Should I buy a Diesel?

OddballJamie

GlynD wrote: »

With that size of car and the mileage you get from them these days I'd forget about diesel. The government has almost removed the advantage of having a diesel anyway with extra tax on the fuel. I'm not anti diesel, I've had two of them and they were great cars. That was back in the day when I did big mileage however and diesel was much cheaper than petrol.

As far as I know the duty on petrol and diesel is exactly the same.

neilmcl

GlynD wrote: »

With that size of car and the mileage you get from them these days I'd forget about diesel. The government has almost removed the advantage of having a diesel anyway with extra tax on the fuel. I'm not anti diesel, I've had two of them and they were great cars. That was back in the day when I did big mileage however and diesel was much cheaper than petrol.

What a load of nonsense!

The fuel duty on diesel is the same as petrol. The premium price on diesel has nothing to do with duty and more to do with simple supply & demand economics.

Strider590

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/car-buyers-guide/cbg_fuel.html

daveyjp

A modern small petrol car will do 50+ mpg on a decent A road run. Small diesels are for driving instructors.

Iceweasel

OddballJamie wrote: »

As far as I know the duty on petrol and diesel is exactly the same.

Yes - 58p/litre.

and VAT as well don't forget.

OddballJamie

Iceweasel wrote: »

Yes - 58p/litre.

and VAT as well don't forget.

I left that out on purpose for the smart ones to point out you actually pay more VAT on diesel than petrol, although the percentage remains the same.

oliverr

You would be better off with a more efficient petrol engine, they aren't particularly high miles and a diesel with a DPF could cause problems down the line.

Petrol engines are getting more and more efficient these days so I think that's the best way to go for you.

Ultrasonic

OddballJamie wrote: »

I left that out on purpose for the smart ones to point out you actually pay more VAT on diesel than petrol, although the percentage remains the same.

Whilst the duty is a smaller percentage of the price of diesel (as it is a fixed amount per litre)...

All of which is, of course, pretty irrelevant. Yes diesel costs more than petrol, but the difference in purchase price is more than compensated for by higher mpg, so fuel costs are definitely lower with diesels. Where it gets tricky is when you try to factor in running costs, and this is where a petrol car becomes the safer option for the OP, unless perhaps they buy an old diesel without a DPF, DMF or turbo. Although they probably wouldn't want to drive one.

StephyM - what sort of age/budget are you thinking of?

GlynD

OddballJamie wrote: »

As far as I know the duty on petrol and diesel is exactly the same.

neilmcl wrote: »

What a load of nonsense!

The fuel duty on diesel is the same as petrol. The premium price on diesel has nothing to do with duty and more to do with simple supply & demand economics.

Keep your hair on. This is just a discussion. I'm not the chancellor of the exchequer. (apparently just as well).