Diesel -v- Petrol
- Thread starter Admiral Huddy
- Start date
WhoopsI divided by fuel cost, not multiplied...
Have you corrected it?
[TW]Fox;11699863 said:
You done understand where I'm coming from. Ok, you go and see 2 identical cars. You've made your mind up that this is the car you want, you're going to keep it 3 years so you just need to decide which one to buy. One of the cars is £1200 more than other, which do you buy? If you take the diesel/petrol preference out of the equation then this is what you are looking at.
If you like the diesel power delivery or just don't care then why on earth would you choose the one which is going to cost you more money for an otherwise identical car?
Now a lot of people don't like diesels and its worth it to them to pay the extra for a petrol engine. That's absolutely fine as everyone has there own reasons for choosing a car, but doesn't change the fact that a diesel is cheaper
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I think the point he is making (and I agree with it, but I still will buy new cars, probably diesel in the future) is that if you pay £18k, whats a few hundred?
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
You completely miss the point. The point is that, financially, the two are so close that it doesn't make any difference - £400 is neither here nor there in terms of total cost of ownership over three years. It is a non-issue and therefore should not be used as a consideration.
Instead, you should pick the one you liked best rather than go for one you dont like quite as much simply becuase it will save you a minute amount of money. Your idea that the finance issue helps you pick between two identical cars is flawed as they are not identical cars - they have different engines which alter the character of the car.
There are people out there, lots of them, who beleive that now, you need a diesel. They dont care about the maths, they refuse to do the sums or are unable to, they think you need a diesel to save money and thats that. This is wrong.
I was in my local BMW Dealer today and whilst I was waiting for the service guy I got chatting to one of the salesmen - he told me that despite the fact BMW's new petrol engines are ultra efficient, fast, refined, smooth and basically astounding, they sell very few of them - the vast majority of the cars they sell are the diesels. Becuase hey, in the eyes of Joe Public, DIESEL = LESS MONEY INNIT.
This is ridiculous.
if you care about whether you're driving a petrol or diesel I agree. ... But a lot of people don't. I had a diesel company car a few years back and my wife never even noticed. Going back to my previous example, if there were 2 identical cars in showrooms on opposite sides of the street would you buy from the most expensive anyway because its only £400 difference which isn't much in percentage terms? I suspect if you could save hundreds on a new car you would.
[TW]Fox;11700443 said:
I see your point that basing a decision purely on saving a few hundred quid, over possibly buying a car that is crap to drive doesn't make sense..
but looking at joe public, diesels do offer that low down grunt over the petrol counterpart, coupled with the fact, that rightly or wrongly, people see the dynamic purchasing of fuel much more readily then the fixed financial payment for the car and I can 'understand' why they come to this conclusion..
It's clear from this example, and the 330i Vs 330d discussion a while back, that when you take all the major factors into account, over 3 years with average mileage, the diesel does work out cheaper..
Although people may make the diesel decision for the wrong reason, I think in the majority of cases it still works out for the best for them..
Thats ok you can read 'My turbo died' forums in French if you want on the Renault owners forums
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- 17 Feb 2003
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Most likely.. I know much about cars as i do the interior working of Gordon Browns mind.
I noticed this morning a garage in Chelmsford selling diesel for 129.9 whereas the petrol was still around the 112.9 mark. If diesel was once far cheaper then petrol and it caught up at the rate it was, then it's not going to be long before that petrol does become dar more economical. It's no wonder that inflation is starting to rise so quickly. Business and the consumer can't absorb this king of fuel inflation for much longer wothout having a serious impact on the economy.
Looked at the new Galaxy and Zafia this weekend too. Not impressed. In fact, pretty much all the Ford range look the same, just bigger models as you go up. Mondeo being the exception. There doesn't appear to be much imagination is the design in the cars and the interior - I've had better out of a christmas cracker.
That said, the S-max is still top of our list.
Isn't that pretty much the same with most manufacturers though.
Yes - most manufacturers seek to have a family of vehicles styled in the same way. The best for it was Audi in the late 90's. At a glance you couldnt tell the difference between the front end of an A3, A4, A6 and an A8 without looking carefully.
I will laugh when they start putting massive taxes on diesel specific emissions (particulate etc) because 9 out of 10 people drive a diesel and its time they paid for the emissions. Something will replace CO2 sooner or later as the in fashion taxable bad thing
This is the issue
yes the diesel is cheaper to own, but £400 a year is nothing. diesels are noisy clattery dirty things and will never be as nice as a good petrol.
to the OP
The S-Max is a very good MPV, but have you considered the Mazda 5 ? the mazda 5 sport is a very good MPV and has the benefits of the sliding side doors, very handy in tight ikea car parks.
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- Joined
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- Chelmsford
I did mention the Mazda 5 to the Mrs but haven't seen any yet.
they are quite rare, but they do feel very nice inside.
Its just as much room as the S-Max, and features the same sort of features. It also doesnt feel like a wash of horrible quality plastic like the Zafira does.
I was toying with the idea of replacing my Xsara Picasso with another MPV, as the mrs likes them. But been as she came round to the idea of having a performance saloon, i went down that route instead. But when looking around, the S-Max and Mazda 5 were by far the type of the pile.
Its just as much room as the S-Max, and features the same sort of features. It also doesnt feel like a wash of horrible quality plastic like the Zafira does.
I was toying with the idea of replacing my Xsara Picasso with another MPV, as the mrs likes them. But been as she came round to the idea of having a performance saloon, i went down that route instead. But when looking around, the S-Max and Mazda 5 were by far the type of the pile.