The diesel vs petrol saga could roll on for years. I have had both and true enough for mpg fanatics then diesel does better for high mileages. However, I got fed up with stinky soles on my shoes and smelly hands when filling up the diesels. Going to a turbocharged petrol engine is a revelation.

Diesel engine particulate filters and their exhaust systems have astronomic prices - more than £1000 for official original equipment parts are not unusual.

Quote from: Rob H on February 18, 2014, 03:36:34 PM

DO NOT buy a diesel engined car unless you're doing more than average mileage, the particulate filter will get "clogged" up unless the engine gets a good motorway blast every week and the cost is mind blowing.

The requirement for regenerating the filter, at least on my 2.0 TDI Golf Plus, is a lot milder than "a good motorway blast".  VW recommendation is 10-15 minutes at 2,000 rpm, which OK, you're not going to hit if you only drive a mile each way to work, but it doesn't need you to be a travelling sales rep either.

I do around 10 miles each way to the station (two stretches of urban with some windy country roads in between) in the week, and typically one to three 20-40 mile runs with some dual carriage-way at the weekend, and I've yet to see the DPF warning light come on.   A few times I've had it be mid-regeneration when I stop, which leaves the fan running and a lot of heat after the engine's off and the car's locked up for another five minutes or so, which was quite scary the first time until I understood what was going on 

Nudges 65 mpg on a good long run, still pretty respectable on the station commute, and DSG is smooth as silk.

QuoteMy daughter swears by her petrol 2.0L Golf R.

Ah yes , well known for their economy ;-)

Neal- Ive only got a budget of 3k so most of the diesels have well over 100k on them which is far too high.

Quote from: Tdm on February 18, 2014, 06:11:55 PM
Plenty of Golfs and Seats in Tenerife, but the car that now people appear to be buying more and more is the Skoda (which are owned by VW hence quality has improved leaps and bounds in recent years).

Skodas now come out top in User Satisfaction surveys and are no longer the laughing stock they used to be, but because of their past reputation they tend to be much cheaper than say an equivalent Golf. Just a thought.

Tenerife Taxis which used to be mostly Mercs are now being replaced by Skoda Octavias & Superbs, and Taxi drivers wouldn't choose a car that is going to be unreliable.

As i spend a little time on the island each year my family have a Golf V5 Auto out there (in white of course). I think the worst ive seen is 11MPG but by god is it quick to get on the motorway, but i have noticed the octavias appearing replacing the old mercs, still plenty around though.

Im not a fan of modern diesels, DPFs, DMFs, naff injector seals etc so im now staying with the good old green pump. 

After all this i viewed said Leon but i was told its 3 grand take it or leave it, oh and tax and Mot will cost extra. So i ended up looking at a Ford C-Max somewhere else which my heart likes alot. I got 47mpg indicated out of a 1.6 petrol which is 7MPG more than book figure. Needs a little work and a cambelt next year but theyve offered to do all the repairs put 12 months MOT on it and knock £200 off purchase price

Richard

C-max is a great car, but i am a Ford fan so i'm a little biased ! (8x fiestas, 4x escorts, 5x sierras, 1x mondy, 1x cortina and 2 orions !)

Mechanically they are very reliable, just keep a eye out for rust underneath especially at the rear. You may also want to replace the god awful radio, you won't believe the difference a decent headunit will make...

Im a ford man too. It has a little (and by little i mean little) rust in the bottom of the rear wheel arches but nothing too major and it is also 9 years old. My plan is to keep it 2 years till i start my new job and then shop it in for a Mondeo or possibly a focus estate.

Richard

Quote from: ParkeNd on February 18, 2014, 07:48:31 PM
Going to a turbocharged petrol engine is a revelation.

^^ That. I went from a 6-pot BMW turbodiesel to a 4-pot Saab turbo petrol. (Lexus 6-pot NA in between but let's not talk about that)!  The Saab turbo is quick to say the least  :goggle eyes:

If going for a diesel just do a DPF delete and depending what car an EGR bypass and map.

For anyone who wants a very well built car that is fun to drive, only needs servicing every 20,000 miles or two years, and can go economically one minute, and the exhaust note change to a refined snarl the next, the Golf with a TSI engine is hard to beat if you are spending your own money- no cam belt either - chain.  Ford C Max is a whole different car for kids and baby seats - great if that is what you need. Had 8 Fords when companies bought and ran them for me - sensible and reliable.

Well despite me thinking id sorted my new car, i still havent as the Cmax needed more work than i thought, then there was a Focus which was just too cheap(Full main dealer jistory , drove fine, looked good but it was at somewhere i didnt have too much confidence in and its £700 cheaper than anywhere else. Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful as a Vauxhall Astra 1.6 beckons, lets see whats wrong with this one!
Richard

Quotebut i am a Ford fan

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The only heap of crap I ever had to abandon in over 50 years of motoring was a Fix Or Repair Daily..... :'(

Think we are straying a little bit away from leon/vw golf

Well i didnt end up with a Seat or a VW or a Vauxhall. But i did end up with this and i have to say i think it was a very good buy!

I have recently,ie before Christmas part ex'd my Seat Leon 14tsi for a Seat Ibiza 14tsi Fr with the dsg auto box. I have a gammy left leg, legassy from falling off a motrcycle years ago I think and also steel stairs before the days of insurance claims. My leon was excellent on fuel as an example we went to cornwall from m/cr on a full tank and still had fuel for a few days before needing a refill,plus the cruise control was also a benefit.

Quote from: B757-236GT on February 26, 2014, 05:11:58 PM
Well i didnt end up with a Seat or a VW or a Vauxhall. But i did end up with this and i have to say i think it was a very good buy!

good choice !
I'd happily buy another fiesta if I didn't spend all my money on n gauge !

Its a 1.4 Zetec Blue and had done 40k with a full main dealer sevice history. In terms of toys it has bluetooth and the sony upgrade CD with multichanger, front fogs, trip computer, folding and heated mirrors and the heated front screen. It was £3990 and for that its taxed an tested till november, has three new tyres, new pads and disks on the front although they looked fine to me, valet and a mop and got 6 month warrenty and a tank of fuel. Given the next cheapest to this is a cat D write off i thought £3990 was a steal! I also had the longest test drive eve of 48 minutes. 17 minutes driving and 29 minutes stuck in a queue on the A40 northern ring road. I did get 50.3 mpg out of it though so you could say im very pleased!

Richard