Diesel car + mostly very short journeys = problem? Which Car?

fonecrusher1

Hello all,

I'm looking to sell my old corolla early next year for a few hundred euros, add that to existing savings and get myself a decent newer car. Probably around a 2005.

Here's my problem. I was going to get a petrol but I'm seeing some very nice diesel cars (Alfa GT 1.9 diesel/Mondeo ST 2.0 diesel/accord diesel/BMW 320d) but I have been warned that doing mostly short journeys in modern diesels will eventually knacker the engine. Can I not just take the car for good long spins a few times each week or am I asking for trouble?

Also which of these is the better car all in all. Around (2005)

Alfa GT 1.9 diesel
Mondeo ST 2.0 diesel
Mondeo TDCI 130bhp
Accord 2.2 diesel
BMW 320d
Audi A4 1.9tdi 130bhp
Toyota celica 140bhp
Toyota celica 190bhp
Honda civic 1.8 vtec (H/Back 2006)
Mazda 6 1.8 petrol
Honda civic 1.8 petrol saloon - http://www.carzone.ie/search/Honda/Civic/SEE-YOUT/26713426249886120/advert?channel=CARS

I'm looking at these 1.8 civic saloons more and more and they seem to strike a good balance of power (140bhp + sub 9 sec 0 to 60) fuel economy (42mpg combined)and mean't to be a decent drive. Not the prettiest of yokes but like I said they seem to offer quite a lot of car for the money.

The mondeo's are also catching my eye. The 130bhp diesel has a fair bit of poke apparently. Are they a good car? The Alfa GT is achingly pretty but I'd be worried about reliability.

*Which of these cars would you pick and which would you advise me to stay well away from?

Basically I want something that has a bit of grunt, drives good, looks decent enough, won't fall apart like a clown car and won't cost me a fortune to keep on the road.

Thanks for your time : )

Alanstrainor

You've got a mad selection of cars there, saloons, hatchbacks, coupes.

I think you'll need to figure out what you want, or even just go and drive as many of the cars you've listed.

What kind of mileage are you doing?

fonecrusher1

Alanstrainor wrote: »

You've got a mad selection of cars there, saloons, hatchbacks, coupes.

I think you'll need to figure out what you want, or even just go and drive as many of the cars you've listed.

What kind of mileage are you doing?

lol yeah its a big oul list of cars alright

I wouldn't be exactly be sure to be honest. I would say no more than 10k a year give or take a thousand. Nowhere near enough to justify a diesel. This is why i'm reluctant to buy one. I had big old hilux surf a few years back but that was real old school 3.0 TD stuff. None of the new components you see in modern diesels.

Would an Afla GT diesel be a decent car? Its soooo pretty.

Alanstrainor

The Alfa GT is a stunner alright, if it was me buying that car I'd buy a 2 litre petrol for peanuts and use the significant change left over for tax and petrol.

That being said, I think the JTD in them is supposed to be a cracker.

I don't know enough about the cars above to comment on whether you'll run into problems from short spins. I suspect that the idea that a diesel engine will explode if you don't put 50,000 miles a year on it is probably blown a bit out of proportion on here. You'd have to research each model and see if they have DMFs and DPFs, which I understand will give you trouble.

bazz26

The smart money is with buying a petrol car these days, all the sheep want diesels so there has never been a better time to pick up a petrol bargin. Also given most modern diesel engines' reliability track record to date you will be doing yourself a favour. A point in case is that you can buy a 5 year old Mazda 6 petrol for €5k/6k these days

Also I don't see the benefits of buying a diesel if you are doing very short journeys. DPF/DMF issues aside, a diesel will not even be that economical doing short trips as the engine will not get a chance to run at optimal efficency. The fact that you state you would have to take for a long run every now and then to make sure it doesn't get blocked suggests you don't actually need a diesel.

NIMAN

Taking a car a long run every now and again with diesel at 170c per litre doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

bazz26

Where are you buying diesel at 1.70 a litre? It's 1.55 - 1.57 down here.

OldmanMondeo

No point in getting a diesel with that millage. Even with longer runs now and then, you will still put the stress on the engine that causes the damage.

NIMAN

Sorry that was unleaded price, diesel is 159.9 up here.

high horse

The Civic h/b gets my vote. Great fuel economy from the 1.8 and it's not that slow either. The boot is usefully large in these at 485 litres which compares well with the Golf (350L) and Focus (316L)

fonecrusher1

bazz26 wrote: »

The smart money is with buying a petrol car these days, all the sheep want diesels so there has never been a better time to pick up a petrol bargin. Also given most modern diesel engines' reliability track record to date you will be doing yourself a favour. A point in case is that you can buy a 5 year old Mazda 6 petrol for €5k/6k these days

Also I don't see the benefits of buying a diesel if you are doing very short journeys. DPF/DMF issues aside, a diesel will not even be that economical doing short trips as the engine will not get a chance to run at optimal efficency. The fact that you state you would have to take for a long run every now and then to make sure it doesn't get blocked suggests you don't actually need a diesel.

Well thats exactly it really.

There is no doubt I don't need a diesel. Its looking more and more that getting a diesel would be a mistake. I would probably save very little fuel money considering my driving behavior. I basically drive to work and back. Go for a spin out to the country a few times each week and maybe the occasional city to city road trip.

Ok lets take the diesels out of the equation.

Toyota celica 140bhp
Toyota celica 190bhp
Honda civic 1.8 vtec (H/Back 2006)
Mazda 6 1.8 petrol
Honda civic 1.8 petrol saloon
Toyota Corolla 1.8 VVTL-I T SPORT

I'm seeing quite a few tasty mazda 6's on the market for decent money. Are they a good car? They're mean't to be on the thirsty side but a very nice drive. I used to own a legacy B4 twin turbo so surely any of the cars ive listed wouldn't be as fuel hungry as the subaru I had.

MetzgerMeister

Out of that reduced selection, I think you'd be happiest with the hatchback Civic. It has the best interior out of the lot and IMO, looks the most sporty.

The Mazda6 is a great car. My last car was a 6 MPS and although it was a great car, I got quite bored of it as the interior is nothing special at all unlike the Civic's interior which is superb!

OldmanMondeo

To be honest, I drive a diesel, due to the milage I do about 3k this month, but given the chance I would get a petrol today. Yes the diesel is great for the longer journeys, great for overtaking people, but I would much prefer a petrol.

GTDolanator

NIMAN wrote: »

Taking a car a long run every now and again with diesel at 170c per litre doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

No,No its not....its averaging about 1.60 at the mo

NIMAN

GTDolanator wrote: »

No,No its not....its averaging about 1.60 at the mo

See post # 9;)

colm_mcm

I got one of the 1.8 civics just there (Friday), very impressed with fuel economy so far, I think the 6 speed box helps.

BTW, there's a gold 08 civic saloon on dd for 8k at the moment, don't bother with it.

cruiser178

bazz26 wrote: »

The smart money is with buying a petrol car these days, all the sheep want diesels so there has never been a better time to pick up a petrol bargin. Also given most modern diesel engines' reliability track record to date you will be doing yourself a favour. A point in case is that you can buy a 5 year old Mazda 6 petrol for €5k/6k these days

Also I don't see the benefits of buying a diesel if you are doing very short journeys. DPF/DMF issues aside, a diesel will not even be that economical doing short trips as the engine will not get a chance to run at optimal efficency. The fact that you state you would have to take for a long run every now and then to make sure it doesn't get blocked suggests you don't actually need a diesel.

I think every taxi driver would totally disagree with your post and so would I. Yes you will get a good petrol car cheap atm but there's a reason for that, 170 reasons per litre.

I've been running a 98 toyota avensis diesel for the last 3 years delivering Chinese food, in that time i have put just under 50,000 miles on the clock all city driving (i get nightmares about speed ramps). The car has only done a hand full of long journey's. Never have i had an ounce of bother with the engine, only problems I've had were drop links and bushings, kept well serviced of course. I've recently changed that car and bought a 05 Audi A4 diesel, I have almost 3,000 miles on that doing deliveries, no problems as of yet, fingers crossed. My advice buy the diesel and i would definitely take the A4 for a test drive.

colm_mcm

A TD Avensis does not have direct injection, a particle filter, or a dual mass flywheel.

MetzgerMeister

cruiser178 wrote: »

I think every taxi driver would totally disagree with your post and so would I. Yes you will get a good petrol car cheap atm but there's a reason for that, 170 reasons per litre.

I've been running a 98 toyota avensis diesel for the last 3 years delivering Chinese food, in that time i have put just under 50,000 miles on the clock all city driving (i get nightmares about speed ramps). The car has only done a hand full of long journey's. Never have i had an ounce of bother with the engine, only problems I've had were drop links and bushings, kept well serviced of course. I've recently changed that car and bought a 05 Audi A4 diesel, I have almost 3,000 miles on that doing deliveries, no problems as of yet, fingers crossed. My advice buy the diesel and i would definitely take the A4 for a test drive.

I hope this doesn't happen but with your short trips, your DPF will soon start giving you trouble.

colm_mcm

Does an 05 a4 have a dpf though

MetzgerMeister

colm_mcm wrote: »

Does an 05 a4 have a dpf though

According to google it does.

cruiser178

colm_mcm wrote: »

A TD Avensis does not have direct injection, a particle filter, or a dual mass flywheel.

Yes it was a TD and i have to admit, in my 20 yrs of driving, mechanically it was the oldest but best car i have ever had.

Chris_Heilong

cruiser178 wrote: »

I think every taxi driver would totally disagree with your post and so would I. Yes you will get a good petrol car cheap atm but there's a reason for that, 170 reasons per litre.

I've been running a 98 toyota avensis diesel for the last 3 years delivering Chinese food, in that time i have put just under 50,000 miles on the clock all city driving (i get nightmares about speed ramps). The car has only done a hand full of long journey's. Never have i had an ounce of bother with the engine, only problems I've had were drop links and bushings, kept well serviced of course. I've recently changed that car and bought a 05 Audi A4 diesel, I have almost 3,000 miles on that doing deliveries, no problems as of yet, fingers crossed. My advice buy the diesel and i would definitely take the A4 for a test drive.

Taxi drivers are fine with a diesel as they do a lot of driving which would add up to big mileage, there was a time when Diesel was more expensive then petrol, this might happen again in the future but with the advent of new technology I can skip Diesel and move onto something better.

pred racer

The alfa jtdm engine does not like short journeys, and the dpf gets clogged very quickly, ive seen 2 regens on a tank when spinning around.
If you are doing longer journeys and giving it a bit of stick:D
It only regens every 2 to 3 tankfulls. Alot of people on alfaowners with dpf and egr problems from town driving.

(im presuming its the same engine as the 159)

colm_mcm

cruiser178 wrote: »

Yes it was a TD and i have to admit, in my 20 yrs of driving, mechanically it was the oldest but best car i have ever had.

I concur. I had one too and they're unburstable. Still going strong with another boardsie

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote: »

Does an 05 a4 have a dpf though

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

According to google it does.

Only the 2.0 TDi afaik and a taxi is on the road for x number of hours per day where the engine runs continueously.

robertxxx

colm_mcm wrote: »

I got one of the 1.8 civics just there (Friday), very impressed with fuel economy so far, I think the 6 speed box helps.

I really really reaaaallllyyy want one of these cars, i love them, did you every think about the 1.4.

Tax on the 2.2 diesel makes it a no no for me.

fonecrusher1

Thanks for contributing lads. I appreciate it.

colm_mcm thanks for the heads up about that civic. I have seen the car on dd.

Well ive been thinking about this all day (actually more like the last 6 months!:rolleyes:) and given my driving needs i'm going to leave the diesel idea go. Theres just no need for it. Thats fine coz i'm a petrol head at heart anyway:o

So ive reduced the list down to 3 cars.

1. Honda civic 1.8 h/b (2006) - http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3917833

This is actually a little above my budget. And this is one of the cheaper ones. I'd love to get one but it would be quite some time before i had the money saved.

2. Honda civic 1.8 saloon (2006) - http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3920955

This is more in my budget but still over. Yeah its not a great color but thats a deceptively fast car right there and the interior is cool and it has tons of extras standard.

3. Mazda 6 (2005)
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4013105
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4024207
**http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3781971

The mazda 6 is a very tempting proposition. It will be considerably harder on petrol compared to the civic but I could get one of these for 4k no problem, maybe a 2005. The 3rd dd car looks like excellent value.

For now given the prices of the 6's and the fact that they're meant to be a good reliable car that drives well and looks good thats kinda what I want.

What say you folks? The Mazda 6?

colm_mcm

robertxxx wrote: »

I really really reaaaallllyyy want one of these cars, i love them, did you every think about the 1.4.

Hell no!

bazz26

The Civic saloon is a newer design and more fuel efficent engine, the Mazda 6 would be a nicer drive though so it really depends on which you prefer.

BTW here is a 2007 Mazda 6 asking €5500:


http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3767690

Mileage is above average for the year but it states is has a full service history.

fonecrusher1

bazz26 wrote: »

The Civic saloon is a newer design and more fuel efficent engine, the Mazda 6 would be a nicer drive though so it really depends on which you prefer.

BTW here is a 2007 Mazda 6 asking €5500:


http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3767690

Mileage is above average for the year but it states is has a full service history.

Bazz ive been driving a oul corolla for 2 years and although a good reliable car its like driving a motorized turnip. I love to drive and ive been stuck with my rolla for too long so yes the fact that the mazda is a good drive is something that is very important to me.

Thats looks like an amazing deal but its just a little above my budget. Also i should have said im factoring in the eye-watering yearly tax hit with my budget. Which for a 1.8 is about 600 euros or something:(

robertxxx

I'd be surprised if there is a difference in the Honda engines, why didn't the uk get the saloon?

colm_mcm

robertxxx wrote: »

I'd be surprised if there is a difference in the Honda engines, why didn't the uk get the saloon?

Because they didn't want it. They got the IMA saloon though.

I think he meant the Honda engine was newer than the Mazda one