Thought about that, but there are no LPG stations anywhere near my journey to work

were you not getting 40mpg + on long runs anyway ?, id stick with option 1, you'd have to end up insuring then taxing the diesel, just seems easier to keep running the 20vt.

I had a best of 43mpg, but only when cruising at a steady 60mph in 6th gear with the trucks

My "normal steady driving" consumption is around 29-30mpg - maybe a couple more if I take it especially easy.

Basically, it'll take around 2 gallons per day for the round trip

I can't seem to get any more than 30 on a cruise at no more than 70 - am wondering if a flea map may improve my economy ? I use my car for my work trip which is 70 miles there and back

I noticed since I put mpg on my widget how sensitive to the throttle position the mpg is... a twitch of the foot you can't feel, a slope you can't see, and the economy will drop from forty to twenty.

I've obviously missed this widget update, amongst all the other 'too technical' bits I ignore

Could I have a link to it Neil, pretty please?

Can't do yours yet, T - wrong processor. I'm working on it... (in between applying for jobs I don't get because I don't know enough about electronics or software...)

Definitely option 1, it will bring you the most happiness.

Option 2 is good, there is nothing wrong in keeping one additional car!

If you do decide to go for option 1, how about looking for a 16v turbo gearbox + clutch and swap it with the 16v, the 16vt gearbox has taller gearing which should improve the mpg on the NA. Ask Flea to program a lean burn chip for your 16v, just to squeeze a bit more out of the mileage.

Just swap the final drive...

I'm about to have the same issue: got some contract work which will take six hundred miles a week for a month or so. Fortunately I have the 20vt as a runaround, but it's still going to be twenty quid a day.

Nigel - I've been telling you for ages to get a diesel. I'm doing 55 miles a day now, and more when I have to get to meetings, probably around 20K a year.

I've owned a Saab 9-3 tid for just over a month now. For a 2005 car it did not cost a lot to buy, and averages 47 mpg no matter how I drive it. it's boring as anything, but very comfortable and quiet (sports seats are the best if been in - fully adjustable, lumbar support etc.), and new enough that it should not need a lot of money spent on it. The bodywork is not perfect, but that's fine, as any little scratches on it will not bother me. If it needs a service I have something else to use etc...

You can still use the coupe once a week for the commute and for fun.

If you really can't live with a diesel, then my vote would be to go for a 1.8 156.

I hate to say it, but I think that your wife is right - the 16v has got to go, unless you can pass it to your son.

Si - the trouble is - I definitely CAN live with a diesel - they are just so nice and easy to drive - low-down torque and nice soft suspension, quiet and comfortable - everything my Coupe isn't, really.

My fear is that if I get a decent diesel, I'll hardly drive the Coupe at all, and then I'll start questioning the sanity of owning it, then I'll sell it and then I'll be Coupe-less

TBH, I don't have the cash to buy a diesel just yet, so I'm going to run the Coupe for a while and see how I get on. I've never been scared of putting the miles on a Coupe, as my Sprinty showed, but it would be nice to keep the very low mileage I have (<44k)

We'll see....

I think you will drive the coupe Nigel - after a week of dieseldom you will be itching to, and the coupe will feel utterly balistic too.

The more I think about this, the more I'm beginning to think along the following lines:-

1) Sell the 16v (begrudgingly)
2) Buy a Punto 1.9JTD - circa £1000 and circa 60mpg (after a bit of mapping)
3) Keep the 20VT Coupe for best

The rationale with this approach is that if I bought a really nice diesel (like a 156 2.4), I probably wouldn't want to drive the Coupe. However, a Mk2 Punto is probably nice enough not to be suicidal on the daily commute, but unrefined enough to make me want to drive the Coupe, rather than the Punto

Having lusted after a very early 16v N/A for several years, it grieves me that I might have to sell it, especially as I'm highly unlikely to find such an early one again.

However, I was discussing the choices with Wifey and I (very) tentatively mentioned that I could get a Punto as a third car - Wifey was NOT amused, so I don't think I'll be pursuing that particular option...

Option 4 - bicycle...?

Not for a 55-mile round trip it isn't....

My mate Simon commutes around 150 miles a day in a Punto JTD and then has a nice Ducati for best. He has been throught various options including running one nice car (Tuscan!) and then various commuting cheapies - Smart Brabus Roadster, Xantia HDi x2, Polo GTi and another Punto JTD. The Punto was perfect and he wished he had kept the first one, so he bought another a few weeks back after the Xantias head gasket went. Very cheap to run, reliable and in top spec has AC and enough comforts and performance to be at least slightly entertaining.
I think it would be a good choice Nigel.
Fwiw I'm on my third Toyota IQ3, but a bit different as it's a company car (I cover 75 miles a day).

Option 5. Another wife? ......... no?

You can borrow my A4 Avant diesel for a month and I'll have the moonie?

You know it makes sense.