MSE News: Asda to cut petrol prices again on New Year's Day

JustinR1979

Pincher wrote: »

The better fuel economy of diesels only really cuts in if you do something like 20,000+ miles, due to the fuel price differential.


I had a diesel for three years, and it was very satisfying to drive, with plenty of low down torque, but I have gone back to petrol for two years now. Due to the particulate pollution, the congestion charge will be going up. For short runs, the particulate filter does not heat up enough to burn off the carbon, so I have to deliberately go on the motorway for a blast to clear the filter.


So, if you are a low milage driver, you should be driving a petrol car, not moaning about the price of diesel. If you are driving 30,000 miles a year, you are saving money with a diesel, any way.

I do about 8k miles a year, and chose a diesel. Better mpg and better performance.
Any petrol that can get close to this mpg won't match the performance.
Save a tenner a week and it's fairly pokey.
Sorry I'm running on the wrong fuel

JustinR1979

Pincher wrote: »

If you can't save money, why on earth would anyone buy a diesel? The diesel version is universally more expensive than the petrol version. Actually, I must say I really liked the Peugeot 406 1.9 turbo diesel, which was a minicab driver's tool of choice. I bought it second hand, so the diesel premium was not too significant. I certainly wouldn't pay £1,000 extra for a new diesel car.

In my case 230 ft/lb's of torque and 55mpg.
No petrol will match that for £1500, and 2 years later still be worth a grand to anyone.


Brother's diesel is knocking on 400 ft/lb's of torque, 40+ mpg, and is a very fun car to drive - far easier and more fun to drive than his 335i.

bod1467

I think MSE should quit with these threads - all they are doing is giving free advertising to the supermarkets.

OddballJamie

bod1467 wrote: »

I think MSE should quit with these threads - all they are doing is giving free advertising to the supermarkets.

It' saved me a few quid here and there by postponing a fill up.

I'd rather see these threads than another pathetic DM persona begging for attention.

JustinR1979

OddballJamie wrote: »

It' saved me a few quid here and there by postponing a fill up.

I'd rather see these threads than another pathetic DM persona begging for attention.

You could just ask me when I've filled up, always drops in price the next day.

redux

bod1467 wrote: »

I think MSE should quit with these threads - all they are doing is giving free advertising to the supermarkets.

Agreed. I have never done a local search on the petrolprices website and found more than 6 supermarkets in the top 10, and seeing only 3 or 4 is more frequent.

[Deleted User]

It's because the "I drive 5 miles to work I need a diesel" brigade so diesel price went up.

jimjames

Pincher wrote: »

So, if you are a low milage driver, you should be driving a petrol car, not moaning about the price of diesel. If you are driving 30,000 miles a year, you are saving money with a diesel, any way.

That might be true for newer cars but older ones are well worth having a diesel. The cost difference is tiny and the resale value as already mentioned is much better.

Not many cars can be sold on a year or two later for virtually the same price as they were bought for - that's real money saving motoring!

redux

Deleted_User wrote: »

It's because the "I drive 5 miles to work I need a diesel" brigade so diesel price went up.

It's because of two things.

First, the price has always varied seasonally, due to parallel demand for more heating oil in the winter. That difference used to be about 3 pence in winter and nil in the summer, but has now become larger and more or less permanent.

British oil from the North Sea has more of the lighter fractions and less of the heavier, so as diesel consumption here has increased more has had to be imported, while at the same time we export some petrol.

Both diesel and petrol price drops here have lagged compared to in neighbouring countries. A few years ago diesel used to be about 8 to 16 pence a litre cheaper in France and Belgium; now it can be up to 35 pence a litre. Or British motorway 127 pence, Luxembourg motorway 78 pence.

Pincher

If diesel fuel price was the same as petrol, and it costs the same to buy a diesel car, I would buy a diesel every time. Unfortunately, diesels are cranking up air pollution, and the EU is clamping down on it. Boris Johnson would probably bump up the diesel congestion charge today if he could, but London residents who just bought diesels cars will riot.


I wouldn't be surprised if they increase the duty on diesel to try to discourage diesel cars, as an anti-pollution measure.


Eventually, you will be buying diesels for the pleasure of driving it, and not saving money, because you won't be.