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Swapping A Zs For A Metal?


scotthunter
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Hi,

Can anyone tell me how much cash I would need to part with in order to trade in my white Zetec S for a similar age/mileage Metal. The ZS has 13k on the clock but I am putting 400 miles a week on it getting to work and back so should I be looking to trade up sooner rather than later?

My ZS is in immaculate condition but I am considering parting with a grand or so to have the leather interior, twin exhaust and performance boost, etc. I absolutely love the handling and driving characteristics of the ZS, I look forward to driving it every time I step into the car, but it just makes me want that little bit more power. I've looked into a Mountune upgrade but it would be cheaper to part ex my car for a Metal plus I would get all the extras as well.

Do you think it's worth it? Is the metal going to cost me more to run? (I do about 70% of my driving on the motorway).

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400 miles a week? Surely you'd be so much better off with the economy of a diesel?

As for the new car, figure out what you think yours is worth then take a couple of grand off, that's what the dealer will offer you!

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400 miles a week? Surely you'd be so much better off with the economy of a diesel?

Nah, diesel is the fuel of the Devil! Couldn't be doing with the greasy hands every time I fill up, even if I have to visit the pumps slightly more often!

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I couldn't own a diesel, it sounds like a tank and is slow off the mark. I'm insured on my parents 1.6 focus TDCi and it's hard work driving it. Forever seem to be changing gears as well

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I couldn't own a diesel, it sounds like a tank and is slow off the mark. I'm insured on my parents 1.6 focus TDCi and it's hard work driving it. Forever seem to be changing gears as well

I'll second that. All diesels sound like vans on tickover no matter how sporty they look, and the sharp responsiveness of the throttle just isn't there like on the petrol. When I'm driving a diesel I just don't get the same feeling of poise and control, and the power delivery feels vague by comparison. To sum up I think petrol is for drivers who love driving and want to feel totally involved in the driving experience. It's a smooth operator for most of the time, but can be animal if you want it to be.

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I'd be inclined to disagree strongly, having driven petrol and diesel focus.

The diesel is more economical as I get nearly double the miles per tank than an equivalent petrol.

True my car is tuned but even before that the acceleration on turbo ear outstripped a petrol.

Going through the gears means you're actually more in tune with the car and I find mine gives great feedback from the road and is responsive to all input.

Also the tax and insurance is cheaper to boot.

Fair enough that servicing and parts are more pricey and ones with dpf need to have an eye kept on them but every coin has two sides.

In summary, my car never fails to put a smile on my face and canes a petrol equivalent hands down.

Plus diesels can be tuned far easier than a normally aspirated petrol.

(standing by for flack)

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No arguments from me having driven a 1.8 petrol focus before my fez deisel I will never look back

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Look back to what? Owning a diesel again?

Also you've got to take into account diesels are usually £1500ish more than a petrol and diesel is around 8-10p a litre more expensive so you really have to pile the miles on to make it more economical

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Look back to what? Owning a diesel again?

I believe Sam means he will never look at petrol again!

Also you've got to take into account diesels are usually £1500ish more than a petrol and diesel is around 8-10p a litre more expensive so you really have to pile the miles on to make it more economical

When I drove my Fiesta I was doing 24,000 miles a year.Scott (the OP) is doing 20,800 which is well in to payback territory on a diesel purchase. Petrol would cost just too much!

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My diesel is quicker than a petrol ZS I had a go in, can't say on the Metal/S1600 though. I got to 100 quicker in the diesel, after that the Petrol was about even. I love the torque in the diesel, it makes the petrol seem gutless, may change my mind on the 1 litre but for now that's how it is to me :P

All I've done is put in a diesel tuning box, not even a K&N filter!

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I got to 100 quicker in the diesel

Which private road was that on? ;)

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Which private road was that on? ;)

Airfield at Bruntingthrope :P went with my dad and a charity on a day playing with Noble Supercars and decided to have a play in the Fiesta too :P

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I believe Sam means he will never look at petrol again!

When I drove my Fiesta I was doing 24,000 miles a year.Scott (the OP) is doing 20,800 which is well in to payback territory on a diesel purchase. Petrol would cost just too much!

Yeah I agree with you on that one. If you're going to do the miles then yes it's worth it, but if you're only doing upto 15,000 a year then it's probably not worth it.

On this note prices are the lowest I've seen in a long time. Asda by me are selling @ 129.7. Shell is always massively more expensive. It's currently 138.9. Every other Shell I see is cheaper though. Really annoying!

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Right, in answer to the "oh diesel's so much more expensive at the pumps" argument - it's really not!

Petrol MK7 has 42l tank, at £1.299 that's £54.56 for a full fill up. If you get 350 miles that's 15.6p a mile

Diesel MK7 has 40l tank, at £1.389 that's £55.56 (a whole £1 more!) and if you get 520 miles that's 10.7p a mile.

Case closed :P

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Right, in answer to the "oh diesel's so much more expensive at the pumps" argument - it's really not!

Petrol MK7 has 42l tank, at £1.299 that's £54.56 for a full fill up. If you get 350 miles that's 15.6p a mile

Diesel MK7 has 40l tank, at £1.389 that's £55.56 (a whole £1 more!) and if you get 520 miles that's 10.7p a mile.

Case closed :P

40 litres in the deisel I hope not I put 41.5 in when I filled up and it said I had 38 miles left on the computer either I there's a reserve of a few litres or bp have scammed me

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I couldn't own a diesel, it sounds like a tank and is slow off the mark. I'm insured on my parents 1.6 focus TDCi and it's hard work driving it. Forever seem to be changing gears as well

Sorry, got to disagree, my "slightly tuned" 180+Hp /400Nm diesel is not slow off the mark, and once on the open road i can practically leave it in top and it is quick and responsive on the road

(+ it is as quick/ or quicker than many petrol cars that are faster "on paper")

i used to drive petrol cars but im a "diesel man" now - i had to drive a 1L petrol car recently and i kept stalling it - it would'nt pull the skin off a rice pudding!

(thought i would add my tuppence worth about the performance petrol vs diesel - the MPG has been covered)

its a "personal taste" thing but if i was doing 400+ miles a diesel is the sensible choice IMO

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In all fairness you can't compare your 180bhp car to this debate, it's kind of cheating ;) the fiesta are no where near that.

Like you say it's personal preference and if you put the miles in then it's worth it

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I would like a Diesel, as I do alot of miles, but love the sound of the petrol engine, the only Diesel I have driven is a Yaris, and that was terrible.

I doubt the Fiesta Diesels are terrible, as I can see people defending it. My next Fiesta/Focus will probebly be a Diesel. (Depending on how good the 1.0L Eco Boost is)

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Right, in answer to the "oh diesel's so much more expensive at the pumps" argument - it's really not!

Petrol MK7 has 42l tank, at £1.299 that's £54.56 for a full fill up. If you get 350 miles that's 15.6p a mile

Diesel MK7 has 40l tank, at £1.389 that's £55.56 (a whole £1 more!) and if you get 520 miles that's 10.7p a mile.

Case closed :P

Ok, so if one spends the extra £1500 buying the diesel model instead of the petrol, they would have to drive 30,612 miles before they recoup the difference in purchase cost! And assuming I drive 15,000 miles a year, the car will be two years old at that point and will probably have lost about a third of it's value anyway. So the cost savings of buying a diesel over a petrol are insignificant compared to the cost of depreciation.

Of course the savings would be more noticeable for older / higher mileage cars.

I probably would have seriously considered buying a diesel for my 400 mile commute to save about £20 a week, but the above argument still stands, plus the fact that petrols outnumber diesels in the used Ford car market about 4 to 1 so there are greater savings to be had on petrols in terms of supply and demand, plus the fact that to my knowledge the Street Pack isn't available on the diesel (the spanner alloys and privacy glass was a must-have for me).

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I am probably only marginally better off with a diesel at the moment (mileage in my current job can be a tad up and down depending on how often I do client vists and where they are - currently just deal with companies in Cambs, Beds, Northants and Herts, so never any more than an hour's drive).

I actually prefer the way the diesel goes - okay, you change gear a lot, it's not quicker off the line than a petrol and the turbo does lag sometimes when you need it, but that burst of turbo that kicks in for overtaking is brilliant... I know a 1.6 is never going to set the world alight, but I'm glad I plumped for the 1.6TDCI over the petrol.

I bet the new Ecoboost is amazing in the Fiesta, and blends both the benefits of petrol and diesel.

To answer your original post, it's up to you but I would hang on to the ZS. Your running costs would increase with the extra performance of the Metal (they would if I was making the most of the extra power anyway!). If most of your driving is on the motorway, the drone of the sportier exhaust might get a bit tiring after a while.

Having said that, I know I am constantly looking at new cars so I can fully understand your eagerness to swap ;)

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Oh dear Scott, now I'm gonna have to make another spreadsheet when I get home to prove my point further :P

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Right, here we go Scott ;)

Assumptions:

  • I know fuel cost won't be the same for 3 years but lets assume the gap stays the same
  • As above for road tax
  • I've been generous with the petrol MPG..
  • Cost new was taken from the ford.co.uk configurator for a 1.6 petrol & diesel Zetec-S and is list price with no extras or haggling!

petrolvdiesel.png

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That's quite a good comparison you've made there and I'm not arguing with the facts.

You say you've been generous with petrol but you have with diesel to. I've seen that you can get 65 but 75% of people would buy a ZS for a sporty car so 65 is a bit ambitious

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