Is it worth buying a diesel car?

D

Drifter

Midfield
My old car is about to die, looking to replace it. Plenty of diesel models around all claiming high mpg. Looking at vehicles around 10 years old. Trustworthy figures, or was it just VW that were the liars?
 


Drifter said:
My old car is about to die, looking to replace it. Plenty of diesel models around all claiming high mpg. Looking at vehicles around 10 years old. Trustworthy figures, or was it just VW that were the liars?
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Do you do plenty of longish drives? Modern diesels have a dpf which needs to get hot to work efficiently. A 20-30 mile ride out at motorway speed once every few weeks should be enough, but if not done can lead to problems.
 
Diesels are useless for low miles around the doors, they are more expensive to buy,diesel itself is more expensive and modern diesels have a dpf which gets blocked if it doesn't get hot enough for long enough,can be quite an expensive repair.if you quite a few miles then they're spot on
 
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smoker said:
Manufacturers have been fiddling economy (MPG) figures for years, as well as emissions. My wife's Mini is listed at 62mpg and gets more like 45 in top gear on the motorway.
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I think it's more to do with them testing in perfect conditions. In the real world you have loads of factors,mine was meant to be 76mpg but I haven't got anywhere near that whatever I do. Best was 62mpg and that was a return trip to Liverpool doing 60-65 on cruise
 
League Wan said:
Diesels are useless for low miles around the doors, they are more expensive to buy,diesel itself is more expensive and modern diesels have a dpf which gets blocked if it doesn't get hot enough for long enough,can be quite an expensive repair.if you quite a few miles then they're spot on
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Absolutely this.

I wasn’t aware of this and got one for the 12 mile commute to and from work along slowish country roads. It wasn’t enough and everything got clagged up leading to a pretty costly repair bill.
 
beezer said:
Do you do plenty of longish drives? Modern diesels have a dpf which needs to get hot to work efficiently. A 20-30 mile ride out at motorway speed once every few weeks should be enough, but if not done can lead to problems.
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Even that doesn’t work you’d need to factor replacement costs into the equation if you’re doing plenty miles.
 
Big Sharp Teeth said:
Absolutely this.

I wasn’t aware of this and got one for the 12 mile commute to and from work along slowish country roads. It wasn’t enough and everything got clagged up leading to a pretty costly repair bill.
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Mate loads of people where reeled I'm by diesels being cheaper to run and cheap tax, the reality is people don't do the miles to justify the extra cost and dpf get blocked
 
League Wan said:
Diesels are useless for low miles around the doors, they are more expensive to buy,diesel itself is more expensive and modern diesels have a dpf which gets blocked if it doesn't get hot enough for long enough,can be quite an expensive repair.if you quite a few miles then they're spot on
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Exactly this. Going to the shops then get a petrol. Going to Dover and back twice a week then get a diesel.
 
i've just got a new car a couple of weeks ago and it's diesel. after the last one i said i'd not get another one after quite a few problems with all that emissions related bollocks.
went to fulham last weekend, been to work all week and might make it to doncaster before i need to fill up tomorrow on the way to millwall. about 65mpg. i do drive like a granny though :)
 
I think so if you are doing some miles to keep the dpf clean. 5 months ago I got a 2009 Focus, got it for 2K, I get 55 mpg, its euro 4 and only £30 a year tax and its been great so far. Its worth it for me as I drive up Weardale a few times a week from Sunderland and thankfully Morrison's at Bishop is stupid cheap for fuel (14p a liter difference compared to Seaburn Morrison's the other day), so I pop in there every month or so.

For the money I had I'm not sure I could of got a petrol car that did the mpg of this one. Sure some one will tell me otherwise though.
 
League Wan said:
I think it's more to do with them testing in perfect conditions. In the real world you have loads of factors,mine was meant to be 76mpg but I haven't got anywhere near that whatever I do. Best was 62mpg and that was a return trip to Liverpool doing 60-65 on cruise
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She's a middle aged woman, so drives pretty conservatively TBF.

My GLC is advertised at 56mpg, but driving it optimally i.e. at 40mph during the day on a dry, flat road in economy mode, it gets 46mpg tops.

Parkers put this disclaimer by the figures for pre-2017 figures:
Fuel consumption
Pre-2017 test standard Explanation
Official fuel economy tests explained
An improved official test for car fuel economy was introduced in September 2017.
The new WLTP test gives figures closer to a car's "true mpg" than the pre-2017 NEDC test, which tended to overstate mpg compared to what real-world drivers would get.
When looking at mpg for two cars, always check the figures were measured under the same test system. Comparing one car's WLTP figure with another's NEDC figure will not tell you which has the better mpg.
 
League Wan said:
Mate loads of people where reeled I'm by diesels being cheaper to run and cheap tax, the reality is people don't do the miles to justify the extra cost and dpf get blocked
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I do loads of short runs and, touch wood, I've never noticed any dpf problems. Is it still a thing?

My tax is really cheap, circa £0 per ever.
 
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