To buy a diesel car ?

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Ok hit me with it.

We need a car. Need a 7 seater and one with a big enough boot for UK holidays and buggy with all seats down.

We will be in the ULEZ in a few years so needs to be compliant (so will be Euro 6/ post 2017 compliant).

I assumed we would buy petrol but the vast majority of 7 seaters on the market (second hand) are diseased. Those that aren't are either way over budget or have tiny boot space.

We've looked at Petrol VW Sharans and Ford S Max's, but basically we can get a much better spec (including in safety features) and newer diesel car for less than the cost.

DH thinks the new diesels are just as clean. I still feel torn environmentally. I also think resell value will be less (but this isn't something we are concerned about as car will pay for itself) and cost of parking for diesel cars is higher in some boroughs.

So hit me with your thoughts/ suggestions ?

We had a diesel Touran which was fab.
Long and short of it diesels are rubbish/polluting in a stop/start city environment. Cruising they are fine.
So if you are mostly motorway driving then probs. They will be cheaper to buy in the 1st place.

Aside from the environmental argument, diesel cars often need costly repairs to bits that petrol cars just don't have. Diesel particulate filters and injectors get blocked, and they often have something called a dual mass flywheel that is a big expense when it goes wrong.

I also read an article claiming that they're more prone to break down, because of the much higher engine compression that a diesel needs, and are more expensive to fix when they do.

I had one once, and I'd never have another.

No probs i should have said.

We've got a Citroen c4 grand Picasso exclusive and it's brill. Even a little cooler box on the dash

We have a diesel 7 seater, a big petrol car just isn’t economical whatsoever. The car we have is only 25mpg in petrol version (and petrol version are more rare) whereas diesel is 40mpg so a huge difference.

No way would I buy one now knowing the damage it causes. Also lots of places getting pollution charges coming in so will massively reduce resell value even if you're gone. Petrol 7 seaters hold their value.

Get a mitsubishi outlander PHEV. No tax and 148 MPG!

I wouldn't touch a diesel.

at the diseased autocorrect.

It's a tough one. You need to balance the lower purchase cost/better car for the money and fuel consumption of a diesel against potential higher charges for parking/entering cities if/when charges come in.

Servicing of a diesel is likely to be slightly higher, but if it's cheaper to buy and you plan to keep it for a good while, that could negate lower resale price. There's also the chance in the future that there will be some sort of scrappage scheme, so owning an old diesel car could be an advantage if you're in the market for a new car.

What's your annual mileage and how often do you do a proper long run with no city driving - if it's not every couple of weeks at least, you're likely to have trouble with the particulate filter.

I thought about this quite a bit when I got my last company car two years ago. Up to now, I've had diesels, but I get less fuel money from work for a diesel, they cost more to lease (I have to pay about half the lease cost myself), company car tax is higher on a diesel, diesel itself costs about 5% more than petrol but a petrol car uses about 10-15% more fuel. I don't think there was a lot in it for my circumstances, but I chose a petrol in the end, but I was choosing between 2 new cars, just petrol or diesel.

I may be being a bit stupid here, but if it's ULEZ exempt, wouldn't that mean it's no worse than a petrol car? Or am I missing something there?

@Stifledlife the Mitsubishi phev is a four seater. The middle back seat is tiny and lumpy. Op needs a seven seater... I am in the same boat and there are very few options...

I bought a diesel recently. I need a huge car, I wouldn’t have even considered a petrol I wouldn’t have been able to afford running a huge car on petrol but does quite nicely on diesel

Don't know what your budget is but the new Seat Alhambra - based on the VW Sharan - is getting good reviews.
Any vehicle pre-EURO 6 is a no-no.
At the moment diesels (EURO 6 standard) are still a reasonable alternative to petrol vehicles but pollution legislation is getting tougher (EURO 7 & 8 being proposed with the associated costs being passed on to the driver). As a result, depreciation will be a factor but not for a while.
The other thing to consider is (as Otterhound said) diesels are simply not suitable if the majority of your journeys are likely to be short as you will be spending a fortune on changing the DPF and possible engine repairs.

No way would I buy one now knowing the damage it causes.

What damage do you think a Euro6 Diesel does that a petrol car doesn't?

Diesel particulate filters and injectors get blocked, and they often have something called a dual mass flywheel that is a big expense when it goes wrong.

Almost all petrol cars have Dual Mass Flywheels now (unless automatic), many have dpfs and all cars sold here since about 1995 have fuel injectors. Newer cars have a lot of extra tech - some of it emissions related. Petrol or Diesel.

Environmentally diesel is the best choice, they are better for the environment. They are damaging to human health. I would choose a diesel.

www.brusselstimes.com/all-news/business/technology/55602/electric-vehicles-emit-more-co2-than-diesel-ones-german-study-shows/

Get a mitsubishi outlander PHEV. No tax and 148 MPG!

Only if you do very short trips running on the battery. On long trips you can expect around 40 if you are lucky.

As for diesels being worse for the environment than petrols, that rather depends on what part of the environment you care about. If it's particulates, buy a petrol but if it's climate change, buy a diesel.

In fact, if you care about the environment in general, you should still consider a diesel. Just be careful which one you pick.

Demonised diesel Land Rover Discovery 4x4 found to be 20 times CLEANER than a Renault Clio as new emissions test reveals which cars really are dirty

www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-6752439/Diesel-Land-Rover-Discovery-20-times-cleaner-dirty-Renault-Clio-supermini.html

Just a note to say that Dual Mass Flywheels are found on many vehicles
both petrol and diesels and yes they are an expensive part to buy.

Umm Euro6 engines are cleaner than most petrol cars...as for electric I wouldn’t touch one with a barge pole!

I love my diesel (but I drive 500 miles a week and no way could I afford petrol)

I have the same dilemma at the moment. I have been running a diesel touran for the last 13 years, which is now on its last legs. I had decided I wanted a petrol replacement, but there is such a limited choice of petrol 7 seaters. I'd love another Touran, it's been brilliant, but I can't possibly buy new and most used ones are diesel. I'd decided that getting a Euro6 diesel would be ok as it is exempt from the congestion/dirty diesel charges that are either in or proposed at the moment. However I do need to make regular trips to my local city centre that are not possible on public transport, so I would have a big problem if my city ever did bring in diesel charges that included euro 6 diesels. So can't really give any advice, but just wanted to let you know that I share your dilemma, and would still by a diesel as long as it was euro 6.

If you're just going to run it into the ground I'd go for it. But don't expect anyone to want to buy it in 5-10 years time. I wouldn't buy one now. We have a petrol currently, but in a few years time will look to go hybrid or electric if we can afford it.

Diesels are terrible for the environment. I would never get a diesel.

Diesels are terrible for the environment. I would never get a diesel.
Hilarious - let's see your evidence for this then.

Well, it’s far more environmentally friendly that existing diesel cars be used until they‘re scrappable than for everyone to dismiss them... that would lead to more new cars being purchased.The production and transportation of new cars is very environmentally unfriendly.

I believe a PP was right in saying that in a stop/start city situation, diesel cars are pretty polluting, but otherwise they’re not too bad.

Also, because of their higher torque, diesel cars are much better for towing, should that be important.

We have a Zafira 7 seater diesel and it's fab, even if it is on the older side now. Runs perfectly but like others have said, in a stop start city, not great. We use the motorway daily for work so for us it's a dream and actually cheaper to run than our old tiny petrol car.

That's what I've got too, livin

I like it too; it's a reliable runner and can pull our lightweight caravan, but there have been all those recalls to fix it so that it won't spontaneously combust!
However, that's nothing to do with the fact that it's a diesel.