Diesel or Petrol?

SK1979

Hey guys

I've been doing some looking around at getting a new (2nd hand) large family saloon. I've narrowed down my selection to the Honda Accord and Mazda 6 as both seem to be very well regarded. I was hoping to get some advice from people though about a couple of issues:
Both cars come in petrol and diesel versions, which of each is better? I've only ever driven petrol cars, so I'm guessing I'll find a big difference in how each drives?
If I take the Accord for example, is it more economical to have a diesel engine even though the road tax will go from €614 to €860?
I would probably only drive between 10-12k miles per year.
I'd like to decide on whether I should look at petrol or diesel versions when I start going to various garages.
I've been looking at cars from around 2004 - 2006 with a max price of €12k.
I've read that both petrol versions on these particular versions of each car are very heavy on juice. Is this true?

Thanks in advance.

colm_mcm

Don't buy a diesel Mazda6 - they're trouble.

so for the 6 that makes diesel bad, petrol good (1.8 isn't too hard on tax or fuel)

for the Accord it's not as clear cut.

Diesel:
+ Gorgeous engine, loads of power, smooth
+ most seem to be Executive spec
- Tax is for a 2.3 (2204cc) so is pretty high (E860)
- More potential for problems with injectors, turbos and fuel pumps (as with any common rail diesel engine)
- Pricey compared to petrol models


Petrol (2.0)
+ Tax not as high as diesel (E614)
+ plentiful
+ cheap
+ Lovely and revvy
- fuel consumption obviously not as good as the diesel
- resale will be slightly harder unless priced realistically

mondeo

You will get more value with a diesal as regards fuel costs. High rd tax on a 2.2d accord though, that would put me off. I personally would not touch anything bigger then 2L.

SK1979

Thanks Colm, this is pretty much what I have been reading myself. Its a bit of a heart vs head situation. I have my heart set on the Accord Diesel (esp as you say most are the exec spec) but I dont know if I can justify the potential costs arising from the tax and potentially repair costs etc.

I think the head will probably go for the 1.8l Mazda 6, which does get great reviews.

At present I'm driving a 99 Focus 1.6l, and what I want most in the new car is a lot more power. The weight of the Focus and lack of grunt is infuriating. Plus the clutch is starting to go on it.... I've actually driven a Mondeo (from the garage I got my Focus), but was a little underwhelmed by it. It was only a 1.8 LX model so its pretty low specc'd.

I'd also like some nice gadgets in the new car!

colm_mcm

Touring spec on the Mazda6 is quite nice,

I'd drive both diesel and petrol Hondas if I were you, see which you prefer,
There's great value out there in Sport and Exec model petrol Accords.

New model Honda Civic 1.8 petrol saloons are also great value, they're 6 speed and actually quite good on fuel. they generally have very high spec including glass roof, cruise control, climate control etc

Lex Luthor

so whats a realistic price to pay for a circa '06 Accord Type S Petrol with about 35-40k miles?

colm_mcm

10500-11 private, maybe 13-13500 from a dealer. (IMO!)

there's plenty asking 20k for them...

HashSlinging

Had a Mazda 6 1.8 as a loan car last week and I was very impressed with it, it was almost identical in the driving aspect to my old 00' 1.8 accord (rip). Really impressive but lacked the VTEC from the accord so I couldnt have it. Petrol Accord all the way shame they done away with the 1.8 on the new model.

HashSlinging

OP you could go a little bit older and get the previous model for a bargain price.

colm_mcm

HashSlinging wrote: »

OP you could go a little bit older and get the previous model for a bargain price.

Please note the main picture in that ad is of the brand new model Accord Coupe for some reason..

SK1979

Thanks for the links guys. I'm trying to think about this as logically as possible. I genuinely do need a practical family car (so no coupè's for example!). What got me starting to think about diesel was mainly for resale, so (in an ideal world) maybe getting an 05 Accord Exec i-CDTI 2.2l for about €11k with around 60k - 70k miles on it. Then hold for 4 years, before selling on, at which point a diesel car with only 100k on the clock should be worth something still.

At present, my 99 petrol focus is worth like absolutely nothing, I would imagine I'll have a hard time even getting a dealer to take it off me! :eek:

colm_mcm

you'd be in a stronger bargaining position with out the Accord as a trade in.

with the diesel accord, bear in mind that the road tax alone for 4 years is E1000 extra. also factor in how much less you could get an 05 Accord petrol for.

If the diesel isn't gonna cost you more in the long run then great. I can't imagine an 8 year old diesel or petrol Accord having much of a difference in value.

the car that HashSlinging pointed out is ok, just the main picture is of another car. the rest are of the actual car.
It's worth looking at identical older cars like that if your main priority is to get into that particular model. (for near half the price)

galwaytt

SK1979 wrote: »

Hey guys

I've been doing some looking around at getting a new (2nd hand) large family saloon. I've narrowed down my selection to the Honda Accord and Mazda 6 as both seem to be very well regarded. I was hoping to get some advice from people though about a couple of issues:
Both cars come in petrol and diesel versions, which of each is better? I've only ever driven petrol cars, so I'm guessing I'll find a big difference in how each drives?
If I take the Accord for example, is it more economical to have a diesel engine even though the road tax will go from €614 to €860?
I would probably only drive between 10-12k miles per year.
I'd like to decide on whether I should look at petrol or diesel versions when I start going to various garages.
I've been looking at cars from around 2004 - 2006 with a max price of €12k.
I've read that both petrol versions on these particular versions of each car are very heavy on juice. Is this true?

Thanks in advance.

Realistically, at that mileage, forget diesel.

And, as Colm said, avoid the Mazda diesel.

As for the petrol/diesel resale debate, well, the petrol will be cheaper to buy. Cheaper to buy = cheaper to sell, so the difference in the end mightn't even be measurable, tbh.......