1L petrol v 1.4L diesel

polarbearhead

hi,
my wife is looking to change from a 1.9 tdi skoda. She is looking for a run around car for school drops, going to work etc. short journeys with town driving. Which would be more economical? any recommendations?

thanks
pbh

slimjimmc

Diesel would be more economical on fuel (assuming both cars have similar body size) and diesel is currently cheaper less expensive than petrol.
Diesel engines generally need more frequent servicing than petrol engines.
For pre-08 cars motor tax would be cheaper for 1l regardless of fuel type, post '08 motor would depend on emissions so you'll have to have a particular model in mind before you compare tax rates.

bazz26

What sort of budget do you have.

A Yaris or Fiesta are pretty good cars and decent on fuel.

Leonard Hofstadter

Diesel is a no-no for short driving anyway.

polarbearhead

Budget is about 2k to 3k. For example Would a 1.4l diesel polo be more economical than a 1L petrol polo on shorter town journeys?

shedweller

polarbearhead wrote: »

Budget is about 2k to 3k. For example Would a 1.4l diesel polo be more economical than a 1L petrol polo on shorter town journeys?

For a short while, yes. Then it will break down due to not getting warm enough and the exhaust system clogging up with soot.
Stick to petrol for short journeys.

db330

Diesels are not suited for short journeys, so a petrol is best suited.

sunshinediver

Contrary to popular belief in here there's nothing wrong with using diesel cars for short journeys. If however the car has a dpf it may need a long trip once in a while to regenerate it.

Tranceypoo

sunshinediver wrote: »

Contrary to popular belief in here there's nothing wrong with using diesel cars for short journeys. If however the car has a dpf it may need a long trip once in a while to regenerate it.

What would constitute a long journey? Would a 10 mile run on the motorway at 60/70mph cut it?

sunshinediver

Tranceypoo wrote: »

What would constitute a long journey? Would a 10 mile run on the motorway at 60/70mph cut it?

I only have experience of BMWs, once the dpf warning light comes on 10 mins at 80kph clears it, it's only come on twice in 5 years of ownership with mostly short trips done. It's not as big of an issue as people believe.

I'd be surprised if a diesel polo worth 2-3k has a dpf fitted.

Leonard Hofstadter

Tranceypoo wrote: »

What would constitute a long journey? Would a 10 mile run on the motorway at 60/70mph cut it?

Yes a motorway spin will clear out the DPF.

Another point that is missed is that because diesels take longer to warm up than petrols, they will not be any more efficient than a petrol for short distance driving, and you'll have increased engine wear because you're not giving it a chance to warm up, so another reason to go for a petrol.

Then you've the traditional advantages like the additional quietness and smoothness of a petrol engine as well.

I have nothing against anyone buying a diesel if they actually need a diesel but people are getting so hung up about saving a euro or two a week that they'll spend thousands more on a diesel just to save a euro or two a week on tax, without thinking about the consequences, such as the fact that diesels need a good spin every so often to keep the DPF happy.

BostonB

I think some of the Fiat/Opel/Alfa's that use the 1.3 TD don't have a DPF either.

bazz26

polarbearhead wrote: »

Budget is about 2k to 3k. For example Would a 1.4l diesel polo be more economical than a 1L petrol polo on shorter town journeys?

Look at the bigger picture. A 1.4 diesel Polo will cost alot more to buy than a similar 1.0 petrol Polo. The diesel Polo may have alot more mileage on it too. So the premium you pay for buying the diesel Polo buys you alot of petrol. And around town a 1.0 litre Polo will be nearly as frugal as a diesel Polo.

dr.fuzzenstein

captainspeed wrote: »

Yes a motorway spin will clear out the DPF.

Another point that is missed is that because diesels take longer to warm up than petrols, they will not be any more efficient than a petrol for short distance driving, and you'll have increased engine wear because you're not giving it a chance to warm up, so another reason to go for a petrol.

Then you've the traditional advantages like the additional quietness and smoothness of a petrol engine as well.

I have nothing against anyone buying a diesel if they actually need a diesel but people are getting so hung up about saving a euro or two a week that they'll spend thousands more on a diesel just to save a euro or two a week on tax, without thinking about the consequences, such as the fact that diesels need a good spin every so often to keep the DPF happy.

I am a worshiper at the altar of diesel and I agree 100% with you.
I'd go for petrol, diesel not worth the initial outlay and potential trouble down the line for minimal savings.
Plus, don't forget, pre CO2 tax regime, the 1.4 would cost more to tax.
And if that where my missus, I'd suggest her to get a Mini Cooper. And not a diesel one.

Even though on a car worth 2-3k you're unlikely to find a DPF, I'd still go for petrol.

Pdfile

captainspeed wrote: »

Yes a motorway spin will clear out the DPF.

Another point that is missed is that because diesels take longer to warm up than petrols, they will not be any more efficient than a petrol for short distance driving, and you'll have increased engine wear because you're not giving it a chance to warm up, so another reason to go for a petrol.

Then you've the traditional advantages like the additional quietness and smoothness of a petrol engine as well.

I have nothing against anyone buying a diesel if they actually need a diesel but people are getting so hung up about saving a euro or two a week that they'll spend thousands more on a diesel just to save a euro or two a week on tax, without thinking about the consequences, such as the fact that diesels need a good spin every so often to keep the DPF happy.

i agree but if you're running it on veggie oil, the cheapest money can buy or biofuels, despite the tiny engine, if you give it 5+ mins to tick over before yo leave n the morning it should be alright...

Tea 1000

Pdfile wrote: »

i agree but if you're running it on veggie oil, the cheapest money can buy or biofuels, despite the tiny engine, if you give it 5+ mins to tick over before yo leave n the morning it should be alright...

But that's illegal unless you pay duty on the fuel!

alias no.9

Pdfile wrote: »

i agree but if you're running it on veggie oil, the cheapest money can buy or biofuels, despite the tiny engine, if you give it 5+ mins to tick over before yo leave n the morning it should be alright...

Eh veggie oil ain't that cheap in the supermarket and for anything other than old indirect injection diesel with a mechanically controlled Bosch injector pump is going to require a two tank set up so you use regular diesel to warm the engine up before switching to veggie oil.
Are you suggesting that the op spend money on a two tank conversion and spend 5 minutes ticking over on regular diesel just to use veggie oil on the short journeys, journeys that they could probably have done on the diesel they used to warm the engine up

dr.fuzzenstein

Gotta get used chipfat to run that, forget buying new oil in the supermarket.

Fiskar

polarbearhead wrote: »

hi,
my wife is looking to change from a 1.9 tdi skoda. She is looking for a run around car for school drops, going to work etc. short journeys with town driving. Which would be more economical? any recommendations?

thanks
pbh

Run around, short journeys, definitley petrol territory. Diesels don't like short runs

dr.fuzzenstein

Fiskar wrote: »

Run around, short journeys, definitley petrol territory. Diesels don't like short runs

Deffo, even petrols can mayonnaise up if only ever taken for 5-10 minute town runs.
Every car needs a good blowout every now and then.
Ever considered going electric, OP?