Quick question on the petrol Vs diesel debate
Discussion
All the time you hear people say, 'only go for diesel if you do a lot of miles (20k plus)', but i've worked out that you can make savings of hundreds of £'s at much less miles than that.
I've based my calculations based on todays local fuel prices (£1.28 for petrol per litre, and £1.34 for diesel), and average mpg of 32 (for my current petrol car), and 45mpg (for a typical diesel car).
So, i've been thinking about a diesel because for approx 13 more mpg i can have a car that is faster than my current steed, whilst being cheaper to insure, fuel and tax.
I didn't take into account purchase price, because whatever budget i have for my next car is irrelavent, i understand that for £x amount a petrol car could be newer or have lower mileage, but there isn't really much in it.
Thoughts please...
I've based my calculations based on todays local fuel prices (£1.28 for petrol per litre, and £1.34 for diesel), and average mpg of 32 (for my current petrol car), and 45mpg (for a typical diesel car).
So, i've been thinking about a diesel because for approx 13 more mpg i can have a car that is faster than my current steed, whilst being cheaper to insure, fuel and tax.
I didn't take into account purchase price, because whatever budget i have for my next car is irrelavent, i understand that for £x amount a petrol car could be newer or have lower mileage, but there isn't really much in it.
Thoughts please...
I've often revisited the petrol/diesel debate, and the sums come out the same time after time. Petrol needs to be a 18p/gallon less, for the two fuels to compare. That's taking my VW diesel vs petrol derivative, and buying second hand, with appropriate adjustment for price difference. Took an average mileage too, not 20k.
So, I agree.
So, I agree.
I know buying a diesel comes to a lot of people, like needing to piss more during the night and enjoying Werther's Originals. I'd rather pay a little more to drive a petrol car and enjoy myself, rather than just be pleased I'm getting slightly better MPG before something expensive in the engine goes.
Try driving your petrol car more carefully. I got 43.8mpg from my 2.0T Golf GTI this evening on a 30 mile commute.
There are more and more petrol cars producing good mpg these days. Look at the Punto Evo Sporting MultiAir for example, a real 50mpg combined, 129g/km CO2. Be careful though, some engines seem to be good on the test but not in the real world (Fiat 500 2cylinder thingy, VAG TFSI etc).
There are more and more petrol cars producing good mpg these days. Look at the Punto Evo Sporting MultiAir for example, a real 50mpg combined, 129g/km CO2. Be careful though, some engines seem to be good on the test but not in the real world (Fiat 500 2cylinder thingy, VAG TFSI etc).
Also depends if it has a DPF. The Jag does crap MPG on short journeys mainly because every couple of days the DPF lights up & uses huge amounts of fuel to do so. You know when it is happening as you feel the heat from under the car, when you get out 
As others have said if a couple of injectors die or god forbid an HP pump then you're looking at megabucks to fix.
The HP pump exchange for my Alfa was £750 trade & took 3 weeks to diagnose, even Bosch struggled to diagnose it.
As others have said if a couple of injectors die or god forbid an HP pump then you're looking at megabucks to fix.
The HP pump exchange for my Alfa was £750 trade & took 3 weeks to diagnose, even Bosch struggled to diagnose it.
AndyT77 said:
All the time you hear people say, 'only go for diesel if you do a lot of miles (20k plus)', but i've worked out that you can make savings of hundreds of £'s at much less miles than that.
I've based my calculations based on todays local fuel prices (£1.28 for petrol per litre, and £1.34 for diesel), and average mpg of 32 (for my current petrol car), and 45mpg (for a typical diesel car).
So, i've been thinking about a diesel because for approx 13 more mpg i can have a car that is faster than my current steed, whilst being cheaper to insure, fuel and tax.
I didn't take into account purchase price, because whatever budget i have for my next car is irrelavent, i understand that for £x amount a petrol car could be newer or have lower mileage, but there isn't really much in it.
Thoughts please...
Fuel has little to do with purchase price.I've based my calculations based on todays local fuel prices (£1.28 for petrol per litre, and £1.34 for diesel), and average mpg of 32 (for my current petrol car), and 45mpg (for a typical diesel car).
So, i've been thinking about a diesel because for approx 13 more mpg i can have a car that is faster than my current steed, whilst being cheaper to insure, fuel and tax.
I didn't take into account purchase price, because whatever budget i have for my next car is irrelavent, i understand that for £x amount a petrol car could be newer or have lower mileage, but there isn't really much in it.
Thoughts please...
re-sell value has a lot to do with purchase price. As in a diesel cost more to buy, but is usually also worth more to sell on!!
My diesel experience:-
03 Focus 1.8 TDCi - 35 mpg, gutless, although quite torquey (oh god I said it) and made a decent noise under boost. No failures in the 10K I had it.
Mondeo ST TDCi - 32mpg on my commute, very quick, clutch cylinder went which lunched the whole clutch and DMF at 60K miles. Cost £1,200 to fix. 3K miles later she was struggling to start and belching smoke, injectors failed, £1,200 to fix. Rapidly traded in for a Z4.
My petrol experience:-
Z4 3.0 - 25mpg on my commute, very, very fast. Sounds nicer. No failures in 10K miles, no DMF to go wrong, reliable injectors.
The Mondeo saved me £14 per week in fuel at today's prices (I do 15K).
At the rate of £14 per week fuel saving the cost of the clutch and DMF failure would have been covered in just 20 months. Had I kept it long enough to fix the injectors then I would have been in profit from diesel in a total of 40 months.
Can anyone guess which fuel I prefer?
03 Focus 1.8 TDCi - 35 mpg, gutless, although quite torquey (oh god I said it) and made a decent noise under boost. No failures in the 10K I had it.
Mondeo ST TDCi - 32mpg on my commute, very quick, clutch cylinder went which lunched the whole clutch and DMF at 60K miles. Cost £1,200 to fix. 3K miles later she was struggling to start and belching smoke, injectors failed, £1,200 to fix. Rapidly traded in for a Z4.
My petrol experience:-
Z4 3.0 - 25mpg on my commute, very, very fast. Sounds nicer. No failures in 10K miles, no DMF to go wrong, reliable injectors.
The Mondeo saved me £14 per week in fuel at today's prices (I do 15K).
At the rate of £14 per week fuel saving the cost of the clutch and DMF failure would have been covered in just 20 months. Had I kept it long enough to fix the injectors then I would have been in profit from diesel in a total of 40 months.
Can anyone guess which fuel I prefer?
AndyT77 said:
I've based my calculations based on todays local fuel prices (£1.28 for petrol per litre, and £1.34 for diesel), and average mpg of 32 (for my current petrol car), and 45mpg (for a typical diesel car).
In addition to what I just wrote, where does the typical figure of 45mpg for a diesel come from? I've had two "economical" diesels, on a 5 mile commute neither acheived more than 35mpg. My dad's diesel CLK gets about 30-32mpg in general motoring.The problem is, diesels take longer to get to an efficient temperature than petrols, therefore if your commute isn't very long, don't expect to see great economy. They only come into their own on the motorway in my experience.
Blue Oval84 said:
In addition to what I just wrote, where does the typical figure of 45mpg for a diesel come from? I've had two "economical" diesels, on a 5 mile commute neither acheived more than 35mpg. My dad's diesel CLK gets about 30-32mpg in general motoring.
Very dependant on the type of journey, roads, traffic and the driver. A stop-start 5 mile commute from cold will not suit a heavy cruiser like a CLK, today I was returning from a walk out in the sticks and decided to be as careful as possible on the fuel until I reached the bypass. Road was clear, to be fair quite a bit was slightly downhill, had cruise set at 45mph wherever possible (not through villages!). Over the approx 12-14 miles it (CLK 320cdi) managed 57mpg - this is probably a bit of a freak result but I was pleasantly surprised.Other times I have tested by cruise control at 70/80/90 and resetting trip - IIRC 80 is more economical than 70, believe a steady 80mph returns 47mpg - this is its forte.
A Rover 218Td we have years ago would easily return 45mpg+ every tank, horribly slow though.
I think it's always going to be one of the most hotly contested topics about motoring, I know there's always someone who can better my own MPG, for example on a recent Z4 meet some owners claimed to get 35mpg from their 3.0 cars in urban driving!
I've given up trying to compare my figures with other people and tend to just compare different cars over my personal commute, the fact that there was 7mpg difference between a modern diesel hatchback and a 3.0 roadster just means that for me petrol is a no brainer.
My dad's CLK returns similar figures on the motorway although probably not quite as good as it's the older 270 model which is neither as quick, nor efficient from what I can tell. (Lovely car to motor about in though!)
By very careful driving of my Z4 I once managed an indicated 43mpg on a run, but this was at about 60mph in 6th gear. 35mpg would be more realistic if I wasn't driving carefully.
I've given up trying to compare my figures with other people and tend to just compare different cars over my personal commute, the fact that there was 7mpg difference between a modern diesel hatchback and a 3.0 roadster just means that for me petrol is a no brainer.
My dad's CLK returns similar figures on the motorway although probably not quite as good as it's the older 270 model which is neither as quick, nor efficient from what I can tell. (Lovely car to motor about in though!)
By very careful driving of my Z4 I once managed an indicated 43mpg on a run, but this was at about 60mph in 6th gear. 35mpg would be more realistic if I wasn't driving carefully.
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