Would you buy a diesel for 13.5k miles a year?
Would you buy a diesel for 13.5k miles a year?
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Discussion

HannsG

Original Poster:

3,123 posts

150 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
New contract. 60 mile round trip a day and I drive a Panda 100HP at the moment.

Would you chop it in for a diesel?

Around town the Panda Mpg is pretty st - 28mpg?

Motorway your talking 40-50mpg

Fastdruid

9,079 posts

168 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
No.

Sounds like the Panda is already giving pretty good motorway mpg and you're going to struggle to save much without splashing out a lot (which will negate the saving).

caelite

4,282 posts

128 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
I'd agree with the above if I'm honest. 40-50mpg is really good, an equivalently priced diesel is only going to beat that by a little bit. My Fabia VRS 1.9 pd was one of the better economy motors in its day (mid 00s) and that sat comfortably at 70 getting mid 50mpg. You could just scrape 60mpg on a long run if you sat at 56-60 and drove like Ms daisy.

The only motors which are going to beat that for around the price of a panda 100 are truly dreary, Pug 107/citreon c1 diesel for example, I've heard get a true 60 if driven carefully. But their awful biggrin

I'd stick with the panda.

Matt UK

18,076 posts

216 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
In a word, no.

anonymous-user

70 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
I reckon you'd save £5 a year.

ZX10R NIN

29,294 posts

141 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
Have to agree with all the above just stick with what you've got.

Dimebars

964 posts

110 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
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RaymondVanDerDon said:
I reckon you'd save £5 a year.
But he can get a diesel with £30 VED................

cj2013

1,409 posts

142 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
Dimebars said:
But he can get a diesel with £30 VED................
Which, in reality, is just a rebate towards a new DPF/associated troubles on a sub £5k diesel with low VED, for the most part

cj2013

1,409 posts

142 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
HannsG said:
New contract. 60 mile round trip a day and I drive a Panda 100HP at the moment.

Would you chop it in for a diesel?

Around town the Panda Mpg is pretty st - 28mpg?

Motorway your talking 40-50mpg
Have you tried driving with Sport mode 'off' (assuming it is on all the time).

It makes a considerable difference to fuel consumption around town.



If you buy a diesel and do 'around town' driving, it may appear that you'll average maybe 5-10mpg at best (which is only the equivalent of perhaps £2-£3 per tank), but you'll instantly lose that the moment it either reacts poorly to short distance driving (DPF issues), or regenerates.

anonymous-user

70 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
I reckon you *could* save £700 a year in fuel costs, based on some possibly wildly-inaccurate beer-mat calculations.

KarlMac

4,569 posts

157 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
The only reason I'd get something else isn't on keep miles off a good rare-ish car (the Panda 100). If it's a car your invested in and want to avoid loading miles on it can you justify running and cheap shed alongside it?

HannsG

Original Poster:

3,123 posts

150 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
cj2013 said:
Have you tried driving with Sport mode 'off' (assuming it is on all the time).

It makes a considerable difference to fuel consumption around town.
I have never turned it off to be fair...!

On motorway the difference is nothing, but I will try around town.

cj2013

1,409 posts

142 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
HannsG said:
I have never turned it off to be fair...!

On motorway the difference is nothing, but I will try around town.
I turn it off on the motorway as it makes it much easier to drive at a constant 70 with a lazy pedal.

When you're not in a hurry, turn it off. Makes no sense, but I found the mpg increases significantly.

halo34

2,890 posts

215 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
HannsG said:
New contract. 60 mile round trip a day and I drive a Panda 100HP at the moment.

Would you chop it in for a diesel?

Around town the Panda Mpg is pretty st - 28mpg?

Motorway your talking 40-50mpg
Too many unknowns to say - what would you need to spend, what are you trying to save or achieve?

I have a diesel VRS for 58 miles a day, dual and A roads with some traffic. I get 53 mpg - but it cost me quite a bit to buy because of course I needed a newer one (wanted). So I bought it and its fine, until you realise a newer more expensive car becomes your baby, miles are piling on and its losing money faster than you want. So you try and enjoy it, but then when you do then 53 becomes 42 for a bit. So you slow down - then someone rams you in traffic despite never being hit in your little run about for 3 yrs prior to this.

This is the way of life with a new expensive car - me I would actually go back now and have a word with myself for getting rid of the works but I dont care so much car.

anonymous-user

70 months

Thursday 16th March 2017
quotequote all
HannsG said:
cj2013 said:
Have you tried driving with Sport mode 'off' (assuming it is on all the time).

It makes a considerable difference to fuel consumption around town.
I have never turned it off to be fair...!

On motorway the difference is nothing, but I will try around town.
It's will make a big difference to the MPG with it off

Liggle

293 posts

117 months

Thursday 16th March 2017
quotequote all
As above, I'm a contractor so have varied (usually 25k+) mileage and I've found that newer diesel cars only become justifiable once you are doing at least 20k miles for the reasons already mentioned - DPF etc.

Otherwise, stick with what you've got!

MorganP104

2,605 posts

146 months

Thursday 16th March 2017
quotequote all
Liggle said:
As above, I'm a contractor so have varied (usually 25k+) mileage and I've found that newer diesel cars only become justifiable once you are doing at least 20k miles for the reasons already mentioned - DPF etc.

Otherwise, stick with what you've got!
I'd agree with this. The petrol vs. diesel debate only really gets going when you're doing 20k+ miles per annum.

A small petrol-engined car will make more sense for lower annual mileages.

chrisb92

1,051 posts

140 months

Thursday 16th March 2017
quotequote all
MorganP104 said:
Liggle said:
As above, I'm a contractor so have varied (usually 25k+) mileage and I've found that newer diesel cars only become justifiable once you are doing at least 20k miles for the reasons already mentioned - DPF etc.

Otherwise, stick with what you've got!
I'd agree with this. The petrol vs. diesel debate only really gets going when you're doing 20k+ miles per annum.

A small petrol-engined car will make more sense for lower annual mileages.
Depends on the car... My Golf Gti averaged about 28mpg and I filled up once a week at best, in my diesel A3 I fill up every 10 days to 2 weeks and achieve 40+MPG. Virtually everything about the A3 is cheaper than my Golf, so over a year it saves me decent money and I don't do 20k. The A3 is also almost as quick, so barely lost out on performance (210bhp to 184bhp).

anonymous-user

70 months

Thursday 16th March 2017
quotequote all
chrisb92 said:
MorganP104 said:
Liggle said:
As above, I'm a contractor so have varied (usually 25k+) mileage and I've found that newer diesel cars only become justifiable once you are doing at least 20k miles for the reasons already mentioned - DPF etc.

Otherwise, stick with what you've got!
I'd agree with this. The petrol vs. diesel debate only really gets going when you're doing 20k+ miles per annum.

A small petrol-engined car will make more sense for lower annual mileages.
Depends on the car... My Golf Gti averaged about 28mpg and I filled up once a week at best, in my diesel A3 I fill up every 10 days to 2 weeks and achieve 40+MPG. Virtually everything about the A3 is cheaper than my Golf, so over a year it saves me decent money and I don't do 20k. The A3 is also almost as quick, so barely lost out on performance (210bhp to 184bhp).
Until you factor in the cost differential to buy / run and repair over an extended period of time. Sub 20K diesel makes no sense.

chrisb92

1,051 posts

140 months

Thursday 16th March 2017
quotequote all
Trexthedinosaur said:
Until you factor in the cost differential to buy / run and repair over an extended period of time. Sub 20K diesel makes no sense.
Paid monthly for the Golf. Traded it in, £0 deposit and same monthly payments on A3, but A3 was 3 years newer, smaller tyres, no need for MOT for two years and Golf had run out of free services and I have another 2 for free on the Audi. Road tax and insurance also cheaper on the Audi. Golf needed new brakes and had an issue with the clutch that I didn't fancy paying out for!!