Petrol or diesel?

[Vic Evans]

Following the write off of her beloved C4 Mme is now looking for a replacement.
The Citroen C3 at around 2024/5 is the car that keeps cropping up as it has none of this wet belt plague.
The C3 1.2 Turbo 100ch MAX & 1.5 Blue HDi 100 ch are the one's in the frame at the mo.

[mickthemaverick]

I've been banned from diesel by my daughter so petrol all the way for me!!

[owl]

I have two 1.5 bluehdi diesel. Listen to me!
Don’t even think about diesel. Get a petrol car. AdBlue, DPF, injectors, fuel quality, oil turning black immediately after an oil change, and everything else that comes with it… I’m at the point where I say this: if you have an enemy, recommend that they buy a 1.5 diesel!

The 1.2 might not be the perfect setup, but honestly, I’d choose even the VW Group’s 1.0 TSI over the 1.5 diesel.

Just go and buy a petrol car.

[owl]

By the way, the fuel consumption gap between diesel and petrol engines is no longer what it used to be. Modern petrol engines are almost as fuel-efficient as diesels. And if you go for a PHEV, it gets even better.

A friend of mine has a Volvo XC60 T8 PHEV that averages just 3.3 L/100 km in city driving. Another friend drives a BMW 320i and gets around 6.8–7.0 L/100 km, while my 1.5 BlueHDi averages 6.7 L/100 km.

Do the math properly and factor in long-term maintenance costs. If you mostly drive in the city and only occasionally take longer trips, the answer to your question is pretty clear.

[PaulC5]

I have gone off newer diesels due to the Adblue stuff and expensive repairs when it goes wrong. Our 1.6 hdi Cactus this year needed the Adblue injector replacing as well as the bit of exhaust it screws into, also the NOx sensor needed replacing twice, once at 3 years and again a few months ago. Our 1.5 hdi 308 is going in next week due to an Adblue fault causing the mileage countdown going to prevent starting and hoping it will be covered by the extended warranty. The 1.5 hdi fuel economy is no better than our 1.5 petrol Octavia and a lot worse than previous 1.6 hdi C4s. The 1.5 hdi cam shaft chains can fail.

[CitroJim]

Neither... Go electric

I'd not consider another diesel now although touch-wood, my van has been fine... When it dies I'm planning to go electric and already have my eye on a yellow R5

If the thought of electric shocks you then go petrol...

I can't help thinking that petroleum supplies and prices, especially diesel, will become ever more volatile and unpredictable in the no so distant future; electricity less so...

[Sloppysod]

Neither... Go electric
........
I can't help thinking that petroleum supplies and prices, especially diesel, will become ever more volatile and unpredictable in the no so distant future; electricity less so...

I agree, currently have PHEV,, average 2-3p/mile, at 170p/litre for petrol at 45mpg would be about 17p/mile (my average so far this year is around 9p/mile).

I very much doubt we will see sub £1.40/litre for Desiel again!

[Richard_C]

I would be thinking about electric or PHEV but there aren't many older ones about. What youy need to think about is the kind of journeys you do, not just the total mileage. Example. A good few years ago, when PHEVs were appeainig but BEV charging was not well established I worked about 10 miles away, most of my journeys were to there or to a station so well within PHEV range then once every couple of weeks I would have a long drive to one of our manufacturing sites. A PHEV would have been perfect because most of the trips and most of the miles would have been 'plug in power'. Then my role changed and nearly all my miles and trips were long range - PHEV pointless because most of the miles would have been petrol powered anyway - maybe less than 5% on battery. Its not the annual mileage that matters, its how you use it.

If most round trips are sub 200 miles and you have off road parking then BEV is the answer, you end up with charging at the expensive public network a few times a year but most of your miles are very low cost. And now there are some new/recent BEVS available at decent prices. Our current cars are a MHEV - for our frequent very long trips - and a 2017 1.2 petrol C3: when that goes we will get a BEV to replace it and doubtless make most of our trips in that.

You seem set on Citroen - good cars and usually excellent value for money to purchase - but think about support: if you depend on dealerships for anything it strikes me that the dealer network is stretched mighty thin in the UK and some are pretty dire. Your profile says Brittany so you might be OK. I doubt I would buy another new or recent Citroen regardless of how good the car is.

[Richard_C]

When it dies I'm planning to go electric and already have my eye on a yellow R5

Me too, but they are changing the colour options soon so the yellow ones won't have yellow seats Red coming though - my 1980 R5 Gordini was red

[Vic Evans]

@Richard C
"You seem set on Citroen - good cars and usually excellent value for money to purchase - but think about support: if you depend on dealerships for anything it strikes me that the dealer network is stretched mighty thin in the UK and some are pretty dire. Your profile says Brittany so you might be OK. I doubt I would buy another new or recent Citroen regardless of how good the car is."

Our very local Citroen agency is a good part of our reasoning for another.
They've looked after our cars for years & always given great service.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Neither... Go electric

I'd not consider another diesel now although touch-wood, my van has been fine... When it dies I'm planning to go electric and already have my eye on a yellow R5

If the thought of electric shocks you then go petrol...

I can't help thinking that petroleum supplies and prices, especially diesel, will become ever more volatile and unpredictable in the no so distant future; electricity less so...

Refreshing Jim You do know that you will still be regarded as a pioneer on the FCF, but I for one will enjoy your R5 Diary should it reach the pages of the FCF! I took my pioneering plunge in 2019 all documented on here Bargain Basement Electric and still have the Classic Leaf as a Second car, having moved on to a Second gen Leaf with a now modest by current standards 40kWh battery a couple of years ago.

I took the plunge because I always wanted to give it a go, and no regrets. For the first couple of years there was an early adopter bonus of very cheap even free on-the-road charging but that was always going to end, and pricing and taxation was always going to catch up.

Don't get too tied up in largely unpredictable future costs, if you fancy it give it a go! Charging at home currently still has a significant advantage particularly if combined with solar, and smart meter facilitated tariffs. On the road charging is little different in price from petrol and diesel. On our recent trip to the Lakes we opted for the most convenient and reliable and easy to use INSTAVOLT chargers at Booths Supermarket in Keswick. At 92p/kWh they are expensive but for very occasional use even a skinflint like me didn't mind too much paying the price.

The Deep Blue Pearl Gen 2 Leaf at one of those scenic Viewpoints, Whinlatter Pass overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake

Neil

[myglaren]

The main problem a lot of people have is the inability to charge at home. I could at a push but would need stringing a lead down the garden, over a bit of public land to a parking space, as long as one of the neighbours weren't in that space, and they usually are.
My eldest and youngest daughters have no option whatsoever. Their parking spaces are between 100 yds and 500 yds from their houses and over other properties and public pathways.

Same applies to about 75% of residences around here.

[CitroJim]

Refreshing Jim You do know that you will still be regarded as a pioneer on the FCF, but I for one will enjoy your R5 Diary should it reach the pages of the FCF!

You know me Neil, a bit like Star Trek: 'always going forward and still can't find reverse' I'm never resistant to change and moving along with the times... Especially now I've finally been sorted out and fixed

The main problem a lot of people have is the inability to charge at home.

Indeed so Steve. I'd say, looking at my town, the 75% figure is pretty much correct...

There's a few lamppost chargers hereabout but they don't seem to have caught on very much...