Moonhogg Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I currently drive a 53 reg Mondeo 1.8 petrol. I'm averaging about 30mpg. I cover about 8000 miles a year. 1000 of that is a blast up to the Scottish highlands, all the rest is made up of picking the kids up from friends, driving to work in bad weather (3 mile stop start commute), and nipping to Asda (1 1/2 miles). I'm looking to get something newer, and more economical. I'm tempted by a Focus or a Focus C-Max, and have a budget of about £5k. Most people I've spoken to say diesels don't like constant short journeys, and buying older diesels is a bad idea as they get expensive to maintain, compared to older petrol models. Looking at the figures mentioned on Autotrader, petrol cars almost always do about 30 - 32 mpg. I've looked at the Focus 1.6 (32.5) Focus 1.4 (32.5) C-Max 1.6 (31.7) and even a Fiesta 1.2 (34.2). The main reason for the change is economy. Am I really about to spend 5 grand to get a smaller car that will only save me about £100 a year? Or does anyone reckon that they average better mileage than that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklord83 Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 There's not wrong with a diesel just get one without a dpf if your doing short journeys, but I 1.6 diesel your looking at as near as makes no difference 50-60 mpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonhogg Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 Interesting. I'd heard something about (sorry if I'm wrong) Dual Mass flywheels being unreliable once mileage racks up. Or is that just on Mondeos? So, a 40,000 mile 1.6 tdci CMax could be a good investment? How would I know which have the DPF - as yes, by far the majority of my journeys are short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklord83 Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Where ever you buy it from should say on paper work, but if you unsure look under car looks like it has 2 cats. but even the dmf arent really a problem when you look for problems with cars you'll always find more bad than good because its only people who have problems with the cars who ever say anything about them lol, ive got a focus 2.0 tdci with dpf and dmf and its done 106000 on both original so I can't knock em but I take mine forna good rin once every 2 weeks to clear dpf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonhogg Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 That all makes sense. Thanks! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklord83 Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 I completely forgot my folks next door neighbour has a fiesta 04 1.6 tdci and they only drive local and they've had it from new Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomroscoe Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Particulate filters and turbos don't come cheap, and if you're buying second-hand from someone who's driven their diesel gently over short trips you could be buying into some expensive trouble. Get a petrol I say. Feed it cheaper fuel and have a quieter car to boot. My 1.8 petrol Mondeo averaged over 43 mpg for the 12 years I had her, and I didn't have to bear the Ford diesel rattle once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.