Reply With QuoteI don’t think the infrastructure will be in place by 2030 to charge ev cars,I would go for it .
Would you buy a used (3 yrs old) diesel car now?
I'm thinking about a Mercedes GLB diesel (2020 car) using a 4 yr loan (plus initial deposit) - so owning the car outright at the end of the 4 years.
Given the way the UK is moving (electric cars, ULEZ, etc) is that a silly idea? I assume the market for 7 year old diesels in a few years time will be almost non-existent?
All input and advice appreciated! :)
I don’t think the infrastructure will be in place by 2030 to charge ev cars,I would go for it .
id go for it. With the majority of the country on their arse, ICE cars are not going anywhere.
Personally I probably wouldn't, but mainly becuase I'd go for something a couple of years older and save a bit more depreciation. Not much development in diesel cars recently for obvious reasons!
A 2020 diesel will be ULEZ compliant for the next decade, I suspect, so I’d go for it.Originally Posted by gunner
The main thing which would put me off is how diesel cars seek to get incredibly loud after three years.
I had a 2.2 diesel GLC and it was a lovely car but loud once older.
Diesel has a stigma so I'd go older to save more as suggested already or stick to petrol unless you're doing enough miles to justify diesel.
Which area of the country do you live in? I bet those in Newcastle, Southampton, Cardiff, Sheffield etc etc could not give a monkeys about the ULEZ and it will have no impact on them whatsoever.
Does your usage support diesel or petrol? 5000 miles a year with short journeys - petrol. 20,000 motorway miles a year - diesel.
We'd do about 12k miles per year, including a couple of European trips. So I think that supports the diesel purchase.
- - - Updated - - -
I'm based in the 'Home Counties' near London.
It would totally depend on my use of the car. 12k a year and living in Home Counties… hmm no I don’t think I would get a diesel. Living in Devon and doing a lot of dual carriageway/motorway driving, diesels still make a lot of sense.
Our four and a half year old 70,000+ mile GLC220 is still as quiet as it was when new and my 2009 CLS350 is also still very quiet with a shade over 100,000 miles on the clock.
To be fair, both have been fully serviced by Mercedes for their whole lives so far.
I’d certainly not be worried about a three year old merc but would go for an older one; I’ve only had the CLS about six months. It went through its MOT last week with only an exhaust bracket to weld back on.
Last edited by Dave+63; 27th March 2023 at 11:55.
I live one mile from the ULEZ extension boundary. I am not sure I even need a compliant car as I barely ever drive into Greater London, and if I didn’t have a compliant car I wouldn’t bother ever driving in.
In the case of a GLB I would drive the diesel and the petrol and decide which you prefer.
My wife has a 2022 petrol GLC and the engine in that is nothing special to be honest and certainly the diesel V6 in my 2011 C350 both sounded nicer and was generally more pleasant to use. I appreciate I am comparing to V6 to a hybridised 4 cylinder so not like for like, but the petrol engine in a GLB is (I think) a 1.5 turbo which feels like it might be a tad underpowered for the size of car.
Cities with clean air zones
Bath has a Class C clean air zone.
Birmingham has a Class D clean air zone.
Bradford has a Class C clean air zone.
Bristol has a Class D clean air zone.
Portsmouth has a Class B clean air zone.
Sheffield has a Class C clean air zone.
Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead) has a Class C clean air zone.
Future clean air zones
Greater Manchester (under review).
If you have doubts wether your new-to-buy car is allowed to places you will visit... well then you answered it, I suppose. It's the same as 'Does my electric car bring me everywhere in a reasonable time?' If in both cases the answer is 'no', then you have to re-evaluate your choice.
Buying a relatively cheap pre-owned diesel is tempting, but what will be the value when you want to p/ex the older diesel for your next car in 5, 6 yrs? There's a fair chance that people will turn away from older diesels - even when they're technically perfect.
On the other hand, diesel engines will stay with us for years. Commercial transport cannot run without diesels for years to come. So diesel fuel will be available for that period. But I fear the day that a government will no longer allow privately owned diesels at fuel station... As in: 'Commercial vehicles only'. A rule like that will kill privately owned diesels in the blink of an eye.
Ok, if you live in the other 68 cities in the U.K.
Our 2015 diesel is currently ULEZ compliant, although I can imagine it won't be in 5yrs time.
Depends on what infrastructure you need because of the types of journeys you do.
My brother-in-law does 22,000 miles a year in back and forth to work before he does any travel. He has a charger at home and one in the office.
He currently has a Tesla and while he would buy another EV, he would never get a petrol or diesel again.
I would buy one, people are giving electric cars back, due to the cost of running them
Very timely thread as we are having the same discussion at home. Need (but don't want to) replace a non-ULEZ compliant Freelander 2 and have been looking at older cars from around 2016-18. The cars we like are predominantly diesel. We do a mix of journeys, as I said, the majority of the vehicles we like seem to be predominantly available in diesel.
I'm coming to the view that buying something that is ULEZ compatible now will be fine from a compliance perspective for a good while yet. But that's just my opinion.
Will watch this thread with interest.
Owning an EV myself with no harm charger I’m desperate to get back into diesel as I do c.20k a year and EV just doesn’t work for me.
If I can get out of my lease I will definitely look to go back to a 3-4 year old Mercedes and still use my 15 year old clk 320 cdi most weeks as it’s just less hassle and cost!
I certainly would, the thought that diesel will disappear in a few years is just a thought and will never happen, just like prices dropping like a stone. If your not doing a lot of miles just take it for a decent run once a month to keep the DPF clean. I bought a 19 plate Merc 18 months ago with my money without any doubt about it.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
I'd happily buy a Euro 6 compliant diesel but probably older than what you're looking at* - say something from 2017/18, with <50k miles would suit; complies with ULEZ and enough life left in it to do another 70-80k miles or 6-7 years, by which time, things may well have moved forward yet again, in automotive terms. (* bank the savings for maintenance)
And you start again.
Most of Europe is being put back to 2035 for full electric I think the UK will follow and as said infrastructure is no where near or will be by 2030. I purchased a new BMW 2.0d X3 last year as we have trips down to Spain planned. Go for it.
I also think diesel cars will be in demand towards the end as a lot of people will still want them.
We have a 69 plate diesel ateca would not consider swapping it and would buy one today in a heart beat.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I’m loving petrol again, but I wouldn’t discount buying a decent diesel car. I’m still not 100% sold on a full electric, but hopefully they will improve in handling and mileage and the weights will decrease in the next 5 or so years.
It's just a matter of time...
I just did. I bought a BMW 320d recently ahead of a change in jobs and therefore commute. I'll have a nearly 100 mile drive to work, where I'll stay for a couple of days and then return. Since most of the journey is motorway and major A-roads diesel is the best fuel choice. Petrol would be nice, but will cost more even after the fuel price difference, and I can't charge at work or the hotel, so PHEV's and EV's are ruled out.
The other benefit is the torquey nature of a diesel really suits medium-to-high speed cruising with effortless in-gear acceleration (without drinking excess fuel) a big bonus.
I still believe there will be a market for diesels for many years yet, as until EV's get significantly cheaper on a like-for-like basis (i.e. same quality, features, perceived brand quality, etc) and until the charging infrastructure is significantly improved (in terms of cover and reliability) diesel will remain a popular and hassle-free choice for long-distances.
I've got a Diesel Land Rover & live in Bath/work in Bristol. Both locations are just outside the CAZ's though. I've got used to driving around the CAZ's if I need to get from one side of Bath/Bristol to the other. I've not paid once. You adapt. If I need to get inside the CAZ I'll park just outside & walk/use my folding bike/use a Voi. Not a chance that I'm going to trade the Defender in.....or pay the CAZ charge
Last edited by trident-7; 27th March 2023 at 18:01.
After 6 plus years in JLR diesel powered SUVs I moved back to petrol about four years ago, Gen 2 Macan S, XC90, then Gen 3 Macan GTS. I much prefer the "feel" of a petrol car, and admit to loving the "note" of the GTS. Mileage is under 10k pa, so am happy with the slightly higher cost. Diesel is smelly and dirty. Imho of course.
Sent from my Nokia 1.4 using Tapatalk
What about a PCP on one instead of buying outright? You could always just hand it back after the four years then if you are not comfortable with the way the market is.
Sent from my iPad using TZ-UK mobile app
Op would also have the opportunity to do a Voluntary Termination partway through the agreement should the market change significantly. No need to wait until end of the term as long as 50% of the total cost has been paid.
For me, I’ve actually swapped from a petrol SUV to a Diesel as a small, turbo’d petrol engine really didn’t suit that size of car. I missed the torque too much.
Trouble with a PCP is the high interest rate. 10/11% APR vs 5.8% for a personal loan.
- - - Updated - - -
All much appreciated and a lot to think about. :)
We have simply bought our cars in the past, no loans etc.
But this time round we are thinking of using a mix of cash and a loan. Don’t want the PCP type route as rates are much higher.
I still like the idea of owning something at the end.
I was offered a PCP deal when I bought my current car, 10k deposit, 4 year term, and iirc around 35k residual value. The interest paid over the term was shocking, some 18k.
Needless to say I declined.
Sent from my Nokia 1.4 using Tapatalk
only people who shouldnt have bought one in the first place, at 12k miles per year, if charging at home, it will be much cheaper than filling with diesel.
We have an electric Jag as well as other cars, it can’t practically go further than 100 miles away, without needing some charge, we only use it for local journeys
Not a direct comparison, but we have a late model Mercedes ML250 Bluetec, and it has been an excellent choice.
We needed to move up from a V70 as our three teenagers continued to grow like weeds - the ML/GLE was the most spacious of the large off-roaders at that time (The latest Q7 may be larger ?).
The 2.1 ltr twin turbo diesel engine returns mid-high 30's with 4-5 occupants, and is as quiet as the day we bought it in 2015.
I change the oil every 6,000 miles, and use premium diesel on every other fill-up.
No issues with DPF - the forward DPF temperature sensor failed, I replaced it and the car went into a regen on the next 20 mile/60 mph motorway run.
If you are empathic to a modern diesel and understand the potential gotchas, there is no reason to be concerned.
I have just transfered a 2009 Golf 2.0 common rail TDi to my son (see the post on AA insurance).
This has done 96,000 miles without incident - the EGR is spotless and the DPF trouble free.
Would I buy another Mercedes GLE diesel today - absolutely !
Last edited by W124; 28th March 2023 at 20:47.
I had 4 diesels in a row from 2000. Then I tried a hybrid. Either the best of both worlds or the worst. For me, the latter. Back to diesel 2 years ago and loving it, mid 50s mpg around here, mid 60s on a run. Quiet and refined.
No, but I've only once considered a diesel anyway.
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
We have two EVs, collective mileage of around 45k miles a year, and they work great for us.
But, and this is the key thing, you need to get what works for you. If a diesel worked better for me than alternatives, then that’s what I’d buy.
We now have a choice of petrol, diesel and electric fuels to choose from, as well as hybrids, good to have choices right?
I have a 15 year old BMW M123d. 105k on the clock and still very quiet and smooth.
Maybe it was just yours?
I wouldn’t but then I live inside the ULEZ and drive 6000k a year!
Do you put any additives in your diesel tank?
Iv'e just had my DPF cleaned at a cost.
I don't really get chance to give it a run but understand that I should now and again.
Crikey!
🤣 6k
I think that’s debatable if those 12k miles are mainly motorway journeys as my Ionic 5 is terrible on range on my fortnightly journey from ixfird to Suffolk if I do 70 mph most of the way and have air con in at all, i mean I get 200 miles or less from a full charge which makes it a close run thing against something like a modern 1.6 tdi engine doing 60+ mpg
No, but I do believe that the alternate fill of premium diesel has a beneficial effect.
Supermarket diesel meets a basic cetane rating, but has lower lubricity and fewer cleaning additives.
The market opinion of diesel additives varies significantly, and is a separate discussion.
Frequent oil changes are essential to longevity of a diesel engine, I see a noticeable improvement in mpg after after an oil change. Manufacturers have been promoting long life oils with up to 18,000 miles, to give the perception of lower ownership costs.
My regimen of 6k oil change has supported the last five diesel cars to 100k miles without any engine or DPF issues.
Last edited by W124; 29th March 2023 at 06:59.
I think that’s more marketing than fact, the Supermarkets buy from the same sources as everyone else, it’s not especially produced for them, I was told this by the director responsible for this at one of the big supermarkets
I’m in a similar position with my V60 D5 which I love to bits, is 12yo and non Euro 6 compliant, which’ll impact access to Glasgow which is introducing a LEZ zone in June, not so much a biggy for us as we tend to use train or park and ride via subway. My mileage is now pretty low at 6-8K p.a. so can’t really justify another diesel, plus the “new” Volvo D5 2 litre has issues with its power pulse boost tech. About to pull trigger on a V90 Cross Country T6 which I intend to Polestar up, which should give me space for kids, fun factor (nearly 370 bhp, around 6 sec 0-60) and also improved pothole resistance as Glasgow City Council roads are diabolical.
Last edited by MattMM; 29th March 2023 at 07:41.
Agree with the frequent oil changes. In a previous life I ran a 1.9 NA diesel golf, popped into quickfit every 5k miles for oil and filter change. The car ran like a watch until 155k miles, when my ex wife kept it in the divorce.
I saw her SIL with it two years later at a PFS, then over 180k and still going strong.
Sent from my Nokia 1.4 using Tapatalk
Posting Permissions
