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That's the question. If you were buying a car now ( and I know the diesel price is not what it used to be) which would you choose and why? 1.6 engine...

We have 2 diesel cars but I would be tempted to go back to petrol if I were to buy today.  Yes, you can get more mpg on diesel but as it costs more than petrol, plus diesel cars are more expensive to purchase than petrol cars;  keeping the car long term would probably work out evens over time.  However,  I don't buy cars that do less than 50 mpg and / or have a higher than C rating for car tax. 

Petrol hybrid, have had diesel cars last two cars before our latest Prius and much prefer it, best of both worlds.

It's worth thinking about how long you intend keeping the car for - diesel cars generally don't depreciate as much as petrol cars.

I've got a diesel Ford Focus bought new 10 years ago.

Next time I will go for the petrol version - all engines do much better MPG these days and I don't do that much by way of mileage.  If you do a lot of mileage e.g. if it's a long way to your place of work, it's worth considering one of those 70 mpg petrol minicars.

Having said that, the focus was the same price as the petrol version when I bought it and the service costs are the same.  I love the car and will keep it as long as it lasts.

Think I'd go for a petrol hybrid.. a japanese one.
But would hold on a couple of years.. left them get all their teething troubles out the way 1st.
Like ellen, I have had my honda for 10 years, shes 13 years old and cost me 48p to get through her recent mot. Cant speak highly enough of the honda, just wish i liked the shape of some of the newer ones.

Although we have 2 diesels, I read an article in the Guardian Money section a couple of weeks ago suggesting that repairs to diesels are more expensive and that this makes them not so much a good deal these days.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/mar/02/turbo-charged-cost-of-diesel-cars?INTCMP=SRCH

Yes, we never found the milage we got from our diesels justified the initial higher price for the car and the higher cost of fuel. Another plus for the hybrids is you don't pay road tax or the  congestion charge in London.

Very interesting article, Caroline, I think that has tipped my decision. We do a fair bit of motorway driving, but mostly short trips.

Thanks for the input folks

I would say...

Higher mileages or looking for maximum resale then go for a diesel.
Lower mileages eg up to 12000 per annum then petrol - the initial purchase cost difference takes too long to recoup.

If most of your journeys are stop start town rather than motorway then think carefully about diesel, not getting the cat up to temperature from time to time can be bad news.

Petrol hybrids are good only for congestion charge avoiding, they offer practically no economy gains over the latest diesels eg bluemotion but have a much higher purchase cost.

I have a Land Rover defender diesel (30mpg), a BMW estate Diesel (46mpg) and an MX5 petrol (28mpg).

I read the Guardian article - my car had a blown turbo too, at 75,000 miles.  I took it to a reputable diesel specialist and it cost a thousand pounds to fix but this included a new exhaust (full of oil), intercooler (ditto) and of course VAT.  Ran like a bag of spanners for 100 miles then sweet as a nut.

Modern cars are pretty complex these days and can cost a fortune to fix, petrol or diesel.  I think Dealerships are set up to service new cars and if your car has an engine problem you need to find proper engineeers who fix engines every day.  JMHO though.

We've had many cars over the years, but we're all petrol now.  I would be very wary of modern diesel engines, not only because of the rare problems with turbochargers but the much more common problems with so-called dual mass flywheels which then cause the clutch to fail, and the almost inevitable diesel particulate filter problems caused by short journeys.

Forgot to say: while I was paying up for the new turbo, the guy said "we can see by your address that you live close to the motorway and may we suggest you let the engine run a bit to cool the turbo down if you've been out for a run down the M1".

You've got to be aware of what can go wrong because it's soooooo expensive when it does.

But I long for a car like my Peugeot 309 with its simple engine that even I could fix.

Dual mass flywheels, turbo chargers etc are nothing to worry about.  In our quest for ever more refined and economical cars they are becoming more complex and sometimes parts fail.  Remember most diesels are bought for fleets or commercials where reliability and the all important 'pence per mile' are paramount.

Dont let the scare stories sway you, look at your own needs, teh type of driving that you do, how long you want to keep the car, and make a decision on that.  For me if I was buying a car up to Focus size I would buy petrol, anything bigger and I'd buy diesel.

;D  My L reg rusty trusty Astra van has just got through another years M.o.T.  One brake light out and a few cautions and the lads even slapped a bit of black tape over the rusty wheelarch.

I left a pot of Damson jelly when I picked up the van, I didn't want it to be construed as a bribe! ! !   ;D   

But what a plain/tatty bit of paper the M.o.T. certificate is now.    Cheers,     Tony.

Eco diesel.  Bought a very low mileage car, just under 2 year old, which more than offset the higher cost.  As it happens I got a high spec car and enjoy air con (occasionally as it costs fuel) and cruise control.  Cruise control is lovely.  I stick it on in 30 limits through the villages, don't have to worry about exceeding the speed limit and can concentrate on all the other traffic issues in built-up areas.  Had I bought from new, I would have not been able to afford such luxuries.  And the dealer even put a generous amount of 'new-car-smell-spray' on the inside, which took months to fade  ;D

My last car was LPG from new and we sold it with nearly 140000 miles on the clock.  Good infrastructure for LPG and between a third to a quarter cheaper to run.  Unfortunately they don't do the LPG model anymore because they have invested in eco diesel development.

Get a micra, all you need is a few sunflower seeds to feed the hamster in it's wheel.

Quote from: Kleftiwallah on March 22, 2012, 12:45:55

   

But what a plain/tatty bit of paper the M.o.T. certificate is now.   

That tatty bit of paper is just your record. The details are also held on computor for the police to see on their clever cameras that you have an mot. It also shows the advisory notes so the police will also check that the work has been done. If you are buying a second hand car you can also check through the dvla, just in case somebody gives you a forgery.

My son does MOT's and says the new equipment they have to instal for MOT's  is getting very high tech.  but soon it will be four years before the first test from new.

i have a Honda jazz petrol had it from new in 2004 and its a fantastic motor all its ever needed is a rear box on the exhaust last year and does 44mpg. i have a 1979 series 3 landrover that i fitted a DIY gas kit to and get around 33mpg from a 34 year old car and as is only 70p a litre for gas it cheap to run.

I've got a honda jazz too, loads of room in the back when the seats are down, due to the petrol tank being under the front seats. There is also plenty of headroom for 6ft+ people.

The reason why diesel has got more expensive than petrol is because the EU wanted to charge for fuel by how much energy a litre contains.
Diesel contains roughly 10% more energy, so diesel prices may go up a bit more compared to petrol.
http://withouthotair.blogspot.co.uk/2008/11/petrol-diesel-miles-per-gallon-litres.html