Don't know if any of you chaps remember the recent fun I had with a '96 BMW 528iSE (it was rubbish).
Well, with a baby on the way and the nearest and dearest stopping work soon, economy has become a key word, and money pits like the 528 just had to go.
Having spent £655 on an Inspection 2 and a couple of belt changes, I was then presented with a quote of just short of £1000 for a new clutch, new rear handbrake shoes, rear brake discs and pads, and something else I've forgotten. (Oh, yes the rocker cover gasket.)
(HANDY HINT TO EVERYONE - BMW main dealer Inspection 2 services are beyond a joke, NEVER PAY FOR ONE.)
At this point I decided I'd had enough, the Beemer had to go.
Deciding to go from one end of the spectrum to the other (and the car I had before the 528 was a Jap import 220bhp Prelude Type-S) - I traded the 528 in against a '99 Peugeot 106 1.5 diesel, well, I say traded in, it was a straight swap.
The 106 was up at £3795, included in the swap was a full service (which I got a new power steering pump out of) and 6 months warranty (music to my ears).
The dealer took the 528, warts and all, I got a lovely, tidy little 106 with 42K on it and a full service history.
It's the Zest3 model so is about as high spec as they ever came, and it's had some nice alloys put on it by a previous owner.
Group 5 insurance (Direct Line gave me a nice chunk of cash back on the remainder of the year's policy), sounds like a tractor, goes about as fast, but my word, this is what economical motoring is all about.
I brimmed the tank when I got it, reset the milometer, and filled it again for the first time today.
I'd done 589 miles, it took 8.8308 gallons to fill it, that's a quite remarkable 66.7mpg.
You really can't argue with that.
And the thing is, with traffic being as it is these days (even here on the Isle of Man at busy times), it's not like it actually takes me any longer to get to places than it did in the BMW or the Type-S, it just costs an awful lot less. I set off at the same times I used to, I arrive at the same times I used to, I allow the same times for journies that I used to.
I've opted out of "cars for fun" or "cars as status symbols" side of things, I just want cheap, reliable, practical motoring.
A 106 diesel has all the kudos of a double decker bus, and that suits me just fine.
I can't ever see myself going back to a petrol car again, my next car will be a nice turbo diesel of some description, but if it's less than 50mpg, I ain't interested.
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"but if it's less than 50mpg, I ain't interested."
then don't ever do a trade for its big 307 HDi brother :o)
glad to hear the Beemer has gone to a good home.....
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I asked a smart owner from the Isle of Man why he has one. His response: 'it does excellent mpg, it gets me to places just as quickly as my previous car and I can park it in between all the huge gas guzzlers and 4x4s which are slowly clogging up the island!
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I asked a smart owner from the Isle of Man why he has one. His response: 'it does excellent mpg, it gets me to places just as quickly as my previous car and I can park it in between all the huge gas guzzlers and 4x4s which are slowly clogging up the island!
That sounds about right, the Isle of Man has more stupid X5s and the like per square mile than anywhere else on the planet. (All of them absolutely spotless, of course.)
That's exactly what I'm finding with the 106, gets me everywhere just the same as the BMW did, for about one quarter of the overall cost per mile. (Quite possibly less than that.)
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A lot of medium sized diesels are more economical than the Smart, with its petrol engine. But Smart do a diesel which I don't think is available in UK, which does over 80 mpg - now that is economical!!!
One of our cars is a diesel - '94 Passat 1.9TDI. Any future car I get will be a diesel unless I buy a classic car as for occasional use or some new technological development surpasses the efficiency of the diesel.
Incidentally there was a diesel car racing at the Le Mans 24 hour race this year, a Judd with a specially developed Caterpillar V10 engine. However it retired from the race.
Cheers, Sofa Spud
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As a fan of diesels for the past 12 years I'm pleased to see that Alex is yet another convert to the cause. I see today that diesels now outstrip petrol-engined cars in company fleet sales, and my only surprise is why this has taken so long to achieve when you consider the subtantially lower CO2 emissions, the greater torque providing a more relaxed drive, and the far greater efficiency of a diesel and therefore its lower consumption. I really can't imagine why it's taken so long for people to latch on to them.
CG
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Alex, I'm glad to hear you managed to extricate yourself from that 5. Keep us up to date on impending arrival (oh, and motoring stuff if you feel like it)
No Dosh - Backroom Moderator
mailto:moderators@honestjohn.co.uk
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I think it down to diesels still wear the flag.ie they were slow.
and as I gather they are now used in motorsport which I think down to modern tech.no real reason to assume they are slow.eco wise I dont see any difference.From what I`ve seen a diesel may be faster than petrol.if not now/may be in future.will be interesting to see what wins? got a feeling CI will.just my thoughts.may be wrong?
--
Was mech1
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"joys of diesel"
Still one for Growler's Big Book of Oxymorons, as far as I'm concerned... :-)
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£13,197was £14,074Details
£45,400was £45,800Details
£22,088was £22,500Details
£26,050was £26,300Details
