Diesel v Petrol

Author
Discussion

Exige46

Original Poster:

318 posts

243 months

Monday 31st May 2010
quotequote all
Emigrating to Wellington in a couple of months, and pondering what car to buy when we get out there. Will initially be looking for a 'sensible' car.

As I understand it, diesel pump prices are signigicantly cheaper than petrol, but you have to pay some kind of diesel permit in advance, allowing you x number of miles.

So wondering how it all compares - I realise there are far fewer diesel vehicles available in the first place, which would seem to indicate petrol is the cheaper option. We won't be doing a huge mileage.

Also wondering about the servicing quality / availability for the various manufacturers. We will probably be looking at Subaru, Toyota, Ford, Holden, and not sure whether its worth contemplating BMW, which seems to have the most cars on Trademe of any European brand.

Cheers


Oscar the Grouch

213 posts

191 months

Monday 31st May 2010
quotequote all
Most of our cars come from Japan
They are cheaper to run here than european cars
And it may give you a chance to try something different if youve come from UK

Diesel is common in 4wds, modern diesel cars are still fairly rare but that is changing

petrol is between $1.73 per litre for 91 RON - $1.82 for 95 RON
diesel is $1.16 per litre
But you also have to buy road user charges (tax) on diesel vehicles
As you mention you buy it in blocks - 1000 km at around $36

You have found Trademe so thats a good place to look at whats available and prices

Fraster

1,267 posts

247 months

Tuesday 1st June 2010
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You're going to Wellington in mid winter???? Baptism by fire....or ice? No.Wind!

ymwoods

2,186 posts

184 months

Tuesday 1st June 2010
quotequote all
Oscar the Grouch said:
But you also have to buy road user charges (tax) on diesel vehicles
As you mention you buy it in blocks - 1000 km at around $36
How do these work? similar to a UK tax disc (so easy to say you have not done x amount of km) or is it some sort of GPS type setup and you "top up" for more miles?

mikeS350

190 posts

179 months

Tuesday 1st June 2010
quotequote all
Exige46 said:
So wondering how it all compares - I realise there are far fewer diesel vehicles available in the first place, which would seem to indicate petrol is the cheaper option. We won't be doing a huge mileage.
Having owned both diesel and petrol trucks I felt it was pretty much the same in terms of final costs (more expensive petrol vs cheaper diesel but road user charges plus slightly more to service a diesel truck). I was told that if you do less than 10000km a year petrol is cheaper, but more and diesel is cheaper. In the end, I'm not sure were talking about that much of a difference, even if you do less than or more than 10000. The nice thing about diesel trucks is that if someone is tailgating you you can pump the accelerator repeatedly and create a huge plume of black smoke.

iain a

329 posts

234 months

Tuesday 1st June 2010
quotequote all
Exige - we haven't gone as far as GPS to charge for Road User Charges (RUKs) - the diesel surcharge. You buy windscreen stickers which have start & finish km print outs on them. These are checked when you get a WOF (Warrant of Fitness - like an MOT) Note that WOFs are every 6 months for older vehicles. They may also be checked by the BiB at any point.
Welcome to Wellington... yes it is windy here. Let us know when you are due to arrive, will have the beers ready.

Fulvisti

321 posts

177 months

Tuesday 1st June 2010
quotequote all
Isn't registration (road tax in the UK) more expensive for diseasals too?

D1GGY

177 posts

216 months

Wednesday 2nd June 2010
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Hi, As Ian has said let us know when you land and we can have a couple of beers and catchup. Wellington in winterlots of fun Ha haa ha!

I drive a diesel legacy and love it, very straightforward to deal with RUC,however servicing is more frequent though and diesel models less popular (minuscule in fact) and so parts held by the dealerships can be a problem. My car was off the road for 6 months due to part availability!
mark

alex.tvr

329 posts

265 months

Wednesday 2nd June 2010
quotequote all
What car do you own in the UK? Are you bringing a container down?

If I was to do it all again I'd seriously consider bringing my own car with me. I lost money on both the cars I sold in the UK, then had to pay dealer fees etc again once down here. Finance was another shock, rates and availability.

Just a thought.

Exige46

Original Poster:

318 posts

243 months

Thursday 3rd June 2010
quotequote all
Thanks for the thoughts.

At the mo we have a 2008 diesel galaxy - so what with it being diesel and not available in NZ in any case we have no inclination to bring it over. Other car is a 9 year old Focus, so not worth bringing over either.

Currently thinking of a Toyota Camy or Honda Accord, but both seem excedingly bland, or the slightly more interesting option is a Subaru of some warmish variety. Budget up to $20k.

Wife is concerned, what with the less materialistic views of Kiwis v Brits, the general car population being older and less shiny on the whole, that we shouldn't bother with anything 'nice' as its likely to get dinged and scratched in car parks or wherever. Thoughts?

I will want to get something sharpish when I arrive (23rd July) - is it worth going through a dealer for peace of mind? I realise its possible to get AA checks and suchlike, but the whole bureacracy of car ownership in NZ will be new to me, and may be a lot to take in in a short timescale. Any recommendations on Subaru new or 2nd hand dealers around Welly?

And yes, I know its Welly in Winter, but I will get 2 Summers in the space of 6 months. Have heard about the wind, but can the weather really be worse than the UK?

And yes, will need a beer soon after touchdown!

Thanks again.

Fraster

1,267 posts

247 months

Thursday 3rd June 2010
quotequote all
similar thread in Oz section. Some use?
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

261 months

Thursday 3rd June 2010
quotequote all
1st - plenty of people have nice cars here as every day cars, but the average is older. I work in an IT company and most of the cars in the car park are like mid 90's jap boxes or 4wd's, few modern/new ones but theres no issue having a new car.

If your going to do proper offroading etc you dont want something flash and modern anyhow.. I also wouldnt want to spank a porsche cayenne up the ski field roads in canty all winter either...

Aa can do checks on a car for a bit of cash irrispective of who is selling them. If your buying non dealer then go trademe, I doubt you'll get a wosrse/less reliable car from private sale. But dont sweat it theres tons of cars available anyhow.

As for weather I found it took quite a while to get used to the increased winds in Christchurch (over the UK) never mind Welly! Chch is a different climate tho a lot drier typicaly than welly.

lestag

4,614 posts

283 months

Saturday 5th June 2010
quotequote all
ymwoods said:
Oscar the Grouch said:
But you also have to buy road user charges (tax) on diesel vehicles
As you mention you buy it in blocks - 1000 km at around $36
How do these work? similar to a UK tax disc (so easy to say you have not done x amount of km) or is it some sort of GPS type setup and you "top up" for more miles?
Just like a tax disc. If you sell the car and have not kept "up to date" the new owner will have to pay.
eg. the label says
km from: 70,000
km to: 75,000

lestag

4,614 posts

283 months

Saturday 5th June 2010
quotequote all
Exige46 said:
Currently thinking of a Toyota Camy or Honda Accord, but both seem excedingly bland, or the slightly more interesting option is a Subaru of some warmish variety. Budget up to $20k.
FWIW Nissan and Subarus are the most stolen here IIRC

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/nissan-subaru-top-...

GravelBen

15,914 posts

237 months

Monday 7th June 2010
quotequote all
lestag said:
Exige46 said:
Currently thinking of a Toyota Camy or Honda Accord, but both seem excedingly bland, or the slightly more interesting option is a Subaru of some warmish variety. Budget up to $20k.
FWIW Nissan and Subarus are the most stolen here IIRC

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/nissan-subaru-top-...
hehe

Older Jap turbo stuff in 'most stolen cars' shocker!