Do I need a diesel car?

14-07-2011 12:30am #1

Hi, just wondered if anyone could give me some advice re. buying a diesel car. Other half has ford focus 1.4 petrol, already 120,000 miles on the clock,its an 04 model. He drives approx 500 miles a week for work and was thinking of getting a diesel. Been looking at getting an 08 focus tdci hoping we might save on fuel but Im wondering if its going to be cost effective or not? Currently spends about 80 a week or more on petrol so although he might save weekly we will be handing out over 10 grand on new car. Another factor to consider is that he thinks the cat converter may be bust, nt sure what costs are involved
with this? I"d really appreciate any help or advice on this, neither of us know much about cars! Thanks:)

delly · 14-07-2011 12:46am

Well obviously your not going to save money by trading up from an '04 to an '08 on diesel alone, however It would be logical in my opinion to go for a diesel based on mileage and the fact that you want to move up to a newer car. What wouldn't make sense is if you said you wanted to trade an '04 petrol for an '04 or '05 diesel, as you'd never make the money back that it would be costing you to change.

I drive a '07 Focus van myself which is a 1.6 TDCi and get about 4.5 litres per 100km or roughly 1,000 km on a full tank of around 50 litres.

The_Honeybadger · 14-07-2011 12:50am

I'm in the exact same situation, I drive a 1.3 lancer which is in great condition with no problems at all in three years, and am doing 500 km + per week since I started a new job lately. Went looking at diesels in the Mondeo / Passat / Avensis class and the prices for 07-08 models seem to be very steep. I'm guessing it would take me years to recoup the cost of changing to diesel. That said the lancer is possibly the most dull car I have ever driven and I would like a higher spec car, but economically I doubt there would be any advantage in changing. Not sure what to do.

dev100 · 14-07-2011 1:02am

1997 wrote: »

Hi, just wondered if anyone could give me some advice re. buying a diesel car. Other half has ford focus 1.4 petrol, already 120,000 miles on the clock,its an 04 model. He drives approx 500 miles a week for work and was thinking of getting a diesel. Been looking at getting an 08 focus tdci hoping we might save on fuel but Im wondering if its going to be cost effective or not? Currently spends about 80 a week or more on petrol so although he might save weekly we will be handing out over 10 grand on new car. Another factor to consider is that he thinks the cat converter may be bust, nt sure what costs are involved
with this? I"d really appreciate any help or advice on this, neither of us know much about cars! Thanks:)

Ring up any of the exhaust places theyd give u a price for a cat straight away. Simple way to know if the cat is on way out give the cat a tap and if you hear things rattling around well then its on way out

I have a vw golf tdi Im nearly the same as delly I average 4.1 litres to 100kmh and thats driving at 100kmh on motorways. Roughly i can get a 1000k per tank around the 70 ish mark depending on how light or heavy my boot is

If you want to buy a diesel make sure you buy after whatever date in 08 the new car tax prices came in!!!. Buying a diesel with low mileage is a plus. However parts for a diesel car can be expensive. ie turbos giving up the ghost or in my case water damage 3 months aft purchase 1300 euros to put right, I hate water now !!!

dev100 · 14-07-2011 1:05am

mickeyk wrote: »

I'm in the exact same situation, I drive a 1.3 lancer which is in great condition with no problems at all in three years, and am doing 500 km + per week since I started a new job lately. Went looking at diesels in the Mondeo / Passat / Avensis class and the prices for 07-08 models seem to be very steep. I'm guessing it would take me years to recoup the cost of changing to diesel. That said the lancer is possibly the most dull car I have ever driven and I would like a higher spec car, but economically I doubt there would be any advantage in changing. Not sure what to do.

07 s will be cheaper but have a higher car tax Buy 08 onwards . I had a lancer never an ounce of trouble

14-07-2011 1:18am

thanks for the replies so far, not sure really how much longer he"d get from his petrol car with the mileage been quite high and obviously the cost of petrol these days is madness! Most of his driving is motorway so I presume he should save a few quid a week? Anyone recommend a particular model of focus, theres a few, zetec,style etc.. also bhp, what would be the best,thanks

The_Honeybadger · 14-07-2011 1:32am

dev100 wrote: »

07 s will be cheaper but have a higher car tax Buy 08 onwards . I had a lancer never an ounce of trouble

Cheers, I suspect that the cheaper rates for 08-onwards cars will be removed at some stage as the government try to gather as much money as possible for obvious reasons. I was almost ready to do a deal a few weeks ago but having thought about it I think I might wait. I find the lancer to be ultra reliable and reasonably economical when driven easy, but incredibly boring, boot space only barely meets my needs as well since a new addition to the family arrived. Was getting SFA for it as a trade in at any garage I tried which is another factor, one garage actually told me he wouldn't even consider it as a trade in because he already had one on the forecourt for six months and wouldn't be able to shift it, it's 05 with a new NCT, allows 160km, would be a nice car for somebody but they are obviously not easy to sell, ah well.

14-07-2011 9:12am

1997 wrote: »

........Other half has ford focus 1.4 petrol, already 120,000 miles on the clock,its an 04 model. He drives approx 500 miles a week for work and was thinking of getting a diesel. ............

1997 wrote: »

thanks for the replies so far, not sure really how much longer he"d get from his petrol car with the mileage been quite high and obviously the cost of petrol these days is madness! ..................

Doing 25,000 miles a year there is easily 2 or 3 years left in that Focus without major investment providing it has been maintained. He should be seeing 40mpg or very close to it, a diesel should do 50+ mpg. Fuel savings would be in order of €25/week me thinks.

14-07-2011 12:33pm

Jeez didn"t think you"d get that long from a petrol doing that mileage, we just thought if the cat had gone then in the near future we"d have to get a new car cos other stuff might go and we couldn"t be without it 4 work purposes. Food for thought alright, anyone know roughly how much it would cost to fill a 1.6 diesel? Just reading some of the threads here ye get the impression theres alot of cost in maintaining a diesel too, I"d have thought that it would be the other way round!

Glad I came on, good advice, thanks

um7y1h83ge06nx · 14-07-2011 12:57pm

You'd be surprised with the mileage you can get out of cars.

My 1999 1.4L petrol Almera is gone over 170k miles but is still grand and reliable.

Stoolbend · 14-07-2011 1:45pm

RoverJames wrote: »

Doing 25,000 miles a year there is easily 2 or 3 years left in that Focus without major investment providing it has been maintained. He should be seeing 40mpg or very close to it, a diesel should do 50+ mpg. Fuel savings would be in order of €25/week me thinks.

A 1.6tdci focus is capable of closer to 70mpg. Mid 60's easily.

14-07-2011 1:50pm

RoverJames wrote: »

Doing 25,000 miles a year there is easily 2 or 3 years left in that Focus without major investment providing it has been maintained. He should be seeing 40mpg or very close to it, a diesel should do 50+ mpg. Fuel savings would be in order of €25/week me thinks.

1997 wrote: »

Jeez didn"t think you"d get that long from a petrol doing that mileage, we just thought if the cat had gone then in the near future we"d have to get a new car cos other stuff might go and we couldn"t be without it 4 work purposes. Food for thought alright, anyone know roughly how much it would cost to fill a 1.6 diesel? Just reading some of the threads here ye get the impression theres alot of cost in maintaining a diesel too, I"d have thought that it would be the other way round!
Glad I came on, good advice, thanks

I would be surprised if the cat was any more than €300 fitted

dunno how much it would cost to fill a diesel but here are some figures regarding fuel cost........

At the moment ye are doing 500 miles a week for €80, that's 41/42 mpg ish. A diesel Focus would do say 55mpg so that would cost about €57/€58.

Maintenance of the diesel Focus wouldn't be out of the way really, they are one of the most trouble free units once serviced on time and correctly.

If the only motivation to change is the saving on fuel, which would be €1250/annum it's not too bad an idea. If it cost €10,000 to trade up to the 08 diesel Focus €5000 of that may be recouped in the next 4 years on fuel savings, add another guts of a grand for the savings on motor tax and that's €6000 recouped.

That's presuming maintenance costs will be no more on the 08 Focus over the next 4 years than on the 04 petrol one ye currently have, I would think that would be the case.

The discussion about cost of finance or what else ye could do with €10,000 I'm not factoring in to be honest.

W.Shakes-Beer · 14-07-2011 1:50pm

1997 wrote: »

Jeez didn"t think you"d get that long from a petrol doing that mileage...

Cars are generally happier on motorways, thats motorway mileage. Its probably healthier than a car that has 50k from just back and forward to the shops.

14-07-2011 1:54pm

barry81 wrote: »

A 1.6tdci focus is capable of closer to 70mpg. Mid 60's easily.

For my calculations I have used a figure of 55mpg as an average, I doubt many folk see mid 60s mpg as an average out of one.

Padraig Mor · 14-07-2011 1:55pm

Friend had a 1.4 petrol Focus the last couple of years, averaging only approx 30 mpg, presumably due to the titchy engine. They've recently moved to a 1.8 TDCi Focus and are now getting approx 45 mpg for the same usage.

dev100 · 15-07-2011 5:37pm

1997 wrote: »

Jeez didn"t think you"d get that long from a petrol doing that mileage, we just thought if the cat had gone then in the near future we"d have to get a new car cos other stuff might go and we couldn"t be without it 4 work purposes. Food for thought alright, anyone know roughly how much it would cost to fill a 1.6 diesel? Just reading some of the threads here ye get the impression theres alot of cost in maintaining a diesel too, I"d have thought that it would be the other way round!
Glad I came on, good advice, thanks

Another poster replied and said his focus takes 50 litres to fill so to answer your question roughly about 70 euros depending on fuel price.

its not that diesels cost more to service.diesel engines can be more expensive to repair if theres a mechanic failure with the engine. Basic service is oil, oil filter is a must on every service. then theres a fuel air filter to do Id usually do these every second service. Then theres heater plugs or glow plugs as their sometimes called they may need changing periodically.

My cousin bought a focus diesel from main dealer a 09 think with about 10k on clock the clutch went on it aft 20k Main dealer thought hard of changing it said it was down to normal ware and tear!!! and told her wouldnt be covered under warranty but as a good will gesture he would pay most of costs and that she would have to bare some of the cost he wanted 300 off her. So dont always think newer cars give you less trouble.

Mycroft H · 15-07-2011 6:27pm

dev100 wrote: »

My cousin bought a focus diesel from main dealer a 09 think with about 10k on clock the clutch went on it aft 20k Main dealer thought hard of changing it said it was down to normal ware and tear!!! and told her wouldnt be covered under warranty but as a good will gesture he would pay most of costs and that she would have to bare some of the cost he wanted 300 off her. So dont always think newer cars give you less trouble.

I've seen clutches worn out much quicker then this and 99% of the time is bad driving habits. Riding the clutch, aggressive starts and aggressive gear changes and all shorten the life of a clutch. AND that goes for BOTH petrol and diesels. Normal usage of a clutch should see you 50,000 miles.

500 miles per week is big mileage, I definitely would be looking to change to a diesel.

dev100 · 15-07-2011 6:49pm

landyman wrote: »

I've seen clutches worn out much quicker then this and 99% of the time is bad driving habits. Riding the clutch, aggressive starts and aggressive gear changes and all shorten the life of a clutch. AND that goes for BOTH petrol and diesels. Normal usage of a clutch should see you 50,000 miles.

500 miles per week is big mileage, I definitely would be looking to change to a diesel.

Yes you are deffo right about incorrect usage but she drives like a man (now thats no offense to female drivers) doesnt ride the clutch or nowt just drives normally she has already informed me she reckons its going again!!!! I personally havent had to have a clutch changed touch wood average usage of my cars about 100000 miles Id be cranky if I was only getting 50k :mad:

16-07-2011 12:25am

Just to update, decided to look at some diesel cars today and whilst we were mid test drive a delivery man crashed into the back of our car right on the forecourt :eek: The irony what! Was lucky we werent in it as we had the kids with us at the time, thankfully no one hurt. Nearly 600 euro worth of damage so won"t be able to trade up as soon as we"d like and will probably take a few weeks to sort out. Nt sure yet whos insurance is liable, the driver or the company he works for, Needless to say the salesman was rubbing his hands with glee! Think we"re going to take it as a sign and definitely go for the diesel, just a matter of deciding wat spec and bhp, anyone with any knowledge on this? Thanks

Mycroft H · 16-07-2011 12:34am

1997 wrote: »

Just to update, decided to look at some diesel cars today and whilst we were mid test drive a delivery man crashed into the back of our car right on the forecourt :eek: The irony what! Was lucky we werent in it as we had the kids with us at the time, thankfully no one hurt. Nearly 600 euro worth of damage so won"t be able to trade up as soon as we"d like and will probably take a few weeks to sort out. Nt sure yet whos insurance is liable, the driver or the company he works for, Needless to say the salesman was rubbing his hands with glee! Think we"re going to take it as a sign and definitely go for the diesel, just a matter of deciding wat spec and bhp, anyone with any knowledge on this? Thanks

Thats bad luck man, luckily, everyone was out of the car

As for a new car? Whats the budget? Body shape preferences ect?

16-07-2011 12:51am

Thks Landyman, budget is 10 to 12 grand wit the trade in, obviously the lower the better, looking at getting a hatchback for the xtra bootspace. Was looking at zetec spec and nt really sure whether its worth paying the xtra compared to style but most styles were 1.8 so bit bigger than what we want. Salesmen all seem to contradict each other 2.

patrickc · 16-07-2011 1:24am

i had a 1.4 petrol replacement 02 focus this week when my car was in the garage, had 167,000 miles on it, and have to say seemed to run well. but bloody thirsty on petrol.

my oh was driving a 1.6 astra until 2 months ago, she was spending approx 70-80 on petrol a week in the astra, she traded up to an 11 demo model mazda 3 diesel, and now puts that in every 10 days. plus she has €104 tax per year.

basically with the diesel we reckon shes getting a tank and a half in fuel worth to the tank of petrol she was getting, thats a big saving over a year.

coolbeans · 16-07-2011 12:04pm

A 1.4 Focus shouldn't be thirsty at all and they're very reliable. You should be getting 40mpg all day long even on one with more than 150k miles on the clock.

Do I need a diesel car?

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