[Closed] Octavia vRS - Petrol or Diesel?

Firstly the price seems high as I recently bought a petrol 56 plate vRS with 20k for 9K and that was from a Skoda main dealer with a years warranty. I went for petrol as I prefer the flexibilty and wider rev range of the engine and I only do about 10k a year so the cost saving on a diesel wouldn't be significant. The petrol version is a bit quicker aswell. It's worth bearing in mind that the petrol vRS should be run on Super Unleaded. If your looking at 4 year old examples, the service interval for the cambelt and tensioners is 4 years/60k miles (which ever comes sooner). I got the garage to do this as part of the deal as its a circa £400 job.

The only horror stories I've heard are with the ESP and ABS which requires a new ECU at around £1500, so a warranty is probably a wise move. I've been very impressed with how it drives and the engine pulls strongly from idle and you can easily shift at around 2500 rpm if you are just keeping pace with the traffic. The best MPG I've seen is 37 on a motorway run sticking to 70, for general driving expect around 32 or significantly less if you like to boot it everywhere. When I was looking I noticed some of the earlier cars are fairly low spec and for me the following options were essential: 18" wheels (look far nicer IMO), climate control (there are no heating vents in rear with the cars with aircon only), rear parking sensors, rear electric windows and cruise control.

"more in keeping with our social status"

eh? What does this mean?

I think it may be a bit tongue in cheek...

Petrol or diesel depends on what you want - with your low mileage, I'd err toward the petrol - pretty rapid. Diesel has nice mid range shove but like all four cylinder soot chuckers, it sounds horrible.

ah! I see.

That is absolutely stupid money I was able to buy the 06 petrol one below for £6700 in April 09 and that had 50k on the clock. A decent price for that one you are looking at would be around £5800 - £6000. As said unless you are doing more than 15k miles a year petrol makes more sense. It was a brilliant car but ate three dmf's while I had it and the abs block went 3 weeks after I sold it.
[IMG] [/IMG]

Tounge in cheek indeed! Basically, the wife thinks I'm getting a little too old and responsible for driving around in a rusting, slow 4x4 that small children laugh at (but with which I am quite happy with thank you), and in some ways I can see her point.

The convincing came at the weekend when she slipped on the decking and broke her wrist. We had to take her car to A&E, even though it was full of stuff for the wedding we were about to leave for, and if we had been forced to take my car, it would have taken twice as long and would have jolted the crap out of her the whole way there, assuming it would have got above 60 without the ECU warning light going on.

The Octavia is a car that ticks all the boxes for me (fast, comfy, a little bit more luxury) and for her (does not look or smell like a skip on wheels, is not rusty) and will allow us to take dogs and luggage on holiday when needed, without the boys getting claustrophobic.

So you reckon this is a bit pricey? Hmmm. Time to do a bit more looking then. maybe it's just the area that's the problem. Not enough cars.

Diesel + a remap. I've got the Laurin Klement, because at the time I bought it I couldn't find a VRS with all the extras (heated leather parking sensors etc). An '05 plate It cost me £8K with 26K miles on it 2 years ago. Its 140 remaped to 180 and so its now more powerful than a standard VRS diesel, and probably faster than a petrol in the mid range. The VRS would get to 210.

I had some problems with it that were fixed in warranty, a air con sensor went and that took ages for the garage to diagnose and the cruise control broke.

In terms of fuel choice I thought that I'd get back the premium of the diesel in 3 years at 10K miles a year and planned to own a lot longer so it made sence to me to go for the diesel

I'm curious to know what your 4x4 is?

I like the sound of it....

£8k sounds ridiclous money for a car in that condition! With that kind of milage, you shouldn't be paying any more than £6k... There's cars out there for under £6k with less miles than that even!

The Petrol Vs Diesel debate... Well...

The petrol you will average around 30mpg as long as you're not caning it everywhere. The diesel around 45mpg. So at current fuel prices, that's about 12pence per mile fuel in the diesel, and about 18pence per mile roughly in the petrol. Based on your annual milage estimation of 10,000 you're looking at the Petrol costing an additional £600 per year in fuel over the diesel...

Both are good engines, the petrol perhaps slightly nicer to drive, but the diesel is very very strong, and very good for an oil burner. Pure performance terms, the diesel is a tiny bit slower, not much, but the diesel will have more mid range shove than the petrol (though again not by much as the petrol is turbocharged too).

It's hard to recommend either the petrol or the diesel outright to you based on your situation... How long are you going to keep the car? It's really a case of how much more is the diesel than the petrol, Vs the length of time you're going to keep it... Diesels of the same vintage and condition can often fetch £1500-2000 more, and if this is the case, and you will keep it for 3 years or less, the the petrol will cost you less in the long run. If you're gonna keep it for a long time, and/or it's only £1k or less price premium, the diesel will save you money in the long run.

For the record, if it was me buying it I've have no choice but to go for the diesel, but then I do 25k+ miles per year (a mix of work and leisure), so a petrol would cost me about £1500 per year extra, just in fuel!!!

Incidentally, both can be "remapped" with good results. The diesel goes to about 200bhp and the petrol to about 260bhp straight off, both with improved economy. They're serious Q cars (hence why popular with the cops), and a well driven Octavia vRS will be a hard car to keep up with.

Oh, and as for the Octavia itself... Great cars... Definitely get one over the competition!

This link might not work but there's one for £6795 (06 reg) with 32k on the clock on Autotrader. A THIRD the mileage and much less money...!
[url= http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201029364189217/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-to/8000/price-from/6000/model/octavia/make/skoda/radius/1501/postcode/tr11sq/page/1/keywords/vrs%20petrol?logcode=p ]Blue vRS[/url]

Zedsded.

Trust me, you would not want it... W reg Vx Frontera with 215k on the clock. It's not the 3.2 litre V6 either, just the 2.2 Dti, which may be why it gets about 35 mpg rather than 25.

mboy.

I tend to keep cars until they die (like my old Rover 620SLDi and the Polo Coupe, RIP both of you) and have had the Frontera for something like three, maybe four years now. I just have this horrible feeling that next month's MoT will be painful for both me and it.

My original plan was to go for the diesel, but I've only done about 20k miles in the time I have had the Frontera, so it barely seems worth it even though it would be my first choice. Add to that that petrol is cheaper than heavy oil and I wondered just how much cheaper heavy oil would be when servicing (something that I try to do to the more modern cars I have owned) is taken into account.

**edited to thank Surf Mat for the link. Nice car, but I really want an estate.

If you keep cars until they die, then get the Diesel, it will save you money in the long run. If you're gonna keep it 2 years or less, then the petrol is likely to be a cheaper proposal. It's around the 2-3 years kind of area that it's a grey prospect, and you really need to weigh it up.

As far as the petrol is cheaper than diesel argument goes, it's like 2-3p per litre cheaper... Hardly massive! You might be able to fill an Octavia up for about £2 less per fill up on petrol than diesel, but the petrol will go for about 400 miles on a tank and the diesel 600! Hardly worth the 3p a litre saving is it...

Oh, and as far as finding an estate is concerned, good luck, they are out there but much easier to find a good hatchback than an estate... Should say though that as far as hatchbacks go, the Octavia is bloody massive!

If you do relatively short journeys then get the petrol. Diesels take ages to warm up and if it has a Diesel Particulate filter (DPF) you will have problems with the regeneration and it clogging and going into limp mode. I got a 58 petrol for that reason as I do 4 miles to work and back everyday. I came from a 150bhp diesel Cupra and enjoy the ability to rev the car, diesels are great on the motorway but get off them and the petrol is better for overtaking as you don't run out of gears halfway through.

Bear in mind as well about the aforementioned Teves ESP/ABS issue. It is a serious problem that could cost a lot of money to fix as Skoda don't seem to acknowledge the problem. Honest John recommends chopping this off the asking price as whilst it's not a dead cert it's not a one in a million chance either.

Estates do fetch a premium for most models.

Last and current car were estates and both were harder to find and for a bit more money.

Not had any issues with my diesels (current and last one) taking ages to warm up or any DPF issues. Unless that's just a VAG group engine issue?

Don't forget that some prefer the delivery of a diesel - it makes for easier, lazier driving and that extra torque is very handy for overtaking.

0-60, 0-100 times are almost always worse for diesels but in gear times like 50-70 are always pretty good.

Diesel for better real world drivability, if you like seeing 50mpg and not filling up the tank as often as a consequence.

550+ miles for me between fill ups.

I like my diesel VRs . not massively quick but entertaininly quick IMO.

My Vrs Estate petrol has run on Standard unleaded since new and its now covered 117K miles, does not need Super unless remapped and even then the knock sensor will just retard the ignition and you will lose a little power.

Bazzer

Still interested....

Hi Willard. If there are no cars in your area. Go to the local Skoda test drive one and decide if you like it. Then be prepared to travel. Catching a train/plane and a day of your time sounds like you could save '000s or get a much lower mileage car. It would probably be the most you have ever saved for a day's effort in years. I did with my last car.

BTW I was waiting to see who would point out to posters that dogs don't really like it in car boots 🙂 Obviously not reading your OP

As above £8k is waaay too much for that car.
I bought my 55 plate petrol estate for £7k with 90k on the clock, but that was in Oct 08 - so only a 2.5 year at that point (was a bit of a bargain really).

Only serious bit of bother I have had with it is injectors failing on cylinders 2 and 4, causing an intermittent misfire. Ended up just getting all of them done - bout £600 in total I think.

Other than that, an airbag fault due to dodgy connector under the passenger's seat - common fault fixed with a bit of electrical contact cleaner.

Other than that - great car. Swallows loads of stuff, and quick enough for me. Good looking in an understated way.

Also you don't need to use super unleaded.

2nd hand prices on the VRSs are sky hi. I have a 57 TDI. Make sure that you check for -

delaminating windscreens (mainly cosmetic but have seen some that have been really bad),
uneven wear on tyres particulary on the back,
DPF software update should have been done recharging and limp mode not an issue
water in the spare wheel well (its either a dodgy door seal or the washer pipe has popped off, if its the later check for corrosion on the lock)

Check out what kind of servicing it has been on an what oil has been used.

Check out Briskoda.net for all things Skoda.

Cheers for all the comments guys. I'm off to browse another forum for a bit to see what they say, but I'm going to make sure all the bits of info in here come with me if/when I find something I like.

Zedsded... Just for you, have a look at what I have put the car through in it's life.

[url] http://www.flickr.com/photos/jameseyb/319469616/in/set-1380267/ [/url]

[url] http://www.flickr.com/photos/jameseyb/3667967811/in/set-72157594367982617/ [/url]

hehe!

It's just what I'm looking for. When you getting rid?

get a diesel, get it remapped!

It'll go when I get a replacement! Soon though if my wife's talk is to be believed.

Whereabouts in the country are you? I'm Cambridge way.

Beware remaps - yes they release more power but very few see real gains in mpg and cars are made to fine tolerences. You often end up with a very torque steery tyre shredder that eats gearboxes.

A few mates have had their 335ds done to 350bhp/510lbs-ft for about £500. Yes they are very quick, yes one was eating tyres in less than 4k miles, yes that's a LOT of strain on the drivetrain, yes it does void any warranty.

Just be careful. No plans to get my soot chucker done. Nearly 300bhp is plenty... 😉

I'm just outside Glasgow but my work takes me all over. In London fairly regular.

Diesel doesn't seem to take long to warm up for me. If I leave work it's warm 3 miles later. Short trips would have to be VERY short for that to be an issue I think.

Diesels do need open road though from time to time, more so than petrols. But I doubt that'll be a problem for someone who's buying a vRS. Usually only a granny/grandad issue.

Based on your annual milage estimation of 10,000 you're looking at the Petrol costing an additional £600 per year in fuel over the diesel

Ahh, but it's not just the fuel cost, is it?

We've just bought a 2007 Octavia Scout TDI 4x4 from a main dealer for 9.5K (picked it up earlier), and believe me they are more difficult to get hold of than rocking horse poo, so I'd say your VRS is overpriced as although they are in demand there are loads more of them about.

One thing to check for is the alloys - the lacquer is prone to delaminating. That was the case with the car we bought, but we split the cost of the refurb with the dealer and they look good as new now.

Like others above I was referred by folk on here to briskoda.net and can't fault it for advice.

I think servicing costs are about the same PP.

Servicing costs and intervals should be about the same for either petrol or diesel. It was only really true that diesels cost more to service on older diesels, when they typically had 6000 mile service intervals at the time when most petrols already had 10000 mile intervals.

In fact, diesel stands the chance of being cheaper, no spark plugs to replace (and the glow plugs last a lot longer) after all!

Except that the injectors need replacing, which is expensive. Although that could be 100k miles.

But yes, no plugs, no HT leads etc.

I've currently got a 57 plate diesel as a work lease car, been great, goes like the clappers etc etc and mechanically great after 50k. Servicing has been around 17k intervals, only had the DPF 'clog' once, when on hols this summer in Cornwall but 15 mins revving it high sorted it. It's not been bad on tyres either 20k for the first set of fronts then those and the second went due to pothole damage on the sidewall, still on the original rears. My commute to the office is less than 6 miles and usually get around 36mpg and 44 ish on motorway runs. Towed a trailer for hols regularly. Would definitely recommend it. Found it a little short in the back for the kid re leg room though and boot is narrow compared to Passats etc.

sorry car way overpriced, must have added the price of all the extras to the car im assuming, skoda have recently done a vat free offer this made a new vrs just below 17k, there were 2nd hand cars on the forecourt at higher prices ,4 months ago i got a new vrs cr tdi estate(after a six month wait offer was so succesfull) and it is fantastic, everyone who drives it is stunned with it.i would look over on briskoda and check out the owners comments and possibly find one for sale

I think servicing costs are about the same PP.

Hmm. Not just servicing either though, is it?

And the diesel WILL cost more to service, even if it's not much

Diesel car will wear tyres faster (weight, torque)

And I'll wager there's a difference in the insurance.

And if it DOES break down, you'll be facing financial ruin for a diesel!

And the biggie? Purchase price. You'll pay more to buy a diesel, and it will then loose more in deppreciation.

Just Google it. There's loads of info out there. I worked it out when we bought our current car. Compared to the DTi Vectra we had before it, there was no measureable difference at the time for 10-12k a year. Yes, since then the difference in petrol/diesel prices has narrowed, so doing the same sums would show a slight saving for diesel now, but notheing to worry about.

The advantages of diesel cars are greatly exaggerated!

(And at the end of the day, when you start it up in the morning, it's still a sodding diesel it still has an all-or-nothing powerband, it still rattles like a skeleton having a wnak in a biscuit tin, and it still handles like it's got a cow strapped to the bonnet because of the extra weight..... Which has gotta be worth a few quid to avoid........)

Hmm. Not just servicing either though, is it?

And the diesel WILL cost more to service, even if it's not much [b]PROOF PLEASE My local dealer charges the same for petrol or diesel cars[/b]

Diesel car will wear tyres faster (weight, torque) [b]DIESELS WEIGH about 30kg more than their petrol equivalents. As for the torque, that makes them go faster. My 150bhp diesel Astra got 20k from it's front tyres with a lot of torque. My Golf with half the torque ate tyres every 12k miles with less weight[/b]

And I'll wager there's a difference in the insurance. [b]Yes it's cheaper - by a lot. My 150bhp Astra was group 11. My 150bhp Golf GTi was group 15. My 335d is grp 18, a 335i is grp 20[/b]

And if it DOES break down, you'll be facing financial ruin for a diesel! [b]Oh and are petrols free if they break down? No they are not. A lot of diesels are much more robust that their petrol equivalents[/b]

And the biggie? Purchase price. You'll pay more to buy a diesel, and it will then loose more in deppreciation. [b]You usually pay a bit more BECAUSE THEY ARE IN MUCH HIGHER DEMAND. Resale value therefore is higher. You also can't spell "lose" or "depreciation."[/b]

Just Google it. There's loads of info out there. I worked it out when we bought our current car. Compared to the DTi Vectra we had before it, there was no measureable difference at the time for 10-12k a year. Yes, since then the difference in petrol/diesel prices has narrowed, so doing the same sums would show a slight saving for diesel now, but notheing to worry about.

The advantages of diesel cars are greatly exaggerated!

(And at the end of the day, when you start it up in the morning, it's still a sodding diesel it still has an all-or-nothing powerband, it still rattles like a skeleton having a wnak in a biscuit tin, and it still handles like it's got a cow strapped to the bonnet because of the extra weight..... Which has gotta be worth a few quid to avoid........) [b]Total and utter bo77ocks. Compare like for like and you'll find you are talking utter cack. Yes four pots sound bad but 6 pots often sound great. Extra weight? See above. Oh yes and the easiest direct equivalent - 335d vs 335i - the 335d lapped quicker than a manual 335i around Bruntingthorpe when tested by Performance Car mag. The 335d is extremely reliable, the 335i blows it's HPFP very regularly. DOH[/b]

Oh dear, someone really is talking a lot of moo cows dung aren't they?

i don't know is this is true or effects the VRs, but i have no reason to doubt, was chatting to the local skoda dealer about trading my octavia in and how much i would get. They told me the VAG have screwed up and the lead-time is currently 5months on a new car.

it's still a sodding diesel it still has an all-or-nothing powerband

If you don't know how to drive it.

Diesels are far more unreliable due to their design. The EGR valve is a common source of problems. Diesels burn dirty and they circulate the sooty exhaust gas back into the engine clogging the inlet manifold decreasing power (older diesels didn't have an EGR). Worse, they gradually sieze up and stick, potentially damaging swirl flaps which can stick or worse, get injested into the engine (this company make blanking plates http://www.swirlflaps.co.uk/ its such a commob problem on some BMWs). Another big problem is the dual mass flywheel which can fail. Then you've got failing turbos as well.. the list goes on, and these are all BIG problems that cost a lot to fix.

Honestjohn no longer reccomends diesels due to these expensive failures.

Oh dear, someone really is talking a lot of moo cows dung aren't they?

That's just for [i]YOU[/i] and [i]YOUR[/i] car. For me, when we bought our current car, it was opposite. So kiss my shiny metal ass. 😛

If you don't know how to drive it.

There's half a chance I've forgotten about more vehicles than you've ever driven, or even sat in.
And I still can't stand diesel engines in cars. I just don't like them. IMO diesels are utter cack. THE only reason I'd ever buy one would be to save money, and it would have to be a fair amount at that. And the facs are, that if you're not doing enough miles, you'll never make it pay.

My mother in law has a lovely VW Eos. It's totally RUINED by the 2 litre diesel engine that sits in the front of it. It's horrible. (You have a Passat, do you not? I think it's the same engine, the 140bhp TDi)

I'm a petrolhead. Not a dieselhead. And I make no apologies for that.

And on top of all that, it's like shooting fish in a barrel poking fun at them on threads like this..... 🙂

Diesels are far more unreliable due to their design. The EGR valve is a common source of problems. Diesels burn dirty and they circulate the sooty exhaust gas back into the engine clogging the inlet manifold decreasing power (older diesels didn't have an EGR). Worse, they gradually sieze up and stick, potentially damaging swirl flaps which can stick or worse, get injested into the engine (this company make blanking plates http://www.swirlflaps.co.uk/ its such a commob problem on some BMWs). Another big problem is the dual mass flywheel which can fail. Then you've got failing turbos as well.. the list goes on, and these are all BIG problems that cost a lot to fix.

Honestjohn no longer reccomends diesels due to these expensive failures.

Just reading this and wondering, the high milers you see are Diesel not petrol. More and more small petrol engines are getting turbos to improve performance.

So how much is a real issue and how much a theoretical issue?

As for the torque, that makes them go faster. My 150bhp diesel Astra got 20k from it's front tyres with a lot of torque. My Golf with half the torque ate tyres every 12k miles with less weight

I can easily tell a tale of a diesel Audi getting through tyres in 10K and an old car of mine still on 2 out of the 4 OE tyres at 54,000 miles if you like?

Yes it's cheaper - by a lot. My 150bhp Astra was group 11. My 150bhp Golf GTi was group 15. My 335d is grp 18, a 335i is grp 20

Means nowt: Different people get different prices on the same car. Insurance group itself is no reliable indication of cost.

No they are not. A lot of diesels are much more robust that their petrol equivalents

You usually pay a bit more BECAUSE THEY ARE IN MUCH HIGHER DEMAND. Resale value therefore is higher. You also can't spell "lose" or "depreciation."

PS - Don't treat me like a twunt, Surf Mat. Because I'm not.

Just reading this and wondering, the high milers you see are Diesel not petrol

Reliability and longevity are 2 different things 🙂 It'll carry on forever if you keep replacing bits!
So, whos to say the diesel hasn't had virtually every component replaced along the way, at a greater cost than a petrol car?

That said, I've known of a couple of petrol cars (Mk 2 Golf, late model Cavalier) with around 250k on the clock, and another (Mk 1 Golf) where my mate lost count after 145k when the milometer packed up.... 🙂

My old man had a cracking big volvo estate 2 litre petrol (850 highlander I think) which he had over 300k on. Never needed a rebuild or clutch etc. Just regurarly serviced and changed brakes, tyres, exhaust when needed etc.

Would still be going strong but for the fact he parked it in a field last winter due to the icy roads. After clearing a ditch dukes of hazard style lol.

It was so good he bought anothter. Bigger petrol engine this time - it's better than a truck and he loves it, ideal load lugger and towing machine for his hobbies and business too.

I have owned both VRs models:

The petrol got around 32 mpg driven normally

The current CR diesel gets around 45 driven normally

The diesel is more a more relaxed drive but the petrol had a FAR superior engine. Deffo get the petrol for the mileage you are doing and if you want a better drivers car.

I can easily tell a tale of a diesel Audi getting through tyres in 10K

I get normal mileage out of tyres on a diesel, because I drive it the same speed as I would a petrol. That is, 'relaxed'.

(Mk 1 Golf) where my mate lost count after 145k when the milometer packed up...

See, that's crappy petrol reliability in action! 😉

45mpg vs 32mpg is a 40% improvement. That's pretty significant.

Diesels take ages to warm up

Modern Diesels in cars like this aren't noisy. Infact you would be hard pressed to hear much difference once you get moving. It's been like this for the good brands for twenty years nearly.

Saw another couple of misguided comments about premature tyre wear.

The benefit of a diesel over a petrol is the tons of torque you have on tap if you should need it. So you can drive without lots of gear changes and pistons popping out of the bonnet when you need to get a move on, but you don't have to do this all the time. If you learn to use this power sensitively, you will get extended tyre life (I got 39k out of my first set of tyres on my 1.9Tdi 130Bhp).

Extended high speed driving eats rubber too, so keep you speed down and stay off motorways - can only be good for road safety, the environment, your wallet and your health!

Some people simply aren't at one with their machine. I know two people who drive at what people would regard as a pretty normal pace. One has a diesel the other has a petrol. They get through tyres, brakes and fuel like there's no tomorrow, but for no tangible benefit whatsoever! In either one of these cars, when I reset the fuel computer, I can drive over similar terrain, but getting at least 30% more miles to the gallon. I'm certainly not a slow driver, infact i find people generally dither and faff for no apparent reason. Most frustrating, so where ever possible, I opt to drive when others aren't.

An automatic gearbox for these people would mitigate this, assuming it was a variomatic. I'd hazard a guess that at least 80% of drivers are wasting 25% of the fuel they buy. Imagine how much cheaper fuel would be if these drivers learned to drive efficiently, but i digress.

I find myself thinking about paying out for fuel for any given significant individual journey and when the prospect of going off anywhere arises, it's always a big plus knowing you aren't going to be pumping uneccessary additional CO, CO2 into the atmosphere, but for me it's principally about hanging on to my cash. I have a friend who has a gas guzzler and he never goes anywhere in it and always complains about the cost (e.g. £280 v my £75 for a return trip to the Lake District).

Buy the diesel, it is more expensive to buy, but you'll get a large proportion of that back (maybe more). The residual of a petrol could spectacularly fall out of bed, thus costing you a lot more than you bargained for. Conversely, diesels hold their value because of the obvious benefits, one of which would be the lower road fund licence.

Some people simply aren't at one with their machine.

True dat. I had a lift with a bloke at work, and he was simply stamping on (and off) all three pedals. I felt sick within a mile.

No wonder people complain that this car or that isn't as economical as advertised.

So you can drive without lots of gear changes and pistons popping out of the bonnet when you need to get a move on

With my own car I can stick it in 5th and go from 15mph to the wrong side of 150mph, it's petrol powered.

True dat. I had a lift with a bloke at work, and he was simply stamping on (and off) all three pedals. I felt sick within a mile.

Jerky driving stresses everyone out, even the driver! If you took his blood pressure before and after driving, even when he thought he felt calm, you would see some shocking results.

The trick is to be gentle with the controls and have a smooth action. A lot of racing drivers will tell you this and it doesn't slow them down does it?

Rough treatment of the controls will wear everything out prematurely and be likely to break something.

I have always been kind on the controls, but have slowed down a lot in recent years. Diesels brought this about and when I switched from a company car. I'm almost on the 1 Million mile mark, so I think I know what i'm talking about.

With my own car I can stick it in 5th and go from 15mph to the wrong side of 150mph, it's petrol powered.

With my own car I can stick it in 5th and go from 15mph to the wrong side of 150mph, it's petrol powered.

That means nothing. How long it takes is the issue.

Unless you've got a 6 or 8 cyl petrol, or a turbo mapped to low revs, you will get much more shove at 1,500rpm from a diesel than a petrol I reckon.

We are talking typical every day cars here btw not some snazzy Beamer etc.

With my own car I can stick it in 5th and go from 15mph to the wrong side of 150mph, it's petrol powered.

Blimey - what car is that if you don't mind me asking?? Most cars I have ever been in will stall below about 20mph in 5th as the gearing drops the engine revs too low.

I wouldn't call it snazzy. It has 6 cylinders though.

I was curious one day so carried out the experiment - it got there quick enough.

Oh, and I also hate the drivers who use the pedals like digital on/off switches. Terrible control.

6cyl is snazzy in my book.

Not exactly a basic family motor is it?

I could time my car from 30-100mph in 6th if you like?

it's a great family motor. That's why I bought it - I have 3 kids. Plus I wanted something with a bit of go.

A sleeper if you will. Definitely not snazzy though.

It's well known that v6s have more torque. They are generally considered something of a premium option though, due to initial purchase cost and running costs.

Unlike a 4cl TDi.

My running costs are not high. In fact for the same car in oil burner format I'm not too far away from them mpg wise and my servicing costs less. Due to a number of factors. How I drive it, the weight of the car, I look after mine and alays service it, I keep it running well.

It's a nice honest car.

My running costs are not high. In fact for the same car in oil burner format I'm not too far away from them mpg wise and my servicing costs less.

Wow, that's sounds like an amazing car! A family sized V6 petrol car that can do anything close to 65mpg on out of town journeys and over 50mpg combined?

Can you tell me the model so I can get one and convert it to LPG?

My 4cyl. diesel powered large family estate has comparable torque to a V6, but I always thought mine was vastly better on fuel.

As my particular brand has variable service intervals based on various factors, including drivng style, I get about 20-22 months between services. I've had 3 standard serives costing around £225 and one of £600 (cambelt and water pump (switched as a precaution it is easy to get to when the cambelt is accessible). My recent last service was through an independant garage, which will last until Christmas 2011 cost £150. This works out at about £135 per annum. Not bad for a large family saloon!

In fact for the same car in oil burner format I'm not too far away from them mpg wise and my servicing costs less

What car is this then where the mpg is similar for petrol and diesel? Keen to know 🙂

I could time my car from 30-100mph in 6th if you like?

Really??

Pretty sure my engine won't even run at 30mph in 6th.
70mph in 6th = 1800rpm
which puts 30mph at 770rpm. 5th will just about pull at 30mph.

Kinda why I was surprised to hear that zedsdead car will pull all the way from 15mph to 150mph in one gear. Even assuming 10k rpm at 150mph (what 'non snazzy car revs to 10k rpm??), that equates to 1000rpm at 15mph where there can't be much pull unless it's a bit of a monster. I did wonder if it was a 350Z, but can't imagine that's good for 3 kids.

30mph is probably an absolute minimum, granted 🙂 The engine runs at about 2050 revs at 70mph, so abotu 880 rpm at 30mph which is slightly over idle 🙂 DSG gearbox might not let me do that though, it does downshift if you go too slow.

Spongebob - the oil burner gets around 35+ in the real world. I get 32.
They're big and heavy cars.

Of course if you boot it everywhere mpg drops like a stone but the same goes for all cars.
It'll pull from around 600rpm. 5th is a big l a z y gear indeed.

We're running an old TDCi Mondeo at the moment. The Wife commutes in it (40 miles/day 70mph most of the way), & it doubles as my bike carrier. Has just gone past 150k. Does about 45mpg. Its driven fairly sedately by me, but the Wife gives it a bit of stick. Drives brilliantly. Youd never guess it had covered that many miles, but always concerned that a big bill is never far away. Brother-in-law has just had his Mondeo's DMF done, £650.
There's a possibility that it could become our main car for the next few years, while the Wife comes out of work to go to uni. I cant help but think that we might be better swapping to a petrol. If our diesel goes the way of a lot of Mondeo's we could be looking at bills worth more than the car. I cant imagine the petrol is without faults, but they dont seem as problematic as the diesel models with regards to DMF's, injectors, & they've a turbo that could go pop. As much as I like our old Mondeo, I fear the fear of some big bills will force its replacement.
Then again, it might just soldier on for another 100k miles.
Tough call.

Just take the money you'd save on fuel and tax, and put it in a bank account for when/if something goes wrong. You'll at least help the environment that way.

re: DMF failure. I'm pretty sure some people just replace it with a regular type at a fraction of the price.
Although I seem to recall some models of Mondeo need the sub-frame to be removed to replace the clutch which = man hours = money...

I cant imagine the petrol is without faults, but they dont seem as problematic as the diesel models with regards to DMF's, injectors, & they've a turbo that could go pop. As much as I like our old Mondeo, I fear the fear of some big bills will force its replacement.

Which is why, after having tried out all the main brands over many years as a company car driver, I bought VAG car. Sorry, but aside from having worn out several Fords cars, i've worked in their Dunton research centre, the Dagenham factory when it made cars and Warley HQ. I also know personally a couple of the engineers.

I'm sure things are better than they used to be, but I wouldn't chance buying a Ford, even if it was engineered in Germany. They are good to start with, but then things do break. Reliability is not as bad as it used to be, but some brands just don't seem to suffer from this in the same way. I think the root of the problem with Ford stems from the American influence; perhaps they were a little too cost conscious.

VAG cars more reliable?? Audi RS6 is BOTTOM of the reliability index ( http://www.reliabilityindex.com/), Audi AllRoad is 7th from bottom.

The cliches about brand reliability are often nonsense IMO.

Back of the fag packet calculation.

2006 diesel vs petrol - looks like about £1.5K more purchase price for the diesel.
At 10K you should save about £500pa on the diesel.

Looks like (excluding the extra fianance cost) you should break even in about 3 years. You'll probably be up with the higher resale of the diesel (but the difference will probably be less than £1.5K) however The diesel may cost you more if you have a DPF / turbo problem.

Not really much in it. I guess drive both and see which you prefer.

So then Zeds what IS this magic car?

So, you pay more, the resale value will be more, but the actual amount you lo[b]o[/b]se, the difference between the two, will also be more. Becasue there's more to lo[b]o[/b]se in the first place. And if its a new car, may the Lord have mercy on you soul!

PS - [b]Don't treat me like a twunt, Surf Mat. Because I'm not.[/b]

Your first sentence completely nulls your last one. What complete and utter bo77ox again - sorry PP but you really aren't doing yourself any favours here.

Sure a good petrol is great, but so is a good diesel. Your reliability stuff is just made up as are most of your other points. It kind of kills your credibility.

I have little faith in modern VAG cars for reliability - sure many are good but they simply are not as reliable as they used to be. If reliability is vital, buy Japanese - apart from some Toyotas...

It's not magic. It's just a car.

So then Zeds what IS this magic car?

Mat you are being abrasive again. I however am just curious since he hasn't mentioned it on this thread 🙂

Which Toyotas are unreliable Mat? Not been impressed with their diesel engines when I've looked. Doesn't help when they set their smaller offering at 90bhp...

Zeds - I was only being daft. Just sounds impressive that's all - most of the 6 pot motors I know of are pretty cr4p on fuel.

Mol - thinking of all the recalls for dodgy throttles. Generally they are otherwise uber reliable.

I didn't think you were being abrasive. A lot depends on the car and how it's driven.

My old man kept a couple of Alfa 75's. The 3 litre manages 25 - 27mpg regular driving. Not bad for a 20 odd year old car with just over 200 horses running petrol...

He modified it quite a bit, mainly handling, and it's still fantastic fun to drive. Sounds suuuuuuperb too.

I didn't think of the throttle thing as a reliability issue. There was a handful of faults in literally millions of cars. Loads of other manufs have big recalls too - they just didn't make the news.

We've had a few Toyota Avensis D4D's at work as pool cars. Big mileages, generally thrashed by all & sundry. They never skipped a beat.
We traded a Verso D4D in, back in the summer, for a TDi Galaxy. In terms of refinement, if such a thing exists with a diesel, both the Galaxy & the Verso are in a different league to the TDCi Mondeo I mention above.

What was that Avensis like? I know the boy racer brigade slag it off for being 'boring' but I appreciate motorway comfort and refinement.. curious.