Citreon Berlingo purchase -big mistake

AdrianC

Carolinemjs wrote: »

Do short trips between 5-10 miles ish, around 30-40 miles a day.

Sense of perspective here...

40 miles at 40mpg will use 4.5 litres, £4.95 at £1.10/litre.
At 50mpg, 3.6 litres, £3.96
At 60mpg, 3 litres, £3.30

So this "big mistake" is costing you £1.65 on a 40 mile day. £600/year, if you do that 40 miles every single day.

Compare that to the total running costs for those 14,600 miles, including depreciation.

force_ten

come on guys lighten up a bit here

this lady has made what could be a costly mistake and the last thing that she needs now is people taking the P iss

Carolinemjs

AdrianC you're right of course, its a niggle that had built up in my mind and I came here and aired it. There have been a number of really interesting and helpful comments that I appreciate, and for sure I will make a better informed decision in the future.
I reiterate my thanks to all the helpful people here.

motorguy

Carolinemjs wrote: »

So how about some useful advice then?
I'm well aware I've made a mistake, exclamations at my stupidity are a waste of time. So come on then, read the thread and offer something constructive about what I should have bought. Whats the big deal with the dogs, together they don't weigh any more than one big bloke!

The advice was implicit., but i'll repeat it explicitly - dont expect 60mpg given your driving pattern.

Its not a matter of stupidity, its about unrealistic expectations. The vehicle you have bought probably suits your requirements perfectly, however your expectation of getting a steady 60mpg is unrealistic.

Also, you may well find that the "optimal" way to drive your new car is different to how to drive your previous one.

The berlingo is quite a heavy vehicle with a not very powerful engine in it, so add one adult, 5 dogs and some hills and you're never going to get great MPG no matter what you buy.

gilbert_and_sullivan

No one is taking anything.
The lady only wants advice so long as she agrees with, not point in making the original post at all, a winge at the post office would have achieved some sympathy probably.

Carolinemjs

I give up - you guys just can't stop needling can you?

TRhanks again to the helpful people - Bye

arcon5

AdrianC wrote: »

It would be illegal for them to have quoted any fuel consumption figure apart from the official figures.

What law makes it illegal then?

force_ten

I would love to post on here what is the correct car for you to buy but sadly i can't and doubt anybody on here that doesn't know you could either

looking at your need to transport your dogs then the car you bought would seem a suitable type of vehicle and i take it you can fold the rear seats to increase the rear space making it a great car for carrying the dogs

the main problem with the car is the diesel engine and the fact that the MPG is falling short of what you were lead to believe and expected and the fact that the car may have a DPF that may cause you problems in the future due to the type of driving that you do

sadly to comply with the emissions regulations imposed on them the manufacturers are having to do all sorts of things to diesel engines making them unsuitable for use as a town car and they need a good mix of higher speed and motorway driving driving to properly clean the DPF and keep the motor running at its best

for the driving style that you mention then one of the ECO petrol engines would be better for you but the MPG figures for that type of engine could be less than you are getting from the car you have now

I would say that you may be better living with the car that you have got and as you get used to it you may learn how to get the best out of it but you will need to add longish motorway/ dual carriageway trips at a highish speed to keep the DPF clean

Strider590

I don't think anyone means to come across like an ar5eh0le, I think we all like to believe that any solid advice we give on these forums will somehow eventually make their way out into the world, start to get passed from person to person and hopefully save people some money......

Unfortunately there are too many "know it all"s out there, people who go purely on hearsay and rumours that are decades old, and as soon as they hear "I heard on the internet" they immediately protest that we're all talking nonsense.

No doubt OP will go away and explain all this to friends/family, who will almost undoubtedly poo poo everything that's been said.

bigjl

Why do people post on Internet forums and only expect people to agree with them and only give them information into ensuring their "rights" are fully satisfied


You bought what is usually the second biggest financial commitment in most people's lives whilst on relying on the advice of the salesman selling the car.

The fact he may or may not be the Director of the dealership means nothing.