D...I....E....S....E....L power

tomstickland

I've got to say I'm pretty impressed. I bought a 1996 Golf Mk3 Estate 1.9TDi for £450 last week. It's a sound car, just a bit cosmetically challenged due to being keyed all round.

I've put some decent tyres on it which has transformed the handling.

I'm really impressed by the fuel efficiency. I've done 520 miles and I've got 1/8th of a tank to go. I'm looking at around 55mpg. That includes loads of stuff round town, sitting in traffic, A roads, B roads, top speed run on a motorway and some traffic light grand prix starts.

I've worked out that I could save around £1K per year in fuel costs running this compared with 33mpg in my petrol car.

Lancastrian

Welcome to the world of Rudolph Diesel. If you could lay your hands on some waste cooking oil and set up your own biodiesel plant you could bring the cost of fuel down from 101p/l (Tesco today) to as little as 12p/l. Its legal and satisfying and the exhaust smells delicious. Before the "Experts" say anything I am talking biodiesel not raw cooking oil. It will not harm your car and best of all its carbon neutral. Now that is money saving ! !

tomstickland

I looked into all of this a while back. It wasn't as cheap as that though, IIRC.

There's a whole internet forum devoted to the various bio Diesel and NVO (neat vegetable oil) options and which cars require what doing to them. Quite a few people made processes using inverted hot water tanks.

However, I am going to read up on biodiesel again.

swiftnick

I love my Focus diesel, fill up once a month

vansboy

When we had our van sales business & customers were still running a petrol van & making their first switch to diesel, assuming they were going like for like in size van, it was quite easy to show that there would be a good cost saving mpg wise, which would actually make the van a better deal.

The need to cover 15000miles yearly, was then & is now, pretty much the point that you 'save', on fuel costs.

Now it'd be hard to find a petrol van!!

Saying that, I'm now in the position to change my car,an old Omega 2.5V6 petrol, for something newer. Diesel would be the way to go - BUT - once you start looking at the HORRRREEEENNNDDDOOOUSSS costs involved, with component failures, like DMF & EGR & any other abbreviated items that cost a lot to sort, it might not really be the wisesd choice!

Older 'proper' diesels, are a good deal, for Moneysaving Motorists, if you find a well maintaned example!

VB

gilbert_and_sullivan

Good post Vansboy and so true.

Go back even 10 years and certainly for many years before, if you wanted an economical totally reliable and durable car there was no contest it would be a diesel.

Not the case any more for most of us considering a very modern diesel, and the sensible buyer has to do a lot of research on any potential vehicle.
The savings on fuel (and diesel is consistently more expensive) can be wiped out by the failure of just one of the many expensive systems and parts that comprise the modern diesel vehicle.

I'm pleased for the OP here, keep the car well serviced, regular oil changes and cambelt when required that Golf should last you years.

Whether a Golf someone buys this year will be such a good motor in 13 years time is another thing, somehow i don't think so.

hewhoisnotintheknow

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

Good post Vansboy and so true.

Go back even 10 years and certainly for many years before, if you wanted an economical totally reliable and durable car there was no contest it would be a diesel.

Not the case any more for most of us considering a very modern diesel, and the sensible buyer has to do a lot of research on any potential vehicle.
The savings on fuel (and diesel is consistently more expensive) can be wiped out by the failure of just one of the many expensive systems and parts that comprise the modern diesel vehicle.

I'm pleased for the OP here, keep the car well serviced, regular oil changes and cambelt when required that Golf should last you years.

Whether a Golf someone buys this year will be such a good motor in 13 years time is another thing, somehow i don't think so.

i shudder at the thought of owning a modern vw out of the warranty period

tomstickland

Yes, luckily the 1996 1.9 TDi is a pretty simple engine and my spares would come from a variety of sources inc scrap yards.

andy111

Anyone who takes on a 3+ year common rail is brave indeed.

DMF plus clutch plus sometimes starter motor after debris has entered can relieve you of £800 plus.
Injector probs, turbo, cam and crank sensors sensitivity,plus the inability of many dealerships to diagnose accurately (whether intentionally or not). It means a busy and profitable future for decent diesel independents, when these nightmares filter through to the end users.
I can see many £2000 7yo diesel mondeosTDci etc being uneconomical to repair in a few years,

roswell

If your golf has a intercooler empty the oil out of it next time you do a oil change and you will get a bit more performance back ;-) The oil isnt anything to worry about its vapours from the breathes and turbo but a good tip to empty them every 50 000 miles or so :-) welcome to the land of derv, laser suspention alignment (about £40) will make a massive differance to the handeling as well :-)