Which one will save me most?

Liquid_Stool

hello,

I'm inreceipt of motability allowance and my car is due for renewal and i want some help with the maths as to which car will save me the most.

I am looking at two very different cars, a Honda Civic (possibly the sexiest car on earth - after the Bugatti Veyron, which they don't do on Motability) and the most practical car for me and the family a Grand C4 Picasso.

The details for the Civic are;

1.4i DSi SE PETROL 6 Speed Manual
Urban - 37.2
Combined - 47.9
Extra urban - 57.6

Down payment for 3 year lease is £299

The details for the C4:

1.6HDi VTR+ 16v DIESEL 5 Speed Manual
Urban - 38.7
Combined - 47.9
Extra Urban - 55.4

Down payment for 3 year lease is £795

I live in the middle of nowhere so petrol and diesel prices are disgusting + 10% higher than anywhere else - todays prices are £1.03 per litre for unleaded and £1.08 for diesel.

50% of my driving is rural, good long stretches with constant speeds, 40% town driving and 10% motorway. I'm not the most economical person when it comes to the accelerator pedal i admit!

As you can see, 2 very different cars, the C4 being by far the most practial and a great drive actually with loads of space for my daughter's wheelchair, very well spec'd including alloys, mp3 cd, air con, cruise control, speed limiter, 7 air bags, 7 seats, all round electric windows, electronic parking brake etc etc, but my heart cries out for the beauty of the Civic with it's smouldering good looks, 6 speed box, astonishing fuel economy, wrap around drivers console, gorgeous information panel/ digital dash, climate control, fab mp3/wma/cd player, refrigerated glove box, all round air bags, active hed restraints and those magic seats in the back that mean i could fit my mountain bike stood up in the back, and still have room for a few bags of shopping AND the wheelchair!

In the end it will probably come down to cost over the 3 year lease - there are no running costs bar the fuel and down payment. Naturally the missus likes the C4 so without concrete proof i guess i'll be poodling around in a C4 - wave as i go past, i'll be the fully grown man

Any comments most welcome!

goldspanners

if you are heavy with the right foot as you say,there will be very little differance in driving a diesel car hard as to the petrol,you will get similar amount of mpg.
the diesel will be more powerful with a lot more torque than the petrol,but you will get a higher top end speed from the petrol engine.
the civic will hold its money better but as its a lease this wont really affect you unless you decide to buy it at the end of the lease.
my head says in your position go for the picasso (for the space).
but my heart says go for the civic.(style).

sorry i cant be any more help.

anewman

Try find a diesel that will happily run straight veggie oil maybe, if petrol/diesel cost is your only gripe?! Trouble is I don't know if any modern new cars do and whoever is responsible for the lease wouldn't be impressed if they found a problem due to being filled with veggie oil.

FlameCloud

The Civic is nice but that engine really is pathetic. A 1.4 in a modern supermini (i.e. a fiesta) struggles, so it must be horrendous in a lardy new hatchback.

The 0-60 is one of the slowest of any car in the county at over 14 seconds. Get a year old 2.2 cdti, now theres an engine.

ormus

my new focus diesel does 60mpg. all day long.
im sure ive seen an advert for no down payment either, for the focus?
best car in its class: official.

Liquid_Stool

FlameCloud wrote: »

The Civic is nice but that engine really is pathetic. A 1.4 in a modern supermini (i.e. a fiesta) struggles, so it must be horrendous in a lardy new hatchback.

The 0-60 is one of the slowest of any car in the county at over 14 seconds. Get a year old 2.2 cdti, now theres an engine.

i do have to agree with you there about the engine, i was disappointed by the eternity it took to get out of the dealer's:eek: but none the less, honda have made a great looking car, so what if i'd be a week older every time i went to the petrol station???

Liquid_Stool

well, as i guessed, 'er indoors got her own way, (it did cost her to agree to a new pc for me) and i guess overall, i'm pretty pleased, despite forkin' out another 200 bucks for a six speed flappy paddle/auto gear box, which ever way i look at it, a grand for a new car of any description (apart from the focus:rotfl:is a bit of a bargain.

thx to those who replied!