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travelnguy
Joined: 27 Sep 2007
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 Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:27 am Post subject: Buying and LPG car |
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I have read through the forums and it appears that you must have some type of disability to purchase an LPG car. However, based on the number of foreigners selling LPG cars, I don't see how this is possible.
Has anyone on here actually purchased an LPG car in your own name (no mother-in-laws with disability cards)?
Were there any requirements?
Where there any problems?
Also, has anyone been refused on a purchase of an LPG car?
Thanks. |
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Straphanger
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Chilgok, Korea
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:37 am Post subject: Re: Buying and LPG car |
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| travelnguy wrote: |
| I have read through the forums and it appears that you must have some type of disability to purchase an LPG car. However, based on the number of foreigners selling LPG cars, I don't see how this is possible. |
Oh my god, who the hell told you that happy horseshit? Half the people I know drive LPG cars. They don't live north of Suwon though. When it gets too cold in the winter, they have a tendency to freeze up and you can't start them. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:53 am Post subject: |
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There are several models of LPG cars for sale. Like the one I bought. Kia Carens.
There are no restrictions to buying an LPG car. It kind of baffles me why more people don't buy them because you can save a solid 30-40% in fuel costs.
My Carens has always started 1st time. Even in -10c.
Edit: Just checked with my Korean friend......as far as he knows.......the Kia Carens is the only LPG family-type car openly for sale to anyone at the moment. Excluding trucks and vans and those with a taxi permit.
Just another baffling thing to add to the list of baffling things about Korea. Does the government forbid the open sale of LPG cars? But, then, why allow just one model? The Kia Carens.
Last edited by eamo on Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:40 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:07 am Post subject: |
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If LPG cant start in frigid temps then how do all the taxis in Seoul run?  |
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GwangjuParents
Joined: 31 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:28 am Post subject: |
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LPG cars are often made available to people who are "disabled" in some way.
However, there are some round-a-bout ways of getting an LPG car, but you'll need to know a Korean for that one. |
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travelnguy
Joined: 27 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:58 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the replies so far. Seems that everyone still disagrees.
So, has anyone successfully purchased an LPG car (not a Kia Carens, thanks for the info though) without having a Korean friend who knows someone that knows someone that works with someone that they know?
I would ask my co-teacher, but I currently don't have one. So it looks like it's on me and whomever on this board to figure this out.
Thanks again and keep the info rolling in. |
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Donghae
Joined: 24 Dec 2003
Location: Fukuoka, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:10 am Post subject: Re: Buying and LPG car |
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| travelnguy wrote: |
I have read through the forums and it appears that you must have some type of disability to purchase an LPG car.
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You do need certain special circumstances to be allowed to CONVERT a non LPG car to run on LPG (hence the above not totally uncommon misunderstanding). However, there are no restrictions on buying an LPG car. Strictly speaking, to drive one, I think you're supposed (or maybe just 'encouraged') to attend some LPG safety lecture and pay a small fee for doing so. But I'm not sure how mandatory that is or how much it's enforced if you do have to do it. Hardly a big deal even it is compulsory.
As well as the Carens, Kia also have an LPG version of the Carnival.
The Carnival and the new (post 2006) Carens are LPI cars, rather than the standard type LPG. LPG cars have indeed had a poor reputation for not starting in cold weather and for their really high fuel consumption rather offsetting the savings made per litre of fuel. Kia claim that their LPI engine addresses the cold start problem and improves fuel consumption.
According to Kia's own website figures, it's not really much of an improvement in fuel consumption. One of my in-laws is presently driving a new Carens and he says he rarely gets much more than 300-350km out of a tank that holds over 60 litres. He's not really a run it till it's almost empty kinda driver, but, still, that seems like he's getting around 7km to a litre. LPG prices have come back down to about W860 now, but a for a few months recently LPG had gone up and petrol come down and there was barely 150won's difference in price - hell, was he moaning then!!
He does really like the car, however, and says he has absolutely no problems with cold starts. |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| I'd rather have a nice diesel. Korea needs lots of torque for the hills |
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Straphanger
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Chilgok, Korea
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:31 am Post subject: |
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| travelnguy wrote: |
| So, has anyone successfully purchased an LPG car (not a Kia Carens, thanks for the info though) without having a Korean friend who knows someone that knows someone that works with someone that they know? |
My boss.
(and as for the taxis, as the other poster said, they might be LPI.) |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:38 am Post subject: |
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LPI is an engine technology. Not a different gas.. It's the same gas.
It's the engines of the cars which are different. The difference is that with LPI there is a better injection system built into the engine which solves the cold start problem. And improves fuel consumption.
Question remains......LPG (LPI) cars offer lower fuel costs and cleaner emissions........so why don't more car manufacturers employ this tech?
95% of cars run on normal gasoline......in Korea the big gas stations are run by Hyundai, SK, and other chaebol...........gas is a higher price than LPG.......
I can see Hyundai not opposing LPG cars...they own the carens and Carnival......but they also own hundreds of normal gas stations.......
To me, it's about not challenging the gasoline status quo too much. What other reason would there be? |
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Straphanger
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Chilgok, Korea
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:59 am Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
| To me, it's about not challenging the gasoline status quo too much. What other reason would there be? |
What difference does it make? The OP wanted to know what he needed to do to buy an LPG car. The answer is, pay for it. |
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Donghae
Joined: 24 Dec 2003
Location: Fukuoka, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:08 am Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
LPI is an engine technology. Not a different gas.. It's the same gas.
It's the engines of the cars which are different. The difference is that with LPI there is a better injection system built into the engine which solves the cold start problem. And improves fuel consumption.
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Yes, I know. Lazy phrasing on my part - when I said "rather than the standard type of LPG" I meant "LPG engine".
Incidentally, is your Carens the new LPI model or an older one? As I said, my relative who drives a new LPI model has no trouble with cold starts, but I've heard 2nd/3rd hand reports of people with older LPG Carens (or Daewoo Rezzos) with some problems in that regard.
As to why more people don't buy LPG cars - I dunno, the question I'd ask, which I expect many others do too, is - do you really save money overall? LPG is cheaper per litre than petrol by about 30-40%, but fuel consumption is less too. I'm not exactly sure how much less, but what I've heard suggests it might actually be more than 30-40% less.
I'm not an LPG driver though, so I happily admit to not knowing for sure about the above fuel cost vs consumption trade off. I'm just sceptical, and I expect many others are too. What says the LPG driver? |
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Rusty Shackleford
Joined: 08 May 2008
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:13 am Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
LPI is an engine technology. Not a different gas.. It's the same gas.
It's the engines of the cars which are different. The difference is that with LPI there is a better injection system built into the engine which solves the cold start problem. And improves fuel consumption.
Question remains......LPG (LPI) cars offer lower fuel costs and cleaner emissions........so why don't more car manufacturers employ this tech?
95% of cars run on normal gasoline......in Korea the big gas stations are run by Hyundai, SK, and other chaebol...........gas is a higher price than LPG.......
I can see Hyundai not opposing LPG cars...they own the carens and Carnival......but they also own hundreds of normal gas stations.......
To me, it's about not challenging the gasoline status quo too much. What other reason would there be? |
LPG cars have been around for years in all countries, not just Korea. If it was better it would have replaced gas by now. Havn't done my research but I'm sure if the benefits were good enough people would have started switching to LPG and a market would have evolved.
This being the case, in other countries where vertically integrated conglomerates don't dominate the economy, why haven't LPG cars become the norm? I would say because they are not as good as gasoline fuelled vehicles. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:31 am Post subject: |
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| Straphanger wrote: |
| eamo wrote: |
| To me, it's about not challenging the gasoline status quo too much. What other reason would there be? |
What difference does it make? The OP wanted to know what he needed to do to buy an LPG car. The answer is, pay for it. |
The difference? That's a big question.....I'm past what the OP is asking. that was already answered.
What I'm now talking about is the fuel supply and demand factors for vehicles in Korea.
Donghae, good points there. I honestly don't have concrete stats on hand to prove that LPG cars are cheaper to run fuel-wise than gasoline cars. I might be able to find those stats, so stay tuned.
Yes, my Carens is the 2007 model. My wife and I think it's a great car and cheap to run. However, the truth is in the numbers.
The Carens I have is a 2.0L LPG. If we can compare that with a gasoline car of the same BHP? Maybe.... |
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Straphanger
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Chilgok, Korea
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:16 am Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
| Straphanger wrote: |
| eamo wrote: |
| To me, it's about not challenging the gasoline status quo too much. What other reason would there be? |
What difference does it make? The OP wanted to know what he needed to do to buy an LPG car. The answer is, pay for it. |
The difference? That's a big question.....I'm past what the OP is asking. that was already answered. |
Then you're off topic for this thread and you should start a new one. |
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