Diesel or petrol?

km79

my wife is currently driving a 00 1.4L petrol
been very reliable but will prob need to be changed this year
I've a 0.5 focus 1.4 L petrol myself as well and will be holding that for a few years more hopefully as I do very low mileage
so for my wife should we consider a diesel engine ?
her daily commute is roughly a total of 70 km and of that 60 km would be motorway. we don't really go longer journeys bar galway-dublin airport once or twice a year!
she currently has to fill the tank 3\4 times a month which is costing her around 300 a month .
if that was reduced by even a 3rd it may well be worth the extra money !
she would be looking at a similar sized car around the 09\10 mark with 10 grand being the absolute Max!
so is is worth spending 2000 or so on the diesel or using it to get a car a year younger?

biko

Tbh, just stay with car until it dies.
Spending a load on another car only to save some money on fuel doesn't make sense to me.

But do the maths, it may be worth switching if your newer car will last you 5/6/more years.

km79

biko wrote: »

Tbh, just stay with car until it dies.
Spending a load on another car only to save some money on fuel doesn't make sense to me.

But do the maths, it may be worth switching if your newer car will last you 5/6/more years.

that's the plan BUT I want to have the info clear in my head in case it dies suddenly. don't want t have to rush into a decision .
if we are to keep it beyond this year it will need a new timing belt and possbky brakes. that's the guts of 6\700 euro not allowing for anything else ......
so just to be clear on the question as I waffled a bit.........when we change cars based on her milage should we spend extra on a diesel ?

Idbatterim

unless you want to change the car or are forced to if something happens and it becomes uneconomical to repair, changing doesnt make any sense to me. The motor tax on it is already cheap, depreciation and loan interest will will cost more than the fuel savings, also bear in mind that if you go diesel, even one diesel issue could write off the diesel "savings" for a year or two on the mileage that your wife does.

Bpmull

Op your looking at 21k km a year mileage that's based on 400km per week. Considering she does long motorway trips you would justify diesel just about. However wanting to spend less than 10k euro and still being up the years you would probably get a better petrol car with less mileage for less money. Some newer petrols will do up on 40mpg the diesel will only do about 15mpg more. I suppose it just depends on the car and deal your going to get you could make a good case for either in your wifes scenario.

Also if you know your current car is on the way out I wouldnt changing the timming belt if it's only just due now you could easily get another year to two out of the car although when it does snap the car would only be fit for scrap I suppose it depends on how good a condition the car is in how much a timming belt costs to do. Obviously do the brake related maintenance.

Soarer

I'd go for a Prius like this one. Cruising on the motorway should get you 60mpg.

Very reliable, and low road tax. Aviva do really cheap insurance for the Prius too!

km79

Soarer wrote: »

I'd go for a Prius like this one. Cruising on the motorway should get you 60mpg.

Very reliable, and low road tax. Aviva do really cheap insurance for the Prius too!

never considered a Prius ! interesting . toyatas would be reliable as a rule wouldn't they ? that one there is an automatic but I assume most are manual.

Atlantic Dawn

km79 wrote: »

never considered a Prius ! interesting . toyatas would be reliable as a rule wouldn't they ? that one there is an automatic but I assume most are manual.

All Prius are automatic.

km79

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

All Prius are automatic.

oh did not know that
thanks

Soarer

They're even better than automatic.....they're CVT!

Kinda like the gears on a moped. It's like one long gear, so you never hear/feel it changing gear.
Wife has been driving them since 2008 and literally won't drive anything else! Had her first until the start of last year, when it was written off. Then bought another one, and has been driving that since. Don't ever remember ever changing anything so much as a bulb in either!
Mighty yokes.

visual

with most of the journey on motorway diesel is best. it should save you a 1/3 on fuel bills over same car with petrol engine. 6 speed would be best as it lowers the revs @ 120kph

OldMrBrennan83

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9935452

km79 wrote: »

that's the plan BUT I want to have the info clear in my head in case it dies suddenly. don't want t have to rush into a decision .
if we are to keep it beyond this year it will need a new timing belt and possbky brakes. that's the guts of 6\700 euro not allowing for anything else ......
so just to be clear on the question as I waffled a bit.........when we change cars based on her milage should we spend extra on a diesel ?

The thing is though if you get these done the car is good for another 100k kms. You can change to another car and these things may need to be done too. Talk to you garage man and get and honest opinion from him. Is the car likely to start costing a lot of money

Look around at diesels and prices of them and mileages. People who buy them are buying them to do big mileages and therefore they have high mileages. To get a genuine low mileage one you will pay a good bit more.

I had a 1.4 petrol golf 130k miles . well serviced, TB clutch water pump brakes exhaust all recently done good tyres, reliable car. Friends were telling me to change to a diesel for economy but the way I saw it was the golf was going to cost very little in depreciation and repairs/servicing over the next 3 years. If I was changing I would be spending 10k plus to upgrade to an unknown car, which in a few years time would have lost 5 k in value
. 5 k buys an aweful lot of petrol.
My rough calculations at on stage said I spent 2400 on petrol a year. buy a diesel and it would become 1600 so a 800 euro a year saving.
This is just my way of looking at it

9935452

Patww79 wrote: »

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Depends on the car. I drove a 141 1.6 diesel ford focus which was definitely that way. I drove a 09 2.0 audi a4 which isn't . She will run at 60mph at 1500rpm and around 2000rpm at 75mph

km79

9935452 wrote: »

The thing is though if you get these done the car is good for another 100k kms. You can change to another car and these things may need to be done too. Talk to you garage man and get and honest opinion from him. Is the car likely to start costing a lot of money

Look around at diesels and prices of them and mileages. People who buy them are buying them to do big mileages and therefore they have high mileages. To get a genuine low mileage one you will pay a good bit more.

I had a 1.4 petrol golf 130k miles . well serviced, TB clutch water pump brakes exhaust all recently done good tyres, reliable car. Friends were telling me to change to a diesel for economy but the way I saw it was the golf was going to cost very little in depreciation and repairs/servicing over the next 3 years. If I was changing I would be spending 10k plus to upgrade to an unknown car, which in a few years time would have lost 5 k in value
. 5 k buys an aweful lot of petrol.
My rough calculations at on stage said I spent 2400 on petrol a year. buy a diesel and it would become 1600 so a 800 euro a year saving.
This is just my way of looking at it

thanks the car is going in for full service next month with nct due
will get him to see what he thinks
may do timing belt in summer then after all

visual

Patww79 wrote: »

I was always told that 6th in a 6 speed was the same as 5th in a 5 speed, just with smaller gaps between top and 1st due to having one extra.

In all of the cars I've drove the 6th gear lower the revs by quite a bit and certainly much lower than its 5 speed counterpart. Won't use or miss 6th around the city or even some rural roads but on motorways it's a big plus

OldMrBrennan83

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9935452

Patww79 wrote: »

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The focus I drove would have been the same . I actually found it damn annoying all the extra gear changing continuously. You did find yourself having to change more often. Audi is a different kettle of fish

OldMrBrennan83

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9935452

Patww79 wrote: »

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2.0tdi audi would be at tickover at 40/45mph
Its only when you go to 50mph the car is telling you to change up