to not want to buy a diesel car these days?

[barleyteddy]

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?

Have never and will never buy a diesel

big car has road tax of 110 per year and does 42 MPG (for real - mileage / refills) and is a magic carpet rocket sled

middle car is older - tax of 250 per year and 34 MPG but makes me smile every time I drive it

DDs car is an ickle Fester and its a sweetie

none of them chuck out the particulate shit that diesels do

17MPG? Bloody hell, you ARE driving the Bluesmobile. That is shocking.

Mine does less than 17mpg.

Ended up buying a Picasso recently tried every where to get one in petrol couldn't find one anywhere. In fact every single car I liked was diesel I really wanted petrol ! saving a fortune on fuel costs though am really suprised howuch cheaper they as to run really noticeable savings

If that 17mpg is US caculated, it is 19 mpg in the UK. Still shite though.

I'm confused by this threas. We now have a diesel estate car (having had 3 petrol Zafiras in a row before that) and the fuel usage has dropped MASSIVELY. Add in to that the fact the tax is only £20 as opposed to about £180 we were paying before, and I was assuming that they are far better emissions, etc., as that's why the tax is low ???

There are less CO2 emississions but more Nitrogen dioxide emissions!

Ok I might be being paranoid in pregnancy.... But do any of you with diesel cars worry about the proven carcinogenic risk of the exhaust fumes affecting passengers (your kids)?! I've been looking on line and it's hard to find a petrol people carrier except zafiras. I think I'm in danger of having a crazy pregnancy obsession 😬

I would think they would be more at risk out of the car in a heavy traffic situation than inside a diesel car with the windows closed. As far as I'm aware there is no proven link between fumes exposure and cancer but am prepared that I might be wrong on that. Pollution from other diesel vehicles on the road is something we are unable to protect from as far as I can see.

We have three DC under 7 so I researched cars to death as I was unwilling to switch them into a booster without the high back. We have a Citroen picasso which fits all three across including youngest extended rear facing seat. They do offer this in a petrol. Cars which will definately fit three across are smax, galaxy, alambrha, sharan, picasso. Renault scenic would depending on which seats you choose (and to be honest picasso also depends on the seats and won't fit just any)

DH has got a VW Golf GTD and never had a problem with the dpf as he does at least 40 miles a day, but our DD had an Astra that just did short trips (her work journey was 6 miles) and the bloody thing spent more time in the garage than on the road. It kept going into engine management mode (top speed 30mph) and having to have the dpf cleaned. I think a diesel is only justified if you are doing good mileage in it, they don't like short trips at all. My Renault grand scenic fits all 3 grandchildren across the back in their seats, the dog and pram fit in the boot and is automatic petrol. I'm very happy with it.

Yanbu. We bought a big car in 2014 and we were adamant we didn't want a diesel for the same reason.
Very few petrol big cars available though I would expect that to change in next few years. We were very limited in options.

Ended up with a Toyota Avensis which we're happy with.

There was a very interesting panorama doc in 2014 basically saying that it was rubbish that diesels are environmentally friendly and that since governments heavily promoted them nitrogen levels have risen which in urban areas have led to increased severe cases of breathing difficulties in children. And absolutely kids in the back of your car are at risk.
That documentary almost single handedly convinced me not to get another diesel.
Worth looking up if anyone else needs convincing.

Flipping eck...I'm like a dog with a bone with research and if I look up that documentary I'll drive my husband bananas about wanting to change the car which took me months to decide on in the first place. That documentary could trigger divorce proceedings

On a serious note I am concerned and peed off to learn diesel is a major health risk as I had no idea

Note 3, hi- I'm already annoying DP with all my research! I think it's fairly recent that WHO classified diesel fumes as definitely carcinogenic. We're all exposed whenever we are out and about as lots of transport uses diesel. Government pushed diesel and made it financially attractive but now research shows although CO2 emissions are lowered other pollutants much worse.
Loads of people use diesel though, I'm just not keen now that I've read recent reviews etc. Haven't actually seen the panorama programme yet....

Frightening...absolutely frightening

I have a diesel, it is the most economical car I have ever had. This is the first diesel, always had petrol before but this just goes miles and miles on a full tank. It is a big car, comfy and accelerates quickly - love it

Happymumof4crazykids
"I would think they would be more at risk out of the car in a heavy traffic situation than inside a diesel car with the windows closed. As far as I'm aware there is no proven link between fumes exposure and cancer but am prepared that I might be wrong on that. Pollution from other diesel vehicles on the road is something we are unable to protect from as far as I can see."
No no no!
This is totally wrong - there's lots of research on this.
Particulate and NO2 concs are HIGHEST if you do this. The air intake is at exhaust level, so in a car you breathe in what the car in front pumps out. It's a bit counter-intuitive, but you breathe in WAY less if you are a pedestrian - or even a cyclist - you aren't in the 'stream' of the pollution.

To avoid/reduce exposure:

• avoid diesel (it is a proven carcinogen; exposure to diesel fumes (statistically) reduces life expectancy)
• if you drive, avoid congestion if you can. Turn off your engine when you can (e.g. at traffic lights). Hang back from the car in front.
• open windows unless you're in a thick traffic jam, and in that case, turn off ventilation (air con/heating); or at the very least recycle air

I would wager that within 3 years there will be big costs levied on people who bring diesel vehicles into many of our big cities (London will do this soon.)

• walk or cycle whenever you can - stick to quieter roads. When walking on busy roads, remember pollution levels fall fast - keep away from the kerb

I'm really horrified that so few people on this thread know what diesel does, and just how bad it is for the driver, passengers and other road users/pedestrians etc.

NO2 turns into nitric acid in your lungs - damages them, triggers respiratory problems. Damage done in childhood is lifelong.

TFL did a report a couple of years back that said kids born in London in 2010, living at the same pollution levels all their lives, would lose TWO YEARS OF LIFE EXPECTANCY.

Diesels DO produce less CO2 per km travelled, but are much much much worse locally. Less greenhouse gases, but more local air pollution.

Rushing for petrol isn't great either though - petrol produces horrible aromatic hydrocarbons which are also toxic/carcinogenic. But at the moment, before electric/gas/hydrogen cars really get going, they're probably the best option. But don't be conned into thinking they're 'good'!

Other carcinogenic substances in the same WHO list include HRT and the combined pill.

Pyjama Yet oddly, London has one of the highest life expectancies in the country.

Caroldecker - indeed, but not the point. Londoners have a set of advantages, but the advantages are reduced by poor air quality.
Also worth remembering that this all hits kids harder than it hits us - their lungs are (not) developing, ours are already formed. And NO2 is higher now than it was in my childhood.

And yes you're right that loads of stuff is carcinogenic - Oxygen is of course a prime culprit! But the case against diesel, via a series of ever-better-understood pathways, is growing ever stronger.

Pajama One of the reasons given for the North East having a lower life expectancy is environmental. So, what do we focus on? Diesel being a local problem that hits one of the richest healthiest cities in the world, or petrol which emits CO2 and kills people in the third world.
Of course the leftie greenies will be after killing the foreign children.

pyjamasonbananas, you are right, it basically comes down to a choice between people or planet.

Petrol - better for the people's health but bad for the planet.

Diesel- better for the planet but not people.

Personally I choose diesel.

pajamas is correct about the effects of NO and particulates on lung health, particularly in children and those with lung disease. There is also growing evidence they increase stroke, cardiac events and dementia. And, as I mentioned earlier, cause many early deaths. Not something you want to be foisting more of onto people.

It should be noted that a large proportion of the population in London, and other urban centres, is not rich (and even if they were, I find it a peculiar set of values that say it is ok to impair children's lungs if their parents are rich, or kill people for the crime of being well off, carol). Indeed, boroughs like Tower Hamlets and Newham are amongst the most deprived in Europe. Many of the people living in them are trapped living in poor conditions.

Petrol, of course, has its own issues, and the environmental impact is a serious one. Are there any 7 seaters with hybrid engines?