General impressions and questions from a non-owner

[Stan315]

Some of your attitudes to Autogas make it sound as if you are auditioning for the Harry Enfield character, the one who was "Considerably richer than yo!".

I can afford to run my 3 cars without having to consider the fuel costs because they all run on LPG. As a pensioner I am not in a position to increase my income so I chose to do it this way.
Admittedly I was able to convert my own cars so this helped the economics of it all. The cars all perform as well if not better than on petrol. Engines run cleaner both in an internal sense as well as environmentally.

As for the smell, well I had a diesel once and it was a miserable experience, not least because the stink of that stuff gets everywhere including your shoes as you paddle in the infernal stuff at the filling station. If you can smell the gas, then you have a leak and smell alerts you to that. Or you are deliberately sniffing it, which is not good but not unknown.

Here, here !
I thought that thread was going wonkey!

[YorksMG2016]

As a Newbie it seems I have stirred the nest a bit (not my intention)

There are people in life who are able to, and happy to, pay full price for things.
Then there are people who prefer to wait for the sales, or at least to shop around to make that purchase more affordable.
I am in the 2nd category.

So let's agree to differ, and acknowledge that we all have an interest in, and liking for the ZT260 and/or the v8 R75 (whether we are fortunate enough to own one or not)

Andrew

[Stan315]

Yes Andrew I compleatly agree, it doesn't matter what you run your car on, as long as you run your car. Also if you want economy then a zt or 75 cdti would be the car of choice in my opinion.

[YorksMG2016]

Thanks Stan

As I said when I started the thread, I own a ZT190 (which I love) but having recently driven a 260, then I feel the beginnings of an addiction which I am sure everyone on here has! :-)

If I were lucky enough to be able to get the right 260 for me (at the right price) then I will keep my 190 as everyday transport

Andrew

[Cribbit]

I come from a ZT190 background, and have had the 260 for quite a few years now. The 260, for me, is no more expensive to run than the 190, including all fuel and servicing considerations. My 190 dropped from the 5k I paid after the demise of a MGR to £1,800 in two or three years. My 260, if it were still standard, would be worth the same now as I bought it for maybe 7 years ago.

The temptation to improve the 260 has, however, cost me a small fortune!

The 190 is a thirsty car, and with VIS valves encouraging you to keep the revs over 4,500 for full power you can crack through the fuel quickly. The 260 is effortless, you can poddle about in fifth at 30mph and gently sip fuel. That said, you can supercharge it and drive it hard and get well done into single figures, but that just a choice you make when you decide to plant the loud pedal.

In the long run, LPG converted or not, a 260 is a no-brainer over a 190. The real difference is in the sale price of a 190 against the purchase price of a similar condition 260. If you can get over that difference financially, then the rest really isn't a significant difference.

As a daily driver there will be differences, but I'm talking about it as a special car that does around 5k miles a year. You'd need a 190 oil change yearly anyway, for example.

[David]

Absolutely. "There ain't a substitute for inches".

David

[mh007]

I also own a 190 (aswell as far too many other Rover 75's & a ZT-T, all KV6's apart from one 1.8) & as already said, the 260 just plods along (if you want it to) at such low RPM, it's just effortless.
I love all my cars & the it's fair to say, even my 190 just pulls itself along without having to thrash it.
I guess a lot depends on how a driver tends to drive as to how slow (or fast) the fuel gauge drops.