Hi Guys

I will be looking to purchase a cheap run around early year – (preferably an estate of some kind max budget 650quid) What do we think this proposed diesel tax is going to do to the prices of said cheap cars?

For £650 I`d be worrying about the actual car more than the tax!

I’m looking for my next bangernomics vehicle at the moment too. I had thought that I would probably favour petrol, but looking at the current tax situation and considering fuel economy, it looks like I’ll be getting a diesel if possible.

On that sort of budget, getting a car in reasonable condition with a reliable history is far more important than any proposed diesel tax (unless you’re going to be commuting into a clean air zone daily). It might not live to see the changes, and you’ve not got much to lose anyway.

Edit: yeah, what mooman said basically

Would the proposed taxes not reduce the prices of Diesel cars significantly?

My bangernomics special has gone today to live on a farm, front subframe in the MOT so the £1600 repair bill is far too hard to swallow when the car cost a grand.

Would the proposed taxes not reduce the prices of Diesel cars significantly?

It probably won’t do much to depress the price of cheap diesel cars – as you’re talking about cars that are cheap to begin with. What it’ll probably do is inflate the price of cheap petrol cars. People pay over the odds for cars they perceive to be economical.

All valid points, maybe I need to raise my “run around” budget…lol

At £650 you’re not going to lose much.

Surely it will increase the price as new diesel vehicles won’t be manufactured and people will still want them.

I’m not sure owners of diesels vehicles at the time will be charged a tax, just new owners?

Is there a proposal to increase tax retrospectively?

For that money maybe a MK1 Focus or Mondeo? Maybe a Civic aerodeck, although I think they were all petrol. Alternatively you might get a high miller Zaffira, Alhambra or Galaxy. Plenty of diesel Nissans around for that price

Civic aerodeck is a good shout I think 1.5 diesels exist. The petrols are nice motors.

So, for that price I could get something “semi” decent.
I dont care what it looks like, as long as it passes MOT, and can fit my bicycle inside!!!

Look for an old Passat estate (around 2000-2005 although pre 2000 ones are a good bet)

Just make sure you check:-
Turbo is all good,
Gearbox /Clutch is good (wobbly flywheel when idling, not going into gear, high bite point, mushy pedal…that kind of stuff)
All the electrics work (They hold water in the plenum under the windscreen if not cleaned out which leads to water ingress and damaged convenience modules)
Front Suspension bushes are all good.

Mine’s on nearly 190K, 2001 and still drives really nicely. Had it 3 years and it’s passed it’s MOT with no drama each year. You can pick one up for under a grand easy. The pre 2000 ones I think are a bit more robust in the engine department being non PD engines. They’re like tanks

It is luck of the draw but the issues I’ve listed are the main expensive ones

You might find a tddi focus mk1 estate at that price- it has a bilge pump for an engine but otherwise really pretty solid- every focus since then’s got worse in ergonomics and the way it uses the space imo. Mine never gave me much bother til the clutch went (well, there was an issue with the crank sensor wiring but I think that was damage from previous owner rather than a fault). I got quite attached to it.

But fuel is only a part of the running cost and as a general rule, old diesels are a bit more likely to pick up significant bills. I really didn’t like the petrol engined version of that car to drive, the common petrol just felt like the wrong engine in the car, but that’s the only reason I went diesel- the economy and tax wasn’t a big consideration.

I really didn’t like the petrol engined version of that car to drive, the common petrol just felt like the wrong engine in the car,

Yeah, I know what you mean with that; plus the petrol ford engines of that era seemed STUPIDLY thirsty, for very little actual go.

plus the petrol ford engines of that era seemed STUPIDLY thirsty, for very little actual go.

The 1.8 was the one to avoid, almost as thirsty as the 2.0, with barely any more power than the 1.6 (which is a different engine entirely).