Is Petrol cheaper to run than a Diesel ?

[Bill_56]

Originally Posted by Clan

if you are driving in a way to get 30 mpg from your petrol then you will be getting near 50 mpg from a D5 not 40 mpg
looking at it another way , if you are driving in a way to get just 40 mpg from a D5 then a petrol will be giving you low 20's .
better alter the spreadsheet calculations :-)

Sorry, but not sure I can agree with that. I've owned two S60s, a 2.0t and a 2.4d. The two cars have similar performance on paper, and I drive them each the same way, on the same roads, with similar journey times and number of overtaking manoeuvres; the 2.4D was somewhere around 43mpg, the 2.0t is about 33mpg (both measured as long-term averages, not computer readings).

Another thing to factor in is tyre wear... it seems to be commonly accepted (and my experience too) that front tyre wear is much worse in the diesel. Two new tyres every 12k, instead of every 18k, adds another £100pa or so to the hidden costs of diesels.

[pdrvolvo]

Originally Posted by Bendolfc

The price difference will fall a fair bit when it warms up and there is less demand for heating oil.

You must be jokeing were haveing the mildest winter on record at the moment and if you think the cost of diesel will fall you better think again.


peter.

[Moosejaw]

Originally Posted by GMad

...only French people, Taxi drivers and Farmers use diesel

THIS. (And accountants)

It is beginning to look like the Diseasel bubble is starting burst. More people seem to be cottoning onto the fact that there's an awful lot of expensive, potentially unreliable tech in a modern dizzler compared to the 'cooking' version of the petrol model in the range. When it comes to long term reliability a dizzler no longer has the advantage they used to have in the days when a Peugeot XUD would rattle on for half a million miles with nothing more than fresh oil every so often while the petrol engines were lucky if they saw much more than 100k.

DMFs and DPFs can both generate near £1000 bills when they fail, most of the dizzler's ancillary components like the brakes, suspension, charging system etc are uprated from standard and cost more to replace, as do the tyres as already mentioned. The fuel delivery system is a hell of a lot more complicated than on a petrol engine, and remember that if a modern dizzler didn't have a huge turbo and intercooler they'd still be producing about 70bhp from 2 litres like they used to.

All this stuff brings far greater running costs compared to a proper car and for what? An extra 10-15mpg seems to be about average between the TDi version and the 1.8i petrol.
You have to do your sums very carefully nowadays to see if the dizzler's going to be the better financial option, and that's before you ask yourself the question 'can I live with the noise, unpleasant refuelling, tiny power band, smoke, kudos etc...

You can probably tell it will be a cold day in hell before I willingly spend my own money on a filthy Diseasel.

[Unreal master tech]

For what it's worth you could not give me a diesel guys they are just too expensive to fix when they go wrong?! The other thing is they do go wrong because of emission measures tightening every year they have more issues now than ever before!... No give me petrol power every time thanks?!

[scr8pdo]

I think it all levels out in the end, ie both have advantages, I for everyday would want a diesel, just of my own experiences, if I was using my T5 everyday, the fuel cost is enormous compared to the TDi, but the T5 is defo more fun to drive, some people are anti diesel and tbh I used to be one of those people, but diesel cars have come a long way in the last few years, they are no longer the old clattery, slow smokey things of yesteryear, I have driven some very late diesels and tbh they are amazing.

Take a 530 or even better a 535d BMW for a rip and you will see what I mean, I have started to be swayed towards diesel cars, you will notice the difference if you go back to a petrol by visiting the petrol station a lot more in a petrol, diesel cars will hold their value better than a petrol, they sre generally tougher and will do more miles than a petrol, as I say there is pros and cons but for me, everyday running I would want a DERV

[mrc1501]

It is beginning to look like the Diseasel bubble is starting burst. More people seem to be cottoning onto the fact that there's an awful lot of expensive, potentially unreliable tech in a modern dizzler compared to the 'cooking' version of the petrol model in the range. When it comes to long term reliability a dizzler no longer has the advantage they used to have........

Thanks for confirming what I have been thinking for a while. TBH though, I think that if I did have the money difference at the time that I bought my car, I MAY have gone for the D5.

Too many people focus (incorrectly) on the economy of the diesel engines, or the £35 VED, (but NOT on Volvos ) yet overlook, or are not aware of the other potential wallet bursting factors as you have mentioned.

Would a Bi-Fuel car make more economic sense or are they too riddled with expensive (hidden) costs

[Rossi-fan]

Originally Posted by GMad

This, to me seems pointless.
You are evidently a mathamaticion, or possibly an accountant and have done an admiral job of working the figures out with no input from the likes of myself.
Personally, it would be petrol all the way for me, (despite the huge mileage I do), simply because in my experience, only French people, Taxi drivers and Farmers use diesel

Ah wee monsuir, c'est un a la cushion avec bon sur diesel drivior.

[Prufrock]

The fleet market has a massive influence here(UK), on what is available to buy new, and what the resale values typically are after a three year change cycle.

Many, many fleets are discovering the punitve costs of diesels when they fail - they've been persuaded by the industry to by diesel when diesel was unsuitable for their needs: short journeys = DPF failures.

Many large and influential fleets are dumping diesels for petrol cars.

Read the Daily Telegraph on Saturdays (Motoring) there's at least one letter a week describing modern diesel problems.

LPG is a better solution IMO - diesels are for trucks and taxis, and don't get me wrong I've had plenty of new diesels, and love the low down torque etc.

Had a new S320CDI in 2006 - what a rattler and always in the dealership!!!

Prufrock.

[Rossi-fan]

I went from an '04 T5 to an '03 D5, with some regrets i might add. I like them both, but 75% of me wishes i'd kept the petrol model.

[Moosejaw]

Originally Posted by scr8pdo

Take a 530 or even better a 535d BMW for a rip and you will see ....

I don't doubt it, but why on earth would anyone buy what's supposed to be a prestige luxury car with a Diesel engine? If you're spending £30k+ and accepting the £15k loss in depreciation over the first 3 years it's not because you care about saving a grand a year on fuel bills, is it?

I can just about understand Diesels in repmobiles and smaller commercials or the repairman's estate, where the likelihood is that it will rack up 40-50k miles a year and be sold before it all starts to go wrong but the idea of tractor engine in a luxury car just baffles me.

Also disagree about the noise/smoke thing. The number of times I've seen brand new Mercedes, Audi, Volvo etc Diseasels pull away from the lights in a cloud of carinogenic filth just isn't funny. If my 245k mile/40 year old Amazon had smoked and rattled like that I'd have had it into the garage toot suite!