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Should I go petrol or diesel?
Hi, I'm wondering should I go for a petrol or diesel second hand car (2009-2011). My usage will be low (less than 10,000km per year) and mainly city driving with a trip to Galway on the motorway every month. Running costs certainly lower for diesel but most advice seems to be that for a driver like me I should go for petrol.
Any thoughts would be very helpful.
Our answer:
Hi Killian,
Yup, you’re almost certainly better off with a petrol engined car overall. You’ll have to pay extra up front for a diesel, and the maintenance costs can be higher too, plus you’re running the gamut of clogged up particulate filters. Best advice is to avoid an ‘old-school’ naturally aspirated petrol and go instead for a more modern compact turbo. Volkswagen”s 1.2 TSI petrol turbo is a good example. I used to live in Galway and squeezed 55mpg out of a Skoda Octavia fitted with that engine on the M4/M6 run. Ford’s 1.0 EcoBoost and Opel’s 1.4 Turbo also well worth a look, in either Focus or Astra.
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