Daughter's BF, a car enthusiast with a Skyline which he takes to circuits for a nice blast, is apparently thinking of getting rid of his daily-driver Clio and buying a 'Jeep' which will be congestion charge exempt. Seems likely that it will be a 4-litre Cherokee with an LPG conversion.
I wonder whether this is a good idea? My feeling is that it will be expensive to run, may have the transmission problems I have read about here, may be troublesome in the LPG department setting aside the availability of the stuff, and may not be CC exempt from next year.
Quite apart from that I am worried about my daughter driving such a thing. She's a great girl of course but not one who should really be in charge of a car. She bashes her Golf about so badly that I fear she may do some real damage to someone else's car in a Cherokee, or get sprauncy on the road and roll it.
Does anyone have any advice or information on all except the last of these matters?
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 09/11/2007 at 18:37
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A colleagues husband bought a Grand Cherokee, and had it converted to LPG. It was nothing but trouble from day one, cuminating in frying it's ECU in Calais before having to be towed all the way back to Stockport. He traded it in for a much more reliable Rover 75.
PS. It DID make a lovely V8 rumble when it was working.
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you dont give a year so i assume the old shape like on a p reg?
if yes then they rot (badly)
the roofs are very low
they are badly built
the dash is a 1980"s throwback
i believe they have 2 cats
not the best car on the road and i remember they chew diffs and transfer boxes if the tyres arent all matched
old fashioned is all i can describe the whole thing as,but i once drove a lhd one for a while and enjoyed it as it was different to the normal stuff on the roads at the time
the lpg will be after fit as well so make sure your family have their thermal fire resistant undies on when driving it in case it has a blow back
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Buying a car with an LPG conversion which you have no knowledge of is the equivalent of buying a used Rover with a 1.8petrol engine.
You know it's going to go wrong, when it does it will cost a lot.
BUT
you don't know where and when it will be.
It's called imo taking an uneccessary risk.
madf
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I had one of these converted to lpg a few years ago until my dearly beloved wrote it off ignoring the obvious ice on the road and a petrol-only one previous to that. Walked away unmarked though. Well done the airbags! I thoroughly enjoyed it, comfortable, fast for what it is and handles pretty well, much better than a Disco of the same age. I agree with the build quality, not the best but a bit better than a Land Rover product, miles behind Toyota, but apart from the rear diff, pretty strong where it matters. If the diff whines, walk away. Just make sure the tyres are correct and matched in wear. The 4 litre engine is old fashioned but lovely. Sounds great and tough. My LPG conversion was done by an LPGA-approved supplier and I had no problems, it worked well. If you get one make sure you get a certificate, the insurance company may require it.
Had a couple of minor axle oil leaks, just seals. They can rust on the roof and round the screen but if good here I wouldn't worry, just make the obvious checks. If you get one, it's worth joining the Jeep Club, good support and bits are pretty cheap from the States.
Just thought of another weak spot, the exhaust manifold can crack at the welds but can be welded up easily enough. I have a spare if anyone wants it.
Look nice in dark green and dark blue but naff in red IMHO.
In summary, an old-fashioned 4x4 with a few weak spots but nice to own if you get a good one.
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