Hello,
I am thinking about buying a used mercedes c-type combi. Probably a '97 maybe '98.
If i buy a diesel it will run forever i guess, but.....if i buy one on regular fuel with about 125,000-150,000 KM's clocked..... How far will it take me? Fuel-engines used to be 'worn out' at about 200.000, is this stil the case?
I normally drive about 15.000km a year.
Any tips, please let me know.
Thanks
Diesel or gasoline, engines' longevity is determined by maintenance - oil changes and oil filters. Diesel engines tend to last longer because they get more frequent oil changes and run at lower rpms than gas motors. Diesels are constructed to be rebuilt gas motors are repaired.
Diesels don't "run forever". Well maintained gas engines aren't junk at 200Kkms.
I'd not pass on a fine car because it was gas or diesel - both motors are quite reliable.
Depending on the country you are in a diesel engine may not be the economical option if you have to pay extra for it. {You (OP) did say 15K km p.a}.
And a modern diesel engine is far more complicated than it used to be, so who knows how much longer it lasts cf petrol?
DAS
Let's see, this seems to be a Dutch guy...
A w124 like I have costs 996 EUR/yr on diesel and 516 EUR/yr on gas on road taxes alone.
Diesel costs about 1.05 and premium gas costs about 1.50 EUR/liter. Diesel is taxed less in Holland.
My 250D does about 13 km per liter and my old 200 did 10 km/liter.
At 15.000 km, a diesel would cost 996 + (15.000/13 * 1.05) = 2207 EUR At 15.000 km, a gas car would cost 516 + (15.000/10 * 1.50) = 2766 EUR
The Diesel would be cheaper to drive, but probably more expensive to buy.
I drive 35.000 km a year, so the choice for diesel was a no-brainer although a comparable gas model cost about 3500 less.
Ximinez
Yes, probably a reasonable calculation. How many years would it take to pay off the extra capital cost of a diesel at an EUR 560 p.a. saving?
Plus, what about road tax? (Tax for keeping teh car on a public road).
Just for comparison, in Britain the break-even is quite different because diesel costs more than standard (95 octane) petrol. The two fuels are now taxed the same (and, BTW, the tax advantage of LPG -- so popular in NL -- is likely to go soon, I think).
DAS
For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
In the calculation below that would be 3500 / 560 = 6.25 years. Of course I'm not counting the differences in maintenance costs (less for a diesel?) and in resale value (more for a diesel), so the actual result would probably be more in favour of the diesel.
The road tax was included: 996 for the diesel, 516 for the gas engine in my province (there's a slight difference between provinces).
Road tax may be calculated here:
LPG is a lot less popular than it used to be. It's still quite a bit cheaper than diesel in almost all cases but there are disadvantages. Less km per tank, less trunk space, more maintenance costs. Most car leasing firms have shifted their preference to diesel.
Ximinez
In general, yes, I'd agree. Valves and top end stuff doesn't seem to go much past 300K km without neding an overhaul in a vergasser.
I have 500K miles on my original diesel motor.
Yes I'm Dutch, I will go for a regular gas engine I think. Now all I need to have is a reliable seller, don't want a junkcar.
Gas prices dropped 3 cents here.......way to go...;-)
Yes, from sky-high to almost sky-high... Paid between EUR 1.03 and 1.09 per litre of diesel in and around Salzburg last week.
Have you test-driven a diesel with a turbo engine. Anything from about 2 l has real and noticeable pulling power. Great for overtaking on ordinary (as opposed to motorway) roads.
DAS
For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
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