Whats best for short journeys, petrol or diesel?

Head_The_Ball · 20 April 2017 at 10:20AM

Tarambor wrote: »

My 2 litre Mazda MX5 costs £50 more in fuel per 1000 miles than my 2 litre diesel Mondeo which is far larger and weighs 50% more.

Fuel is just one part of the cost of running a car.

What is the total cost of ownership over the time period you plan to own and run the cars?

Purchase price, servicing, depreciation, VED etc.

Even if the diesel is still cheaper you also have to consider other factors.

How much more pollution does one produce versus the other?

How much more fun to drive is the MX5 versus the Mondeo?

easy · 20 April 2017 at 10:36AM

JP1978 wrote: »

You can get diesels without DPF's at that kind of age (or slightly older) like the VW/Audi 1.9PD engines. They have a good reputation for reliability and fuel economy - 50 to 55 even in a passat, more in a golf.

At the kind of age you are talking, there is unlikely to be any price difference between purchase price.

As the years have progressed petrol cars have got more fuel efficient, but then again, so have diesels - but at about £8000, I'm not sure if you will be buying into that more recent technology.

Having said all that - we just dont know what the future will bring re diesels - in the long term, they are almost certainly going to be taxed to extinction but the short term? Who knows. Will that affect the resale of your car?

Just to say that i wouldn't suggest to anyone that buying a diesel car is a good idea now, especially an older pre-DPF one.
Apart from the fact that diesel is probably going to become more expensive, several cities are already putting plans in place to ban diesels outright, so you'll end up with a car that you can't take anywhere.
We were planning to buy the lease car I have been driving for the last 3 years. Loved it, but as it's a diesel we have shelved that plan altogether.