Nice choice to make - petrol or diesel

zapcity1 · Jan 26th, 2016, 09:23

I've had an '08 V50 2.0D SE LUX since 2009 and it's been a great car. Picked it up from auction with 5k on and it now has 96k, and it has had no major issues. Aircon condenser replaced, airbag module repaired, drop links, no medium wave on radio and regular servicing only. Early days mpg averaged low 40's which was very disappointing, but this has climbed steadily to 48-52 now which is more than acceptable.

I have now acquired an '07 S40 1.8SE petrol (with electric seats, mirrors and rear park) so very close to LUX spec. It's an MY08 car so benefits from the facelift improvements but best of all, it only has 20K on the clock (genuine one owner and full history).

I don't need both cars, having a saloon or estate makes no difference to me, so I need to keep one and sell the other. My dilemma is which one to keep.

I've been driving the S40 for a week now. 90% of my miles are commuting to and from work. Approx. 23 miles e/w across the Suffolk countryside on A/B roads. Slow painful stuff stuck behind tractors, lorries, school buses and old dears, so it's no pleasure but good for economy and music listening.
The S40 has been averaging 40mpg which is way better than I was expecting (looking on the forum I was hoping for 35ish).
Its a totally different car to drive than the diesel. Super smooth and quiet, very tight given the low miles, but lacking in torque and a little underpowered not that I ever get over 50mph!
I hardly ever have to change from 5th gear whereas the diesel gearbox is constantly in use.
The V50 has loads of power and torque and is surprisingly quick for a diesel. Very easy to drive and good for overtaking. If the S40 hadn't come along I'd be very happy to keep it.

The S40 is £205 tax and the diesel is £180 so not much difference here.
As fuel costs have changed recently, my commute costs approx. £21/week in the diesel and £26/week in the petrol. Not exactly a deal breaker either.

The diesel will need a cambelt relatively soon and the petrol has a chain so servicing is worth thinking about, but again I don't think it makes too much difference long term.

I'd love to keep both but one has to go. Whichever I choose I will keep for at least the next 5 years. I think I'll drive them both for another couple of weeks before I make up my mind, but at the moment the S40 seems to be favourite.
Current values for both are around the £4.5-5k mark, but letting the S40 go for around £4.5K seems a bit silly as it's as close to a new car as you can get for an '07 plate.

Nice problem to have and I know it boils down to personal preference but what would you choose?

StatusRed · Jan 26th, 2016, 10:46

The diesel is going to be more expensive to service and if something goes wrong with the engine that often costs more as I'm sure you're probably aware.

I'm pretty bias since I've sworn to never buy a diesel but my opinion would be the S40 :P

volvoid · Jan 26th, 2016, 10:53

keep the one with 20,000 miles, there should be a lot more no-hassle life in it

domhart10 · Jan 26th, 2016, 11:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by StatusRed

The diesel is going to be more expensive to service and if something goes wrong with the engine that often costs more as I'm sure you're probably aware.

I'm pretty bias since I've sworn to never buy a diesel but my opinion would be the S40 :P

Yeh I side with that, ive had a diesel S40 and now a petrol. Diesel is cheaper on mpg and insurance but petrols seems to be cheaper for labour rates etc

Petrols sounds so much better but unless your going to absolutely rack up miles id stay with petrol.

GreenBrick · Jan 26th, 2016, 12:12

Bin the oil burner...

zapcity1 · Jan 26th, 2016, 14:02

lol!!! Not much love here for diesels!!

After 20+ years of diesels I'd forgotten how much smoother the petrol engine is.

domhart10 · Jan 26th, 2016, 14:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by zapcity1

lol!!! Not much love here for diesels!!

After 20+ years of diesels I'd forgotten how much smoother the petrol engine is.

haha yeh previously I used to swear by them, after testing out my petrol now ... I was sold, Faster/smoother/sounds nicer etc

volvoid · Jan 26th, 2016, 16:39

you can always lpg the petrol car, might be worth it for a keeper thats had so little use. Might make it cheaper to run than the diesel, and be the nicer car

zapcity1 · Jan 27th, 2016, 08:47

I did have a look at LPG conversions.

Looking at the Prins website its about £1700 for a conversion.

If my fuel bill is halved then I will save about £13/week so payback is approx. 2.5 years.

Also need to factor in LPG service cost of £144 every year/20K miles.

As you said, might be worth it for a keeper.

Wooders · Feb 3rd, 2016, 06:24

Only for the mileage difference,I'd go for the petrol.
If all being equal, diesel all the way. Personally I like the torque and usable power of a diesel lower down the revs.

LPG is not a bad option,but you will obviously loose boot space for the tank,and people I know who've done it say they use more LPG than they did using petrol,even though the stoichiometric ratio favours LPG.

Jan 26th, 2016, 09:23	#1
zapcity1 Senior Member Last Online: May 14th, 2024 23:00 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Ipswich	Nice choice to make - petrol or diesel I've had an '08 V50 2.0D SE LUX since 2009 and it's been a great car. Picked it up from auction with 5k on and it now has 96k, and it has had no major issues. Aircon condenser replaced, airbag module repaired, drop links, no medium wave on radio and regular servicing only. Early days mpg averaged low 40's which was very disappointing, but this has climbed steadily to 48-52 now which is more than acceptable. I have now acquired an '07 S40 1.8SE petrol (with electric seats, mirrors and rear park) so very close to LUX spec. It's an MY08 car so benefits from the facelift improvements but best of all, it only has 20K on the clock (genuine one owner and full history). I don't need both cars, having a saloon or estate makes no difference to me, so I need to keep one and sell the other. My dilemma is which one to keep. I've been driving the S40 for a week now. 90% of my miles are commuting to and from work. Approx. 23 miles e/w across the Suffolk countryside on A/B roads. Slow painful stuff stuck behind tractors, lorries, school buses and old dears, so it's no pleasure but good for economy and music listening. The S40 has been averaging 40mpg which is way better than I was expecting (looking on the forum I was hoping for 35ish). Its a totally different car to drive than the diesel. Super smooth and quiet, very tight given the low miles, but lacking in torque and a little underpowered not that I ever get over 50mph! I hardly ever have to change from 5th gear whereas the diesel gearbox is constantly in use. The V50 has loads of power and torque and is surprisingly quick for a diesel. Very easy to drive and good for overtaking. If the S40 hadn't come along I'd be very happy to keep it. The S40 is £205 tax and the diesel is £180 so not much difference here. As fuel costs have changed recently, my commute costs approx. £21/week in the diesel and £26/week in the petrol. Not exactly a deal breaker either. The diesel will need a cambelt relatively soon and the petrol has a chain so servicing is worth thinking about, but again I don't think it makes too much difference long term. I'd love to keep both but one has to go. Whichever I choose I will keep for at least the next 5 years. I think I'll drive them both for another couple of weeks before I make up my mind, but at the moment the S40 seems to be favourite. Current values for both are around the £4.5-5k mark, but letting the S40 go for around £4.5K seems a bit silly as it's as close to a new car as you can get for an '07 plate. Nice problem to have and I know it boils down to personal preference but what would you choose? __________________ Now: - MY12 XC60 SE Lux Premium D3 Geartonic AWD, MY09 XC70 D5 SE Lux Geartronic AWD, MY08 C70 SE Lux D5 Geartronic & 1994 480GT Previously: - MY08 V50 2.0D SE Lux, MY08 S40 1.8 SE, MY10 C70 SE Lux 2.0D Powershift, & ’99 V40 2.0T SE Lux Last edited by zapcity1; Jan 26th, 2016 at 09:27.

Jan 26th, 2016, 10:46	#2
StatusRed Premier Member Last Online: Yesterday 22:11 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Glasgow	The diesel is going to be more expensive to service and if something goes wrong with the engine that often costs more as I'm sure you're probably aware. I'm pretty bias since I've sworn to never buy a diesel but my opinion would be the S40 :P __________________ 2009 S40 SE Lux 2.0i \| 2022 Suzuki V-Strom 650 \| 2002 Audi TT 225 Previous: C70 Coupe 2.4i \| Saab 9-5 Aero \| Daihatsu SporTrak

Jan 26th, 2016, 10:53	#3
volvoid Monster Raving Loony Last Online: Nov 12th, 2018 20:03 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: hitchin	keep the one with 20,000 miles, there should be a lot more no-hassle life in it __________________ 1994 850 2.0 bought at 32,000 miles used daily now 45,000. Still like a nearly-new car 2004 filthy polluting diesel VW

Jan 26th, 2016, 14:02	#6
zapcity1 Senior Member Last Online: May 14th, 2024 23:00 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Ipswich	lol!!! Not much love here for diesels!! After 20+ years of diesels I'd forgotten how much smoother the petrol engine is. __________________ Now: - MY12 XC60 SE Lux Premium D3 Geartonic AWD, MY09 XC70 D5 SE Lux Geartronic AWD, MY08 C70 SE Lux D5 Geartronic & 1994 480GT Previously: - MY08 V50 2.0D SE Lux, MY08 S40 1.8 SE, MY10 C70 SE Lux 2.0D Powershift, & ’99 V40 2.0T SE Lux

Jan 26th, 2016, 16:39	#8
volvoid Monster Raving Loony Last Online: Nov 12th, 2018 20:03 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: hitchin	you can always lpg the petrol car, might be worth it for a keeper thats had so little use. Might make it cheaper to run than the diesel, and be the nicer car __________________ 1994 850 2.0 bought at 32,000 miles used daily now 45,000. Still like a nearly-new car 2004 filthy polluting diesel VW

Jan 26th, 2016, 12:12	#5
GreenBrick SilverBrick Lives! Last Online: May 7th, 2024 12:24 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Poynton, Cheshire	Bin the oil burner...

Jan 27th, 2016, 08:47	#9
zapcity1 Senior Member Last Online: May 14th, 2024 23:00 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Ipswich	LPG Option I did have a look at LPG conversions. Looking at the Prins website its about £1700 for a conversion. If my fuel bill is halved then I will save about £13/week so payback is approx. 2.5 years. Also need to factor in LPG service cost of £144 every year/20K miles. As you said, might be worth it for a keeper. __________________ Now: - MY12 XC60 SE Lux Premium D3 Geartonic AWD, MY09 XC70 D5 SE Lux Geartronic AWD, MY08 C70 SE Lux D5 Geartronic & 1994 480GT Previously: - MY08 V50 2.0D SE Lux, MY08 S40 1.8 SE, MY10 C70 SE Lux 2.0D Powershift, & ’99 V40 2.0T SE Lux Last edited by zapcity1; Jan 27th, 2016 at 09:27.

Feb 3rd, 2016, 06:24	#10
Wooders Member Last Online: May 13th, 2021 07:54 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Cumbernauld	Only for the mileage difference,I'd go for the petrol. If all being equal, diesel all the way. Personally I like the torque and usable power of a diesel lower down the revs. LPG is not a bad option,but you will obviously loose boot space for the tank,and people I know who've done it say they use more LPG than they did using petrol,even though the stoichiometric ratio favours LPG.

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