Petrol vs Diesel

Camalot

Camalot

Camalot

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Joined
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Wolverhampton
Hi all.

I currently drive a Ford Puma 1.7 and have been happy with it.

I've been offered a new job which is 25miles away. Fuel wise the Puma is now doing around 30mpg and I've worked out over a month of 1,000 miles i will be spending around 200 quid a month on petrol. (Have i worked that out right? lol )

I don't want to move area really as the g.f does not drive so i have been thinking it's time to move to a Diesel car to try and be sensible and cut down on fuel outgoings?

I know nothing about diesel cars so wanted to seek a bit of advice. Are they that much better on mpg and do you think it would be a wise choice now to move to a diesel given the miles i will be doing?

Then there is the question of what car? Don't want a complete shed but would want something very reliable as i will plan to keep it for a good few years. Don't mind saving a few grand if it's going to be worth it.

Thanks in advance :)
 
100 miles a month right? That gives you 12K a year which is still well in petrol territory.

If you run the fuel figures you'll see what I mean. Plus diesel cars tend to cost more to buy in the first place and come with lovely complex turbochargers, exhaust systems and injectors all waiting to go pop and leave you with a nice huge bill.

I speak from experience as well - in 110,000 miles i've had a new ECU and a whole change of injectors right the way along. I've not had to pay for either as they were covered by warranty but that was luck more than anything. And now the exhaust system is playing up too, I expect a nice £1200 bill for a new DPF at some point in the next 10K miles.

All things that probably wouldn't have gone wrong on a naturally aspirated petrol.
 
That's hardly a large spend on fuel, nor is it a high mileage. Not worth diesel at all.
What I will say though is your Puma must be broken or you drive really hard if it only returns 30mpg, I do better in a 328i :/
 
I'd stick with the puma until you've got through your probation period and are happy in the new job. That kind of milage probably would benefit from a diesel.... but how much life does your puma have in it... when were you planning on getting a new car anyway?

They can be much better than petrol on MPG, but equally they can be terrible. If you have a heavy right foot you'll see no benefit whatsoever, as well has having a more expensive car with more expensive repair bills and more expensive fuel.

Diesels are good for sticking in 5/6th and wafting down an A-road/motorway in.

See how it goes, first, is my advice - then come back if you really feel the need to change.
 
Maybe i have worked it out wrong.

£40 give me 200miles in the Puma.

As for the state of the Puma. It's just ticked over 100k and never gave me any real issues. The water pump went the other month but i got it fixed for free as my gf's dad / family are mechanics :)

I would not be making any rash decisions, i am thinking a few months ahead with regards to a car change.
 
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It's 25 miles each way? 50 total = 250/week... that's about 13k per year commuiting, plus whatever you do at weekends/if you go...

I'd say (thinking about it again... ) it's borderline... definitely wait.
 
Jono said:
It's 25 miles each way? 50 total = 250/week... that's about 13k per year commuiting, plus whatever you do at weekends/if you go...

I'd say (thinking about it again... ) it's borderline... definitely wait.
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Yea correct, the miles i quoted are for work only. Obviously it will be a bit higher as i will be going out on my days off / weekends etc.
 
I can't see any way that doing 12,500(ish) miles per year could possibly justify the choice of a diesel rather than a petrol engined car :confused:

Since your girlfriend's Dad / family are mechanics, what do they recommend?
 
Camalot said:
I've been offered a new job which is 25miles away. Fuel wise the Puma is now doing around 30mpg and I've worked out over a month of 1,000 miles i will be spending around 200 quid a month on petrol. (Have i worked that out right? lol )
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If you're mainly doing shorter journeys now, that 30mpg will get better. On my old 1.4 Skoda fabia 9 miles each way commute had me averaging about 26-30mpg depending on weather etc. I had a secondment about 30 miles away for a month and it went to 40-45 just because the car had time to warm up properly and average speed was higher. For a similar sort of 30 mile journey my later Octavia 1.9 tdi would return about 55-60mpg (38-45 mpg on the 9 mile each way).

Try it out for a tank or two and then if you're not satisfied maybe then think about changing.
 
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Uriel said:
If you're mainly doing shorter journeys now, that 30mpg will get better. On my old 1.4 Skoda fabia 9 miles each way commute had me averaging about 26-30mpg depending on weather etc. I had a secondment about 30 miles away for a month and it went to 40-45 just because the car had time to warm up properly and average speed was higher.
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Yes true, at the moment i do a lot of 3-5mile trips around towns.

When i start my new job i will be on motorway for 40minutes doing 50 a day.

I will wait and see what MPG i get after the first few weeks i think.
 
Pretty sure I was getting mid 30s with mine, so would see how it goes. If you're going to change then its still worth looking at petrols anyway.
 
Don't get a diesel unless you need it. Had a lift in an e46 320d this morning and as great a tool as they are the clattering around town is seriously irritating.
 
Camalot said:
Does the litre of the car have much effect on MPG?
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Not really. It's a common misconception

Some 2.0L engines can be very efficient, other 1.8s might be much older and more inefficient than the other newer 2.0

Age of the engine design is usually much more indicative, but you won't find that out from an advert though
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

I will be testing my MPG when i start my new job next week then re-evaluate the car.
 
The wife has a Puma, fun little car. The gearing's not really set up for motorway cruising though, so not sure if you'll see significant gains on economy with the longer run.

PS remember that the timing belt has to be replaced every 5 years / 80K on the Puma. Not a lot of value left if you lose the engine!
 
Biggest difference you'll get is from driving style. Be very easy to accelerate, try to use as much forward momentum as you can. So coast in gear as much as you can and try not to use the brakes much at all; look far ahead and predict what's going to happen. Now, you shouldn't really drive too close to lorries but if you stay a moderately safe distance behind a big one, you'll significantly reduce drag and up your mpgs. And don't go much over 50mph.

This should get any normal petrol car well over 40mpg, but a diesel should be getting around 60mpg on a run doing this. But if most of your driving is short runs, I wouldn't bother with the diesel.
 
MrLOL said:
Not really. It's a common misconception

Some 2.0L engines can be very efficient, other 1.8s might be much older and more inefficient than the other newer 2.0

Age of the engine design is usually much more indicative, but you won't find that out from an advert though
Click to expand...

That's a bit misleading, obviously something with a 1.4 will generally be more economical than a 3.0 for example.
 
[TW]Fox;21255964 said:
That's a bit misleading, obviously something with a 1.4 will generally be more economical than a 3.0 for example.
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True.

My comment only implies when discussing broadly similar capacities and configurations.

It doesn't apply when comparing a 4.0L V8 turbo vs a 1.6 N/A for example.
 
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