Hi Sid, Ive got a 20 mile each way commute to work, mostly dual carriageway, but due to the way I work, its unlikely to be more than 10k per year. I imagine that its more likely to get big bills from a diesel, but I dont know how unreliable they are due to the sheer numbers of them sold, as we all know that most forums just tell you the negatives of a vehicle!!

Primera driver, I agree, but surely its the same with any car to try and be comfy. Im 5´8 so reckon there shouldn´t be any problems there!

Just for info, other contenders I´m looking at are, old shape civic, ceed, octavia.

If you're buying a car and running it for 5-7 years with your own money - I'd say petrol every time - much more likely to be reliable longterm. The 2 litre Focus lump is supposed to be pretty robust. It only takes one major component in the overly complex diesel injection system to go wrong and the car's scrap.

Another car worth looking for in this class is the Type S 5 door Civic, this is a UK-only Swindon built model, the engine is a gem, pocky and very fuel efficient, you can expect 40+ mpg driven gentry and plenty of go when you need it - the car lools a bit stade but it's a cracker. It has sensible profile tyres and sized wheels so ride comfort is good too.

"Diesel, if longevity is the issue" I would have agreed with you 20 years ago, modern diesels are an expensive issue waiting to happen. with annual mileage of 10K per year the fuel saving is hardly relevant. Change the oil regularly and cambelt when required you can almost guarantee 150K+ miles out of most modern petrol engines with perhaps 1 clutch change. Yes a diesel will easily clock up 150K miles in high mileage situations but 10K per year over many years, something is bound to go wrong. All it takes is one misfuel or a bad batch of diesel and you're looking at a £2-3K repair bill. How likly is a "bad batch" of fuel? Resellers do not have to mention a biodiesel content of 5% or less - there's a very real chance of "normal" diesel (illegally) ending up with 15% biofuel by the time it makes it to the forecourt, the bio-diesel will have 10% added to the "stock" fuel regardless of what's already there. I know people will say I only use brand xyz - all petroleum companies buy base fuels off the open market when it's economically advantageous to do so - then they add their additive packages on top. To add to the problems, the diesel fuel supply chain is much more prone to problems such as water vapour and/or and bacterial/fungal infections. (yes your diesel car can catch an infection!) old fashioned diesels would suck this rubbish in and spit it out, modern common rail diesels have fuel pump and/or injector issues at the drop of a hat. As a company car, modern diesels are great, as personally-funded transport - I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole.

Edited by SteveLee on 19/09/2010 at 23:14

Parts are usually cheaper but required alot of maintenance e.g. service etc.

If you want a feeling of quality in the interior, go for a VW Golf. I've had two Golf estates and both were excellent. But my current Octavia is as well finished as they were.

Interior finish isn't the only priority in buying a car, but it's important to some and it certainly sells VWs (although I had other reasons for buying mine).