Petrol, diesel or hybrid; what should I buy?

colbarr

Hi Folks,

I'm looking to buy a new (used) car for myself and the GF. Our budget is €5000 at the moment, but I've been thinking about getting a loan for up to €8000 from the credit union.

For the most part, my car search has given me mostly diesel cars to choose from that look a a good deal, but talking to some of the lads in work, they're saying to stay away from diesel cars. I haven't seen many petrol cars on my searches. One of the lads suggested going for a hybrid car and I've been looking for those now. Mostly Toyota Prius and Honda Insight or Jazz. Are hybrids from 2010/2011 still reliable, or would they need battery replacement?

Our preferences are:
Saloon car, tax under €400, less than 100,000 miles (the lower the better), 2010 or newer, engine less than 2.0L. We are based in South Dublin.

Any help you can give me would be much appreciated!

Colbarr

pah

colbarr wrote: »

Hi Folks,

I'm looking to buy a new (used) car for myself and the GF. Our budget is €5000 at the moment, but I've been thinking about getting a loan for up to €8000 from the credit union.

For the most part, my car search has given me mostly diesel cars to choose from that look a a good deal, but talking to some of the lads in work, they're saying to stay away from diesel cars. I haven't seen many petrol cars on my searches. One of the lads suggested going for a hybrid car and I've been looking for those now. Mostly Toyota Prius and Honda Insight or Jazz. Are hybrids from 2010/2011 still reliable, or would they need battery replacement?

Our preferences are:
Saloon car, tax under €400, less than 100,000 miles (the lower the better), 2010 or newer, engine less than 2.0L. We are based in South Dublin.

Any help you can give me would be much appreciated!

Colbarr

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-insight-2013-132/20558716

This seems too cheap, anyone know this crowd?

bazz26

OP you don't mention your annual mileage or what sort of driving you do? These should dictate which fuel type you buy over the others. With your criteria I think your going to struggle to find a good diesel or hybrid within your budget.

alongwaytotipp

I have the same question but am planning to buy new (budget up to €35k). I cover about 30k KM per year so currently diesel is cheaper to run than a petrol. Living in a medium size town and commuting approximately 50km per day which is mainly country road driving. Dealers tell me that hybrids are not ideal for this as the drive is relatively short and not much braking so not much chance for the battery to be fully charged. Every month or so I'd take a long distance spin (300km +) so I'd consider EV out of the question for another few years until they improve the charging infrastructure.
One of the main factors for me to consider would be depreciation. I'd plan to change the car in about 5 years time. Diesels of course are getting bad press but I reckon it will take another few years for that to really hit home. Hybrid technology is constantly changing so anything I buy now will be very old technology in five years time and worth very little. Think I'm going to go with diesel..am I mad ?

Bigus

alongwaytotipp wrote: »

I have the same question but am planning to buy new (budget up to €35k). I cover about 30k KM per year so currently diesel is cheaper to run than a petrol. Living in a medium size town and commuting approximately 50km per day which is mainly country road driving. Dealers tell me that hybrids are not ideal for this as the drive is relatively short and not much braking so not much chance for the battery to be fully charged. Every month or so I'd take a long distance spin (300km +) so I'd consider EV out of the question for another few years until they improve the charging infrastructure.
One of the main factors for me to consider would be depreciation. I'd plan to change the car in about 5 years time. Diesels of course are getting bad press but I reckon it will take another few years for that to really hit home. Hybrid technology is constantly changing so anything I buy now will be very old technology in five years time and worth very little. Think I'm going to go with diesel..am I mad ?

Hybrid is ideal for a 50 km commute , dealers talking crap. Hybrid tech hasn't changed much in 20 years since Prius II , and is not going to change much unless some super duper lightweight battery emerges.
What car model had you in mind ? hybrid Corolla would be in your budget .

Bigus

colbarr wrote: »

Hi Folks,

I'm looking to buy a new (used) car for myself and the GF. Our budget is €5000 at the moment, but I've been thinking about getting a loan for up to €8000 from the credit union.

For the most part, my car search has given me mostly diesel cars to choose from that look a a good deal, but talking to some of the lads in work, they're saying to stay away from diesel cars. I haven't seen many petrol cars on my searches. One of the lads suggested going for a hybrid car and I've been looking for those now. Mostly Toyota Prius and Honda Insight or Jazz. Are hybrids from 2010/2011 still reliable, or would they need battery replacement?

Our preferences are:
Saloon car, tax under €400, less than 100,000 miles (the lower the better), 2010 or newer, engine less than 2.0L. We are based in South Dublin.

Any help you can give me would be much appreciated!

Colbarr

If you're buying a Prius or Lexus CT hybrid I wouldn't be afraid of a good value car with 200,000 miles so maybe don't limit yourself to 100 k miles but make sure you get discount for higher miles.