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Petrol or diesel?

I am looking to buy a new small car, so far I like the Fiat Panda, good deals to be had, and good space for me as I am 6ft 4.

The car will stand for 4 weeks at a time, and have mixed use for about a week at a time. The car will cover 3,000 miles a year.

I will be keeping the car long term, 7 to 10 years, and reliability is important to me.

I need to know if a petrol or a diesel would be best suited to my needs and also if people have any other suggestions. I am looking for a car in the lower vehicle tax bands either new or 6 months old.

Asked on 25 April 2011 by stebe

Answered by Honest John
Diesel will be completely wrong for this kind of use, and likely to be expensive.

I, too, have had excellent reliability from a FIAT. Mine is a 3 year old 500 1,242cc petrol on which nothing at all has gone wrong. It did 2,000 miles first year, 5,000 miles second year and 6,000 miles third year. It has been left unused for 4 - 6 weeks on about ten occasions. 500s have good seats, so try one.

But if you don't want to spend money on buying a fashionable shape, check out a Hyundai i10 1.2 Active.

Not quite as problem free as a 500, but chain cam engine and excellent economy potential.

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