I'm in the UK and looking at either C180K (petrol) or C220D (diesel) estates. Probably automatic. The performance of both is very similar, and although the diesel is more economical it costs almost £3000 more, so may not end up cheaper overall. The C220 might retain more of it's value but I'll be doing 90,000 miles in 3 yrs so think the values will be pretty close.
Anyone have any thoughts on the best one to pick?
Thanks
"Rory" skrev i en meddelelse news: snipped-for-privacy@uni-berlin.de...
take the diesel. will work like a horse for you.
You can fairly easily calculate the fuel saving on the diesel (in the UK it's only the fuel consumption difference since prices are similar) and weigh against the GBP 3K.
The 2.2 l diesel engine is popular.
DAS
A manual 220 Diesel coupe works well for me. Haven't tried the petrol version though. Mine is telling me that it'll need a service after 15k miles since last service which is a factor as my last Diesel (an Espace) needed regular minor services (6k miles IIRC) which were a regular nuisance when you're clocking up high mileage. The car returns a shade under 50mpg on a mix of backroads (25%) and motorway (75%) on the daily commute. You'll recoup some (half?) of the £3k price premium when you resell. I suspect that insurance on a CDI may also be lower than on a Kompressor. For an estate I would guess that the diesel will be particularly attractive for many people so selling may be easier for you.
Matt
Opton Three:
For about £1500 you can get a professionally fitted LPG conversion and run duel fuel. LPG is ~½ the price of petrol and diesel, so your cost per mile is about halved. There was a scheme that gave grants to people to assist in LPG conversions - worth checking out. You get the bonus of cheap fuel, still save £1500 on the diesel price, the planet gets less poisioned, you don't have to stink everytime you fill up (do those plastic petrol station gloves actually fit *anyone* without tearing?) and you have that reassuring petrol engine purr :) Win:WIn? Mike W126 300SE 234,000 Miles W115 220
Thanks for the idea - a friend of mine runs a dual-fuel car and he's very plsd with it, although it was factory fitted. I'd be nervous about modifying a new car (you just know that the dealer will blame *every* future problem on the conversion). Also, the future tax treatment of LPG is uncertain - there are rumours that it's advantage may be eroded.
Thanks for both your thoughts. I guess the financial case will always be slightly uncertain, but it looks as though the total cost of ownership of both vehicles wil be more or less the same.
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