Diesel Or Petrol

[catbert]

Greeting everyone

 

Im going to buy a galaxy after gettin rid of my c4gp. Anyway, I would like to ask the experts which engine I should get. Do I go for the 2 litre petrol or diesel. The car will be used mainly for short trips, with the occasional longer one. It will do no more than 12k a year.

 

Ive driven the 2.0tdi and v impressed. But was wondering what you all thought of the petrol. Given Ive heard of lots of problems on these modern diesels(BMW etc), do similiar horror stories exist for the ford diesel?

 

appreciate your input.

 

cheers

[suzuki91]

diesel,

i do short journeys with the odd long ones as well. get an average of 36-40mpg.

resale is where you do best on having a diesel. the galaxy is great for carrying loads as there is space like a van with the seats out.

[Saif Rehman]

Greeting everyone

 

Im going to buy a galaxy after gettin rid of my c4gp. Anyway, I would like to ask the experts which engine I should get. Do I go for the 2 litre petrol or diesel. The car will be used mainly for short trips, with the occasional longer one. It will do no more than 12k a year.

 

Ive driven the 2.0tdi and v impressed. But was wondering what you all thought of the petrol. Given Ive heard of lots of problems on these modern diesels(BMW etc), do similiar horror stories exist for the ford diesel?

 

appreciate your input.

 

cheers

 

Hi, you say you have driven a 2.0tdi, this suggests it was the Mk 3 version which is the newer current style. Diesel Galaxies do hold there value as opposed to their petrol counterparts. This coupled with excellent fuel economy makes the diesel variant more desireable.

Problems with Ford Diesels? Depends if you go for a MK2 which uses the VW Pd engine and is very reliable if kept in tip top condition, my brother has the newer MK3 (06 plate) diesel and so far it has been a good car with the engine (2.0tdi) being very responsive and better fuel economy than my 1.9tdi.

 

So what sort of budget do you have? This will gives us what sort of car (MK3 or MK2) you can look for.

[catbert]

Greeting everyone

 

Im going to buy a galaxy after gettin rid of my c4gp. Anyway, I would like to ask the experts which engine I should get. Do I go for the 2 litre petrol or diesel. The car will be used mainly for short trips, with the occasional longer one. It will do no more than 12k a year.

 

Ive driven the 2.0tdi and v impressed. But was wondering what you all thought of the petrol. Given Ive heard of lots of problems on these modern diesels(BMW etc), do similiar horror stories exist for the ford diesel?

 

appreciate your input.

 

cheers

 

Hi, you say you have driven a 2.0tdi, this suggests it was the Mk 3 version which is the newer current style. Diesel Galaxies do hold there value as opposed to their petrol counterparts. This coupled with excellent fuel economy makes the diesel variant more desireable.

Problems with Ford Diesels? Depends if you go for a MK2 which uses the VW Pd engine and is very reliable if kept in tip top condition, my brother has the newer MK3 (06 plate) diesel and so far it has been a good car with the engine (2.0tdi) being very responsive and better fuel economy than my 1.9tdi.

 

So what sort of budget do you have? This will gives us what sort of car (MK3 or MK2) you can look for.

Well, the less the better. But I could stretch to 10k. Ive seen some 07 zetec diesels for 8s but im sure they are high mileage. Theres an 07 petrol for 10. Further up, theres an 07 diesel ghia for 13ish. But thats getting alittle uncomfortable. Im not too worried about resale. I think its a good car, and i will likey be in it till its worth nothign. My other car is a bmw(quite old one), and frequenting thier user forums, some of the new diesels have nightmare stories - turbos going, engines blowing etc. Quite scary. If you say theres no problems with diesels, would one of these higher mileage cars be a good option?

[big_kev]

Do I go for the 2 litre petrol or diesel.

 

I would consider the 1.8l Diesel as well.

 

If you look at the difference in fuel economy the compared to the petrol engine the 1.8l diesel will save you around

[Willie Krashitt]

Adding to the above, if you do go for a diesel and do LOTS of short journeys, then please try and find a car WITHOUT a particulate filter (DPF).

1.8 diesels didn't get them, 2.0L was a choice for earlier cars (now standard). DPF's need to get hot to regenerate (ie. unblock themselves), and short journeys won't let this occur. A reasonable length run (10 miles or so) every week should be enough to keep things running happily.

George.

[drstraw]

To get the most out of the diesels make sure you give the turbo about 20 to 30 seconds to slow down when you stop before you switch the engine off. This is why many modern turbo diesels are breaking: people run them, then switch them off before the turbo gets a chance to slow down. The turbo is still spinning fast when the engine is switched off and the oil is stopped from cooling/lubricating the bearings. It adds up over many miles.

 

I agree with getting the 1.8 diesel if you are doing short journeys. The 2.0 litre just isn't worth the extra power.

 

Andrew ;)

[lilbob]

going on my own personal preferance i'd go for diesel over petrol every time

but saying that i'v never driven a petrol galaxy

[drstraw]

going on my own personal preferance i'd go for diesel over petrol every time

but saying that i'v never driven a petrol galaxy

 

I drove an R reg 2.3 Galaxy for quite a while and it was fine. It pulled well, had enough torque (not the punch of a good TDi, though it revved better), but only did 26 mpg. For me that's the point-my 115 bhp TDi pulls as well if not better but does 38-43 mpg!

 

Andrew :wacko:

[tim-spam]

You can always find horror stories with whichever type of car / engine.

 

Diesel is the only sensible choice especially for an MPV, unless you do less than around 5000 miles per year, and even then modern diesels are so much better to drive.

[big_kev]

Also an Auto box is sooooo much nicer to drive.

[drstraw]

Also an Auto box is sooooo much nicer to drive.

 

 

Now THAT'S a comment to open a can of worms!! B)

[lilbob]

give me a 6 speed manual over the slushy auto box any day

[pitflea]

give me a 6 speed manual over the slushy auto box any day

 

We bought ours about 2005. We were advised to go for a 2.3 Petrol, as they were much easier to find second hand, and were much cheaper than diesels. We hung on for a diesel though and bought a 51 plate 115BHP TDI Auto. I wasn't at all keen on the auto idea, but now I think it's great. My wife uses it everyday, and I drive at the weekends. I find the auto box is calming and helps safe driving. It still overtakes well with the pedal to the metal. We get around 35mpg on the short school run, and about 42 on a 100mile journey. Glad I didn't buy a petrol now!

 

Hope some of the advice is of some use.

 

Cheers

[gregers]

We get around 35mpg on the short school run, and about 42 on a 100mile journey. Glad I didn't buy a petrol now!

 

 

shouldve hung on for the manuel,lol

 

i get anything between 30-40 mpg in town and up to 59 mpg on a run. :angry:

[chrisssteeven]

Hi!

I am driving ford galaxy with 1.81 diesel engine. You should get diesel engine because it is cheaper than petrol engine. Diesel engine is more desirable than petrol engine. Diesel engine is more last longer than petrol engine.