Petrol vs Diesel for high mileage car?

motorguy

lazer wrote: »

It cost less than £500 extra and was 9 months younger as well. My own car was written off, so I had to replace it and I had been regretting not buying a diesel. (PS its a polo - so low cost!)

Ah fair enough. I thought you were trading in - that would have cost you closer to £2500 to do.

lazer wrote: »

As long as you look after a diesel - regular servicing, use the right oil etc they will last a long time.


I intend for mine to get to 200,000 mile too.

Yes, totally agree, BUT how do you know, if you're buying a diesel at £1,000 that ANY servicing or preventative maintenance has been done? OR has someone just driven it until its giving trouble?

BeenThroughItAll

motorguy wrote: »

Yes. It was a great engine in its time.

Hard to get a good one though. Anyone who has one and it is a good one isnt going to sell it - who sells a goose that lays golden eggs? If its running well they'll keep it, if its got big bills looming, they'll flog it on.

Not saying that "will" happen, but i know i'd be incredibly wary of buying an old diesel even though i spent years motor trading so "should" be able to find a good one, to the point where if i was doing 12K per year, i wouldnt have a diesel about me.

I only have my golf diesel because i'm doing 25K per year and its averaging 62mpg. Its take a water pump and an entire engine wiring loom in a year, but luckily its still under manufacturers warranty.

Still a great motor now, Paul. I wouldn't necessarily agree that it's hard to find a decent one... it's been fitted to so many VAG group vehicles if you're not after a specific car there's quite a lot to choose from, and only people who KNOW they're good want to keep them for that reason. A lot of people just buy, drive, sell, repeat.

getmeouttahere

Wow, I wasn't looking to start a Diesel vs Petrol debate

However, still, no-one has answered my query about the mileage. Would I be advised to stay away from PETROL cars with the kind of mileage that the car linked to above has (i.e. 120K+)?

gazfocus

I started a similar thread earlier in the week. I am also looking for a car in the £1000 region and I am concerned about buying a petrol over 100,000 miles.

I was all set to buy a diesel with 130,000 miles until reading this thread but now I'm very wary.

Additionally, my wife has a 2009 Citroen C4 Picasso with a 1.6TD engine. She only used the car once a week (for about 10 miles) but we use the car for any journey that's other than me going to/from work.

What should I be worried about in terms of maintaining the engine?

JustinR1979

motorguy wrote: »

The problem is, you get a £600 bill at some point so you "have" to repair it, so theres 1/2 a years fuel saving gone. Then a year later the turbo goes, so thers a years fuel saving gone.

Also, if you're doing 12K a year, you're saving £10 a week at best - comparing 50mpg to 35mpg, so one typically sized diesel bill and you've lost a years savings, and still have no guarantees you wont have another problem the next week.

I would have to drive a lot slower to get 35mpg from a petrol that had some poke.
Even if you break even with these big bills, which a petrol can have too, you're driving round in a pokey card - depends if that matters or not.

BeenThroughItAll

gazfocus wrote: »

I started a similar thread earlier in the week. I am also looking for a car in the £1000 region and I am concerned about buying a petrol over 100,000 miles.

I was all set to buy a diesel with 130,000 miles until reading this thread but now I'm very wary.

Additionally, my wife has a 2009 Citroen C4 Picasso with a 1.6TD engine. She only used the car once a week (for about 10 miles) but we use the car for any journey that's other than me going to/from work.

What should I be worried about in terms of maintaining the engine?

Your main worry with a 1.6TD is owning it at all. Sorry to say, but they're not the most reliable of things.

gazfocus

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Your main worry with a 1.6TD is owning it at all. Sorry to say, but they're not the most reliable of things.

Sorry, my mistake, it's a 1.6HDi, not TD.

BeenThroughItAll

gazfocus wrote: »

Sorry, my mistake, it's a 1.6HDi, not TD.

Same difference I'm afraid.

welfayre

getmeouttahere wrote: »

Wow, I wasn't looking to start a Diesel vs Petrol debate

However, still, no-one has answered my query about the mileage. Would I be advised to stay away from PETROL cars with the kind of mileage that the car linked to above has (i.e. 120K+)?

Simple answer; Yes. In general petrol engines start to go wrong around 100,000+. Diesels around 150,000 (please note that is a VERY general assumption and I know they'll be plenty of examples contradicting it)

When I'm looking to buy cars I try to get petrols at around 70000 and diesels at around 90/100,000.

You'll get electrical issues with 10+ year old cars regardless of engine but that's for another thread.

gazfocus

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Same difference I'm afraid.

Well we've not had any problems with it so far. It's been a great car actually.