Am I mad buying a petrol car?

Elessar · 09-10-2011 05:07PM #1

I'm buying a new VW Golf 1.2 TSI in January but everyone and his wife thinks I'm mad buying petrol instead of diesel.

The main reasons I'm going petrol are:

A) It's 2k cheaper to buy

I only cover about 6-7000 miles a year
c) The DPF risks clogging up at such low mileage

However it's likely petrol will be going up again in the budget, and subsequently every budget from now on....making it more and more expensive to fill the tank and affecting resale/trade in majorly. Diesel may not go up as much or at all - the haulage industry would likely kick up a fuss and force the governments hand? Making petrol the scapegoat...

I plan on keeping the car for 3 or 4 years and if I went diesel trade in would be much better as everyone is now only buying diesel cars. But would it be worth the difference if I went diesel over petrol?

OldmanMondeo · 09-10-2011 05:17PM

For the miles you are doing, no you not mad, in-fact you have the correct car for your needs. I drive a diesel and once you hit traffic the MPG drops. If and when we have to head into a city centre, we take her petrol car, works out cheaper.

Henry Ford III · 09-10-2011 05:17PM

I think the petrol engine will suit you fine.

Eric Cartman · 09-10-2011 05:21PM

your the sane one , people telling you to get a diesel for that mileage are the mad ones

SouperComputer · 09-10-2011 06:08PM

I would guess these people haven't done the math for themselves and are just regurgitating what they've heard. The usual "barstool wisdom" lark.

You need to crack open Excel (or whatever) and compare costs over the three years, that's your answer. Off the cuff, I would say a petrol is probably a better option based on what you have posted.

vectra · 09-10-2011 06:27PM

I think diesel would be a better and easier car to sell when the time comes. Would also hold its value better.

166man · 09-10-2011 06:29PM

Elessar wrote: »

I'm buying a new VW Golf 1.2 TSI in January but everyone and his wife thinks I'm mad buying petrol instead of diesel.

The main reasons I'm going petrol are:

A) It's 2k cheaper to buy
I only cover about 6-7000 miles a year
c) The DPF risks clogging up at such low mileage

However it's likely petrol will be going up again in the budget, and subsequently every budget from now on....making it more and more expensive to fill the tank and affecting resale/trade in majorly. Diesel may not go up as much or at all - the haulage industry would likely kick up a fuss and force the governments hand? Making petrol the scapegoat...

I plan on keeping the car for 3 or 4 years and if I went diesel trade in would be much better as everyone is now only buying diesel cars. But would it be worth the difference if I went diesel over petrol?

Definitely not mad to buy petrol, 2k is alot of money for a few more mpg and all problems associated with modern diesels. I'm sure both fuels and road tax are both going up in the budget regardless so doubt resale will be affected that badly..

ITS_A_BADGER · 09-10-2011 06:32PM

"barstool wisdom" i like that term

09-10-2011 06:43PM

vectra wrote: »

I think diesel would be a better and easier car to sell when the time comes. Would also hold its value better.

The petrol is €2000 cheaper initially, that's a decent head start though.

Diesel are fine if you're doing the miles, if I was doing 6000/7000 miles a year I wouldn't consider one in a fit.

vectra · 09-10-2011 06:49PM

RoverJames wrote: »

The petrol is €2000 cheaper initially, that's a decent head start though.

Diesel are fine if you're doing the miles, if I was doing 6000/7000 miles a year I wouldn't consider one in a fit.

Why not?

I have 19k on my one in the 1sy 12 months. From here in I will probably put another 6k on it over the next 12 months.
I would buy another one

09-10-2011 06:57PM

vectra wrote: »

Why not?........

- I prefer petrol cars for a start

- diesels cost more to buy 2nd hand compared to petrols
- if doing only 100/120 miles a week I would think a lot of the spins would be short, the major advantage of diesel is better mpg, if you're not doing the miles you don't get the benefit.
- diesels take longer to heat up, not good on short spins

I may be moving home, job etc soon and if so I'll be doing 25/30k miles a year so I'll happily buy a diesel if it comes off.

I've nothing against them at all but if you don't do the miles why buy one ?

Poulgorm · 09-10-2011 07:06PM

The trade-in value of diesels may fall when the public become aware of the high maintenance costs associated with them when they go over 100,000km

200motels · 09-10-2011 07:10PM

RoverJames wrote: »

- I prefer petrol cars for a start
- diesels cost more to buy 2nd hand compared to petrols
- if doing only 100/120 miles a week I would think a lot of the spins would be short, the major advantage of diesel is better mpg, if you're not doing the miles you don't get the benefit.
- diesels take longer to heat up, not good on short spins

I may be moving home, job etc soon and if so I'll be doing 25/30k miles a year so I'll happily buy a diesel if it comes off.

I've nothing against them at all but if you don't do the miles why buy one ?

I personally don't like deisels and I don't do the miles and if I did I still wouldn't get one. The best engine is still by a long way a petrol engine.

09-10-2011 07:17PM

200motels wrote: »

I personally don't like deisels and I don't do the miles and if I did I still wouldn't get one. The best engine is still by a long way a petrol engine.

Fair play, if I'm doing 25/30k miles a year though I'll be wanting 45 ish mpg in a nice big comfy yoke so 'twill be daysul for me.

R.O.R · 09-10-2011 07:43PM

Poulgorm wrote: »

The trade-in value of diesels may fall when the public become aware of the high maintenance costs associated with them when they go over 100,000km

Maintenance costs go sky high when diesels go over 100,000km? Thanks for telling me, must relay this gem of wisdom to those in the office tomorrow. Petrol cars are obviously much cheaper to maintain? /Sarcasm

In something like a Golf, I don't think the resale value of a low emission, low mileage petrol engine will be too bad in comparison to a Diesel.

pippip · 09-10-2011 08:02PM

I've noticed the price gap between diesel and petrol at the pumps closing.

Will be interesting to see if this increasing demand for diesel will play any part in the next budget.

Tigger · 09-10-2011 08:13PM

RoverJames wrote: »

The petrol is €2000 cheaper initially, that's a decent head start though.

Diesel are fine if you're doing the miles, if I was doing 6000/7000 miles a year I wouldn't consider one in a fit.

but you wouldn't buy new anyway right?

Tigger · 09-10-2011 08:15PM

buy a 2 year old petrol
thats my advice you'll loose less money and you'll have the right car for you

Gary ITR · 09-10-2011 08:20PM

Diesel is what the Devil uses to keep hell warm.

For your mileage petrol is the way to go. Generally speaking you won't see the benefits of a fiesel unless you're doing big mileage (25k+)

superchip · 09-10-2011 08:22PM

if you find out the mpg you could work out how much a year it will cost to do the same millage in both.factor in road tax and you have your answer

yawnstretch · 09-10-2011 08:23PM

If I could afford a new car I'd buy EV.

Fossil fuel Neanderthals!

09-10-2011 08:31PM

Tigger wrote: »

but you wouldn't buy new anyway right?

Nope

Buying new is a different kettle of fish, if the diesel model was cheaper the case for the petrol model is much harder to make

vectra · 09-10-2011 08:48PM

Gary ITR wrote: »

Diesel is what the Devil uses to keep hell warm.

For your mileage petrol is the way to go. Generally speaking you won't see the benefits of a fiesel unless you're doing big mileage (25k+)

Can never understand anyone saying this..
Petrol = Filling weekly
Diesel = Filling bi-weekly?
Diesel IS more economical to a petrol counterpart.
No if's and no but's

How many of each have you owned?

RoverJames wrote: »

Nope
Buying new is a different kettle of fish, if the diesel model was cheaper the case for the petrol model is much harder to make

In my case,
The petrol version was a good bit dearer.
What hope would i have of selling it after 2 years?
I would have to raffle it off to shift it

OldmanMondeo · 09-10-2011 08:57PM

200motels wrote: »

I personally don't like deisels and I don't do the miles and if I did I still wouldn't get one. The best engine is still by a long way a petrol engine.

Believe me, I used to drive petrols, about 80 miles per day, as soon as I changed to Diesel I found I had more money in my pocket at the end of the week. If you doing decent motorway miles, I don't mean M50 miles, a diesel will top a petrol no problem. At motorway speeds you can over take quicker in a diesel you run at much lower revs, and the diesel engine noise disappears quickley.
With saying that I would go back to a petrol, but only if I ever get to seriously reduce my miles, I am doing around 120 per day.

Gary ITR · 09-10-2011 09:00PM

vectra wrote: »

Can never understand anyone saying this..
Petrol = Filling weekly
Diesel = Filling bi-weekly?
Diesel IS more economical to a petrol counterpart.
No if's and no but's

How many of each have you owned?

Take into account the extra purchase cost of 2k in this case, with that low mileage it points to short trips, a diesel will find it hard to compete with a 1.2 petrol on short runs. You also already know the story with DPF and EGR when modern diesels do small mileage, add to that a possible case of DMF failure

I've had many of each, In fact I was driving a diesel Laguna around Dublin City as a Sales Rep, feckin thing guzzled fuel due to the fact it was started and stopped 12-20 times a day. For low mileage if you want economy a small engined petrol is your man.

vectra wrote: »

In my case,
The petrol version was a good bit dearer.
What hope would i have of selling it after 2 years?
I would have to raffle it off to shift it

Your case is slightly different in that you're comparing the top of the line models. Of course the petrol VRs is going to be dearer. Lafors from here shifted his VRs 2 days after listing it for his full asking so you're off the mark there too.

EPM · 09-10-2011 09:06PM

My diesel drinks a LOT more than my last petrol around town (which I'm assuming the majority of your mileage will be). And takes an age to heat up too.

unkel · 09-10-2011 09:17PM

2k is a lot of a difference up front, especially if the car is bought with a loan

At 40MPG, the petrol would cost about €400 more per year in fuel than a 60MPG diesel equivalent...

Edit: the official average consumption for a 1.2TSI is 51MPG and for the 1.6D it is 63MPG, and the difference is probably smaller than that in mainly town traffic, so the savings in fuel would be €200 per year tops in real life...

Saab Ed · 09-10-2011 09:31PM

Just one little thing OP. With so many people around using the the type of bar stool logic that you're talking about, will anybody want your Golf second hand in 3/4/5 years time. Will they all want a diesel one. Will your petrol Golf take a bigger hammering (unjustly) when it comes to moving it on/trading it in. Just a thought

Eric Cartman · 09-10-2011 09:34PM

Saab Ed wrote: »

Just one little thing OP. With so many people around using the the type of bar stool logic that you're talking about, will anybody want your Golf second hand in 3/4/5 years time. Will they all want a diesel one. Will your petrol Golf take a bigger hammering (unjustly) when it comes to moving it on/trading it in. Just a thought

if people keep going well end up like the north with diesel more expensive, as soon as diesel goes 1 cent over petrol suddenly small petrol engined cars will be attractive again

wiger toods · 09-10-2011 09:43PM

sorry to hijack the thread a bit, but my question is would there be any major difference in mpg between a 1.8/2.0 petrol/diesel car. Doing roughly the same milage as the OP?

vectra · 10-10-2011 12:02AM

wiger toods wrote: »

sorry to hijack the thread a bit, but my question is would there be any major difference in mpg between a 1.8/2.0 petrol/diesel car. Doing roughly the same milage as the OP?

I don't know how people can say Petrol is better around town with stop start driving than diesel
I had a 1.8 mondeo.
That sort of driving is what i mainly do.. I often put 30 euro for 70 miles around town in that car.
I now have a 2.0 diesel with a lot more power than the mondeo and there is no way i use anywhere near that amount doing the same driving.

Am I mad buying a petrol car?

Comments