Cant decide what car

[Havana_UK]

But the journeys in a diesel aren't cheaper....

Diesel costs 10p+ more per litre than petrol, so add 11% more MPG to the petrol car's efficiency before you have a fair comparison. On top of that the petrol engines generally require less servicing and parts are cheaper.

At 8K miles per year a petrol car should have cheaper running costs than an equivalent diesel.

Hav

 

[iaind]

Generally though a diesel will do 20~30% more MPG than an equivalent powered petrol (depending on driving style I guess), so unless you're comparing a 330d to a 318i, you should be looking at more than 11%. My local ford dealer charges £145 for a service regardless of petrol or diesel.

I'm just saying, its not always as clear cut as diesel being pointless below a certain mileage. It doesnt save much, maybe 10 quid a week on my usual drive or 20~30 quid on a long run, but to me thats worth it

Some people, myself included, prefer diesels to drive too. I like the low down torque, which you wont get on the Mondeo until the 2.5 V6 which will be much thirstier than the 2.0 petrol

 

[[TW]Fox]

I think that logic is flawed somewhat. Assuming 10k is the budget, how can a 10k petrol be cheaper to run over lower mileage than a 10k diesel. Sure the diesel might be lower spec, higher mileage or older, but cheaper long distance trips might be worth more than leather upholstry.

But if you can buy the equivilent petrol car for £8.5k instead of £10k you have an instant £1.5k saving

Interestingly over the Summer when fuel prices were high (As they will one day be again), a 200 mile Motorway trip cost the same in my Dads 530d as it did in my 530i..

It doesnt save much, maybe 10 quid a week on my usual drive or 20~30 quid on a long run, but to me thats worth it

If £10 a week is a big enough deal to you to be worth it then is buying a £10,000 car really sensible anyway?

 

[PeterNem]

But Fox, you forget that most of the population seem to lack a grasp of common sense!

Who cares anyway... just buy the car you like.

/me drives off to do 25k miles a year in a 5.0 V8

 

[iaind]

But if you can buy the equivilent petrol car for £8.5k instead of £10k you have an instant £1.5k saving

Interestingly over the Summer when fuel prices were high (As they will one day be again), a 200 mile Motorway trip cost the same in my Dads 530d as it did in my 530i..

Indeed you can but a lot of people fit the car to the budget, not the budget to the car. When I bought mine, I just wanted the most suitable car for 7k, so a 6k 2.0 petrol wasnt really a consideration

Everyone works differently and has different priorities. I would always push for a petrol over diesel sub 15k if you're buying new or matching the budget to the car. Its a good point about the fuel cost, now the gap between petrol and diesel is growing, its becoming harder to justify.

If £10 a week is a big enough deal to you to be worth it then is buying a £10,000 car really sensible anyway?

Well no, its unlikely - I was just using my personal experience to put forward another point of view. My car loan is about 140 a month, so 40 a month saving is pretty reasonable in comparison

 

[iaind]

But Fox, you forget that most of the population seem to lack a grasp of common sense!

Who cares anyway... just buy the car you like.

/me drives off to do 25k miles a year in a 5.0 V8

Its nothing to do with common sense, its often just difference of priorities

 

[[TW]Fox]

Indeed you can but a lot of people fit the car to the budget, not the budget to the car. When I bought mine, I just wanted the most suitable car for 7k, so a 6k 2.0 petrol wasnt really a consideration

Why wasn't it?

Why would you HAVE to spend £7k on either a 2005 Car A 2.0 TDI with 80k or a 2006 Car B 2.0 Petrol with 40k? Why cant you buy the 2005 Car A 2.0 petrol with 80k for £6k? Why is not not really a consideration? It makes no sense.

 

[iaind]

Why wasn't it?

Why would you HAVE to spend £7k on either a 2005 Car A 2.0 TDI with 80k or a 2006 Car B 2.0 Petrol with 40k? Why cant you buy the 2005 Car A 2.0 petrol with 80k for £6k? Why is not not really a consideration? It makes no sense.

I decided, based on the trade in value of my old car and the loan I could afford that I wanted to spend 7k. I wanted to get the best car for my money and I wanted to have the loan approved before doing the shopping, so spending up to my budget was the best idea.

The options were more like a 2004 Diesel mid range with 36k for 7k, a 2005 petrol mid range with similar mileage for the same amount, or a 2003/4 petrol, slightly lower spec with slightly higher mileage for 6k. The 1k saving wouldnt have made sense to me, especially as IMO the 2.0 diesel is a much better engine than the 2.0 petrol

I'm not saying the argument against it isnt valid, I'm just saying it depends on how you think/budget and what your priorities are.