D1 300tdi Owners - Avg MPG's?

[Colin Hughes]

Currently driving a 2003 D2 4.6 but have the opportunity to purchase an NAS LHD 97 D1 300tdi with correct automatic transmission. I'm wondering what kind of real world MPG's people are getting with their 300 TDI's? My commute alone is 100 miles per day round trip so I'm thinking this would pay for itself fairly quickly. Thanks.

 

[mowerman]

I get 16 to 20 with manual and 265/75-16 tyres, roof rack and towing a trailer most of the time for work

 

[Rovertrader]

mowerman isn't that imperial?
I get about 26-28 with 5 speed manual, no rack, but with lift and 235/85s

 

[Antichrist]

My commute alone is 100 miles per day round trip so I'm thinking this would pay for itself fairly quickly. Thanks.

Maybe yes and maybe no. Depends on what you pay for it and what you can sell your D2 for and what the price of diesel is in your area, compared to petrol. 5-speeds are rated a bit higher than auto for mpg. YMMV.

 

[LR Max]

Keep Disco. Buy a Honda. Drive the wheels off of it. When wheels fall off, park it, pull the plate and your CDs out. Then get another one.

And by "Honda", I mean a whatever cheap car. That is the route I went years ago. Saved me big $$$ and I'm sure my rover would've left me on the side of the road more often than any of my commuter cars. If you can get a small, zippy little car that is fun, it'll help you out A TON on your commute.

 

[hks3sgte]

buying a Honda may seem like the best idea. However

$~3k for a decent Honda
$~1k for insurance per year?
$? Maintenance
$? fuel per year for Disco and Honda

 

[rijosho]

First off - is it yellow??

D1's are super cheap, but with the few 300s that have been fitted to them over here, dealers try to get crazy money for them. Save your money. They're cool, but I wouldn't pay the premium.

 

[jrose609]

First off - is it yellow??

I think Joel sold his a couple of months ago.

EDIT. I'm pretty sure it was a five speed

 

[discotdi]

My 300tdi 5 speed got around 22 to 24. I had a lift, winch, and ARB bumper. Loved it. But if you can't work on it yourself then be aware that it is hard to find competent mechanics that know about the 300 or are willing to work on it.

 

[dcwhybrew]

Currently driving a 2003 D2 4.6 but have the opportunity to purchase an NAS LHD 97 D1 300tdi with correct automatic transmission. I'm wondering what kind of real world MPG's people are getting with their 300 TDI's? My commute alone is 100 miles per day round trip so I'm thinking this would pay for itself fairly quickly. Thanks.

You really need to put the pencil to the paper and do the math...you'll find it wont pay for itself. You'd have to steal the D1 at their regular (if not less) than market value, and make your own biodiesel.

Keep driving the D2. Even buying a beater "honda" isn't going to save you money...it takes a lot of gas to pay off the car with the gas savings. For example if you kept the D2, and bought a $1,000 beater "honda", you'd have to use 5,000 gallons of gas just with the $0.20/gal cost savings on premium vs regular unleaded alone.

So I attached a sheet showing the basic math. You can fix the assumptions with your actual numbers. But these should be close.

Then if you buy an additional beater car, divide price of the car by the fuel savings to find out how many years to "pay off the car". If you buy the diesel disco, then divide the difference between the diesel disco purchase price and the D2 sales price, by the fuel savings. How many years do you have to drive each just to "pay off" the car before you realize a savings???

You probably already knew the math, but I am sure others may not. It's a common thought process that a diesel LR will pay for itself in fuel savings...that's utter BS in my opinion.

I used to drive 70 miles per day round trip, so I know what you're thinking...I thought it too. Keep the D2 and drive it.

***If i did the math wrong...speak up...LOL***

 

[tacr2man]

The 300 tdi auto varies quite a bit on type of driving , if it is freeway type drive ie it can get into torque converter lockup (approx 50mph) then it will do virtually same mpg as manual 30mpimpg , if its town type driving ie stop start and below 50 then it drops about 10 to 15% . HTSH

 

[Colin Hughes]

dcwhybrew - thanks for the comparison chart. Right now, I think I'm closer to $29-30 a day per round trip commute so maybe the 16 mpg was a one horse wonder. My main concern right now is a relatively rust-free donor vehicle and I might have located one. Here's my rough costs comparison: Donor D1 - $4000, complete 300tdi kit with autobox - $4000, installation - $3000 = $11,000. Sell D2 with 18" wheels - $7000, sell 4.0 & autobox from donor - $1000, sell 2003 D2 16" wheels with almost new General Grabber AT2's (although I might keep the tires for the TDI truck) - $800 = $8800, difference $2200. Even if additional costs meant the price went up by 50%, it would still be around $3500 to move into a truck that gets between 60-70% better fuel economy. I will learn about maintaining it but I do have an excellent mechanic that is familiar with these engines. Please, tell me if I'm missing something here.
I've even been researching LPG or natural gas conversions for the D2 but these are more money - $4000 to $5000 but Enbridge Gas will install vehicle fueling stations at home or work locations as part of a rental contract.
I don't want a beater, I've been that route and extra insurance, repairs & maintenance ate into the fuel savings. I want to drive a Land Rover that can still go offroad or camping on week-ends without breaking the bank.
Maybe I'm asking too much

 

[JeremyT101]

Depending on the roads you take, what about a motorcycle? They get insane mileage, cheap to own, cheap to insure, even if you get them new its still not a wallet killer.

 

[hks3sgte]

Fuel$/gal $ 3.70 $ 3.90 $ 3.50

low prices :Wow1:

 

[dcwhybrew]

low prices :Wow1:

Yes! In Oklahoma, we produce our own oil....LOL Seriously, we do have very good gas prices here. I took my daughter to Disney World last week and I had sticker shock at the pump, especially in Georgia and Florida. I used to live in southern NV and Arizona, so I am familiar with gas prices out there too...:Wow1: