My worry with LPG is it's an unknown quantity and if you spend a grand converting the car and then the government brings the price in line with petrol/diesel you've then got a car which is gonna lose a lot of value very quickly.

Chris

The one thing I want to know is why is there such a gap between petrol and diesel ....diesel is only taxed 2p more a litre so I reckon us diesel users are sponsoring the petrol price....

There's probably something in that, as diesel is considerably cheaper to produce than petrol. In fact, I don't remember the cost of diesel being higher than petrol in any other country I've visited...

I also like the economy that comes with it but when the government is charging extortionate amounts for fuel, in particular for diesel (where I live it's at 116.9 whereas petrol is 105.9) so what benefits are there in terms of economy are there?

All Skoda (all VAG?) petrol engines are made to run on super are they not?

At my local Tesco Super was 1ppl cheaper than diesel so not quite such a big gap there.

Diesel will always be a winner for big mileage motorway drivers. For your average punter it's a bit of a personal choice whether you prefer the driving characteristics of a diesel or a petrol. Also whether you'd rather pay more for the fuel or the car. There isn't all that much in it.

There's probably something in that, as diesel is considerably cheaper to produce than petrol. In fact, I don't remember the cost of diesel being higher than petrol in any other country I've visited...

But do you know the fuel duty position in those other countries?

As to the rest of the difference, isn't it just the 'market'?. The gap is normally bigger in winter anyway as there's more demand for fuel oil/diesel. The gap should lower in the summer when we always here about the American driving season when demand (and price) for petrol goes up.

Derv is a waste product of petrol production.

You can also make it separately in much greater quantities and in this case petrol is not a by product.

I'd suggest that the very high derv prices are in part due to refinaries still being set up to make petrol and get "enough" derv from that product.

With the increasing number of derv cars on the roads there may actually be a surplus amount of petrol which means they sell it cheaper to save storing it, which is expensive.

I'd guess this won't change until it is time to decommission the catalyst or a bit of plant and replace it, at which time they may go for a tower cracking to mainly derv rather than petrol.

I loved the sound of my old vrs and the thrill when accelerating upto high revs although with the amount of milage I do, not just motorway milage a diesel made sense. It cost me about 1k to change to a diesel and it's cost about another £1,700 to modify it to where it is now.

I do about 500miles per week

Current car @ £1.14 diesel = £50 per week in fuel * 48weeks at work £2,400

vRS @ £1.11 petrol = £70 per week in

fuel * 48weeks at work £3,360

My insurance is now also 1/2 my old vrs and road tax is also half, so in the last year I have covered the cost to change and allready started paying off my mods.

The above is without considering weekends away or day trips out with the kids.

Petrol engines don't do a Fabia Vrs style tractor impression on a cold start.

Diesel now costs 7% more than unleaded by me , so although you get 10% better economy in the diesel , the higher fuel price means that you are saving almost nothing on running costs.

That's a good pint, but I reckon I get 25% better MPG with a diesel, very roughly.

In a couple of years time things will quite possibly swing back in favour of diesels as new engines are developed. When you can get diesel hybrids then things will really change.

I'm sure you're right. At the moment diesel makes sense for me, plus I prefer the power delivery, and waking the neighbours is fun on a cold start .

That's a good pint, but I reckon I get 25% better MPG with a diesel, very roughly.

I was only comparing those two specific engines if you were looking at buying a new car today.

At the time I bought My PD140 the alternative was a 2.0FSI and I get close to 50% better economy than one of those

Point to make here is that petrol in Holland is about 20-50 Euro-cents/liter more expensive than derv, VPower Derv at that..

Anyone else reckon the near-doubling of taxation on diesel in the UK in the past few years has any impact on this

Within the UK the mileage needed to make diesel pay off has gone up loads.

Regarding LPG - based on what the UK government(s) have decided to do to diesel tax, who knows what they'll do. But to get it taxed at the same level of petrol will be hard as it is apparently better for the environment

Point to make here is that petrol in Holland is about 20-50 Euro-cents/liter more expensive than derv, VPower Derv at that..

Anyone else reckon the near-doubling of taxation on diesel in the UK in the past few years has any impact on this

Within the UK the mileage needed to make diesel pay off has gone up loads.

Regarding LPG - based on what the UK government(s) have decided to do to diesel tax, who knows what they'll do. But to get it taxed at the same level of petrol will be hard as it is apparently better for the environment

Diesel and unleaded have exactly the same rates of duty on them in the UK , and have done for some time.

Any differences in pump prices are down to supply and demand , and oil companies.

Better economy, cheaper road tax, cheaper insurance.

Yes the fuel costs more, but even at current prices you go more miles per £. When I switched from petrol to diesel my fuel bill nearly halved, and currently I do 20K per year. My fuel bill per month is about £150, road tax on the octy is £120 and insurance £250.

Thats the clincher for me. As much as I love my Vrs Octi, the economy of a diesel is very attractive. I will be looking a diesel's next year when I change the car, sadly the petrol MK2 vRS is not going to be on the list :(

The thing is , if you want a Fabia vRS , then you have no choice , as Skoda didnt see fit to make a petrol one!

People buying diesels say their fuel bills halved but you need to do the mileage to justify it.

My mates mum has an 04 Corsa CDTI and because diesel is about 115p per litre shes debating selling her car as all she's doing atm is a few short runs into town for her work.

But bus and train fares also go up as diesel prices rise.....

If i could afford to buy and run one I'd have got a Fabia TDI as I've averaged 15k miles per year. I get 42mpg on a solid run from my Felicia, its not too exp to maintain so changing to a TDI is not worth it for me yet.

Unless i bought an older diesel and ran it on vegetable oil.

An equivalent performance petrol compared to a diesel will still cost a load more to run, particularly for sporty diesels and petrols no matter what the mileage, especially with the new road tax system.

That said, I'm thinking about switching to petrol again!

Petrol engines don't do a Fabia Vrs style tractor impression on a cold start.

Have you never heard a 1.8t start up when cold? :rofl:

I was only discussing this with my dad yesterday - Iam at the point of changing my car (Felly, to an Octavia), and have been weighing things up a bit.

An Octavia say 1.6 / 1.8 petrol is what I m looking at currently, both do about 40mpg - about the same if not slightly better than my felly. However I am a low mileage person currently, so I m not spending enough to see the benefit of diesel. Also bear in mind that an Octavia Tdi will cost a heck of a lot more to buy outright, it doesn't work out beneficial for me.

Also someone said to me that diesels chuck out fumes which cause lung cancer - is that right? :S

Also someone said to me that diesels chuck out fumes which cause lung cancer - is that right? :S

There is a link but I think the risk is relatively small (unless you habitually inhale them directly!)

Chris

I was only comparing those two specific engines if you were looking at buying a new car today.

Ah. With you. Anyone know how realistic the manufacturer's figures for the 1.4 Turbo/Supercharged engine you mentioned? Will it drink if you use the performance?

At the time I bought My PD140 the alternative was a 2.0FSI and I get close to 50% better economy than one of those

Certainly when I first bought a TDI i got a 40ish percent improvement over my previous car, and better performance.

Another point to consider is the service interval. If you have a PD TDI on variable service you should be aproaching 20,000 mile between services (my Octy 130 tdi was indicating service consistently every 23,000). I don't think a petrol Octy on variable can achieve that?

Pedroskate

Another point to consider is the service interval. If you have a PD TDI on variable service you should be aproaching 20,000 mile between services (my Octy 130 tdi was indicating service consistently every 23,000). I don't think a petrol Octy on variable can achieve that?

Pedroskate

My 06 plate Mk1 Octavia vRS managed about 18500 miles before it had the first variable service if that's any help.

I'm hoping at that rate I won't see the service blokes for quite a while as I'm only on 21500 miles as of today. It currently works out at just under 2 years per service.

Up until very recently Guernsey was charging 40p per litre for diesel and about 70p for petrol. They have now abolished road tax over there and brought the fuel prices slightly more inline with the Mainland (well both fuels are under a pound per litre still)

I like driving a diesel because filling up at a fueling stations is one of my biggest pet hates, especially in winter - any car that allows me to do that less often is good. I really can't get too excited about what cars sound like tbh, bit childish to get all excited because you car nearly sounds as good as a ferrari or some other super car. Personally I would rather know my car sounds a bit better then a Macey Furgerson and isn't trying to be something it isn't.

The newer petrols sound like dervs when cold anyway, only once you rev them they sound 'nice' IMHO of course. Petrols are getting more like diesels due to the technology used etc, but I still maintain each to their own

The price difference for fuel across Europe for derv vs petrol are so crazy these days that in the UK petrol is starting to be the option to go for almost, whereas in Holland the opposite is still very much true if you do 10-20k miles a year