Petrol or diesel?

Kittikins

Hello, I am looking for a "new" (to me at least) car and like the Hyundai i20 or new shape Fiesta as I don't need a big car for me and DD but do need 5 doors and want a minimum of 1.4 engine (which is what I currently have)

I drove an i20 yesterday which was a 1.4 diesel and the salesman was pushing it as being more economical than the petrol version and the road tax is miniscule £35 rather than £155 (I think it's £155 for the petrol version).

I've never had a diesel before and for some unknown reason have always thought that petrol was better. Am I being silly?

I do quite a few reasonably short journeys in the week to go to work/school/shops and at weekends we often do 100+ mile each way trips to see friends and family. Which would be better for me?

Thanks very much.

vikingaero

Sounds like petrol would be better. Check to see if the i20 has a Diesel Particulate Filter. If it has then definitely get a petrol. This is because with your short journeys it may create problems.

Hintza

+1 I agree with the above.

Taking out the problems of DPF you should really do a cost benefit analysis so you know what the different cars are going to cost to buy and run.

somech

dpf problems are far overblown

diesel i20 would be a safe bet

terryya

I keep reading about the mileage 'cut off' to make buying a diesel worth while, but to be honest don't get it. Especially since the figure people use (circa 15k miles) doesn't seem to have changed over last couple of years despite the fact the two fuels now cost the same.

My reckoning (and I might be missing something) is that if the diesel version gives you approx 30% more mpg then that is a lot of saving, even over a smallish annual mileage of about 10,000.

If you're buying used then the difference in purchase price isn't that big (and you'll make some of it back upon selling), I don't think servicing at an indy will differ too much (although happy to be corrected by somebody in the know) and even with dpf most people do a decent journey every now and then and if not I'd be quite happy to do a 15 min thrash.

If I am missing something then, as I said, I'm happy to be corrected. Especially as i'm in the process of buying a small diesel!

sebdangerfield

terryya wrote: »

I keep reading about the mileage 'cut off' to make buying a diesel worth while, but to be honest don't get it. Especially since the figure people use (circa 15k miles) doesn't seem to have changed over last couple of years despite the fact the two fuels now cost the same.

My reckoning (and I might be missing something) is that if the diesel version gives you approx 30% more mpg then that is a lot of saving, even over a smallish annual mileage of about 10,000.

If you're buying used then the difference in purchase price isn't that big (and you'll make some of it back upon selling), I don't think servicing at an indy will differ too much (although happy to be corrected by somebody in the know) and even with dpf most people do a decent journey every now and then and if not I'd be quite happy to do a 15 min thrash.

If I am missing something then, as I said, I'm happy to be corrected. Especially as i'm in the process of buying a small diesel!

Only ever had one diesel before and didn't like it but that's personal choice. Re DPF, there was a topic on here recently about someone who had a Renault with DPF and he mainly did short journeys with the odd 300 mile treck every few months. Unfortunately, the car didn't know this and each time the DPF regenerated was on a short commute, sometimes even the day following the 300 odd mile blast. Long story short, the DPF never managed to fully regen and the bill was huge!

Hintza

terryya wrote: »

If I am missing something then, as I said, I'm happy to be corrected. Especially as i'm in the process of buying a small diesel!

No but you need to sit down and do the sums. So that you know what the cost differences are. If you don't know how much each is going to cost you why are you opting for a diesel?

Kittikins

Thanks everyone for your advice, I've googled the DPFs and they don't sound like they're vital? (I can't find info on the Hyundai website so will wait for them to call me later in the week to try and sew the deal up and see whether it has one then).

The car I have driven is this, it looks good (apart from the cost as of course needing a new car has made me realise how much money seems to trickle through my fingers each month meaning I don't just have £8,600 lying around as spare change and I think I wouldn't be able to get a Fiesta anywhere near as cheap as this, which is another alternative).

I'm just a bit clueless where cars are concerned, I like 4 wheels, 5 doors and a reasonable boot for all the paraphenalia 2 girlies "need" to travel with.

The car in question is:
Sept 2009 reg
About 7,000 miles on the clock
Tax £30/year - Petrol would be £110 tax
COST £8,600 (incl. part ex on my current car)

MPG: Combined 62.8 diesel versus 45.6 for a 1.4 petrol version

Does this look like a good car for me?

terryya

Hintza wrote: »

No but you need to sit down and do the sums. So that you know what the cost differences are. If you don't know how much each is going to cost you why are you opting for a diesel?

My sums aren't exaxt but based on what I put on earlier post.
What I do know is that I'll be paying about £500 more for diesel than an equivalent petrol model. I'm not sure how long we'll keep it for would expect to at least recoup a couple of hundred of that upon resale.

Road tax is £90 cheaper so 2-3 years of that will equal out the higher purchase price.

I used to pay about £150 for service and MOT for my petrol so being generous lets say £200. Under warranty for another 12-18 months so no big repair bills soon. The, like any car, it is down to luck!

Official figures give about 30% better mileage - as well as saving money this will also reduce the emotional pain of yet another visit to the petrol station and watching yet another £50 go in the tank.

Like I say not 100% scientific but it does it for me!

JonathanA

What is your current car & what trim level is the Hyundai? I think you also need to try the Fiesta to see which you prefer. I've recently bought a Fiesta Zetec 1.4TDCi which is doing 60mpg, costs £20 per annum to tax (lower emissions than the Hyundai) and is a lower insurance group than the Hyundai. Having said that, it only has a 3 year warranty, not a 5 year warranty.

There are lots of nearly new, low mileage Fiestas out there and their high list price can be ignored, they lose a lot in their first year or so. I wouldn't make the purchase without at least testing other options out. What Car magazine lists the running cost per mile of a Hyundai i20 1.4CRD Comfort 5 dr to be 32.2pence per mile, the Fiesta 1.4TDCi Zetec is 30.9 pence per mile. The i20 petrol has a per mile running cost of 33.8 pence and the Fiesta 1.4 petrol 34.5 pence (Comfort & Zetec trim respectively).

You really need to try both cars and both engines and see which you prefer - I've run diesels for years and never had any problems, includine a Vauxhall fitted with a DPf covering low mileage that never had any issues (it had lots of other problems that were unconnected though!).

It is difficult to comment on the deal you've been offered until we know what car you are trading in!

motorguy

vikingaero wrote: »

Sounds like petrol would be better. Check to see if the i20 has a Diesel Particulate Filter. If it has then definitely get a petrol. This is because with your short journeys it may create problems.

All new Hyundais have a 5 year warranty so even IF the DPF is a problem its covered (and its v unlikely)

Also '100 mile + journeys each way at the weekends' = potentially 8-10,000 miles per year of long distance weekend driving alone, which a diesel is perfect for. Plus on top of that round town work during the week.

The diesel will be worth more come resale time, which should offset the initial outlay, plus significantly more economical, plus lower tax.

I cant see any reason to think the petrol is a better buy.