Van: Diesel or Petrol?

[dhunt]

With my van seemly on it's last legs (made in 1984). I'm sort of looking at upgrading it sometime in the next few months and wondering what to get. It always use to be that diesel was the way to go as cheaper to fill and more economical but is that still the way to go? It seems diesel is going up more in price than petrol and I assume that it may continue to do so.

Any thoughts? I will still go with a HiAce (preferably LWB). I would probably be looking at low to mid 90's as that's all I would be able to afford. Mostly it would be used to carts bikes to the race track and back so out of town ks.

[FROSTY]

Its a friggin hard decision matey.
Specifically the toyotas and Nissans do seem to have their head right as far as Diesel fuel economy is concerned. Especially in their 2.4 engines.
The problem you are gonna run into is finding a diesel van.
Our wonderfull fucktard gubinment has decided that no diesel vehicles pre 2004 comply with nz emmission laws s- no fresh imports--this has made the price of the stock still in NZ premeum priced

[JimO]

probably petrol, i dont really know at the age your looking at anything is going to be a unknown quantity. I have a 06 deisel hilux and even with rucs i reckon it would be cheaper to run than a petrol one of the same model, deisel is $174 a ltr and rucs are around $170 for 5000ks but i get over 750 ks out of a tank of deisel doubt a petrol one would return that loaded up like mine

[Tony.OK]

Hard to answer that one,i brought a 95 Nissan Homy/Caravan 2l petrol,150kms for $3500,its fairly hard on gas (400ish kms/tank)but the engine is pretty bullet proof(sr20 I think)no cambelt either.
I was looking at diesel,but to get one they're a good chunk dearer than a petrol,reg is dearer,servicing is twice as often and then theres road users.
Now that diesels gone up so much it would take alot longer to recoup the extra outlay.
So if ya like going even slower than a slow thing go for the petrol to keep initial outlay down a bit.:confused:

[dhunt]

Its a friggin hard decision matey.
Specifically the toyotas and Nissans do seem to have their head right as far as Diesel fuel economy is concerned. Especially in their 2.4 engines.
The problem you are gonna run into is finding a diesel van.
Our wonderfull fucktard gubinment has decided that no diesel vehicles pre 2004 comply with nz emmission laws s- no fresh imports--this has made the price of the stock still in NZ premeum priced
I wondered why they seem so over priced :argh:

Just out of interest are 90's model petrol HiAce's injected or still carbed?

So doing a comparison between a petrol & diesel I get the following.

Diesel Advantages
Better economy (more km/L)
Torquer Engine
Cheaper in the long run???

Petrol Advantages
Cheaper to service (less often)
Cheaper initial cost
Don't have to buy RUC (included in pump charge so makes things a bit simpler)

The question is having a diesel an advantage in the long run? I would much rather speed a bit more money now (within reason) to save money in the long run.

[FROSTY]

Pluck knows mate.
Id say buy a petrol long high mid to late 90's hiace petrol
But really its about what you can find.
If you see anything on tard me selling by tard me login motorhound gimme a yell--Ill do ya a shitload better deal on exactly the same vehicle

[CookMySock]

Get a 3 litre turbo HiAce. These go like a haunted shithouse, handle really well, are cheap to run, and the motor is reliable. A little more money, but with very good reason. Drive one and you will see.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Toyota/auction-157832520.htm
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Toyota/auction-157967865.htm
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Toyota/auction-158076134.htm

DB

[wickle]

With my van seemly on it's last legs (made in 1984). I'm sort of looking at upgrading it sometime in the next few months and wondering what to get. It always use to be that diesel was the way to go as cheaper to fill and more economical but is that still the way to go? It seems diesel is going up more in price than petrol and I assume that it may continue to do so.

Any thoughts? I will still go with a HiAce (preferably LWB). I would probably be looking at low to mid 90's as that's all I would be able to afford. Mostly it would be used to carts bikes to the race track and back so out of town ks.
Depends on mileage u are going to or do ( sorry to be PC kilometrage ) when disel was approx half price of petrol thats how alot made up they mind.

[Boob Johnson]

Its a friggin hard decision matey.
Specifically the toyotas and Nissans do seem to have their head right as far as Diesel fuel economy is concerned. Especially in their 2.4 engines.
The problem you are gonna run into is finding a diesel van.
Our wonderfull fucktard gubinment has decided that no diesel vehicles pre 2004 comply with nz emmission laws s- no fresh imports--this has made the price of the stock still in NZ premeum priced
Damn straight, been noticing some MAD prices for diesel vans of late.


ps: STAY AWAY from Mazda & Mitsi diesel's in the late 80's early 90's. They are cheaper for a reason.

[DEATH_INC.]

Diseasel for sure, our old work van is a diesel hi-ace (auto), it's cheap as to run and goes plenty well enough, it'll cruise at 110km on the motorway no worries. No reliability probs either, and it's got plenty of k's on it (not sure of the exact number, but pretty sure it's over 300)

[Trouser]

Electronic speedo/odometer on diesel hiaces of that vintage. Easy to minimise certain charges ;)

[Biggles2000]

How about LPG it is quite reasonable at the moment.

[TimeOut]

Get a 3 litre turbo HiAce. These go like a haunted shithouse, handle really well, are cheap to run, and the motor is reliable. A little more money, but with very good reason. Drive one and you will see.


DB

The Nissan 3.0 turbo is good as well.
The double cab we got now has way more power and is more economical than our toyota 3.0 non turbo




Electronic speedo/odometer on diesel hiaces of that vintage. Easy to minimise certain charges ;)

Just watch the k's (when buying) because of this, a lot have the switch fitted

[JimO]

The Nissan 3.0 turbo is good as well.
The double cab we got now has way more power and is more economical than our toyota 3.0 non turbo







do you think it may have something to do with the turbo.

2.8 = 68kw
3.0 = around 72kw
3.0 turbo 96kw
3.0 d4d commonrail 126 kw

[dino3310]

2.8 non turbo, we were getting 500,000klms + out of them when i was in the forestry.
great donkeys.

[NZsarge]

Damn straight, been noticing some MAD prices for diesel vans of late.


ps: STAY AWAY from Mazda & Mitsi diesel's in the late 80's early 90's. They are cheaper for a reason.

We've got an old Mitsubishi 2.5 non-turbo diesel van, gutless as but it keep on going and going, not the most economical diesel you'll ever see either, but that's the advances technology has made in the past 20 years I guess.

[Drew]

Beware the super custom!!! They have a box under the first row of back seats, and said box IS the floor. Meaning it dont come out, and your bike might not go in.

I have only looked at one like this, so dunno if they are all the same.

[rat biker 08]

I have a 2.8 it has 600/000 on the clock and runs great. Just keep the survice up to date all sweet.:clap:

[yod]

van diesel...is that Vin's brother?

[Boob Johnson]

van diesel...is that Vin's brother?
:slap::rofl::niceone:

[TimeOut]

do you think it may have something to do with the turbo.

2.8 = 68kw
3.0 = around 72kw
3.0 turbo 96kw
3.0 d4d commonrail 126 kw

Turbo could have something to do with it.
I was meaning the better fuel economy as well as the extra power.

[sels1]

We have been using 2.4 petrol Hiaces at work - great workhorses. We considered diesel but at the time was advised that if you were doing less than a certain amount of kms per year (I think it was 20,000) petrol was the best option, more kms than that then diesel was better. But now the fuel prices have gone crazy I dont know if that still applies.(or applies even more!)

We are now starting to move our fleet to Euro type diesel vans (Transit, VW, Fiat etc) so much bigger, safer, and more comfortable

[JimO]

Turbo could have something to do with it.
I was meaning the better fuel economy as well as the extra power.

my D4D hilux has twice as much power as my old 2.8 and is cheaper to run

[dhunt]

Well it's a pretty even split so far.

Am I correct in thinking a turbo diesel will not only give increased power but better economy? If so why aren't they all turboed?

[JimO]

i think you will find all the new ones are

[peasea]

With my van seemly on it's last legs (made in 1984). I'm sort of looking at upgrading it sometime in the next few months and wondering what to get. It always use to be that diesel was the way to go as cheaper to fill and more economical but is that still the way to go? It seems diesel is going up more in price than petrol and I assume that it may continue to do so.

Any thoughts? I will still go with a HiAce (preferably LWB). I would probably be looking at low to mid 90's as that's all I would be able to afford. Mostly it would be used to carts bikes to the race track and back so out of town ks.

For a work hack you can't beat a diesel HiAce. I used to work for Toyota and should be selling them, they are great machines for their purpose. Don't buy an auto and always change your filters regularly. make sure the cooling system is primo coz if they cook up you can kiss some serious coin goodbye.

[peasea]

Well it's a pretty even split so far.

Am I correct in thinking a turbo diesel will not only give increased power but better economy? If so why aren't they all turboed?

And increased bills.

Don't buy a turbo'd anything unless it's under 100,000kms and is mint. For what you'd gain in hp you'd be better to flag the turbo, go naturally aspirated and just hug the left lane on hills and get the longevity.

[Korumba]

I have had 2002 2.4lt turbo diesel Ford Transit got about 10km/l Great Van but cost a lot to keep on the road

Then got a 2002 3.0lt non turbo Toyota Hiace got 10km per lt in that as well excellent vehicle and no extra running/repair costs like the Ford piece of shit.

Check the Diesel registration cost they seem a lot more expensive that a petrol.

Personally I would now buy a petrol model.

[SPman]

Had a 2.4 diesel Hiace in NZ and it hummed along great - except on long hills, like out of Mangaweka.
Just had to replace the Econovan that shat itself and managed to find a 99 2.8 diesel Hiace LWB. - although, with the price of diesel skyrocketing ($1.71/l last week, $1.83/l this week....) :eek:
The 2.4 petrols are good, though and probably cheaper to buy.

[dhunt]

And increased bills.

Don't buy a turbo'd anything unless it's under 100,000kms and is mint.

So am I understanding you correctly a turbo requires more maintenance and can be expensive to fix?



For what you'd gain in hp you'd be better to flag the turbo, go naturally aspirated and just hug the left lane on hills and get the longevity.
Yeah my current Van is definitely on the gutless side of things so I'm already used to hugging the left lane.




Check the Diesel registration cost they seem a lot more expensive that a petrol.

This I don't understand. Why for basically the same vehicle one diesel, one petrol the diesel one costs more to register :crazy:

[peasea]

So am I understanding you correctly a turbo requires more maintenance and can be expensive to fix?


Yeah my current Van is definitely on the gutless side of things so I'm already used to hugging the left lane.



This I don't understand. Why for basically the same vehicle one diesel, one petrol the diesel one costs more to register :crazy:

If a turbo goes pop, lotsa coin. If the engine sees turbo boost a lot (ie; you thrash it coz you can) things like head gaskets can give up, more coin. They go heaps better but everything's a trade off; you pay for power one way or another.

I am not aware of any diesel being more to register than any other type of vehicle but you will be paying road user charges, something to take into account.

I have a couple of builder buddies who haul all manner of shite in their diesel HiAces and they're going like trains. Both non turbo tho.

[dhunt]

I am not aware of any diesel being more to register than any other type of vehicle but you will be paying road user charges, something to take into account.

Taken off the LTSA website. Hopefully the formatting comes out ok. But Diesels are definitely more expensive to register for some reason.


MR2A/2B Registration of motor vehicle (issued with standard plates)
<pre>
Passenger car/van 6 months 12 months
Private passenger Petrol driven - 1301-2600 cc 235.59 323.42
Petrol driven - 2601-4000 cc 265.97 353.80
Non-petrol driven - 1301-2600 cc 284.72 421.66
Non-petrol driven - 2601-4000 cc 315.10 452.04
</pre>

[peasea]

Taken off the LTSA website. Hopefully the formatting comes out ok. But Diesels are definitely more expensive to register for some reason.

Are you sure that's not the one-off 'as-new' registration cost, not the annual re-licensing?

[dhunt]

Are you sure that's not the one-off 'as-new' registration cost, not the annual re-licensing?
Nah definitely the annual relicensing. See here for details http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/vehicle-ownership/registration.html

[Korumba]

I rest my case! Life is just so unfair.

[mazz1972]

Nah definitely the annual relicensing. See here for details http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/vehicle-ownership/registration.html

Annual rego costs are going up on 1st July and the new prices are as per the above link. Bugger

We just sold our 2.8l hiace lwb diesel van - sad to see it go but it just sat there not getting used as we have another vehicle and hubby has a company ute. Couldn't tell you the economics of running it but it was pretty reasonable and was pretty peppy for a diesel.

[Drew]

Not sure if the van our sponsors gave us is 3ltr or 2.8, but it's auto and seems to go mint. Stays in overdirve most the time, and only drops under 90kph in a couple spots just outside of Hunterville and Taihapi.

The auto is primo after thrashing a bike all day at the track, just get in and drive.

Prices have gone stupid now though since the importing laws have changed for diesles.

[bungbung]

If you're talking cheap vans, doing your own oil and filters and ignoring depreciation:

I'll use L300 2.5TD vs 2.4P figures from my own experience

For 20,000km/year

Diesel
Reg $302.50
RUC 20km/3t $665.36 (counter transaction, all 20km at once)
4 X 5l diesel oil $140 ($35 per 5l)
4 x filter $60 ($15 ea)
1 x fuel filter $28
1800l diesel @ 1.73l (9l/100km consumption) $3114
Total $4309.86 or 21.55c/km

Petrol

Reg $183.22
2 x 5l oil $70
2 x oil filter $30
2600l 91 petrol @ 2.01 (13l/100km consumption ) $5226

Total $5509.22 or 27.55c/km

[bungbung]

The links given in posts by dhunt and mazz1974 are for cost of relicencing a vehicle (say for lapsed rego) including new plates.

To buy the annual 'rego' the costs are below:

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/vehicle-ownership/licensing-fees.html

[k14]

I upgraded from an 87 2 litre petrol hiace to a 01 Hyundai H100 last year. Best decision ever. Even though the Hyundai has done 384000kms it is still going strong. Has a 2.5l mitsi engine and is great value for the money. If you can get a 200000km or so one that has decent service history I'd stake my life on it. Cruises sweet as at up to 120 and consistently gets 10l per 100km. Can't complain about that. The old hiace used to get 12L if I was lucky and would struggle big time up the hills. The diesel loves the hills and is great for passing on the flat too, don't have to get a 200m run up on the busses and trucks. I've done 45000km in the last 12 months and I have no reason to suspect that it won't do that again!

[dhunt]

If you're talking cheap vans, doing your own oil and filters and ignoring depreciation:

I'll use L300 2.5TD vs 2.4P figures from my own experience

For 20,000km/year

Diesel
Reg $302.50
RUC 20km/3t $665.36 (counter transaction, all 20km at once)
4 X 5l diesel oil $140 ($35 per 5l)
4 x filter $60 ($15 ea)
1 x fuel filter $28
1800l diesel @ 1.73l (9l/100km consumption) $3114
Total $4309.86 or 21.55c/km

Petrol

Reg $183.22
2 x 5l oil $70
2 x oil filter $30
2600l 91 petrol @ 2.01 (13l/100km consumption ) $5226

Total $5509.22 or 27.55c/km
Thanks bungbung that's a really useful comparision :niceone:

[Drew]

Purchase price isn't in that evaluation though, $1200 cheaper to run a diesle over 20,000kms, but you would pay that and more to get a van of the same condition when ya buy it. So if you have the money and aren't getting a loan to buy it, then you will save money after a couple years, otherwise it cost about the same over three years.

It comes down to preference, peterol is great when you have gas left over from racing cos you get to chuck it in the van for the trip home.

[Petrolic]

I have a 2003 mitsi 2.4lt petrol ,revs way to hi at 100km and uses the most gas but heaps of power. Also a 2003 nissan caravan 2lt cheaper to run but less power and both cost $15000 with 100 000km. I also have a delica 2.5 diesel turbo really nice to drive and not all that much cheaper to run than petrol vans. when you include rd tax and double cost for oil and parts in servicing. My last van is a 1998 econo van lwb with cd player and tinted windows ect but has 240 000km. I am currently selling for 1800 bcos I have one to many vans.

[Mike748]

I'm a big fan of Diesel and have a 07 Toyota Hilux for work and it is magic for towing, you can even pass while towing up hills.

I would say if you are going to be loaded up most of the time go Diesel, if you just want the space and won't be loading it to the roof get petrol.

I was told that the emissions laws stopped many turbo imports from getting in, even stopped some new vehicles.

[bungbung]

Purchase price isn't in that evaluation though, $1200 cheaper to run a diesle over 20,000kms, but you would pay that and more to get a van of the same condition when ya buy it.

If you're talking about the low end of the market, old high k petrol hi-aces have a price premium over the equivalent diesel model due to the perceived unreliability issues.

I'm talking of the up to 4k price range, 180k - 250k mileage

[Korumba]

I have a mate selling a 96 LWB Hiace, Diesel tinted windows, new Pioneer cd, alarm 128km,towbar,roofrack and free Alloy ramps. $10 Grand.
Contact Andy 0274825621 he’s in the Auckland area.