Overlander on gasoline

Hey guys,
I can buy a beautiful Mercedes 310 4x4, But it is on gasoline. Off course I prefer diesel, but after calculation, The extra money it might cost me is not the issue. I can also put LPG under as well.
What I want to ask is: Is there any absolute objection why I shouldn't buy a car on gasoline.
Something I don't think about, but maybe somebody with overland experience does.
thanks.

By the way, we plan to travel from Europe to SE Asia

If cost isn't an issue there's probably not much difference, but that said I'm diesel which always seems to be readily available due to trucks using it for transportation of pretty much everything in the modern world.

I expect petrol to be the same but can't really comment due to lack of knowledge on this fuel in remote areas that said there are always people on mopeds and motorcycles circling the world so shouldn't be much of an issue.

I prefer diesel due to the higher torque output at lower revs. This can help you crawl over obstacles where a petrol rig would need more revs therefore more speed and more possible loss of control and damage.

I have driven petrol jeeps and diesel land rovers and as long as you get used to the gearing, low and high, and how to use the revs...no big difference. I tend to prefer diesels just because of their simplicity but would have no complaint if I found another petrol I liked.

Tembo wrote:

I have driven petrol jeeps and diesel land rovers and as long as you get used to the gearing, low and high, and how to use the revs...no big difference. I tend to prefer diesels just because of their simplicity but would have no complaint if I found another petrol I liked.

Have to disagree. We've had almost identical vehicles, one diesel and one petrol, attempt the same obstacles on a trip and the diesel just walks through so much easier at lower revs. Might not make much difference for normal off roading but when the terrain is really rugged, the difference is like chalk and cheese.

True, you are correct about the better low end torque on a diesel. My Jeep was an old 1980s model and pretty small and light, so I don't recall any difference but I am sure if I was driving both the petrol Jeep and my diesel 110 now I would notice the difference. Come to think of it though, my first 4x4 was a very old Toyota FJ40 petrol and I took that through some really rough country!

But the original question was for a Mercedes 310 which is a pretty big van, which I hope wouldn't be going over too much rough ground or very far from a gravel road for the most part. For that rig I would think more about mileage probably and while some modern petrol engines can be be pretty good, a diesel usually gets better mileage.

Agreed. But if it is a big van, (don't see them in Aus so I'm not familiar with them), I would think that the low down torque of the diesel would be much better when it is loaded. I'm sure a petrol model would do the job but wouldn't a diesel be better?

Hahaha...well then, it seems our combined advice is: don't buy the petrol!

... or don't buy a Mercedes 310 4x4.

Tembo wrote:

Hahaha...well then, it seems our combined advice is: don't buy the petrol!

I had the Nissan Terrano in both petrol and diesel and there was little difference and they were driven hard off road.

One major difference is that the 2.4 petrol required driving at higher revs in the toughest terrain than the diesel did, but this petrol unit was a truck engine which was low on pure power and high in torque.