New petrol car, realistic?

C

cheapandgood

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I am considering a new car at the moment. I would like to get a petrol due to mileage I do (approx 15,000) and the fact I do lots of short journeys.

I am interested in the Volvo V40 but the dealers have told me that only the diesel is selling and I am looking at big depreciation on a petrol.

I have looked at the Mazda 3 and Hyundai i30 but the spec on petrol models is poor. Also considering the Honda Civic due to decent spec on petrol but not keen on looks.

Is a petrol car an option for a mid sized car like the above? Is there any other options I am missing? Help appreciated on this.
 
I do less than 10k a year and drive diesel since 2007, better torque at low end and extra fuel economy on any runs, I now prefer it to petrol, the only concern seems to be and only for some cars it seems the DPT is clogging from those short runs, an occasional run on a main road keeping the revs up in 3rd gear for a few miles will sort that if you don't do more than say 30 miles a week on any individual trips. also not all diesels have DPF, I thought they had but was informed by a Renault salesman that the new model Clio diesel does not have one, no DPF would be my preference,
 
Let's not forget though that possible minor savings on fuel economy can be eaten up by the extra cost of a diesel versus petrol.
 
Good point on the DPF, it is also a reason for petrol. Could be an extra bill in 18 months. Also the petrol is smooth on short runs.
 
The Ford Focus EcoBoost is a nice car. 123BHP and 56 MPG.
VW are bringing out the same sort of engine in the Golf but I'm not sure when (it may be out now).
Ford are cheaper to run and service than Honda and a better drive than a VW. Hyundai are great cars, as are Mazda. The Civic looks poxy.
 
Purple said:
Ford are cheaper to run and service than Honda and a better drive than a VW. Hyundai are great cars, as are Mazda. The Civic looks poxy.
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Agree with the above but the petrol Hyundai i30 and Mazda 3 come in the base spec only. The Civic which looks poxy at least come with decent equipment levels. I would go for the petrol Mazda 3 if the spec was decent.
 
There also the EGR valve on diesels that clog up and require constant maintenance
 
It seems VAG petrol engines are all turbo now, I'm been thinking about the Golf TSI 1.2, I'm a low mileage driver.
Any thoughts on turbo as opposed to naturally aspirated engines? Would the turbo involve more maintenance/repairs/expense over time?

Honda have good reliability reputation but I agree about the design of the rear. I imagine the Focus & Mazda would hold their value more than Hyundai i30 although the latter is now well established and popular.
 
f you are doing low miles or city miles stay with a petrol.
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The DPF can cost €2k to get fixed .
Many of the high percentage of diesel cars on our roads are prone to Diesel Particulate Filter (PPF) problems because they only do short, lower speed, journey cycles. This means the vehicle fails to reach the optimum temperature for DPF regeneration when soot is burned off. The filter thus becomes clogged and ineffective.
A poorly functioning DPF will reduce engine performance, increase emissions and increase fuel consumption. It can also lead to vehicle breakdown. DPF replacement is also very expensive for the motorist.
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Purple said:
They cost more to buy and service. If you are doing low miles or city miles stay with a petrol.
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That's a misnomer. My current diesel hasn't cost any more to service than my last petrol car and I do reasonably lower than average mileage. It's saved me quite a bit actually.
 
familyguy said:
That's a misnomer. My current diesel hasn't cost any more to service than my last petrol car and I do reasonably lower than average mileage. It's saved me quite a bit actually.
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That's not my experience but horses for courses and all that.
 
Most DPF's can now be cleaned, do not let the fear of DPT failure cause you to elimate diesel as an option, an occasional run in lower gears, higher revs will help, I drive an automatic diesel, do very little mileage at the moment as I have access to a few cars but occasionally drive the diesel in tiptronic mode ( manual ) in 3rd at 4000 rpm's for maybe 3 - 4 miles when the engine has reached operating temperature, every engine that does low mileage needs a blowout to keep everything functioning as intended.
 
Purple said:
That's not my experience but horses for courses and all that.
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Yeah it's subjective. I don't think it's fair to generalise about these things as there are so many factors to take into account.

But on the whole I feel a modern or fairly modern diesel engined car should not require much more servicing or work than a petrol engined car. With both you're still required to service every 5-10k and change oil and filters etc so it depends on the machine really and how it's treated and driven.
 
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