Is buying a diesel car now silly?

Tim Robbins

Can't find delete button, this post should be deleted

Tim Robbins

I am in the process of looking for a car and the one I have my eye on is really only possible to get second hand in diesel:

Hyundai Tucson. A similar car electric is way too much money and I am already breaking the budget to the Tucscon.

Electric would reck my head unless it had an amazing battery which again is more money. So looks like I'll be sucking diesel for the next five years.

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117763253#Comment_117763253

Go for the diesel.

They are a good car.

Dont pay any attention to all the hip comments about diesels.

They are actually as clean as petrols nowadays. Cleaner even.

Electric is just far too expensive for what you get.

TaurenDruid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117765980#Comment_117765980

They are actually as clean as petrols nowadays. Cleaner even.

Yeah, they're not.

quokula

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117746539#Comment_117746539

This sounds like they have a pretty old EV. Unless you're regularly travelling from Cork to Donegal, a modern one will have enough range to do just about any journey you'd want to make. I've had an ID3 for about 9 months now and I haven't needed to stop and charge it once, it's way more convenient than the diesel it replaced that needed to stop at a petrol station regularly.

bazz26

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117766210#Comment_117766210

So you are saying you haven't had to charge the ID3 in 9 months of ownership? Do you actually use it?

ELM327

Absolutely not silly. If a diesel made sense to your use case last year, nothing has changed.

quokula

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117766228#Comment_117766228

I’m saying I haven’t had to use a public charger. It charges while I sleep.

wotzgoingon

I was just looking up the prices on those I.D's and they are pretty dear for what you get but I suppose they are cheap for a full electric car.

I see you have to charge it at night. What's the range like in real world performance?

bazz26

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117768841#Comment_117768841

Ok but you did make it sound like the ID3 never had to be charged compared to going to fuel stations regularly when you had a diesel. Sure if we could stick a diesel tank at home very few would need to go to a fuel station either. 😀

Anyway I don't mind spending 10 mins every 2 weeks or so filling up at a fuel station but maybe my life is less eventful than some others.

[Deleted User]

I think you'd be mad to buy a diesel car now. Sure it's nearly midnight.

[Deleted User]

Don't get conned by the hybrids. They're just petrols lugging around a heavy battery you rarely use giving the same economy as petrol. They even doubly insulate the engine so you don't hear it as much!

Markcheese

If you're doing the milage then a diesel over a petrol makes sense -

But if you're doing big milage then an electric car will work out cheaper -

Petrol and diesels aren't going to just get banned outright - it'll be new sales that'll be affected - at some point you may have to be prepared to run your diesel car till it dies ,then scrap it .. if the price of running it gets way out of line - bit that's probably a few years off yet -

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117769744#Comment_117769744

Hybrids are nicer to drive around the city and give better economy.

Plug in hybrids can be driven for weeks on end without using a drop of fuel

TaurenDruid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117771930#Comment_117771930

I'm curious - if you're managing to drive without petrol for weeks on end, then why not go full EV? Price?

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117771930#Comment_117771930

Not everyone lives in the city! Go out on the motorway see which engine you use

WacoKid

Plug in hybrids work really well when charged and in stop/start, or city, driving. The do not make any sense for motorway driving, diesels obviously do.

With diesels I would be worried about selling on in a few years as the Irish are very quick at changing their mind based on motor tax rates etc. Diesels in towns never work but with favourable rates since 2008 meant everyone went down that route. If the government continues punish diesels through tax and incentivise hybrids then Irish folk will switch over to hybrids, regardless if they are the correct fit for their driving requirements.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117772105#Comment_117772105

Because I wasn’t ready for full EV and didn’t want to have to rely on the public charging network when I go on longer journeys. And the particular car I wanted wasn’t available as an EV. Most EV’s are boring/ugly/expensive

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117772180#Comment_117772180

And not everyone is from the back arse of nowhere either. A lot of people do live in cities

My plug in hybrid uses the electric motor for around 25km on the motorway actually

When the electric range runs out it uses the petrol engine and achieves 55mpg

I’m not against diesel but once you start driving hybrids or even petrol its hard to switch back to diesel

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117766210#Comment_117766210

Its a 5 year old Nissan Leaf if you consider that old.

The main long trip they do (roughly every weekend, but sometimes only every second weekend) is to my aunts from Just north of Swords to about half way between Gorey and Wexford town.

Ive been with them numerous times on that trip before they gave up doing it in the EV.

You cant make it down and back without fast charging.

In the few places you can fast charge it there is always one or more cars already waiting to charge.

Sometimes the chargers are broken.

EVs are great cars but they are a disaster when it comes to long trips.

That car was abouyt €40k new i think, so it wasnt cheap. And to consider it obsolete after 5 years old really shows the useful life of an EV.

TaurenDruid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117773494#Comment_117773494

Um. Why would they need to make it down and back with fast charging? Like, are they not staying over? Or even staying there for a few hours, giving plenty of time to recharge?

Like, Swords to Enniscorthy is 150km. A 5-y-o battery should be getting you there with range to spare, to recharge, surely? The car is not obsolete, by any stretch. Worst case, replace the battery, and they'll get another five years out of it, minimum.

TheSheriff

Just purchased a 3 year old diesel. The market is very strong, at least from our perspective in Dublin.

Two cars we liked and decided to sleep on it before taking the plunge, both were sold from under us within 24 hours.

We would have liked an electric but really couldn't justify the cost of something like a Kona, and didn't want to settle for a leaf etc.

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117773550#Comment_117773550

I dont know what kind of relatives you have :)

No they dont stay down there its only an hour and a half drive down.

But it just shows you that drioving an EV is not straightforward. Looks like you have to have unnexxesary overnight stays and ask people to install chargers and run up their esb bills :)

I can see it now.

Mary, while you are at it will you install a charger for a €1000 or so, so we can stick the car on it and run up your electricity bill every time we call down for an aul chat.

Alternatively Mary, please make up the spare bed for us because we are bringing the EV and wont be able to go home tonight.

Kids at home - We wont be back to feed you because we went out in the EV today and it wont go back so we are staying the night to charge it on Marys electricity.

rocky

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117773494#Comment_117773494

A 2016 Leaf 24kwh could be bought new for 20k, not 40k. Look up their prices on donedeal now, see what other cars have such low depreciation after 5 years.

A bit unfortunate that the Leaf fast charges on Chademo, most other electric cars charge on CCS, giving more charger options.

For 40k now you can get new EVs with a range of 400+km

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117776488#Comment_117776488

Theirs is 30kwh car. I think its the mid range one. Not leather seats, but it does have the center console, so i think thats whatever model is the mid range.

I can garauntee you it didnt cost €20k, or €30k or that matter.

I can only imagine the situation would be worse in a 24kwh.

And listen to yourself :)

Advocating paying €40k for an EV that can do 400km.

€40k.

TaurenDruid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117776387#Comment_117776387

/shrug I don't have an EV myself (I'm thinking next car will likely be PH, and the one after that full EV). But friends who do have EVs - including one with a Leaf - don't seem to have the range anxiety or limit your relative's EV seems to have; and the one with a Tesla can plug it in to a domestic power outlet to charge when necessary, though admittedly I've no idea how long they'd need to leave it plugged in to get 150k range back.

rocky

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117776525#Comment_117776525

The mark2 40kwh Leaf was around 27k when introduced, I'd say their mk 1.5 30kwh was a bit less than that, maybe 25k. Yes the leaf has a few disadvantages when it comes to charging, still I'd bet it's residual value is quite high

I didn't bring up the 40k price point, it was falsely reported as the new price for a 30kwh Leaf. And TCO for an EV is lower than for a similar price ICE car.

rocky

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117777067#Comment_117777067

150km range at 7.2kw home charger and 150wh/km takes 3h6min and costs 1.8€ at 8c/kwh nightrate, or 1.2€ for 100km. In a 300bhp car 🐎

TaurenDruid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117778187#Comment_117778187

If I was driving for 150km over 90 minutes to visit a rellie, I'd reckon a 3-hour visit would be reasonable, and well worth contributing €2.00 towards the cost of the electricity to my host? 😉

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117778610#Comment_117778610

So every time you visit a relative or anyone else you ask them can they open a window and run an extension cable out so you can charge the car. Or you could get them to install an outside socket, just for when you come to visit.

3 hours charging is going to get you what, 30km. It could be a long way home.

You might have to stay in someone elses house on the stay back for the night :)