Here is a conundrum for you:

Let's say you do 7k miles per year and are considering to buy one of the following two cars: A second hand 2.0 diesel Ford Focus C-Max costs approx £9k and runs at 50mpg combined, and a second hand 1.8 petrol C-Max costs approx £7k runs at 40 combined. Nothing precise here, just a ballpark exercise.

If you were to buy the petrol version, on the basis that the £2,000 you saved will buy you a lot of petrol, how long could you drive it for before the diesel becomes more economical?

Responses on the back of a postcard...

The diesel will cost 591.25 per year with fuel at 92.9.
The petrol will cost 715.20 per year with fuel at 89.9.

Therefore, the diesel saves 123.95 per year, taking 16 years to make the money back!

HOWEVER - you don't specify the resale value.
If the diesel was still worth 2,000 more than 123.95 will be saved per year, if it's worth nothing more, then the 16 year figure applies....

There isn't a conundrum; buy the petrol!!!!!

Make your own mind up. There are other things to consider apart from the costs of fuel.

I'd buy a Focus, and ignore the C-max.

If driving in town a lot, the C-Max petrol, if doing non-stop motorway miles, the diesel.

Diesel engines are usually larger for the equivalent performance so a car with a 1.4 petrol engine will need a 1.9 diesel for the same power to weight. That means a higher insurance band and more insurance.

Along with the price of diesel and more efficient petrol engines diesel doesn't look like it a huge economy. The taxes on bio-diesel and veg oil are also prohibitive, making it too expensive to be carbon neutral.

Having said that, at the moment my Citroen diesel is doing pretty well to the gallon, however once it is too expensive to keep on the road it will be back to petrol again.

quote:

That means a higher insurance band and more insurance.

I believe insurance bands are based on HP/Performance figures rather than just engine size. That's why in a Skoda Fabia the 1.9 non-turbo diesel is roughly equivelent in insurance to the 1.4 petrol (which is slower than the 1.2 petrol which sits in higher groups).

Taxes on veg oil/biodiesel aren't too high you'd still make a saving running on it. But it's a lot of hassle.

Generally 2.0turbo diesel are similar in output to their non-turbo petrol counterparts. Providing the petrol isn't tuned up for performance over economy.

quote:

Originally posted by pantherd90:

quote:

That means a higher insurance band and more insurance.

I believe insurance bands are based on HP/Performance figures rather than just engine size. That's why in a Skoda Fabia the 1.9 non-turbo diesel is roughly equivelent in insurance to the 1.4 petrol (which is slower than the 1.2 petrol which sits in higher groups).

I think you are right, but its not the case for young drivers such as myself.
My first car was a 106 1.5 diesel, which in my first year cost £1535 to insure (the cheapest quote). It would have cost me around £1100 for a 1.1 petrol 106. I didn't make a saving driving it but oh well.
Infact the 1.5 diesel is only a bit less to insure than my 1.8 mazda!!!

Buy a Flexifuel focus and run it on Ethanol E85. Problem solved.

^ Sure because there are lots of Flexifuel Focus models on sale and we can all pick up a tank of Ethanol at our local petrol station...

quote:

Originally posted by pantherd90:
^ Sure because there are lots of Flexifuel Focus models on sale and we can all pick up a tank of Ethanol at our local petrol station...

Yep, here in Ireland anyway, you can walk into any Ford dealer and buy a flexifuel focus. Ethanol isn't everywhere, but it is on sale in most areas of the country through Maxol (Irish chain of petrol stations). Sweden is way ahead of us this area.

Not the in the UK yet though? I'm surprised, usually it's the other way round when it comes to motoring matters. We can't buy super unleaded for example, which really sucks.

quote:

Originally posted by Tomark:
Make your own mind up. There are other things to consider apart from the costs of fuel.

True.

Sadly, you will always get the Noxmira's of this world and their blinkered views on diesels.

run it on "cherryade"

half your fuelcosts, and if you mix the cherryade with cookingoil, you can cut another %'age off your bill.

dieseaseal can be very cheap

You may buy a Volvo Flexifuel...These models were firstly developped in Sweden and are now very widespread there.Saab had also introduced Biopower technology but only for Saab 9-5