Petrol vs Diesel on short distances

Hi,

I currently have a Ford Focus Zetec 1.8 Petrol, W reg, which I'm very happy with, but it's costing me a lot in fuel, so for that reason alone I'm looking at getting another car, and some help, hopefully. ;)

I live 2.2 miles from work. The first mile to work is country roads, which I can do 50mph, all uphill.
The second mile is a 30mph town road. There are rarely cues or stoppages as it's on the edge oof town. I take 5 turns resulting in coming down to 2nd gear, I then try to put it gently to 4th gear and cruise until the next one.

I work Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm. I am planning to bike into work as many days as I can, which should save a lot of money, but on miserable weather days, and days where I need to get back home quicker I do intend to drive. I also want a car for visiting family and friends who live 1 hour away (mainly single carrage, A road driving), every 3-4 weeks.

I rarely drive on the motorway.

I'm thinking of getting a small engine diesel, like 1.5l or 1.6l. But, I have heard that short distances aren't great for diesel engines. I'm tempted by the Renault Clio 65, but I would prefer a slightly more manly car. I want a cheap running car ultimately, but I have to be honest and admit style is slightly important.

My car is selling for approx £1500-£2000, and I have up to £500 to spend on top of that.

1. What fuel shall I opt for due to my commute, diesel or petrol?
2. Any cars in particular you would recommend?

Thank you
:D
debt - £1566 (owed to OH)

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Comments

  • Inactive
    Inactive Posts: 14,509 Forumite
    Huwmungas wrote: »

    My car is selling for approx £1500-£2000, and I have up to £500 to spend on top of that.

    1. What fuel shall I opt for due to my commute, diesel or petrol?
    2. Any cars in particular you would recommend?

    Thank you
    :D


    Not sure where you have seen them selling for that amount .

    Care to explain?
  • Ebay/Autotrader, based on mileage, age, condition etc.

    Any advice on the fuel or a certain car?
    debt - £1566 (owed to OH)

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  • Inactive
    Inactive Posts: 14,509 Forumite
    They will be asking prices, not selling prices.

    To be honest, for the small amount of mileage that you do, it is hardly worth considering a diesel.

    A smaller engine petrol car may well serve your needs better, however they are very popular and sell for a premium because of their lower running costs.
  • KonkyWonky
    KonkyWonky Posts: 648
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    edited 1 January 2011 at 2:52PM
    TBH I would be flabbergasted if you got that for your car, I would have thought anything over £1k and you would be doing well.

    You don't do enough miles to justify a diesel, a more fuel efficient petrol car may be your best option although from the figures you give you will be lucky to be doing any more than 2.5k miles a year so savings based on fuel are likely to be extremely small.

    If your Focus is running well then keep it.
  • iolanthe07
    iolanthe07 Posts: 5,493 Forumite
    edited 1 January 2011 at 2:52PM
    Also, modern diesels do not do well if used for a lot of short runs. They need a decent longish run regularly to clear the particulate filter.
    I used to think that good grammar is important, but now I know that good wine is importanter.
  • Inactive
    Inactive Posts: 14,509 Forumite
    KonkyWonky wrote: »
    TBH I would be flabbergasted if you got that for your car, I would have thought anything over £1k and you would be doing well.

    Indeed, there are loads of them on AutoTrader for under a grand.
  • adamc260
    adamc260 Posts: 2,055 Forumite
    Yeh diesels aren't good on short runs, they don't have chance to warm up. A smaller engine petrol (like a 1.0, 1.2, 1.4 even) would be a better bet to be honest
  • Hammyman
    Hammyman Posts: 9,913 Forumite
    Short runs are bad for petrol or diesel cars. By the time you've paid the premium for having a diesel version of a car, it'd wipe out the financial savings. I did a calculation based on a 3p per litre, a 10MPG difference and a £1000 premium for getting the diesel version of a car and it was somewhere around the 38,000 mile mark before you broke even.
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  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,517
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    Electric bike or a scooter would be ideal in that situation. Only sensible thing i ever bought.

    Traffic? what traffic? £5 fuel lasted over a month, Cheap tax and insurance.

    I changed my mondeo from a petrol to a diesel and it costs less to tax but more to insure.

    If you can get £2k for a W reg focus do you want to start a business? I can get as many as you can sell.
    I only paid just over £2k for a 2004 diesel mondeo estate.

    Sisters focus estate was only worth £2000 about approx 5 years ago. £1k if its in excellent condition would be my guess.
    Anything not perfect will be harder to sell unless really cheap. Part ex £600-£800?


    Journeys that short i would buy a car with a 1L petrol engine. And get the oil changed every 6 months.
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