Does it make sense buying a new diesel car?

fido_dido

Hi,

I looking to buy a new car. This is going to be my first car in Ireland.

With the chip shortage and other delays going on there are barely any cars available in the market.

I am not sure if its worth buying diesel car now with new cars that are coming into market are PHEVs, EVs in the market?

Miscreant

All depends on what you actually want. You will get a lot of opinions here on the benefits of Petrol, Diesel, Hybrid, PHEV, EV and LPG. At the end of the day, it comes down to you. What kind of mileage are you doing on a daily basis? How many people will be in the car? Will you be bringing children to/from school/training/parties/church/holidays etc? Do you live in a city or town? Do you have recharging capabilities at home/close to home? How long do you intend to keep the car? What is your budget? I could go on and on here, but you get the point.

EVs are practically impossible to get new in this country at the moment (without a considerable waiting list). Second hand EV values have hardened to the point that 1 and 2 year old models are around the same price as a new one so there is little value there (IMO)

ICE vehicles are not going anywhere in the medium term and a proposed ban on them will not kick in until the end of this decade so you still have the choice of Petrol or Diesel in the market.

My advice? Get a list of your requirements together, take a look at what is available out there (new) and call some dealerships to see if they have what you want in stock. Be prepared to have to travel for your chosen model too as if you are in Dublin/Cork/Galway etc, the car you want could be in stock in Kerry or elsewhere a good distance away.

rob316

Depends what your driving requirements are, if you want economy with long range driving, diesel is the way to go still. I thought about changing my 8 year old diesel recently for new but I just figured ill drive it into the ground instead. Major thing to consider is in a few years when EV are more widespread and available on the 2nd hand market your diesel will be worth alot less if trading in for an EV. I'd still buy a diesel tomorrow morning but not brand new, maybe a few years old as I have always done.

ec_pc

I know there is a gap price wise between a new fossil fuel car compared to electric, but I think the running costs gap will only increase as time goes on - higher fuel costs, road tax, tolls etc. Something to consider.

colm_mcm

I think electricity, especially night rate will rise in cost as demand goes up. Public charging will be at the price the market will bear, especially as petrol stations start to capitalise on EVs.

magicbastarder

is the resale cost of the car important to you in your purchase? i.e. are you considering how much the car might be worth in 5 years time? because no one here can tell you how much a diesel car will be worth in 5 years time.

you've not stated what the general use of the car will be.

fido_dido

Honestly, I have zero interest in buying a car but my wife wants me to have one. I have been living in Dublin for last 6 years and never ever felt the need to have a car. I used public transport most of the times. Now, she has convinced me to get a car and the purpose of having one would be occasional commute to work (2/3 times in a month) as I and my wife both work from home and distance would be max 80-100 kms probably.

Few trips here and there, grocery shopping and visiting friends. Total would be about 500 kms a month max unless I go for a some trip around Ireland! Don't have kids so no possibilities of bringing children to/from school/training/parties/church at all for next 4-5 years.

Other than this nothing more. The budget I have factored in is around 35-40k don't want to spend a penny more than that and considering this will be my first car in Ireland, insurance cost would be high.

I would be keeping this car for good 7-8 years so, not really concerned about the resale value of it. Unless they ban ICE in next 2-3 years.

Spoke to a few dealers in Dublin and the wait times for the new cars is 4-6 months and some are literally going into end of Q1 next year.

Don't want to buy a used car for two reason, price for good used cars are totally unjustified at the moment and I have had a horrible experience with used car in another country and now I am totally paranoid!

User1998

Being convinced to spend €40,000 on a car you don’t want or need, with a yearly mileage of only 6,000 kilometres sounds absolutely mental to me. And considering a diesel car at this mileage is just as mad.

Forget about your past experience and buy a cheap and reliable car for €5,000 and be done with it

dePeatrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119358599#Comment_119358599

You’re nuts to buy a car then, especially a new one. If you add up deprecation, fuel,insurance, servicing, tax and NCT if applicable it is an expensive luxury.

crisco10

I third this. You're being penny-wise pound poor in trying to avoid maintenance cost. Your spending a lot on depreciation. As said above, get what you can for €5k and even if its worth nothing in 2 years, you'll still have spent a lot less on depreciation than keeping the new €40k car for 5 years.

The other advantage of not committing to new now is that your requirements might change in the next few years (e.g. kids, location) and then you can get a new car that suits your more strict requirements.

DaveyDave

At that rate just get a reasonably priced second hand run around? If you don't really want a car don't buy a new one. If you want to keep it for a good few years just buy something a bit newer, like 5 years old or so.

Also don't buy a car you don't need, you don't need a stupid lumpy crossover or an executive saloon if you don't care about cars and it's mostly just you in it.

Miscreant

I'll second and third the last 2 comments here then. You might be better off either with a cheap second-hand petrol car, or just renting a car when you need to go on a weekend away or something. You could also look at a service like GoCar for the occasional times you will need one.

Save your €40k as the last thing you need is an expensive driveway ornament.

mikeecho

Does your wife have a car?

Will she be using it as well?

If she's not going to be using it, you're mad to be buying a car.

It would probably be cheaper to rent a car on the days or weeks you need one. (Although rental prices are rediculas at the moment)

With renting, you'll have no depreciation, no servicing cost, only the rental cost and fuel.

Friends of mine who lived in Dublin a few years ago, just rented cars whenever they needed one, they've since moved out of the big smoke, and now both have cars.

Edit: for such small yearly mileage.. diesel is a big no

DaveyDave

What about GoCar? Seems to be a decent option for someone who needs a car occasionally?

galwaytt

I would buy a small petrol car for that kind of usage 1.2 - 1.4 max.

As for which one, I would literally go to a few dealers and see what they have in stock for immediate delivery. Forget all about picking spec/colour etc, it's not that kind of market anymore. There are new cars available if you're prepared to take what's available. You might get lucky and get an ex-demo even.

All the usual ones: Ford Fiesta/Focus/Puma, VW Polo, Clio/Captur, i20/i30, Various KIA, Dacia.

I see Shiels Motorpark in Galway have Puma available next week from stock.

Go in with an open mind and you're choices are much greater.

pgj2015

Never mind what your wife wants, surely you know what is best for you?

You don't need a diesel and you don't need a car that costs 40,000 euro.

colm_mcm

It’s a new wife you need really.

Working class heroes

I’d spend the €40k on a new wife.