Have we accepted fuel prices and started having fun again??
Discussion
ArnageWRC said:
ajb85 said:
The problem with living with a diesel for so many years and switching back to petrol is the awareness that you're visiting the pumps far more often than you used to, even after sitting down with pen, paper and calculator and concluding that in actual fact you'd be better off with a petrol. It would irritate me, although I realise that statement doesn't make a great deal of sense.
Impressing yourself with your diesel's fuel range is also a difficult habit to shake off...
Hmm, I'm mulling over the petrol v diesel conundrum. Currently have a Fabia vRS SE, which is now paid for – and can’t decide what to go for next. However, as I’m averaging about 10,000 a year – then surely the petrol is the better way? I often go to Wales to watch a Rally, fill up before I go and not need to fill up again....and return silly MPG figures...Impressing yourself with your diesel's fuel range is also a difficult habit to shake off...
Choices....Renaultsport Clio, Skoda Yeti, Citroen DS3, Mazda MX5, Mini Cooper D.....
Renaultsport Clio sounds like the pick of the bunch amongst that lot.
ajb85 said:
ArnageWRC said:
ajb85 said:
The problem with living with a diesel for so many years and switching back to petrol is the awareness that you're visiting the pumps far more often than you used to, even after sitting down with pen, paper and calculator and concluding that in actual fact you'd be better off with a petrol. It would irritate me, although I realise that statement doesn't make a great deal of sense.
Impressing yourself with your diesel's fuel range is also a difficult habit to shake off...
Hmm, I'm mulling over the petrol v diesel conundrum. Currently have a Fabia vRS SE, which is now paid for – and can’t decide what to go for next. However, as I’m averaging about 10,000 a year – then surely the petrol is the better way? I often go to Wales to watch a Rally, fill up before I go and not need to fill up again....and return silly MPG figures...Impressing yourself with your diesel's fuel range is also a difficult habit to shake off...
Choices....Renaultsport Clio, Skoda Yeti, Citroen DS3, Mazda MX5, Mini Cooper D.....
Renaultsport Clio sounds like the pick of the bunch amongst that lot.
I just swapped from a diesel Civic to the Type R version - doing 10,000 miles a year.
I came to the conclusion that life is too short to spend it in a car you dont really care about, or enjoy driving, for the sake of about £800 increased fuel and tax costs per year. Insurance is virtually the same for me.
The diesel Civic isn't immunue to injector/pump problems either, which would easily wipe out the £800. The Type R engine is bomb-proof.
I do have a summer toy aswell, but even thats not enough to counter the diesel commute boredom.
I came to the conclusion that life is too short to spend it in a car you dont really care about, or enjoy driving, for the sake of about £800 increased fuel and tax costs per year. Insurance is virtually the same for me.
The diesel Civic isn't immunue to injector/pump problems either, which would easily wipe out the £800. The Type R engine is bomb-proof.
I do have a summer toy aswell, but even thats not enough to counter the diesel commute boredom.
I would rather spend my money on petrol than depreciation, high rate VED and modern engine repairs (particularly diesel engines). This is why I have big old thirsty cars apart from my Clio. For a half-way competent home spannerist, the overall cost of owning and running a big old V8 barge is still less than a new diesel hatchback.
Skylinecrazy said:
Oh, having read your post, and speaking in broken English, I thought you were foreign.
No I'm just at work 
You thinking foreigners get cheaper petrol is something I thought until I got to Cuba and paid £1 a litre for something resembling 85ron
Edited by frosted on Tuesday 9th October 13:15
I've been worried about fuel prices for some time, so finally chopped in my Omega V6. Sad day when it went .
The 4.2 Jag XJ8 more than makes up for it though, and MPG is better in the Jag ! Best I ever got from the old Omega was 34mpg, last week I managed 36mpg in the Jag and its averaging about 3 mpg more than the Omega for my work route.
Having said that, I was between cars for 2 months so borrowed my sons Daewoo Lanos 1.4. Managed 50mpg which does make filling up the Jag sting a bit.
The 4.2 Jag XJ8 more than makes up for it though, and MPG is better in the Jag ! Best I ever got from the old Omega was 34mpg, last week I managed 36mpg in the Jag and its averaging about 3 mpg more than the Omega for my work route.
Having said that, I was between cars for 2 months so borrowed my sons Daewoo Lanos 1.4. Managed 50mpg which does make filling up the Jag sting a bit.
frosted said:
Skylinecrazy said:
Oh, having read your post, and speaking in broken English, I thought you were foreign.
No I'm just at work You thinking foreigners get cheaper petrol is something I thought until I got to Cuba and paid £1 a litre for something resembling 85ron
Edited by frosted on Tuesday 9th October 13:15
Kozy said:
I went from a 45mpg Mondeo diseasal to a 27mpg Type R earlier this year and couldn't be happier. The way I see it, fuel prices aren't ever going down so might aswell run what you can afford to while fuel is still cheap as chips.
I needed to get a big engined beast out of the way while I still have the chance, as I do see myself being forced into something more mundane at some stage.Actually its not so much petrol for me, as road tax and tyres that puts up the cost of my current car in comparison to the previous - although the previous car more than made up with it in the cost of repairs.
But ultimately, as sad as it sounds, I think my 350Z probably marks the beginning of the end of my petrolhead career, because after that, a combination of patchy employment, rising costs and the like will eventually see to it that I seek out forever more economical (boring) cars.
Interesting one this.... the mrs wants to look at getting an 18(ish) month old 4*4 next year (think ML/Q5) and will undoubtedly want dieseasel (I suspect that the black stuff will also help the re-sale values) but with an average mileage of 8k p/a we may well be better off with a petrol lump instead. Looks like being back at school and maths problems (if car A does 44mpg @ 1.45 per litre.... lol)
Skylinecrazy said:
I imagine fuel is cheaper where you come from.
Skylinecrazy said:
Oh, having read your post, and speaking in broken English, I thought you were foreign.
Did you seriously respond to this thread only to 'contribute' this rubbish? Get a life.ajb85 said:
So, given the above, would you or wouldn't you return to diesel? Who's won?
I would, were it for the following factors-I still needed to drive 10k miles+ per year
-I still needed interior space / towing ability
-I had a budget of £6k+ to buy a lower miles Diesel car which wasn't going to imminently suffer problems
-I still had a fun second car to drive.
At the moment, I'm enjoying my Caterham track car and spending all my money racing it, so my budget for running my daily is low. I certainly don't have spare cash to upgrade from my old £1,200 BMW to a newer diesel car, or enough to maintain a £1k slush fund should it throw up a big bill. No, I'm quite happy to continue the preventative maintenance on the BMW myself (because it's old and simple enough for me to understand/fix myself).
danyeates said:
Have been running one car between my girlfriend and I for 10 months now, a 1.6 Civic Sport. Finally got bored and bought myself a BMW Z4 3.0 litre for the winter!
I won't use it much, so I'm hoping fuel won't be too much of an issue.
I've been looking at these thinking Parkers' claimed 32mpg for the 3.0 isn't too bad, a touch better than the 330i coupe with the same engine.I won't use it much, so I'm hoping fuel won't be too much of an issue.
What's the mpg like in reality?
Yes.
The costs of running a car with a decent sized engine are only going to go one way, up. In 20 years time when either Petrol has run out, driving cars for fun has been legislated out of existence or we've been forced to stop using them in favor of lentil powered bubble cars, I'll look back in satisfaction and say I had my time.
The costs of running a car with a decent sized engine are only going to go one way, up. In 20 years time when either Petrol has run out, driving cars for fun has been legislated out of existence or we've been forced to stop using them in favor of lentil powered bubble cars, I'll look back in satisfaction and say I had my time.
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