I always went for diesel in the past, but now, with it being so much more expensive than petrol, am i better going with petrol instead? I.e. instead of a ford focus 1.8 diesel, buy a 1.4 petrol?
Any opinions?
Steve
How may would you like? I can give you at least three.
But for a sensible answer I would need to know estimated annual mileage, how long you intend to keep the car, and your driving style. The last at least I cannot possibly know.
Andy
Do the sums.
And dont forget maintenance..
..and the agricultural sounds, vibrations and performance of a diesel.
With 170bhp and 400Nm torque, mine performs just fine. Also, motorway cruising at 70-ish, it delivers around 50mpg.
How's that compare to an average petrol car in terms of fuel cost only? I've lost the plot as to what's going on with UK fuel prices these days :(
Think of it as using about 30% less fuel, but paying 15% more per litre than petrol. Overall, the fuel advantage is about 15%.
Servicing a diesel costs less, at least until you need to replace a turbo, diesel cars being more likely to have a turbo than petrol cars.
A diesel car costs less to tax than a similar capacity petrol model because of the lower CO2 emissions. However, you can usually get away with a smaller petrol engine for the same performance.
A diesel car costs a little more to buy but depreciates less.
My last two cars have been diesels but my next will be a petrol. The higher cost of a litre of diesel means that the cost advantage over petrol is a lot less than it used to be, and the driveability is still nowhere near as good.
try the Jaguar diesel XF..
40mpg, and smooth as a button..On Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:57:59 -0000, a certain chimpanzee, "Mr Sandman" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:
IME diesels give about 40% better MPG than petrol, and with diesel currently about 12p/litre more than petrol, it's still less on fuel costs. However, there are other costs to consider such as the initial purchase price and any additional servicing. The higher your annual mileage the less these are a factor.
On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:17:42 -0000, a certain chimpanzee, "Doctor Drivel" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:
Yes, that is something in diesel's favour.
If you think can get one of those for the price of a Ford Focus 1.4, you are even more stupid than I thought.
Bruce gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
New Focus 1.4 - list up to about £11k, depending on spec.
Citroen C6 - same v6 diesel engine as the Jag XF, and there's a 35k mile
56-plate on AutoTrader for £12k.
Might have a similar engine but it isn't a Jaguar XF, not by a long way.
- and you are comparing secondhand with new.
Bruce gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
Not similar - exact same.
And you're right, it's not. I'd far rather have the C6 - which'll be even smoother with the hydropneumatic suspension.
And, yes, you're right. It's second hand. Congratulations. If you want to lob a shitload away in depreciation on a new Focus that's so underpowered it'll be unsaleable used, don't let me stop you...
It's not me buying the car, and it's not my money. I have never bought a Ford and never will. I'm merely pointing out that your "advice" is as misleading as it is irrelevant. Utterly.
For the record, I wouldn't touch a Ford, a Citroen or a Jaguar. The Jaguar XF might look flash (it is certainly an ugly brute) but the engineering is all Ford. All three of these cars lack class and suffer very high depreciation. I have a friend who manages a large Citroen dealership and he tells me that UK sales of the C6 are pitiful. His word, not mine. It has the highest depreciation of any model in the executive class.
My current car is a Mercedes E Class. My last was an Audi A6. Both diesels. My next will probably be another Audi, perhaps an A5, perhaps petrol this time. But an A6 would be fine, or a new E Class.
Bruce gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
They're actually a lot higher than CitUK's predictions/expectations/ targets before the launch - and that estimate came direct from somebody senior at CitUK direct to me before the launch.
If you compare to list, sure. If you compare to the price you can buy a new one for, no. £20k for a brand spanker is doable.
Yes, what matters is what you get for your car in (say) three years, v. what you actually paid. Quite a few of the allegedly high depreciators would, as you say, have been bought with a good discount, whilst AIUI Audis and BMWs rarely come out of the showroom without a good few options. When I looked aircon was an 'optional' extra on BMW Minis; I suspect that the resale value of one without it is well below book price.
Best car for depreciation I ever had was my Skoda Felicia, bought new 1995 at list £6400 and sold to another Skoda dealer two and a half years later for £4000 cash. When I traded my first Honda Jazz for an identical one after three years the cost to change was just £4100.
I hired a Skoda Octavia diesel estate - it was completely flawless and the fact that it was a diesel was, to all intents and purposes, undetectable. A very good car if you are after vfm, I would say.
A little research will give the government fuel consumption figures for each of these models - and although only a guide, is better than an individual saying what their car's mpg is, as consumption is influenced by driving conditions and style. So some simple math will give the comparative fuel costs. You also need to take into account purchase price and likely resale value - ie depreciation. Diesels are generally better than petrol in this respect.
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