Deisel or petrol??

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Just after a bit of advice from you guys, I will be getting a newish smaller car in the next few months and not sure wether to go for deisel or petrol...i am thinking deisel but know in the past deisel was best for fuel price but now prtrol is roughly the same is there any other advantage/disadvantage with getting a deisel.....it will probably be 1300/1400 engine ....maybe fiesta/corsa
 
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Althougth petrol cost more, you will find your diesel car (like for like) will do more MPG, the engine will last longer and be more reliable.
Downside is deisel parts generally cost more than petrol and don't forget the petrol in deisel error at the pumps.
 
It really pays to do the maths, mate - you'll likely pay more for the diesel, and you could buy a lot of petrol with what you may save. You may get slightly more back when you come to re sell if you buy diesel.
So, if your mileage is low = petrol. If your mileage is high = diesel.
Personally I don't buy petrol vehicles any more.....between 50 and 65 mpg always sounds good to me!
Its also worth looking at the taxation class before you buy, also.
I think that the best small diesels around are the Renault 1.5 dci (Clio, Micra, Megane, Note) but doubtless others will disagree....!
VAG stuff is good too, and there's good reports about the Ford 1.4 Tci but I wasn't too keen on the one I had on hire recently.
If you're looking at Ford or Vauxhall - bargain hard...they are aimed at the fleet markets and priced high. If you don't have a trade in, Carfile.net are excellent and completely trustworthy.
John :)
 
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Sorry mate, VAG is Volkswagen Audi Group which incorporates Skoda, Seat, VW and Audi. Skoda often comes out tops in surveys, and if you're not bothered about the badge they are good value.
The Seat Ibiza 1.6 is good (I've a 2.0 diesel Ibiza FR coming my way in March), and running a Fabia vRS at the mo. Cheapest car I've ever bought, and it has been the best!
John :)
 
Just a minor point but if buying a diesel you ought to change the oil more regularly than a petrol. And if you're running a VAG engine you'll need stuff made to certain VW specifications - not just any jollop from the local DIY store - and that tends to be a bit pricey.
 
It depends largely on your anual mileage, mine was high for many years before I retired thus I have'nt run a petrol vehicle for 30 years or more. It also depends on your driving style and journey distance as a diesel will reward you handsomly if you drive it carefully, my current peugeot 406 Hdi is averaging around 50 mpg with 60 mpg on a longish journey and that is a 2.0 litre car wieghing about one and a half tons.

The cost of buying and maintaining a diesel will be more, so if you only do a low mileage may no be worthwhile, although the diesel will have a higher resale value and should last a lot longer.

Peter
 
The other thing that may consider is the road tax cost
A mate of mine has a car that is being replaced now she barley does any mileage but will buy a Diesel as a 1600 zafira ( car of choice) cost more to just sit there over the diesel £110 to £180 road tax
 
I find diesels are generally cheaper to maintain. If you do frequent oil / filter, fuel filter, & air filter changes in-line with the manufacturers recommended periods (and using quality items ie Castrol oil etc), then they tend to be fairly reliable for some years to come.
 
The other thing that may consider is the road tax cost
A mate of mine has a car that is being replaced now she barley does any mileage but will buy a Diesel as a 1600 zafira ( car of choice) cost more to just sit there over the diesel £110 to £180 road tax

True Stuart, but you can also get diesel vehicles that cost £35 per year road tax.
 
My head says Diesel but my heart always says petrol.

If you can go for a VW or Audi then happy days. The new A1 is just showing its head and will be offered in more specifications this year. It will probably get the 1.4TDi (diesel) from the A2.

Audi is a premium brand and as already said Skoda will probably offer better value.

Though if you really want to annoy the neighbours there is nothing to beat a Mercedes. They are ageless, though some of the newer models do lack that bullet proof build quality.
 
Only just a few years ago, there was nothing as reliable as the conventional, mechanically injected indirect injection diesel. Once started up, you knew it wouldn't give any problems. Smoky and slow maybe but it would deliver.
So now we have diesel engines that provide unbelievable power and economy - they are clean and just as free revving as petrol engines.
However, the need to electronically control and inject them means that they may still have reliability issues - which may detract from their popularity. Notice stepper motors on a turbo wastegate.....intense heat like that and electric motors don't really mix - but I still love diesels.
John :)
 
I agree with John, I have had Citroen XM diesels with nearly 300,000 miles on the clock still running well, in fact I have one now, modern diesels seem less durable with DMF failures, very high pressure injection and spades of power which they don't seem to be able to handle, in fact this has put me off buying one - until recently, I still think some diesel engines are troublesome but the Peugeot/Citroen 2.0 Hdi engine seems to be an exception with quite a number advertised with in excess of 300,000 miles - that to me is a good recomendation, I have just bought a 406 with nearly 190,000 miles and it runs like a dream.

Peter
 
Yes they are very technical now. But I like change, to think back a few years ago and the scrap we worked on to make a living, rust buckets.

I was looking at an Audi A4 estate on the salvage website with almost 200k on the clock. It was a late 06 model with slight nearside quarter panel damage. Around 2 grand bought it, I just went for a walk until the auction was over, or we would have had another one on the drive beside the house!

The only thing was it wasn't clocked, or he went the wrong way
 
mmmmmmmmmm...reading through the posts I think due to mileage/usage it will be a petrol...still thinking of a corsa or fiesta only reason being my son will be added to the insurance soon and I am expecting to get hit hard when I add him so thinking of a group 1/2 car any other ideas
 
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