kevlo Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Hi guys and girls, i recently posted about a daughters first car. it got me thinking about a shed instead of the zed for my missus commute. i have decided to throw a grand at a shed as my girlfriend currently spends approx £400 a month on petrol just going to work and back in the zed, plus its putting the miles on the zed and she doesnt get to enjoy the drive as its bumper to bumper or boring motorway for 90% of the way. so i have narrowed it down to 2 options (not 2 cars ) option 1, 1.0 litre petrol most probably a nissan micra 1.0. I like this option because of nissan reliability and alot of people speak highly of them. option 2, 1.7-1.9 litre diesel something like a fiesta 1.8d or a pug 206 1.9d. im leaning to these purely on mpg. i am presuming that even though the engine is bigger that because its a diesel i will get better mpg? one thing that makes me worry about these cars is reliability ive had ford/peugeot before and dont rate them for reliability. Despite my last point i am only spending a grand so should the worst happen if it lasts longer than 3 months (£1200 in petrol for the zed) then ive still broken even and havent but loads of miles on the zed. what do people think? sorry for the extent of my rambling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevlo Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 if you cant be arsed to read all of the above. the question ultimately boils down to "what would the mpg difference be between a 1.0 litre petrol micra and a 1.8 litre diesel fiesta/1.9 litre diesel pug 206?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 diesel costs more, if you're doing over about 25k a year than diesel is a good choice, but if you have an economical petrol you can be better off as petrol is cheaper. some of these small engine cars can get 50 mpg. give me the following stats, and i'll try and work out your fuel costs for the year for both mpg for the cars size of the fuel tank if possible mileage done a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevlo Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 nissan micra mpg 47 fuel capacity 42litres mileage est 16000 miles pug 206/ fiesta diesel mpg tops 53 ( think ive answered my own question here. hardly anything in it) fuel capacity 50 litres mileage est 16000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Interesting thread, I'm going through the exact same decision at the moment too. I'm tempted by a small engined petrol to save excessive use of the zed on a dull work journey full of speed bumps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevlo Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 im looking forward to it to be honest. the zed can stay at home safe in the garage and be enjoyed as it should. Exciting drives and good roads. but most importantly having a shed that i dont care about. can park in normal parking spaces rather than the other side of the world away from everyone else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Diesel is more expensive, and the cars cost more in the first place too. The insurance is also likely to be higher on the 1.7-1.9 diesel. 1L petrol Micra will be a lot cheaper than the diesel option imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRF4N Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Also depends on the type of driving. Diesels excel on an open motorway but if it's local driving or thru congested traffic there won't be much gain over a petrol due to the price difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevlo Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 i think you guys are right. only 6 mpg in it and my girlfriend is a genius when it comes to driving economicaly. she used to get at least 50mpg out of a 1.4 petrol civic. i couldnt believe it when i realised how small the petrol tank was and how many miles she would get to a tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vik54 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 If she can bear lack of power then has to be the 1.0 petrol I think I'd rather eat my own toe nails though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 42 litres = 9.23 gallons 433 miles to a tank at 47 mpg 37 tanks a year £56.7 per tank £2097.90 per year at £1.35 per litre for the micra 50 litres = 10.9 gallons 577.7 miles to a tank at 53 mpg 28 tanks a year £70 per tank £1960 per year at £1.40 per litre for the diesel 80 litres = 17.6 gallons 440 miles to a tank 25 mpg 36 tanks a year £116 per tank £4176 per year at £1.45 per litre for premium (ZED) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bockaaarck Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Diesel is more expensive, and the cars cost more in the first place too. The insurance is also likely to be higher on the 1.7-1.9 diesel. 1L petrol Micra will be a lot cheaper than the diesel option imho. +1 Diesel cars also require more regular servicing (Oil, filters etc) if you hope to keep them running for any significant time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Diesel is more expensive, and the cars cost more in the first place too. The insurance is also likely to be higher on the 1.7-1.9 diesel. 1L petrol Micra will be a lot cheaper than the diesel option imho. +1 Diesel cars also require more regular servicing (Oil, filters etc) if you hope to keep them running for any significant time. most little petrols and big diesels are every 20,000 on average. for servicing. its only performance cars that tend to be every 10,000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidnightRacer Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 We bought a new Suzuki alto earlier this year for just such a job, 3 cylinder 1 litre. over 60mpg on a run and £20 a year road tax, insurance group 1. They were on a VAT free based offer at the time to it seemed like a no brainer really, we only need 2 cars at a weekend so we use the alto through the week and both cars at the weekend. 100% gutless but 10 out of 10 for thrash round fun and cheap motoring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pimm Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I got this last year as my shed and it has saved me many $$$$$$$$$$$ OK cost me a little more but does the job. I did have a pug 106 and a great shed car but onwards and upwards 1.3 deisel turbo(95hp)no road tax,EVER. Best move ever,racked up loads of miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Micra's aren't exactly the most powerful thing in the world, but if your gf is stuck in heavy traffic most of the time, it won't matter. Going up a steep hill, will be slow though, well it was in the last two I've driven. Do the job well for tight parking spots and the daily traffic though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff-r Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 i think you guys are right. only 6 mpg in it and my girlfriend is a genius when it comes to driving economicaly. she used to get at least 50mpg out of a 1.4 petrol civic. i couldnt believe it when i realised how small the petrol tank was and how many miles she would get to a tank I was going to suggest a 1.4 civic, EK shape, well spec'd and not too old. A diesel would be more fun though. I love my Audi 1.9 tdi at 160bhp it's good fun but as said servicing is more frequent although on a long run it's great on fuel at 50mpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 With that 1.9 peugeot, assuming its the tdi one you`ll be lucky to get 50mpg out of it. They are really not very economical for diesels. My brother has one, my ex gf had one and my current gf has the 2.0hdi version, all of them seem to return about 48mpg. You`d need something like a golf tdi which will easily get you into the mid 60mpg range, and if your gf is as good as you say, she`ll probably be hitting the 70mpg mark - i know i did several times with my golf tdi on door-to-door journeys. Its a tough one really, but best to workout pence per mile for both vehicles. Include stuff like servicing, tyres, depreciation as well as insurance and fuel. For longer journeys id prefer the 1.9 diesel, smoother, more relaxing. But around town the 1.0 micra would be nippier, easier to park etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Diesel is more expensive, and the cars cost more in the first place too. The insurance is also likely to be higher on the 1.7-1.9 diesel. 1L petrol Micra will be a lot cheaper than the diesel option imho. +1 Diesel cars also require more regular servicing (Oil, filters etc) if you hope to keep them running for any significant time. Depends on the car. All my (non performance) cars, regardless of whether they were petrol or diesel always tend need a service every 10k. Prices were identical for the parts. And all need the same bits replacing on diesels as do petrol cars - i.e. oil, oil filter, air filter, pollen filter and fuel filter. In fact, diesels are cheaper to service as they dont need spark plugs replaced and the glow plugs which diesels have tend to last forever. Typically I buy all the listed bits for around the £50 mark and do the service myself (takes about 20mins). I think cars these days all handle high mileage really well, whereas years back it was regarded that diesels would last longer than petrols. Last 2 diesel cars ive had I sold when they hit 170k miles and both were still going strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Simply for saving money u cannot really beat the Micra, it'll be cheap to insure, fuel and run....but I wouldn't want to have an accident in one, parents use to have one when I was a tiny lad, a range rover rear ended it whilst at the lights, the entire rear end including where I would be normally sat turned into a massive crumple zone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 The bigger question is can your missus put up with a 1l putput? When we came to replace Amanda's Ibiza she refused to get a little petrol as it just didnt have enough grunt for her. So we went for a 2l Diesel, which is no more economical than a little petrol, but it has bags more torque and power and way cheaper than running the Zed daily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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