Hi I'm new to the forum and wanted to ask the experts for some advise.

Basically I have a 3 door focus 2.0 tdci and needing to change to a bigger car as my wife is preg with our second. I've always liked Octavia's and decided after a lot of research it's the best for us as I want practicality, performance and reliability. (vRS)

Now the big question diesel vs petrol. I've always been diesel engines, as I've always done big mileage but I only do 4 miles a day to work and back and the odd trip to Leeds from Edinburgh now. so what's the good and bad between the 2.0 tfsi and pd170 engines? Reliability, service costs, fuel costs etc. any help would be great.

Thanks

At only 4 miles per day you'll kill the diesel, get the petrol!

I wouldn't say you would kill the diesel but id agree on getting the petrol.

petrol unless you are going to do 40k plus a year.... 

keep the focus and live with the 3 door. Do you and the wife share a car? How old is your other child? All depends on if you have money to blow?? Or just manage? I would have kept my three door but the boot wasn't big enough for the push chair

For mostly short journeys I'd suggest the petrol is better.

It warms up quicker too.

 

If you do decide to buy the PD, avoid one with a DPF as your usage profile is going to lead to problems with it getting blocked.

If doing 20+ mile trips I'd consider the diesel, but you are well under that.

 

 

petrol unless you are going to do 40k plus a year.... 

 

I think the diesel is more cost effective a long way before you hit 40,000 miles per year.

if you want more performance just get it remapped

For mostly short journeys I'd suggest the petrol is better.

It warms up quicker too.

 

If you do decide to buy the PD, avoid one with a DPF as your usage profile is going to lead to problems with it getting blocked.

If doing 20+ mile trips I'd consider the diesel, but you are well under that.

 

 

 

I think the diesel is more cost effective a long way before you hit 40,000 miles per year.

even takingito account how much more the deisel car costs in the first place, (often thousands) and the higher cost of the fuel? thousands of pounds buys an awful LOT of petrol... when i worked for the AA driving school (we had the ford focuses) the extra cost of leasing the diesel against the cost of leasing the petrol ect was worked out, and we would have needed to do more than 50,000 miles a year to make it pay....

even takingito account how much more the deisel car costs in the first place, (often thousands) and the higher cost of the fuel? thousands of pounds buys an awful LOT of petrol... when i worked for the AA driving school (we had the ford focuses) the extra cost of leasing the diesel against the cost of leasing the petrol ect was worked out, and we would have needed to do more than 50,000 miles a year to make it pay....

 

Doesn't surprise me Dave, how did you find the Ford diesel?

I found they are not particaularly efficient.

 

But the OP is asking about a PD engined diesel Octavia, so probably over 4 years old.  So a smaller cost difference anyway.

Personally i'd buy the diesel anyway just because of the way they drive, regardless of the extra expense. My mum drives a golf mk5 gt tdi 2.0 and her work isn't 1.5 miles away haha (Although she does cycle it quite often). 

Petrol 100% if you do want to change car.

 

The diesel will cost more in maintenance anyway and with that amount of mileage per annum, it will cost even more due to DPF issues etc.

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking about keeping the focus but things are starting to go wrong with it and although the boot is big I'm struggling to get everything in including push chairs n that my oldest daughter is only 22 months so still need a fair amount of stuff for her.

And yeah petrol is starting to make more sense ATM just because of the DPF and I can get a petrol with half the mileage for about £1k less

Doesn't surprise me Dave, how did you find the Ford diesel?

I found they are not particaularly efficient.

 

But the OP is asking about a PD engined diesel Octavia, so probably over 4 years old.  So a smaller cost difference anyway.

I had 4 new cars in 3 months at one point, because they all broke! they were nice to drive, but thats about all they had going for them! put me right off fords, the least reliable cars i have owned.... when i worked part time for BSM we had fiat 500's and they never had anything go wrong with them, and look at the reputation fiat have! lol....

petrol unless you are going to do 40k plus a year.... 

What rubbish.

 

The cost comparison between diesel and petrol rests on more than annual mileage - total mileage during ownership is more important.  Is car being bought new or second-hand, length of individual journeys and how long will it be kept have a bearing on overall cost comparison.  Difference in insurance and road fund license should also be considered.

 

I travel around 12K miles, buy a car at 12-18 months old and usually keep it for at least 3 years (last car - 7 years).  A proper full cost comparison shows that diesel is cheaper than petrol for me.  Difference in purchase price was irrelevant as I set a budget and spent that on a diesel that was a few months older than the petrol I could have bought.

 

The next car we buy for my wife may well be electric - just needs prices to reduce.

 

To the OP - you want performance for 4 miles back and forwards to work???  Kids are expensive (if you think babies are expensive, just wait to they grow up!).  I would have thought overall running costs more important than performance.

Yeah your right about that. But it's a car I've always wanted to have, that or a leon FR. Anyway my wife and I make enough money not to worry about how much the kids will cost we just wanted a pretty cheap car with adequate performance for when we do go for drives. I have also looked at the non sporty octys but decided against them because most taxis here are octys.

The boot in a Focus is tiny compared to the Octavia.

I would go for a 1.8 TSi over the VRS but thats just me.

Not much in it performance wise and a very good underated engine.

Fair point. I never really thought about the mk1s. Are they about the same size as the mk2s boot wise? And what's the leg room like in the rear?

You can get 1.8TSi FL cars with 160BHP in Elegance and L&K. Less likely to attract trouble/vandals but as far as I can tell, around the same price as the vRS models. As far as I know you'll loose the lower ride height, better rear suspension, and I think the brakes are smaller (as well as the obvious body kit/power).

Perhaps, instead of just focussing on costs etc, why not also ask yourself the question:

"Do I prefer the characteristics of driving a diesel over a petrol or vice versa".

Car ownership is not just about cost after all.

Yeah your right about that. But it's a car I've always wanted to have, that or a leon FR. Anyway my wife and I make enough money not to worry about how much the kids will cost we just wanted a pretty cheap car with adequate performance for when we do go for drives. I have also looked at the non sporty octys but decided against them because most taxis here are octys.

Why is that a bad thing? If people who drive for a living choose them its got to be a plus.

Yeah I will test drive both diesel and petrol see which one I prefer driving. Not that much on price differance and insurance.

And yes Richard that's what my wife said, but tbh I prefer the look of the vRS and there isn't really much differance in insurance for me for some reason.

Sums are simple if you want to do a cost comparison. Its then upnto you to justify what you want to drive' but dpf's are a real problem with lots of short journeys

V5 or V6 Golf?

 

Only the smallest turbo cars will be warm in 4 miles.

 

For Skool runs use a naturally aspirated car, 1.25/1.3/1.6 NA Focus, 70 HP HTP Fabia Estate, toastie within a mile.

 

Turbos are a pain for short journeys.  Too long to warm up.