Diesel v Petrol and mileage questions

Ragnar Lothbrok

I'm looking to change my car shortly and checking all the websites etc. There are two questions I have, based on the type of driving I usually do.

I do approx 8,000 miles per year, the vast majority of which are city/town driving. I'd go on a long spin (Cork to Dublin) maybe once a month.

I'm looking for something like an Opel Insignia or Mazda 6, engine size 1.6 to 2.0, probably 2012 to 2014 reg. I know I don't *need* a big car, but I don't like smaller cars.

Based on my type of driving, are there any disadvantages to buying a diesel model? I've always had petrol models before, but most advertised cars I've looked at are diesel.

Also, is high mileage necessarily a sign that things might go wrong with the car? My thoughts are that if a car has an apparently high mileage, it's probably done a lot of motorway driving, which I'd imagine is better for a car than my stop/start short journeys around the city? For example, one of the cars I looked at was a 2013 Insignia (diesel) with about 150,000 miles on the clock - would this be a problem?

I currently drive a petrol 2 litre Golf (nearly 15 years old) so I'm used to paying high tax and insurance! Even so, I rarely spend more than €20 on petrol per week.

Thanks
Ragnar

Wailin

Diesel wouldn't be suitable for you with 90% stop/start city driving. Even if the car gets a good motorway run once a month.

Petrol, or better still, a hybrid would be ideal for you. There's not much choice though with the majority of used cars being diesel. If you like bigger cars there's a few petrol vw passats but very few petrol options for bigger cars unfortunately.

bazz26

From what you are saying about your usage you don't need a diesel car and with that in mind I'd stay well away from both an Insignia and Mazda 6. Both could be temperamental even it you had proper use for them. Driving a diesel mostly around a city doing all start/stop driving is pointless and will eventually lead to problems as the engine never gets up to optimal temperature to clean out all the soot particles that build up.

If you want something like an Insignia or Mazda 6 then look at petrol options, they are rare as hen's teeth down here but there would be more available up in the North. You can also get a few Passats or Superbs in petrol form. The other alternative is to look at hybrids - hard to find something the size of an Insignia or Mazda 6 in hybrid but you have the likes of the slightly smaller Toyota Prius or Auris out there that are ideal for your type of driving.

Ragnar Lothbrok

Thanks very much for the helpful replies. The exact opposite of what I wanted to hear but at least I can start looking at different types of car now.

U_Fig

Look to the UK and up North you will get a much better choice of larger petrol cars. 2nd hand market for cars like that in Ireland is pretty much 90% diesel.

Ragnar Lothbrok

U_Fig wrote: »

Look to the UK and up North you will get a much better choice of larger petrol cars. 2nd hand market for cars like that in Ireland is pretty much 90% diesel.

Yeah, I've started looking at the UK now. I have plenty of family in the Midlands so could manage a short holiday at the same time!

colm_mcm

What’s your budget?

Ragnar Lothbrok

colm_mcm wrote: »

What’s your budget?

Don't want to spend more than £7,000 STG if I go to the UK.

Maybe 10,000 euro if I buy here.