Diesel recommendations for approx 7K

Eirblath

Hi All,

Just looking for some recommendations on cars to buy. I'm looking to change my car in the next few weeks. I currently drive a 1L Petrol but am doing about 20,000 miles per year, mostly on motorway and feel the 1L just isn't enough.

I'm not sure if 20K miles is enough to justify the extra expense of a diesel so maybe someone can let me know.

The things I need in the new car are:
- Reliable
- Low running costs (fuel, tax, ongoing maintenance)
- Within budget of 7K

The things I'd like are:
- Alright to look at :-)
- Low enough mileage so that I can put about 100,000 miles on it and be confident of re-sale

All advice much appreciated

bazz26

Kia Ceed:



http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/KIA/Ceed/LOVELY-LITTLE/36613741629607940/

Eirblath

Never even thought of a Kia. Not a huge fan of the look but then again I can't be too picky.

Are Kias generally considered a pretty reliable make?

bazz26

Yes they are reliable, so much so that Kia give a 7 year/150,000km warranty with them from new.

Eirblath

Will keep them in mind so, thanks for the advice.

Just a quick follow up question, do you definitely think that a diesel would be a better option at 20K miles or does it really matter?

bazz26

You will have to do the maths on that one. You will obviously get a newer with less mileage petrol car for your money but it will be less economical than a diesel. So you need to work out the difference in purchase price, tax, etc between petrol and diesel models and see how long it will take you to claw that back given you will be driving 20k miles per year. You then may have to factor in unexpected costs around repairs. Modern diesels are more complex than their petrol engine counterparts so you may have a higher risk of something going wrong with one over time.

If you are happy to drive and fuel a petrol car driving 20k miles per year then it probably would be the safer choice. Some people will accept the higher fuel costs and stick with petrol because of these reasons. 20k miles per year would not be excessive for a petrol car and sustainable depending on your financial circumstances.

Eirblath

Will do a bit more checking on the mpg & tax for each car so. Thanks again :-)