Car Buying Advice

CanadaBound

Hi there,

We are currently looking at buying a new (to us anyway) car and after much deliberation we have decided to go for a diesel. However, neither of us have ever owned a diesel so have no idea about things to check when looking at the car. I have found loads of checklists for what to look for when looking for a petrol car but nothing for a diesel so I thought I would tap into the fountain of knowledge here. Any advice?

Thanks

Lydia

jaydeeuk1

I'd advise either an AA inspection, or if you are friendly with a local garage, ask if they can give it a good look over, well worth the price, and they spot a couple of issues, you can either walk away or use it to barter the price down further.

saintjanet

Good advice from jaydeeuk1.

One thing to consider is the mileage you do and how long you will keep the vehicle ,as diesel cars are often more expensive to buy,not a problem if you plan to keep it or a long time and do high miles as you will recoup this cost,also the tax is higher than on petrol which is a bit daft but it all adds up when you fill our tank.

Diesels will run for ever if serviced on a regular basis and the oil needs to be changed more often than on a petrol vehicle.Good Luck

CanadaBound

Hi there,

Thanks for the help guys - and sorry for the delay (I posted the question and the interweb promptly died!). We do do high miles at the moment as my hubby has recently got a new contract which means just over an hours commute - he would normally use the train for journeys of that length but, as there is no direct route, it would take almost three hours to get there!

One problem we seem to be having is, diesels are SO in demand at the moment that, despite my hubby watching autotrader like a hawk, by the time we ring someone about a car it is gone already. One person tol us they sold their car, sight unseen, over the phone and the guy I spoke to last night said he had had several calls at midnight the night before from people trying to buy his car. We have made several appointments to see cars after work on the day they have been posted and they have been gone before we get there.

Unfortunately, this means that, if we ever hope to get a diesel, we are unlikely to have time to get an AA inspection before it is sold. A shame really as we have used AA inspections in the past on cars that we weren't sure of and they were really useful.

Ah well, we shall just keep on looking I guess.

AdrianHi

saintjanet wrote: »

Diesels will run for ever if serviced on a regular basis and the oil needs to be changed more often than on a petrol vehicle.Good Luck

This situation has rapidly change in the years around and since 2001 when emissions rules have become ever more strict and advancements in oils are made.
A modern turbo diesel with long life synthetic oil can go 18,000 to 23,000 miles between changes depending on how it is driven, though many would argue it should not be left that long and they are probably right, but that's the manufacturers advice these days. The modern turbo diesel is a pretty highly stressed beast with fuel injection pressures many times higher than the old dependable but slow and noisy diesels.
Bumper to bumper traffic is not good for any car, but particularly bad for a modern diesel that is built to cruise the motorway, try to avoid these. An inspection is ideal, but if you have to take a chance for your self the few things that I can suggest (I'm not a motor mechanic you understand, just a car enthusiast) :
Pulling the dip stick and checking the colour of the oil will tell you nothing about how old the old is, on a diesel new fresh oil goes black inside 100 miles as the diesel soot gets into it. If the car is brand new you might get 300 to 500 miles before the oil goes black. Look for documented service history.
Grey / white exhaust smoke = on a warm engine possible turbo damage - should be obvious something is wrong from driving too.
Black / blue smoke = you will always get some on a diesel, using BP Ulimate diesel or an additive like Millers can help to clean up the engine and reduce smoke. If it's really bad it is a sign of over-fueling which can be due to worn fuel injectors, blocked EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve, blocked crank case breather or dirty "MAF" (something which measures air flow). EGR, MAF and crank case breather relatively cheap to clean / replace, replacement injectors can cost £800-£2000.
There is a higher risk of general gunging up on a diesel that spends a lot of time driving around town.
This is by no means definitive but covers the tips I've picked up on various car owner forums.

CanadaBound

Thanks - very helpful! At least we can have a vague idea of what we are looking at now.

SSHAW_3

I read this post with interest as we are also in the process of trying to buy a new car. We were going to go for a 2.00 TDCi estate. We mostly do local driving but do take the car abroad a couple of times a year. Trouble is with the price of diesel soaring so much higher than petrol, we don't know whether diesel will be such a good buy for us after all. We do intend to keep the car a while.

If anyone can advise on whether we should go petrol or diesel with our sort of usage, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

AdrianHi

SSHAW wrote: »

I read this post with interest as we are also in the process of trying to buy a new car. We were going to go for a 2.00 TDCi estate. We mostly do local driving but do take the car abroad a couple of times a year. Trouble is with the price of diesel soaring so much higher than petrol, we don't know whether diesel will be such a good buy for us after all. We do intend to keep the car a while.

If anyone can advise on whether we should go petrol or diesel with our sort of usage, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

Mechanically speaking the best choice is a small petrol engine for mostly town driving.
But you need something bigger and faster and have no choice but to take into consideration market forces in the used car market which might force and otherwise illogical diesel decision. As the early / new owner of the car you have warranty protection and problems that *might* arise from a diesel used around town a lot are almost certainly 10's of thousands of miles away. So diesel is probably still the best option. You say TDCi, does this mean a Ford? Residuals on Fords are poor, even for the new Mondeo. Either buy a pre-registered or up to 3 month old for 20% off list price. The entry level Mondeo 2.0 TDCi edge has depreciation costs of 292 a month over 36 months if you pay list price for it. You can lease the same car for 301 a month including VAT and road tax,the cash flow situation is easier to deal with and you might be able to buy the car off the lease company at the end for 33% of it's original list price.

To really answer the question exactly what car are you considering, how many miles do you do a year and what would the petrol car alternative you would consider be?
Also what interest charge do you incur for cash tied up in a car? is it 6% mortgage rate because you cannot pay off mortgage with money in the car or say 3% building society saving rate interest lost?

SSHAW_3

Thank you AdrianHi. I get a Ford discount, hence the Ford. If not diesel we would get a petrol Mondeo Estate. We do about 12000 miles a year including the holiday. We won't compromise on the size of the car as there are 4 of us and we have a small runaround car too.

We are going to pay cash for the car.

AdrianHi

SSHAW wrote: »

Thank you AdrianHi. I get a Ford discount, hence the Ford. If not diesel we would get a petrol Mondeo Estate. We do about 12000 miles a year including the holiday. We won't compromise on the size of the car as there are 4 of us and we have a small runaround car too.

We are going to pay cash for the car.

OK what is the car exactly and what price can you get it for / what % off list discount do you get?
I know Ford employees get a big discount on Fords.
This is relevant because higher priced diesel = more money tied up in car which means higher cost to you for having that money tied up in the car. If the diesel comes at only a small premium over the equivalent petrol for purchase price this could tip the balance. Lowering the overall price with a discount narrows the gap.

What Car? pence per mile figures are very good I think, but they don't take into account the cost of having cash tied up in the car, which is different for everyone.

SSHAW_3

Wow, didn't realise it was so technical. It's a Ford Mondeo Zetec 2.00 TDCi. They don't do percentage discount any more just a set amount. This month it's £3405 off for the petrol model but I think the diesel is only about £500 more. Metallic paint is another £300 odd but my other half thinks this is essential as he likes it and it doesn't show the dirt up as much.

We only get discount on brand new which is £13995 for the petrol but the estate may be a bit more. Depends on what you negociate with garage. If we get a year old one which is the old shape can get for about £11250 with low mileage (10,000). Forgot to say is a Zetec we are looking at.

Don't want to go to dealers and start haggling if I don't know if I want a petrol or diesel so hence my original question.

Really appreciate your time and help. I feel relieved at being able to get some impartial advice.