Molly Coddle

Yep!
In hindsight, we should have done that, unfortunately I have an old car (2006) and even though it's a good car I don't think it will be worth me bringing it.

What about motorhomes, do you know if they sell well?
Let's hope so!

chris955

I bought an old XD Falcon many years ago in Ballarat and drove it back home to Geelong, I filled it up before leaving and when we got home I assumed it had a hole in the fuel tank
By contrast the wifes Astra Wagon does 60mpg, I keep thinking someone is filling it up when we arent looking.

paulry

The 11 year old Falcon that I have doesn't seem too bad on fuel. It might be capable of going like a rocket but I very rarely ride it that way. It doesn't seem to use much more fuel than my 2 litre Honda Accord did in the UK.

My transport-of-choice is my motorbike so day to day transport is cheap.

Interesting point about the rego (road tax) and third party insurance (that is payable along with the rego). They vary from state to state so it's worth checking what the charges would be in your state for the car that you have in mind before you buy

chris955

Rego varies enormously State to State. In NSW it is ridiculously expensive, it wasnt too bad in Queensland but still $600-700 for our cars.

Molly Coddle

I love the old Fords, the Torino being my fav, I would absolutely love to own this.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Torino-Cobra-/251528842379


They just aren't economical unfortunately, maybe one day.

carolinephillips

Starsky and Hutch fan?

Molly Coddle

Lol I was only a young kid when that was out, but yeah I did like it.

SOTR

On the topic of used cars, could anyone give me a recommendation? I have a budget of around $10-15k. Not looking for anything flash... safety and reliability are the most important factors for me.

Any make/model recommendations and what sort of age bracket?

paulry

Funny, I was in the traffic with one on these beasts down the main street of Canberra earlier. A yellow one too but it didn't have the engine protruding through the bonnet! Every time the driver hit the accelerator the thing gave out a contented roar.

BASHO

What size car car do you need ?

swans

The 72 was an XA,the series then went XB,XC.They were ford mustangs from the US.The previous series Xw Xy were ford galaxies from the US but 60's models.The fairlane ZD from then was a nice car.

The XC Fairmont GXL was really nice,if you can get an XB or XC goss special coupe then you have a real muscle car.Rare and around 50k now.

The 70(?) GTHO xy falcon can be anything up to 250k depending on market conditions.

Cars here last for ever and if you convert them to LPG then they are cheap to run.I've had 3 cars in around 34 yrs,all converted to LPG.The present one is a 2002 fairlane bought when it was 3 yrs old.A 50k car for 15K cash.

LPG is around 78cts a litre and the big 5 litre fairlane does around 250klms on a tank,around $40 to fill it up.That is driving around town,basically a shopping trolley.When it does what it was designed for cruising across OZ then it does 450-500 klms on a tank,no stop start motoring.

The modern( 2002?) gearboxes do well,doing the speed limit the fairlane is doing 1900 revs at 110KPH,andsucking in around 7 litres per 100k's according to the trip computer.

I like my collection of 1970,s merc sports, SL's and SLC's.They do 3500 revs at 110KPH and you need a petrol tanker behind you to keep them going,really drink fuel but they look and sound great.

The fairlane could be picked up in a car yard for around 4-5K,and last for 10 yrs still.Cars are dirt cheap here.

With the demise of ford here we are supposedly going back to mustangs after 2017,could be interesting.

Geordie downunder

Molly Coddle

Ohhhh that sound! They sound good don't they.
The reason I've never bought one of these cars before was that I was under the impression they cost a fortune to run, and of course here in England with the weather being so crap, it, would probably spend most of it's life in the garage away from road salt, etc..

However it's starting to look like it could be a doable option out there in Australia
How much does it roughly cost to convert to LPG?
Some really interesting and useful information there, thanks.
You sound like you know your stuff, where abouts in Australia are you, if you don't mind asking?

chris955

Why do people always say things like this, the weather being so crap and spend most of it's life in the garage ? I see way more nice cars here than I ever saw in Australia, loads of convertibles, classics and prestige cars etc. The weather here isnt crap, it's temperate and usually very mild.
You could also convert a car to LPG here, quite common and cheap. With the gap between fuel costs in the 2 countries closing all the time plus rego costs going through the roof things are changing dramatically.

chris955

Depends on what size car you want, a wagon or a sedan etc. Just go for something Japanese or a Hyundai for reliability and safety.

ABCD......

Typical conversion costs range from $2,000 to $3,950 depending on the type of vehicle and type of system fitted.
http://www.autogassystems.com.au/faqs/

LPG Vehicle Conversion Grant
There are two different grants available, subject to meeting all eligibility criteria:

• $1,000 for the LPG conversion of a used, registered vehicle completed between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2014; or
• $2,000 for the purchase of a new vehicle fitted with LPG before first registration, completed by 30 June 2014.

This includes vehicles fitted with LPG at the time of manufacture, and vehicles fitted with LPG after manufacture but before first registration.
http://www.ausindustry.gov.au/progra...s/default.aspx


From 1 July 2011, LPG Vehicle Scheme claims are capped at 25,000 eligible claims in each financial year, for the duration of the scheme to 30 June 2014.
Should the cap be reached before the end of a financial year, application processing will continue, and eligible claims will be paid in the following financial year.
Claims can be lodged up to 12 months from the date of conversion or the date a new vehicle is bought.
http://www.humanservices.gov.au/cust...vehicle-scheme