Unsure which to go for?...read this and watch the video.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/festival-of-motoring/10031419/Should-I-buy-a-petrol-or-diesel-car.html

Maths are simple, do the sums. Not forgetting that although the diesel may cost more it will also be worth more at trade in time.

If there is not much difference in the sums go with what you enjoy

I buy diesel cars because I love the torque of the engines. Also I dont think I could go back to seeing a car doing 45 mpg or so when I`m used to 60+ mpg and getting on for 500 miles on tank! I guess it has a lot to do with a matter of taste!

I commute around 16000 miles per week but also drive some miles whilst in work and out of work so reckon I probably do around 18000 plus per year. This article says you need to do 20 - 30000 to make a diesel worth while!

Whilst looking at different cars most of the dealers have been saying around 16000 plus miles makes a diesel worthwhile - are they saying that because it's true or because that's just slightly lower then the miles I say I do.

Had just about settled on the Greenline but ......!

I prefer to drive a diesel, simple as

I commute around 16000 miles per week

You definitely need a diesel doing that many miles!!!

Just worked it out......you need to do 95mph every hour of every day for 7days. I reckon you would soon rack up some points

Many people never buy brand new, so the initial purchase premium and probable larger initial depreciation don't necessarily figure so highly in a decision.

It's fairly clear there is a wide overlap that depends on peoples' usage patterns; diesels don't work all that well for those who do lots of short journeys. If you are doing high enough annual mileage and most journeys are about, say, half an hour or more, then it's an easy choice from the economic standpoint.

Given that most people aren't economically literate you'll find that diesels are much more common than they used to be, which presumably will depress the premium somewhat for those buying second-hand.

Part of the decision ought to be to consider whether the style of driving meshes well with the maintenance requirements of the dpf, if fitted. Another point people rarely consider, from a comfort point of view, is how quicky the car warms up during colder weather. In the winter pretty much everyone tries running the car at idle to demist/defrost the car but that can take a lot longer, (if at all), with a diesel.

The article makes the broad statement of 20-30,000 miles per year. But gives absolutely no backing to that statement.

IMO diesel/petrol isn't about the miles per year. It's about the miles per journey.

Part of the decision ought to be to consider whether the style of driving meshes well with the maintenance requirements of the dpf, if fitted. Another point people rarely consider, from a comfort point of view, is how quicky the car warms up during colder weather. In the winter pretty much everyone tries running the car at idle to demist/defrost the car but that can take a lot longer, (if at all), with a diesel.

I must admit I didn't know that till I bought a diesel . A right pain in the bahookie given the condensation levels in my MKI Fabia vRS.

I love the shove of a diesel but with my annual mileage (5,000 max.) it makes no sense to go back.

I didn't watch the film, no need to. DEVIL JUICE FTMFW

HTH :think:

IMO diesel/petrol isn't about the miles per year. It's about the miles per journey.

+1 on this. I have a diesel, won't do more than about 6k a year but most journeys are not short ones. Yep it takes a while to warm up in winter, though the climate helps in this respect. It cost more than the petrol, but come trade on it'll be worth more and it'll have been cheaper to run too so I'm quite happy with what I've got. Buy which you prefer after test driving both to see which suits you best

Petrol engines sound nicer.

I love the torque and the MPG. I've driven a few regular petrols since making the change and they just feel lifeless. I've also driven some nice 300+ hp petrols, but they're not exactly cheap. The DPF/DMF etc issues though are starting to make me think about changing back, but every time I think about it, the MPG costs for the high powered petrols scare me off.

Diesel. I have had diesel cars for over 10 years. Every time I use a petrol engined car I feel like im getting nothing to the gallon. Even when I have borrowed fairly new Eco type petrol engined cars.

I like the diesel torque and can't complain about the mpg you get from diesels. Would love a 335d or 3.0tdi A5!

I went from Worcestershire to milton Keynes and back today. A mixture on M,A & B roads. Made as quick progress as I could while keeping to the speed limits or there abouts other traffic allowing including some spirited driving where possible. 55mpg on the maxidot...... including a passive regen too. chuffed. That's the CR in a nutshell I guess, a decent mixture of performance and economy