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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not want to buy a diesel car these days?

107 replies

barleyteddy · 08/01/2017 09:56

Just that really….with all the negativity around diesel cars, carcinogenic fumes etc would you buy one?
We need to buy a 2nd hand 7 seater ( 3rd baby due in Spring) and everything seems to be diesel….would prefer to buy something less polluting though.
Any thoughts? AIBU?

OP posts:
witsender · 08/01/2017 10:06

We are the same boat. It used to be a clear cut decision but isn't so much now!

FizzBombBathTime · 08/01/2017 10:07

petrol engines over a certain size rinse it though. Cost wise I wouldn't buy a petrol engine again.

StarryIllusion · 08/01/2017 10:09

If it suited my needs then yes I would buy a diesel. They are easier to drive anyway.

HeCantBeSerious · 08/01/2017 10:12

Bought new 6 years ago and the car we wanted was only available in diesel. Still makes me cross now. Love the car but give me a nice smooth petrol engine any day!

Wolpertinger · 08/01/2017 10:12

I'd never buy a diesel ever purely on basis of pollution. If one of you has asthma and is triggered by air pollution, it concentrates your mind.

lauryloo · 08/01/2017 10:15

I drive a diesel as I live in the country and do a massive amount of miles. It works out cheaper for us to run

YesThisIsMe · 08/01/2017 10:18

YANBU to be thinking hard about it. Regardless of the ethical considerations, it seems inevitable that there will be legal/tax clamp-downs on Diesel emissions so the running cost balance may change significantly in the next couple of years.

EstelleRoberts · 08/01/2017 10:30

I got a new car last year,and there was no way I was getting a diesel when we have 44,000 unnecessary extra deaths each year due to air pollution. There is also now research linking air pollution to damage in children's lungs and dementia.

I have a DH with asthma who has nearly died on a few occasions during exacerbation. As Wolpertinger says, it concentrates the mind.

Andrewofgg · 08/01/2017 10:30

My last car was a diesel, bought 2013 when they were so much in favour that it paid no excise duty. When I replaced it last year that model was only available in petrol so I hand no choice although the stop-start low-emission makes it low tax. I don't see anyone charging VED on diesels which began tax free; they will stay tax free.

Original poster
barleyteddy · 08/01/2017 10:39

I really don't want to buy a diesel but been looking for a while on line and there's really hardly any other choice for us when we take our budget into account. It's so annoying.

OP posts:
happymumof4crazykids · 08/01/2017 10:57

We have just bought a second hand petrol Vauxhall zaferia so there are petrol 7 seaters out there. We had to get rid of our diesel Citroen grand Picasso as the dpf filter was screwed the garage said it was our fault as the car was only used on weekends and wasn't getting enough of a run to clear the pollution in the filter. Modern diesel cars are pain in the butt and are no good for just town driving. My neighbour had the same problem with her car last year and spent thousands trying to sort it and ended up having to scrap her car. Why have they made them so much more complicated for very little benefit?

Original poster
barleyteddy · 08/01/2017 11:02

I had not looked at the zafira as heard hard to fit 3 car seats in second row-is this true or not? We have 2 britax HBB and will have a baby seat then a be safe izi combo x 3 rear facing until baby over 18kg.
Want a car that can take grandparents on day trips with us too.

OP posts:
laidbackmummy13 · 08/01/2017 11:11

Please do not buy a zafira. Especially not a second hand one. Though you may get lucky most of them are riddled with faults. It would just be money down the drain.

EweAreHere · 08/01/2017 11:13

Our cars are second-hand diesels. They are the more sensible choice for upkeep, etc, but the government is probably going to make them too expensive to ever go this route again.

What made us particularly cross is one of the cars was supposed to be only £20 per year due to its low emissions, and a friend's car is the same. But the government is changing that, too, increasing it to £140 per year for those of us who went out in good faith and chose cars that were more environmentally friendly, etc to keep their car tax rate low. We would have bought a different car had we known.

Another broken government commitment.

BarbaraofSeville · 08/01/2017 11:24

Ewe the tax on your current car won't increase, only new ones of the same type from March this year.

If too many people are paying little or no road tax, the lost revenue has to be made up from somewhere and 100 low emissions low tax cars in a queue is still a traffic jam even if there is less pollution.

randomsabreuse · 08/01/2017 11:29

Until very recently no one wanted big petrol cars so there will be none on the 2nd hand market. As the tide turns more large practical petrol cars will be bought new so will filter through to 2nd hand.

Is it worth considering a lease deal if you do a relatively low mileage?

NeedsAsockamnesty · 08/01/2017 11:35

It's really hard to fit 3 car seats in a zafira using the second row

WhoKn0wsWhereTheTimeG0es · 08/01/2017 11:37

We too bought one in 2013 when they were being promoted heavily. It's certainly fuel efficient and very easy to drive, we do next to no town driving in it (10 miles cross country to both our workplaces) but I do feel guilty about the emissions.

It's a Toyota Verso. If you can get a petrol version it might meet your space requirements, it can fit three adults in the back and two children (with car seats) in the two extra boot seats. We use it to take grandparents out. Adults don't fit in the boot seats comfortably though, there's little legroom and a real clamber in and out.

EweAreHere · 08/01/2017 11:37

I hope that's true Barbara. It's not how we understood it when it was first announced last year, but I can hope!

Abraiid2 · 08/01/2017 11:40

For this reason I am doing a private lease of a new petrol Ford Focus estate Ecoboost. It is about £200 a month. Because of the eco engine, it is very low cost to tax and insurance is less, too.

MrsSlocombesPussy · 08/01/2017 11:42

Until last year, we had a Mazda 5 (petrol). Have you considered one of those? 7 seater, with sliding rear doors which make it easier to get DCs in and out of their car seats. Not sure if you'd fit 3 car seats in though.

SandyDenny · 08/01/2017 11:43

If it suited my needs then yes I would buy a diesel. They are easier to drive anyway.

Starryillusion - this is interesting, I haven't heard this before but might be something I'd take into account - in what way are they easier to drive?

Gooseygoosey12345 · 08/01/2017 11:45

I had a diesel and paid £0 road tax. I'm assuming diesels these days aren't causing as much pollution as they used to (but I could be very wrong there).
Anyway, you need to think of practicality as well. As pp said, if it has a DPF you're going to need to give it a good run, revs up for at least 30 mins once a week or you'll have to replace DPF filter eventually and that can be very expensive!
Could you not use your cash and finance a small amount if it means you can get what you want? Obviously not ideal but it's an option.

happymumof4crazykids · 08/01/2017 11:46

As long as all the recall work has been done and the seller has proof of that I don't see a problem with buying a zafira. 3 car seats will not fit in the middle row though :( I have two Britax evolva seats and another adult cannot fit between them either. We couldn't fit 3 car seats in the middle row of the Citroen either but that wasn't because of space but because the middle belt came from the roof of the car and wasn't long enough! It's illegal to use a seatbelt extension with a car seat so that was a bit pants.

ThatIsNachoCheese · 08/01/2017 11:57

Warning you off a zafira. We had to sell ours because it kept losing power randomly when we were driving it. Took it to the garage who plugged it in and told us the computer said there was nothing wrong so they couldn't do anything.
Got rid of it asap after that...although I do miss the 7 seats. It cost an absolute fortune to run as well, I can't believe how cheap our new Ford focus estate is in comparison.