Swap to diesel or keep petrol

[prado_786 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close prado_786]

Hi all,

I have a 2006 Prado VX in petrol that I want to swap or trade to a diesel 120 series.

Do you think its a good idea or shall I just keep the petrol.

Thanks

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

Yes, no, maybe

What's your reasoning for wanting to change and what are your driving habits, lots, little, towing etc.

Cheers Andrew

[prado_786 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close prado_786]

I had a KZN185 surf before so I do miss the diesel, but the main reason why I was thinking was to save money.

I don't tow & I drive usually 600k's a week. The Prado I got does 13l to 15l every fill up which is average, but knowing the D4D does 8l-9l does make me have second thoughts about my petrol.

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

If its just to save money then all you need to do is crunch the numbers.

On the plus side Rego will be a bit less and fuel use should be better, 8-9l might be at the optimistic end of the scale, hard for me to say as I have a lift and roof rack permanently attached and usually a trailer hanging on the back.

Service costs would be similar. If you don't travel much from the city picking up fuel at the bottom of the discount cycle mitigates the higher petrol use to an extent.

The fact that you already have a Petrol Prado is a big tick for sticking with that, it always costs to swap a vehicle, especially if trading and / or buying from a dealer. Stamp Duty, GST from a dealer and dealer mark up all add up to a pretty penny. You are also going to have to pay more for an equivalent diesel, if you borrow that money you need to factor that.

How long you intent to keep the vehicle will also make a difference.

Without spending a heap of time working out the numbers, and not knowing your intended ownership period my gut feeling is you wouldn't save much if anything overall.

These questions really are an individual thing, for me its diesel all the way, but my circumstances are significantly different to yours.

Cheers Andrew

[prado_786 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close prado_786]

Thanks for your advice. I intend to keep it for a very long time.
I guess the smart thing to do is just keep the petrol, as I will not save money by upgrading to diesel.

Overall its not too bad considering the amount of comfort, refinement and power it has. Filling two tanks at once is scary but that's something I need to get used to.
Overall great four wheel drive, I love it.

[Guest Close Guest]

Also have a read of these 2 threads which has petrol vs diesel discussions.
http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...ing-120-or-150
http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...-choice-please

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

Hi all,

I have a 2006 Prado VX in petrol that I want to swap or trade to a diesel 120 series.

Do you think its a good idea or shall I just keep the petrol.

Thanks

It all depends on why you want to do it.

What's your reasons for considering the change?

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

This is my fuel figures for the last week of running around town and one trip from Penrith to concord and back (round trip is approx 95k) last Sunday.

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

A figure right on the money, Steve by my experience. As you know you can do much better than this with a feather foot but the growl when it gets up and boogies is worth paying for. Neil

[prado_786 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close prado_786]

In all honesty, i wanted to change because i miss the diesel from time to time.

The Surf I had before had a 1kz which was great for city & suburban driving, but scared me when I took it on highways. It was very difficult to overtake road trains and every hill was a challenge. Hence why I made sure my next purchase was a petrol.

Funny story, for two weeks I drove the Prado slowly keeping revs low & I used 14-15l. I then for the next two weeks drove it without too much care & I did 13l.

I do love the growl it makes after 4k rpm its amazing.

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

Theres no accounting for personal preference. Both are good vehicles so go with whatever makes you happy, suits your needs, etc.

I have the 2005 version of yours and I'm well happy with it.

Have you had issues with the left engine mount bracket where it welds to the chassis?

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

I had a KZN185 surf before so I do miss the diesel, but the main reason why I was thinking was to save money.

I don't tow & I drive usually 600k's a week. The Prado I got does 13l to 15l every fill up which is average, but knowing the D4D does 8l-9l does make me have second thoughts about my petrol.

I've got a pretty stock 120D4D with sov bull bar and roof rack. I'm averaging 12 around town (Sydney short journeys). On a recent weekend trip down the highway to Canberra half loaded, we managed 10. Not sure you'd get 8-9

[prado_786 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close prado_786]

Theres no accounting for personal preference. Both are good vehicles so go with whatever makes you happy, suits your needs, etc.

I have the 2005 version of yours and I'm well happy with it.

Have you had issues with the left engine mount bracket where it welds to the chassis?

Hi, I had a look at the left hand engine mount, it looks okay on mine.

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

Hi, I had a look at the left hand engine mount, it looks okay on mine.

Not the mount itself - the bracket the mount sits on, at the point where it welds to the chassis. The weld can fail causing the bracket to drop inside the chassis.

[prado_786 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close prado_786]

Not the mount itself - the bracket the mount sits on, at the point where it welds to the chassis. The weld can fail causing the bracket to drop inside the chassis.

Yeah mine is okay, no signs of any cracks. Thanks for letting me know though, will keep an eye on it.