Diesels About To Get Expensive????

[SiT]

Sadly I am inbetween cars having had some motoring fellow kindly write my car off by driving into the front of me! I looking for a replacement but several people are starting to tell me that there are plans afoot to make diesels a more expensive ownership proposition??

I have Googled and can't se to find much on the subject, found some talk of emissions loading in London but that didn't concern me as I live in Somerset.

Can anyone tell me what these proposals are or how they might affect running a diesel v petrol?? I don't want to buy a diesel on the basis of better overall running costs only to find that they are taxed higher or se other extra cost.

Any info would be great.

Thanks

Si

[SiT]

Thanks for the prompt replies chaps, that link seems to talk mostly of those who live/drive in London which won't affect me.

Do we think then that diesels will be targeted in someway then other thank hiking the fuel price?

I wondered if they might alter taxation classes and separate it for petrol and diesel?

Difficult time to buy a car then really!

Si

[SiT]

Hmmm that's interesting, read many many threads on diesel v petrol and thought the consensus was 12k plus is diesel territory which I am probably on the brink of.

At the minute I am looking for a stop gap commuter case, using some of my money I was looking at a Honda Civic Type S GT - these are available in 1.8i VTEC guise and the well used 2.2cdti engine. I can get a lower mileage 1.8i VTEC with identical spec than the cdti counterpart.

I drive 20 miles to work and 20 miles home each day, 6 days a week - the car I was using was a 2006 BMW 318ci Sport convertible which according to obc was returning 36mpg. As the chance has arisen through unfortunate circumstances to change it I would like something that betters the BMW this saving me more money which goes towards second car.

The diesel Civic puts out some pretty impressive figures all round but overall ownership could possibly be more than the 1.8??

Si

[SiT]

That's interesting - thanks for some real world experience on the car, I wonder what 8mpg would work out as over a month bearing in mind that diesel is dearer at the pump - I expect the 8mpg would shrink considerably!

Perhaps I will give some more thought to the 1.8, there is talk that diesels are more expensive to service too - is this a myth or only apply to certain cars?? I can't think (except DPF) that diesel would have anything additional to service between the two??

Si

[SiT]

Pan Pan said:

I think it depends on how many miles you do, if you do high mileage especially on motorways, a diesel might be the better option, if you do average mileage, then a petrol engined car would be more suited.
I do between 37000 and 42000 miles a year, so fuel type can make a useful difference in costs.
I can get around 1000 miles per fill up with a Passat Bluemotion, and the convenience of being able to drive past fuel station, after fuel station, whilst travelling at the NSL in near silence, with the engine barely turning above idle RPM is worth considering. (Particularly useful when travelling abroad)

Wow that's some serious mileage a year, 1000 miles to a tank of diesel is incredible! That's better than hybrid!

It certainly needs some more though rather than a default 'I will just get a diesel as it will be more economical' type of attitude.

Si

[SiT]

Oh dear this topic isn't quite going the way I had hoped!?! Thank you for all the (relevant) information and advice, I am thinking in my circumstances a lower mileage dealer supplied petrol is a far better bet than a privately bought higher mileage diesel.

Thanks again.

Si