My 1998 Octavia petrol estate was hit by an Asda delivery van last week while parked. Managed to hit it on two sides which I think is a creditable achievement. The body shop tells me it's a certain right-off.

Anyway, being a creature of habit I think I might buy another one. Second hand around four years old. Probably from a dealer because I have limited time to shop around.

Now I do on average 15,000 mile per year so a diesel would save a few quid. I keep a boat on the south coast which is a 220 mile round trip every few weekends. I calculate this will save around £400 per year. On the other hand I drive daily to the station which is only five miles each way. Is this going to knacker a diesel? I don't like unforeseeable expenses!

I was thinking of the old fashioned 1.9tdi PD(?). I understand it has the dreaded dual mass flywheel but that it isn't usually a problem on this engine? Anyway, it doesn't have the diesel particle filter which I understand needs regular exercise. Or should I buy another petrol

BTW I had the old Octavia for eight years and it only cost me a new starter. I'm hoping for similar reliability. Or should I buy a Kia?

I must say I quite like the Astra SRi 1.9 diesel hire car I'm driving. But Google says it might be expensive on maintenance.

I value your opinion. Off to the dealers tomorrow.

Not much help as I have never owned a Skoda before and don't at the moment but I recently ordered a CR vRS, I don't do mileage that really makes a diesel worthwhile so perhaps I should have gone for the petrol however, I much preferred the drive of the diesel so that's what I went for.

i would say diesel all the way, especially with your 200mile trip as it will let the car burn off anycrap which may build up on the shorter trips.

Not much help as I have never owned a Skoda before and don't at the moment but I recently ordered a CR vRS, I don't do mileage that really makes a diesel worthwhile so perhaps I should have gone for the petrol however, I much preferred the drive of the diesel so that's what I went for.

I'm in a similar situation; will probably only be doing 4K at most per year but I'm wondering is the diesel a better investmest as it will hold its value better or is the petrol the safer bet with all the issues modern diesels have - DMF, DPF's, turbo's failing.

Edited 24 September, 201015 yr by Ultima

As with the many diesel vs. petrol threads the only real advice is to drive them both...

...oh and shop at Tesco

Edited 24 September, 201015 yr by silver1011

i would say diesel all the way, especially with your 200mile trip as it will let the car burn off anycrap which may build up on the shorter trips.

Just noticed that there's a saving on tax as well. £90 for the diesel versus £155 for the petrol version. The old car was the 1.8 20v non turbo.

Mind you any saving in fuel and road tax can evaporate if it goes wrong. BTW I don't use a Skoda dealer for servicing.

Petrol.

If you are towing probably the 1.8 TSI or VRS. The difference in fuel consumption between Diesel and Petrol has narrowed from about 35% 10 years ago to 10-15% now and the power bands are wider ie cover more of the rev range in the petrol than the diesel.

I have a 130 hp diesel Octy estate and love it bits but the 1.8 TSI and 2 litre TSI are awesome. Even the 1.8 TSI is considerably quicker than the 2 litre VRS diesel and the CO2 little difference ie 155 on my TSi and 150 on th Diesel VRS.

A year or so diesel was more than 10p a litre more expensive than petrol due to diesel being imported but petrol is from North Sea.

The residual value is little different from Petrol TSIs to diesels as they are both turbo and direct injection and the diesel is much more espensive to buy for a much duller car. If I lived in a country where diesel was much cheaper than petrol but since it is not and unlikely to be in the future Petrol is the logical choice unless you do more than 25K a year and do not do many short journeys and can put up with a duller engined car.

VAG do make fun diesels but they are not in the Skoda range, mind you our our old Fabia VRS SE which would do 8 second 0-60 (in the dry) came pretty close IMHO.

Edited 24 September, 201015 yr by lol

As with the many diesel vs. petrol threads the only real advice is to drive them both...

...oh and shop at Tesco

Thing is I'm not really 'in' to cars. But I'm also not 'in' to garage bills!

I hadn't driven a diesel for years until I hired this Astra. They do accelerate well at low speeds but you do have to remember to change up!

A friend does the same commute with an Audi A4 1.9 tdi of around 2000 vintage. Seems to have coped. Is this the same basic engine?

...and one shops at Aldi. But uses a Waitrose carrier bag.

Off home now. Enough of this 'work' nonsense.

Another factor I've found is the insurance for myself is £40 more for the Diesel than the Petrol VRS, so that cancels out most of the road tax savings of the Diesel. Anyone else found this?

Edited 24 September, 201015 yr by Ultima

I'm in a similar situation; will probably only be doing 4K at most per year but I'm wondering is the diesel a better investmest as it will hold its value better or is the petrol the safer bet with all the issues modern diesels have - DMF, DPF's, turbo's failing.

If you are only doing 4k a year then you MUST go for petrol.

But if you are doing 12k or more then the diesel is the more economical choice.

As with the many diesel vs. petrol threads the only real advice is to drive them both...

...oh and shop at Tesco

I'd agree. You can't beat the diesel for the mountain of torque. Do a search - this has been debated on here many times before and diesel wins everytime...but I would say that. I have one and I fill it at Tesco. Only 1 DPF issue and if you do the mileage as you suggest you will, that's not going to be a problem. Whilst I've never towed, my family has, and the petrol MG Maestro we used drank like an alcoholic but it had very good low down torque to get the item we were towing moving, and that's not going to be a problem with a diesel.

If you are only doing 4k a year then you MUST go for petrol.

But if you are doing 12k or more then the diesel is the more economical choice.

Or have a fuel card where it does not matter so much. I would think the break point is somewhere more like 15K or even 20K and you still have to put up with acceleration that is only in the "average" family car region ie slower than a BMW diesel effecient dynamic or Ford or Toyota 2.2 diesel, could not put up with that.

Edited 24 September, 201015 yr by lol

I'd agree. You can't beat the diesel for the mountain of torque. Do a search - this has been debated on here many times before and diesel wins everytime...but I would say that. I have one and I fill it at Tesco. Only 1 DPF issue and if you do the mileage as you suggest you will, that's not going to be a problem. Whilst I've never towed, my family has, and the petrol MG Maestro we used drank like an alcoholic but it had very good low down torque to get the item we were towing moving, and that's not going to be a problem with a diesel.

As Clarkson says, bang the torque arrives, bang the torque is gone on a wiesel. Diesel only win in the bedtime stories of putting the driver to sleep. If you have a turbo then towing is fine and the DSG is a great aid with towing as well!

Edited 24 September, 201015 yr by lol

Try this site. It made my mind up to buy petrol VRS

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/petrol-vs-diesel/

Definitely the diesel, 1.9tdi, your 229 mile round trip will be done on a quarter of a tank, I can do 480 miles on just over half,, if you brim it, if the DMF goes its only £230 for a solid replacement

Edited 24 September, 201015 yr by skippy41

Try this site. It made my mind up to buy petrol VRS

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/petrol-vs-diesel/

======================================================================================================================================================

Brilliant link site, well recommend it, says it all, ie have to run an inferior car to drive and it take you 6 years to brake even when you have probably decided to change anyways, well put sir!

Petrol Vs Diesel

Costs comparisonA diesel car will typically cost more to buy than a petrol, but cost less per mile in fuel. Find out how far you need to drive to break even.

Skoda Octavia Hatchback

1.8 TSI Laurin + Klement 5d DSG

List price £21,340

Fuel consumption 42 mpg

Price per litre 115.7p

2.0 TDI CR Laurin + Klement 5d DSG

List price £22,970

Fuel consumption 53 mpg

Price per litre 118.5p

Extra cost to buy £1,630

Saving per 1000 miles £23.59

Miles to break even 69,098

Time to break even

at 12,000 miles per year 6 years

Edited 24 September, 201015 yr by lol

I went for a diesel vRS over the petrol as I preferred the drive. I think the DPF issues are vastly overstated on here, the vRS engine which I'm assumiing you'll be getting is used throughout the VAG group and continues to be rolled out. Yes there are some rare instances of issues if you have an abnormal driving pattern, but so may most engines.

The insurance costs for the diesel were lower for me by £25 (£625 vs £600). It is also in a lower insurance group (14 vs 15), so not sure why it'd be higher for anyone on a straight comparison. The residuals are higher by around £500 if you look at recent prices. I will do an estimated 6000 miles a year and worked out with diesel costing 2p per litre more, which it has been for a while, savings on insurance and tax, I'll be better off with a diesel over 3 years, before the gain on resale.

The cost is really negligible on all calculations (max of £1k over 3 years) given the actual cost of a new car.

.... I think the DPF issues are vastly overstated on here, ...

But I thought a 4 year old 1.9Tdi wouldn't have a DPF?

The advantage of the diesel to me is that a trip to the boat is going to leave me with half a tank rather than a 'nearly empty' one. So I'll not feel so guilty! But it's irrational when you do the calculations.

Off shopping now. Wish me luck!

And comes back with........

a diesel.

Maybe.

it has to be diesel never having owned one in 20 years driving when i get 55mpg 2.0 octavia laydened with the family and all the luggage drivng from manchester to durham and could keep up with most things on the road havng previously owned a hyundai coupe 2.0 very nice looking but was a vhs in the digital world ( CRAP ) ........

der diesel DSG = best of both worlds = never need to worry about grabbing another gear..........not that in 12 years of 1.9TDI driving I ever felt fustrated by lack of GO

jat

M

======================================================================================================================================================

Brilliant link site, well recommend it, says it all, ie have to run an inferior car to drive and it take you 6 years to brake even when you have probably decided to change anyways, well put sir!

Petrol Vs Diesel

Costs comparisonA diesel car will typically cost more to buy than a petrol, but cost less per mile in fuel. Find out how far you need to drive to break even.

Skoda Octavia Hatchback

1.8 TSI Laurin + Klement 5d DSG

List price £21,340

Fuel consumption 42 mpg

Price per litre 115.7p

2.0 TDI CR Laurin + Klement 5d DSG

List price £22,970

Fuel consumption 53 mpg

Price per litre 118.5p

Extra cost to buy £1,630

Saving per 1000 miles £23.59

Miles to break even 69,098

Time to break even

at 12,000 miles per year 6 years

Not trying to be funny or cheeky or anything - and without stating the obvious, but if a 4 year old TDI with say 25k miles (in A1 condition) is puchased & compaired to a petrol equiv. of similar age/milage/price, the break even point is less than 1 year & you will still get a good car if maintained properly for several years, forgeting about the ABS (Teves60) and Air con problems VAG cars apparantly suffer from (I am not looking forward to this!) - be they petrol of Diesel.