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Diesel hatchback recommendations - Joshua woolley
Hello

I’m wanting a reliable relatively nippy diesel hatchback for bobbing to work and back. I’m doing roughly around 1400 miles a month discounting pleasure at the weekends. Does anyone have any suggestions? My budget is around the £5,000 mark.

Thanks
Josh
Diesel hatchback recommendations - Wee Willie Winkie

The answer you will get is as follows. Don't buy a diesel. Buy a Japanese petrol.

Diesel hatchback recommendations - Joshua woolley
Huh? Surely doing so many miles a diesel would be the viable solution.. no?
Diesel hatchback recommendations - Drayton44

I have just had 3 years in a Peugeot 208 Feline. It may fit your needs. 115 BHP, so nippy, sat nav, leather interior, returned around 50mpg & was good fun to drive. Mine was auctioned by the leasing co & made around 5K. Feel free to ask if you want to know any more.

Diesel hatchback recommendations - barney100

Polo diesel might be an option. I've had a few diesels now and the only engine problem....touch wood....was a stuck injector which was a so and so and so to get out.

Diesel hatchback recommendations - nick62

1,400 miles per month = ~17,000 miles per year = buy a petrol car instead.

Diesel hatchback recommendations - Happy Blue!

I do 9,000 miles a year in a diesel and have done since 2010. I have suffered no issues at all. Possibly because each day the car gets a short (3 - 5 miles) motorway run and longer runs every two or three weeks.

Diesel hatchback recommendations - Happy Blue!

So over 16,000 miles a year and therefore very much suitable for a diesel and you are best to look for an ex-lease one that hopefully has been maintained in accordance with the manufacturers requirements.

There are lots of options in terms of size, body style and make.

Some people will steer you away from VAG vehicles (Seat, Skoda, Audi and VW) due to the dieselgate scandal. Others will tell you that French cars have poor electrics but good diesels. Everyone has their own experience, but it is a fact that Japanese petrol cars are generally very reliable and possibly outweigh the fuel saving benefits of a European diesel.

On my fleet we have a 0.9 turbo petrol Renault Captur which has been faultless in almost four years and 30,000 miles of urban driving,

Decide on a body size first. Is Clio/Polo size good for you? If so, a modern low pressure turbo petrol may well fit the bill very well.

If it is too small and you need Focus/Golf size then perhaps a diesel is a better but equally don't ignore modern petrol cars if your driving is of a type that makes the difference between diesel and petrol negligible.

There some well known diesel disaster engines out there and one obvious one is the Mazda engine and an old Ford 1.6 TDCi engine, but the best thing is to find two or three cars which suit you and let us on here give you our views. i.e. post the autotrader advert but remember to anonymise your postcode.

Diesel hatchback recommendations - movilogo

Any car outside warranty can cause big repair cost. So it is a kind of gamble.

With diesel, there is more probability things to go wrong as it is more complex.

You will make profit on running cost on diesel but any repair might balance it out against a similarly priced petrol model. Also, you will lose more on resale value due to anti diesel sentiment.

Of course, at that budget it may not be your concern.

At £5k, you might find small Kia diesel within warranty period.

Some hybrids offer fuel economy similar to diesel.

Edited by movilogo on 22/01/2019 at 14:36

Diesel hatchback recommendations - SLO76
Diesels are much more complex and tend to give more grief as they age than an equivalent petrol engined model. On your budget you’re buying right at the age and mileage where expensive woe is just round the corner and despite the fuel saving it’s likely you’ll save more in the longterm by opting for a petrol supermini instead, preferably of Japanese design. How much space do you need, would a Fiesta sized car suit?
Diesel hatchback recommendations - Joshua woolley
A fiesta would be suitable yes.

I’ve had numerous people tell me I could do with a diesel for the motorway miles I do each day, I didn’t think petrol engines were as sustainable as a diesel?
Diesel hatchback recommendations - nick62

Approximate cost of petrol currently in UK = £1.20/liter = £5.45/gallon & diesel = £1.29/liter = £5.86/gallon.

Lets say a petrol will average 40mpg over 17,000 miles and a diesel 55mpg over the same distance.

Annual cost of petrol = ~ £2,300 v annual cost of diesel = ~£1,800 = £500 = less than £10 per week.

I would hazard a guess that you may save that £500 difference on servicing cost alone. Also bear in mind that if the petrol car will manage 45mpg, the fuel cost difference roughly halves to about £250.

Diesel hatchback recommendations - SLO76
“Lets say a petrol will average 40mpg over 17,000 miles and a diesel 55mpg over the same distance.”

The difference between diesel and petrol in a supermini isn’t even this great. My Polo 1.2 TDi barely betters my mother’s Honda Jazz 1.2 despite the much more complex engine. We’ve been looking at replacing it with a newer petrol supermini like the Yaris 1.33 or Mazda 2 1.5 Skyactiv and both almost match the Polo in fuel costs. I’d go petrol and save the grief, especially on a smaller hatchback.
Diesel hatchback recommendations - SLO76
A fiesta would be suitable yes. I’ve had numerous people tell me I could do with a diesel for the motorway miles I do each day, I didn’t think petrol engines were as sustainable as a diesel?

In a small hatch like a Fiesta the economy difference between diesel and petrol really isn’t that great, it certainly isn’t worth the added risk involved as diesels are far more likely to go wrong as they age than a simple petrol motor. Where roughly do you live and I’ll look at a few suggestions near you?

Edited by SLO76 on 22/01/2019 at 21:10

Diesel hatchback recommendations - Joshua woolley
I was always of the thinking diesels lasted longer than petrol engines? I know nothing about cars so call me an idiot I don’t mind ha.

I live in Sheffield. Thank you for the help much appreciated!
Diesel hatchback recommendations - Avant

Not idiotic at all. Diesel engines used to have a well-deserved reputation for reliabilty and long life, such as the one in the Peugeot 205 that we got for my wife about 30 years ago. The 1.8 diesel engine seemed a lot more robust than the rather weedy 1.1 and 1.4 petrol alternatives.

But nowadays (in the name of reducing pollutants) dlesels have particulate filters and exhaust gas recirculators which add complexity and can cause expensive problems when a car has done a high mileage.

There are still strong arguments for diesels in larger cars which do high annual mileages. But as suggested above, there are some excellent new petrol engines in smaller cars which rival or beat diesels - like my wife's current Audi A1 1.4 petrol which will give up to 55 mpg on a long run..