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Do I really need a diesel?

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Peasey

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Location
Four Marks, Hampshire
Car
Honda Accord
Hi all - first post on here so please be gentle!

I've been looking at the diesel Accord as I like the in-gear pull and torque-y nature of today's turbo diesels, plus of course the far superior mpg.

My budget of around £3k seems to dictate a car with over 100k on the clock, usually around the 120-140k mark. However, it would appear that for the same money I could get a 2.0 VTEC with around 70k, there's even one with 46k knocking around on Autotrader! The mpg for that model seems to be in the early 30s so I'm wondering if it would be a good alternative considering the mileage I do...which isn't that much - 10 mile round trip to the station each weekday, weekend pottering then a 120 mile round trip every fortnight. So maybe somewhere around the 6k per year mark.

I believe, and forgive my ignorance if I'm wrong, that there is a mileage threshold that has to be passed before the diesel fuel efficiency comes into play considering the higher cost at the pumps over petrol. I'm not sure what that is though, somehow I doubt it's 6,000 miles!

I'd like to be able to consider the 2.4 version but reckon the mpg would be too low, although I'd love the extra performance!

I'd appreciate any advice/opinions...

Many thanks!
 
Hey fella. Welcome.

I think that the genreal consensus on here is that if you are doing under 12K a year then you'll be better off buying a petrol as they are cheaper to buy to begin with. You can pick up a great example of a 2.4 for 3K mate.

My advice would be a 2.4, but i'm a Vtec addict, and if test drove one, sure you would be too.
 
I'd suggest a petrol, the 2.4 fuel economy won't hit too badly at those mileages, but tax and insurance might!

Generally people say 10k is the threshold for diesel ownership, but it depends more on the mileage per journey, if you do 150 miles a week in 3 trips, and don't drive the car the rest of the time it'd be OK (only 8k a year), whereas doing 4 trips every day of 10 miles (total 15k) isn't very good for it as it cools down between each journey and never actually gets up to operating temperature!
Diesels are efficient when they're hot - which is usually after about 15 mins, petrols are at their normal efficiency pretty much straight away.
 
luvmyaccord said:
Hey fella. Welcome.

I think that the genreal consensus on here is that if you are doing under 12K a year then you'll be better off buying a petrol as they are cheaper to buy to begin with. You can pick up a great example of a 2.4 for 3K mate.

My advice would be a 2.4, but i'm a Vtec addict, and if test drove one, sure you would be too.
Click to expand...
best advice i have ever heard! ;)
 
luvmyaccord said:
My advice would be a 2.4, but i'm a Vtec addict, and if test drove one, sure you would be too.
Click to expand...

I used to have an S2000 - until kids came along and ruined things - so I am rather partial to a VTEC myself! Do you know if the difference, performance-wise, is considerable between the 2.0 & 2.4?
 
2.0l vs 2.4 are very different. The 2.4 has some great figures for a large car, but as many on here will vouch for it can be frugal too if you drive it so. I been very happy with mine and its get more mpg than my 2.0l could.
 
ps, i would get the s2000 back and tell the kids to walk or get a nanny lol :lol:
 
I have a 2005 diesel Accord... there's a lot that can (and does) go wrong (EGR valve, fuel pump, clutch & flywheel, injectors) and these things cost a fortune to put right. Look on this forum at the 'faults' setion and compare the diesel and petrol sub-sections! Accords are great and It's very nice to drive on motorways, but I wouldn't have another diesel.
 
Hi,

I had a similar dilemma to yours and replaced my dead 406 diesel with a Type S tourer.

My mpg is around 22 around town and over 35 on the motorway.

I had the same gut feeling as you but went for the 2.4 as they se to be undervalued. Yes fuel and tax are more, but running costs are still lower if your mileage is low.

Plus, I've got a Type S, which is brilliant!

I'd never driven a 2.0, but being used to large engines in Oz, just felt it wouldn't be enough. That and all the examples that came up near me were autos, so I went for the 2.4.

Either way, the accord is a fantastic car.
 
I've had a 7th gen diesel and now own a 7th gen 2.0 petrol Type S

So far I am very pleased with the 2.0 - it doesn't feel underpowered, in fact its quicker than I thought it would be.

Performance wise I'd say its similar to the diesel, you have to use the rev's more but it is quite torquey for a petrol imho - using v-power makes a difference ! It also sounds nice (not as nice as the 2.4 obviously) when you go over 4k revs (when the diesel would be finished) but is lovely and smooth and quiet the rest of the time.

A Fahad remapped diesel is a different kettle of fish though and is much quicker than the 2.0 petrol but you have to think about the disadvantages - i.e do you want a remap, telling insurance co, replacing clutch etc.

I've just got back from a 160 mile run on the motorway - the car did 42.7 mpg with the cruise on at 75 mph - and the odd little burst above that - you have got to be happy with that !

Its not as good on shorter journeys where I am averaging 34-35 mpg - all in all though I think thats great for a 2.0 petrol - Its nearly as good as the Alfa 159 1.9 tdi I had and the (unmapped) 56 plate 320d msport that I had (the most disappointing car ever - FACT !)

The diesel gets a lot of praise on here and rightly so its a superb unit (when Fahad has done his thing on it) but don't forget Honda make great petrol engines too !

Hope thats helpful
 
Find a 2.0 and go test drive it, from that you'll know if you want to test drive a 2.4 as well, I think you'll probably be happy enough with the 2.0 personally.
Otherwise, just find one that's suitable for you - like colour, auto/manual, mileage etc. and ignore whether it's 2.0 or 2.4.
 
Great advice that last bit, thx - if I find one with ivory leather, Sat Nav with the right mileage at right price I'm not sure whether the engine size would bother me too much, unless I find the 2.0 too underpowered which seems unlikely considering what I drive now!!
 
I had the same decision to make myself - I'd looked at the diesel, but had one for a day and only got 42mpg touring so the petrol looked a better bet.

I'd been looking at the 2.4 auto executive, but 20mpg around town was the official figure.

The old autocar review of the 2.0 shows a 0-60 of 8 seconds & 0-100 of 22, the same figures as a mini cooper s!

I figured the 2.0 manual would give me performance not too far away from the 2.4 auto, but getting nearly 50% better mpg.

I'm averaging mid thirties in mixed driving, the same as I used to get on my 1.6 civic ep2. On a long run it's giving 40 or so.

There was a choice of a 2.0se and a 2.0sport when I was looking, I went for the se as its actually faster - I believe the se has electric power steering vs hydraulic in the sport, the figures show 1/4 second less to 60 as well as 3mpg better fuel economy for the se.
 
Put it this way, if you push a 2.0 it will get worse mileage than driving a 2.4 sensibly.

If you want a car to poodle around in, get a 2.0. If you want a car that has a bit more grunt when you need it, then get a 2.4. If you want a car you can hang your suit from the back window and put costa coffee in he cup holder, or maybe to pick up passengers for a fare, get a diesel :D
 
'Put it this way, if you push a 2.0 it will get worse mileage than driving a 2.4 sensibly.'

Nothing like stating the obvious !

Surely its more of a comparison if you push a 2.0 and a 2.4 !!!!

It was the tax that put me off the 2.4 - £250 is bad enough...
 
Perhaps I should expand my point. When I was running two Hondas, I had to always push my F20z1 to get the equalent ride of driving my H22 normally. Economy was the same, both s****, as most Hondas are.

When the time came to change, another H22 was the only choice :wub:
 
Guys coming from an ex derv loverer if you want reliability then petrol all the way.
The only expense you will see is at the pump trust me iv has the best of both worlds and I won't go back
 
Brett

Have you found any additional costs of running a diesel, I'm thinking on shared parts that both cars have in common such as tyres, brakes, suspension, servcing costs etc.

I have known some 'general' non honda drivers have claimed more wear which you could maybe expect moving the larger mass of the diesel around...but just wondered if there was any opinion or knowledge of that on here.

So not asking about reliability or whats the fastest or the best, just if the diesel is harder on consumables overall?
 
Peasey said:
Hi all - first post on here so please be gentle!

I've been looking at the diesel Accord as I like the in-gear pull and torque-y nature of today's turbo diesels, plus of course the far superior mpg.

My budget of around £3k seems to dictate a car with over 100k on the clock, usually around the 120-140k mark. However, it would appear that for the same money I could get a 2.0 VTEC with around 70k, there's even one with 46k knocking around on Autotrader! The mpg for that model seems to be in the early 30s so I'm wondering if it would be a good alternative considering the mileage I do...which isn't that much - 10 mile round trip to the station each weekday, weekend pottering then a 120 mile round trip every fortnight. So maybe somewhere around the 6k per year mark.

I believe, and forgive my ignorance if I'm wrong, that there is a mileage threshold that has to be passed before the diesel fuel efficiency comes into play considering the higher cost at the pumps over petrol. I'm not sure what that is though, somehow I doubt it's 6,000 miles!

I'd like to be able to consider the 2.4 version but reckon the mpg would be too low, although I'd love the extra performance!

I'd appreciate any advice/opinions...

Many thanks!
Click to expand...

spending that much on a diesel and your asking for trouble... at that milage $$$

false economy if your looking for a cheap ride.

better with a petrol
 
Shiny said:
Put it this way, if you push a 2.0 it will get worse mileage than driving a 2.4 sensibly.

If you want a car to poodle around in, get a 2.0. If you want a car that has a bit more grunt when you need it, then get a 2.4. If you want a car you can hang your suit from the back window and put costa coffee in he cup holder, or maybe to pick up passengers for a fare, get a diesel :D
Click to expand...
This. B)

But personally i'd go for the K24. B) B) B)
 
God I wish I had this decision to make! :rolleyes: If I got the chance I'd choose petrol all the way and go for something like an Integra DC5 or S2000, unfortunately with the mileage I do I think it has to be diesel!
 
Black Hawk said:
God I wish I had this decision to make! :rolleyes: If I got the chance I'd choose petrol all the way and go for something like an Integra DC5 or S2000, unfortunately with the mileage I do I think it has to be diesel!
Click to expand...
I hope you're really good at car maintenance and have a good tool kit then. :p
 
Jon_G said:
I hope you're really good at car maintenance and have a good tool kit then. :p
Click to expand...

Actually the Accord is my second diesel, had an A4 for two years and the only problem was the wiring between the chassis and the door, it snapped and left me with a window stuck down for a night.

The "reliable" Honda has had a new throttle position sensor and is soon to get a new window motor in the space of six months. I'd really love to own a petrol for a while but I clock up around 25k miles a year. I fill the Accord for €83 and do just under 600 miles, where as filling a petrol would be about €100 and I'd probably only do half the mileage for that price. :(
 
I dont do massive mileage so I bought a 2.4 and its brilliant even on the long journeys it can be economical (30mpg with cruise control 35mpg without it!) got it for £3k and theres plenty around. also some dogs tho!
 
Black Hawk said:
Actually the Accord is my second diesel, had an A4 for two years and the only problem was the wiring between the chassis and the door, it snapped and left me with a window stuck down for a night.

The "reliable" Honda has had a new throttle position sensor and is soon to get a new window motor in the space of six months. I'd really love to own a petrol for a while but I clock up around 25k miles a year. I fill the Accord for €83 and do just under 600 miles, where as filling a petrol would be about €100 and I'd probably only do half the mileage for that price. :(
Click to expand...
I hadn't realised that diesel was considerably cheaper than petrol in Ireland - I guess you made the right decision!
 
Jon_G said:
I hadn't realised that diesel was considerably cheaper than petrol in Ireland - I guess you made the right decision!
Click to expand...

Yeah the up-take on diesel cars over here has been massive. Even people doing short runs to the shops and dropping kids to school now own a diesel Beamer, A4, Passat or Focus. If I was lucky enough to be doing short runs like that I'd like to have something fun! :D
 
Black Hawk said:
Yeah the up-take on diesel cars over here has been massive. Even people doing short runs to the shops and dropping kids to school now own a diesel Beamer, A4, Passat or Focus.
Click to expand...

The same thing happened here and the gov put the price up!! Doesn't bode well for the future of electric cars/fuel cells etc., surprised LPG hasn't been hiked up to the same as petrol yet.
 
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