Is buying a diesel a dumb move?

[StevoD]

Right so i have come into a situation where i will have to find alternative work. 

 

Which will mean i need a car to get to and from work im trying to do this as cheap by cheerful as possible,

 

So my options are

 

1) something like a Toyota Aygo or Suzuki alto 

 

Pros;

Cheap Tax

Cheap fuel

No likely restrictions to be put in place

Generally pick up newer lower mileage cars in this category 

Cheaper Maintenance cost

 

Cons

Tiny inside 

Generally budget builds with nasty plastic and little creature comforts 

Slow and not really motorway suited

 

 

2) a super eco diesel like a Peugeot 1.6 hdi 207 or a Hyundai i30 1.6 crdi 

 

Pros;

Cheap tax

Good MPG

Reasonable Space for humans and cargo

more than suited to a 4 hour drive on the motorway

 

Cons;

Older vehicles

Higher Mileage

Diesel gate 

 

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

My minimum requiremnets

 

9+months mot

£1500 Max 

less than £100 a year tax 

Aux input from factory 

A/c

 

 

 

Any ideas?

 

 

[Ebized]

Makes no sense to me for anyone buying a new diesel engined car as it is clear the s/h prices are going to drop like a stone, so.....

 

It presents a good chance to, and increasingly over the coming years, to pick up a bargain..........providing the disencentives you can come to expect from Government (tax etc) don't make it uneconomic to run.

 

But if the initial purchase price over a petrol engined equivilent makes more cash sense for the number of years you run it and bearing in mind it might be worth peanuts when you come to sell but you have allowed for tht then it sorts out your present transport problems, then in for a pound....?

 

If it were me I would be looking for petrol powered.....simply because I hate diesels and particularly the older ones that unfortunately are the only ones that are likely to meet your £1500 budget.

[brillomaster]

what mileage/type of journeys will you be doing? if its 4 hrs motorway driving, then definitely diesel. any increase in VED will be negligible compared to savings on fuel. if its stop start short distances round town, then a small petrol.

 

and if you're only spending £1500 max then resale isn't really a concern, you'll be running it till it breaks and then scrapping it most likely.

 

 

[StevoD]

Untill i find work i dont know. 

 

resale isn't a concern it will run till it dies just rather a few years before death 

[Ekona]

Diesel is always going to give you bigger bills as it's more complex. With older cars you can multiply that upwards. 

 

So yes, yes it is.

[Jay84]

I too would base it journey type. I see little old ladies and taxi's all the time that have been doing short stop start journeys and have clogged egr and dpfs. Anything more than 45 mins of constant driving on a diesel (not stuck in traffic) and it should be fine. 

[Exec]

Get an old high mileage merc w124. Classy and indestructible. Like a Nokia 3310 of the car world. 

[Zeezeebaba]

If petrol something small engined and Japanese or if a diesel something like a little fabia vrs they are going for a song at the moment and are pretty good fun to drive so makes the journey less humdrum.

[The Bounty Bar Kid]

I bought my mx5 cos it was cheap and easy to fix/run. I average about 38mpg. All round brake discs and pads (grooved and updated) cost me £150 last year. Bargain IMO coming from the zed where my front discs were £700 

[Willsy1980]

4 hours on a motorway, last thing you want is small and cheap.

Diesel or petrol Focus would be a decent starting point, pick them up for peanuts and parts are cheap. Any MK2/2.5 will have all the features you need.

[Ekona]

Steve had a Focus, but he broke it

 

MX5 no good for him as he wants the boot space.

[LRF4N]

I'd be going for a 1.4 or 1.6 civic EP3

 

Will be cheap to run but a lot more cheerful than an aygo. You'll be kicking yourself every time you sit in an aygo

 

Get a sport with decent wheels and a type r spoiler. Proper shedding lol

[Flex]

I'm now considering a 4th vehicle lol, so watching with interest

[Ekona]

BUY THIS STEVO

 

 

[coldel]

Brilliant. Love the way it mentions Spare Wheel which is a wheel just tossed into the back of the car!

[Ekona]

I'm genuinely thinking of buying that myself, looks great fun!

[Willsy1980]

4 hours ago, coldel said:

Brilliant. Love the way it mentions Spare Wheel which is a wheel just tossed into the back of the car!

 

Also says 1.3 and 1.6 engine ? interesting  

1.3 to power the front and a 1.6 rear, good power balance.

But these figures...

• Power63 bhp
• Torque75 lbs/ft
• Top speed111 mph
• Acceleration0 to 62 in 11.1 secs

Bit ambitious with a whopping 63 bhp :O 

 

Edited August 9, 2017 by Willsy1980

[Jay84]

Let's not forget the spare tank...a plastic jerry can.