Pros and Cons buying a diesel

B

Berbatov

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Thinking about buying a diesel car ...just wondering anyone have any advice on pro's and cons of buying a diesel car...like i'm told fuel consumption should be much better?...is this correct?..i see in most garages around now diesel is the same or slightly more expensive than unleaded petrol..looking for advice .
 
PROS
I went From a 1.9 non tubo deisel to 1.6 petrol and wow did i see the difference in fuel costs. at that time deisel was ~10c cheaper but even adding the same ammount of fuel it just did not go as far. probably 40% less mileage. i think deisel price will come down again.
Engine Noise - padestrians dont walk out in front of you

Cons
service interval increases - this might not be so true for newer deisels
ROAD TAX ~ 350 for 1.6. ~ 530 for 1.9 (.905 up)
DEAD - staright deisel ie non turbo are a bore to drive. getting a TDI is best and probably more fuel efficient.
 
Good MPG
easier to drive because of extra torque.
tend to last longer because the fuel is closer to oil therfore not corosive on the engine parts like petrol.

Modern diesels are as good as and better than a equivelant petrol. Service intervals are the same as petrol now

Downside
Generally dearer to buy initially.
Well worth it though.
 
Fuel economy is a lot better. Better torque or pull in each gear. Less downshifting for overtaking. Better residual values.

More expensive to buy, some need more regular servicing, may be a bit noisier particularly on start up. Engines tend to be bigger capacity so tax and insurance may be pricier.
 
Noisier to start (but not that much if looked after), far better fuil wise, Eu 511 for a 1.9 and the price should come down again. In Merrion it was 2c a litre dearer than unleaded today ........ but that happened during the last 'crisis' also before dropping well below unleaded after a while.
 
The main con of buying a diesel is the cost.
ROAD TAX ~ 350 for 1.6. ~ 530 for 1.9
Plus a diesel car initial cost is a lot more than petrol equivalent.

You are saving on mpg, but I saw a table before which showed in order
to make back the extra cost of diesel you have to be doing an awful lot
of milage each year.
Conclusion was diesel only makes sense for taxi driver/sales rep....

I did a search on web for table and only found a UK example below. Its says
3 years to re-coup cost (but I think its more for Ireland with Tax, and bigger diff in initial price...)



***************************************
Here's the comparison between the 335i and 335d as Coupes in SE spec.

BMW 335i SE
Purchase price: £33,795
MPG: 29.7
CO2: 228

BMW 335d SE
Purchase price: £35,870
MPG: 37.7
CO2: 200

I'm using petrol @ 92.9p/litre and diesel @ 94.9p/litre.

You must travel 68000 miles over three years before the diesel evens out against the petrol. This is including tax liability for two years (1st year included in purchase price) but not servicing costs as it's proving extremely difficult to get that info from car manufacturers.

The fuel costs over the 68000 miles are:
335i: £9,669.36
335d: £7,781.50
 

You can buy small turbo diesels like 1.3/1.4 and that negates the tax and insurance issues.

Main difference is the noise, and the extra you pay to buy diesel engine. You have to work out, if this premium is covered by the savings you make in fuel costs.
 


If you factor in the increased resale value of the diesel it may make more sense.
I'm also thinking of getting a diesel, am doing about 25k pa so based on those figures it would make sense.
 
Even if you pay a more for the diesel, it might be worth paying for the extra range, less time at the pumps, and the extra torque which makes for easier driving. I know some people who use diesels for work, that have a tank at home. Doesn't save much money buying in bulk but it much easier to top up every evening at home, than having to go to garage, especially if there isn't a resonably priced one nearby.
 
I'm getting a diesel car in the new year, never having owned a diesel before. Primary considerations were pulling power (or torque) and fuel economy. I spoke to a couuple of friends who drove diesels before taking a couple of test drives in the the car I wanted to buy. Heavier cars really suffer in fuel economy when an underpowered petrol engine is pushed above mid range. I don't really do the extra mileage to warrant the €2000 extra I'm going to pay for the diesel engine (as against the 1.6 petrol variant on offer) but I decided to go with this anyway as I'd be happier that the diesel engine will not have to be pushed too hard in the course of the everyday driving I do. There's nothing more frustrating than driving an underpowered car, especially when it's loaded up with a full complement of passengers and a boot full of gear as well.
I could probably expect to get a €1000 of this extra cost back when I come to sell on the car anyway, plus it should prove easier to sell. The range of engines on offer with cars in this country is largely dictated by the tax regime (VRT and motor tax) with the result that a lot of bigger cars are offered with an entry level 1.6 petrol engine, which is underpowered for the job and quite clearly a diesel engine would be the better choice.
 
The more miles you do per year the more sense it makes to go diesel.
I do about 20K miles and my wife about 15K miles a year.
We have both got diesels and will not be changing to petrol anytime soon.
 
It doesn't just boil down to money either - I have a 1.9 TDI and find it absolutely brilliant to drive - comfort is a factor to me that cannot be measured in monetary terms. So even if you factor in the cost difference if you drive long journeys you might appreciate the extra comfort and easy driving from a turbo diesel.
 
Can anyone tell me the difference between a common rail diesel injection system and turbo diesel?..is one better than the other??..thank to all for replies btw ...Looks like diesel is the way to go alright esp as im doing 20k miles per year...just seems to me with current petrol car i'm driving i seem to be at the pumps more often than i'd care to be!!!
 
I'm no petrol head (or diesel head either!) but my basic understanding is this:

Turbo engines pump more fuel/ air mixture into combustion chambers and achieve more power from a given engine size than a non- turbo diesel. The turbo "fan/ compressor" is driven off the vehicles exhaust gases. I thought most diesel engines on offer now were turbocharged?
 
All modern diesels are turbocharged. Common rail is a more modern method of increasingly accurate fuel injection with minute computer controlled adjustments. They are quieter, more powerful, and more economical too.

If you are buying now a 2nd generation common rail engine should be your target.
 
hi all

you may want to check out www.honestjohn.co.uk which is a fantastic site for the pros and cons of each make and model (no connection, btw)

other factors to consider:
- you'll probably find that the number of miles you have to do to offset the purchase price is surprisingly high
- in the UK there is now a glut of 2nd hand diesel cars so don't necessarily expect the tradein price differential to hold up
- modern diesel engines are, in many cases, now more complicated than their petrol equivalents - with turbochargers, EGR valves, common-rail injection
- service intervals have been pushed out to 18/19k miles to suit fleet contract hire rates, remember diesel combustion byproducts pollute the oil
- misfuelling a diesel car with petrol is annoying at best - if the engine is not started the tank needs to be drained and flushed - but catastrophic if a modern CR engine is run for any distance, so beware if buying used (the fuel acts as a lubricant)

SSE
 
i'm looking at a diesel car thats 4k more than its petrol equivalent...my question is are diesel cars that more expensive than their petrol equivalent???...looking at the advice gone before it could take many miles and years to break even when comparing fuel efficiency and cost of diesel car....4k diff could take 3/4/5 years to claw back.
 
aircobra19 said:
Thats why you need to do a lot of miles to justify the extra cost.
Click to expand...

You should talk to someone who actually owns a diesel and get some "real world" experience.

Looking at manufacturer's mpg figures, it's true: you have to do a pretty high mileage to recover the initial higher cost.

However, my experience in actually having one is that there is a huge difference in fuel consumption between diesel and petrol: up to twice as far for the same €40 of fuel. If you ask anyone with a diesel car, they tend to have a similar experience.

In other words, don't rely on official figures when trying to calculate likely savings: try and get some actual figures.
 
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