k+ without effort.
A Petrol traditionally is showing its age at 120k. Is that still the case (I genuine have no idea)?
Point is, I do 25k pa on average. My diesel is quite and gutsy on a motorway and with my 80l tank I can get 600-800 miles between fill ups - so fill up once a week when convenient. I've also had it for 6 years now and despite the 142,000 on the clock, still as gutsy as ever and no expensive bills to date. I've very confident I can get another 50k+ before I do need to spend any real money. Not so sure I'd be as happy or confident with a petrol lump.
 

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What about longevity?
Diesels are well proven to do 250k+ without effort.
A Petrol traditionally is showing its age at 120k. Is that still the case (I genuine have no idea)?
Point is, I do 25k pa on average. My diesel is quite and gutsy on a motorway and with my 80l tank I can get 600-800 miles between fill ups - so fill up once a week when convenient. I've also had it for 6 years now and despite the 142,000 on the clock, still as gutsy as ever and no expensive bills to date. I've very confident I can get another 50k+ before I do need to spend any real money. Not so sure I'd be as happy or confident with a petrol lump.

No reason for a petrol to show its age, the compression is lower in most cases, and I cannot recall any threads at all where some one has had to change their petrol engine whether it be a 102 to a 113
 

tode

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In part, the reason that you find many diesels with high mileage is because they are bought by people who intend doing high mileage. ;)
 


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