Petrol or Diesel?

Smiley11

I know there are a few older threads on this but I'm just looking for a bit of honest advice. I test drove a 1.6, 130 bhp petrol Tucson & 1.2, 115 bhp petrol Qashqai Friday. Tucson was a nice car but I preferred the Qashqai overall. I do very little mileage these days & would estimate that I'm well under 10k in the last year. I spend €50 a month on diesel for my 1.9 tdi Golf.

The very pushy Hyundai salesman basically said I was mad to be looking at petrol & EVERYONE is buying diesel these days for the obvious economic reasons. I felt it was being pushed because the petrol Tucson is a very basic model with little room for change & I wouldn't have bought that particular model. He said the resale value will be shocking on the petrol.

The far nicer Nissan salesman said it was my choice but my driving would be more suited to a petrol car. I think so too as I have had a few issues with my own diesel since I stopped doing long commutes.

I'm just wondering am I actually mad to go with a 1.2 car or is this the ideal for low mileage city driving with the odd Cork to Tipp trip?

TIA

Atlantic Dawn

Petrol all the way.

colm_mcm

Petrol qashqai, it's more advanced than the Hyundai engine and will be infinitely easier to sell or trade in later.

Smiley11

Thanks lads. I suppose I'm just a bit sceptical of a 1.2 engine going from a 1.9 but the bhp is higher in the Qashqai than my old Golf. The way the salesman was spinning it, I'd never be able to offload a petrol & I'd have had no choice but to go for a diesel Hyundai for the better spec. Much appreciated

ShadowHearth

Another vote for petrol.

The modern petrol engines are really good on mpg and will give less trouble while doing lower milage with diesel.

Go with the car you want, not the car a fella wants after few years when you want to sell.
The way things going now I wouldn't be surprised that petrol version will be more attractive then diesel as a good chunk of people finally realising that diesel is not an answer to all bands of millage.

colm_mcm

Agree with the above, but it's worth noting that the likes of the 1.2 in the Qashqai is still turbocharged and direct injection and is a nice bit more complex than a traditional patrol engine.
It won't suffer the ill effects of driving a diesel for short distances though.

Smiley11

They'd confuse you with all the jargon when you haven't a notion! I'm far from a girl racer but I still like a little pep & don't want to be driving something with no power in it. Hyundai guy was blowing on about future resale value but it doesn't really matter to me if I'm just changing it after 3 years. Think I just met the wrong one who completely turned me off a nice car!

colm_mcm

If you're changing after 3 years, resale is hugely important. The petrol Tucson will not be desirable in 3 years, and you're likely to lose a big chunk of the value of the car, meaning trading up will be more expensive. It's not gonna be worth nothing, but won't be attractive to a dealer trying to sell it on.

Smiley11

I don't think the petrol Tucson is worth the money for the basic spec to be honest so I'd have had to go for a diesel. At least with the Qashqai, there are a range of models. I know tax & fuel are far less expensive with diesel & I've loved my diesel car but I don't want problems if I decide not to change in 3 years. With the scrappage taken into account I think the petrol Qashqai is making the most sense for my needs.