Diesel or petrol?

[henk4]

Alright. Since in 2007 the BMW 118i and the BMW 118d both had 2 litre engines that produced 143bhp and had the same list price I used those as the yardstick. First thing you notice is that there are four times more diesel engined cars on sale than there are petrol cars.

Diesel

I used BMW Certified cars. Cars vary in condition and equipment, but have in general higher mileage than their petrol counterparts. There are 17 BMW Certified second hand 118d on sale.

BMW Serie 1 de segunda mano. Coches BMW Serie 1 de ocasión en venta

BMW Serie 1 de segunda mano. Coches BMW Serie 1 de ocasión en venta

The average price for a 2007 118d is 20.185€.

Petrol

Again I used BMW Certified cars only to try and minimise the variation of conditions. There are only 7 officially certified 118is, as opposed to the 17 118ds.

BMW Serie 1 de segunda mano. Coches BMW Serie 1 de ocasión en venta

The average price for a 2007 118i is 19.287€.

So it would seem that yes, diesels do depreciate less than equivalent petrols.

Do petrol BMW's still require 98 Super Plus fuel?

[Ferrer]

Hmmm, seems odd that they had the same price. It seems then that Diesel is a non-brainer in terms of economic gains like the ones described on my analysis! But then this explains that "First thing you notice is that there are four times more diesel engined cars on sale than there are petrol cars".

Overall, interesting set of data. What would be interesting would be to compare the average price demonstrated above with the price of the cars when new and then express it as a percentage.

Also, as a used car buyer, when buying a Diesel, you begin with an average "deficit" of 898 € (20.185 - 19.287). The miles that you have to do in order to break even is a lot less than the ones you have to do in the 320 example posted above.

I would presume that this data is from Spain. One extra factor is the difference in the different markets of each country. The pricing policy for example between Diesel and petrol varies from country to coutry. Also fuel prices.

I remember they were the same because when we bought the BMW we looked at several models, (116i, 118i, 118d and 120d) and the "18s" cost exactly the same. It isn't the case anymore though, now the 118i is 200€ cheaper than the 118d.

Do petrol BMW's still require 98 Super Plus fuel?

Yes, they do. (Well at least in 2007)

[lightweight]

Not trying to down play your calculations, but I want to prevent that your figures will be seen as the only truth...

Hmm, yes there is quite a difference. I guess all monetary figures are susceptible to variations, according to which source you take into consideration.

First and foremost, the variable that WILL change results no matter what, is the date. Petrol prices change from day to day.

Taking this into consideration and taking into account that I tried to narrow down the search to the UK, I used the manufacturer suggested retail price for the UK for the cars and the AA fuel prices which is doing research in the UK only, so I thought that the data would be more representative.

May I note that the prices in my analysis are Pounds sterling and not Euros. The prices from Karzoo.eu, if converted to Pounds Sterling are £1,098 for the 95 Octane, which is a 3% difference. Same for Diesel. Pretty acceptable difference for a forum discussion

But, the only thing that changes after all is the km that the break even is achieved:

• Clio: 125.000 km (instead of 135.000 km)
• BMW 320: 115.000 km (same as before)
• BMW 330: 650.000 km (instead of 675.000 km)

Which only shows that more expensive fuel makes even more sense for Diesels! But I guess we don't need a report to make that conclusion

[henk4]

Hmm, yes there is quite a difference. I guess all monetary figures are susceptible to variations, according to which source you take into consideration.

First and foremost, the variable that WILL change results no matter what, is the date. Petrol prices change from day to day.

Taking this into consideration and taking into account that I tried to narrow down the search to the UK, I used the manufacturer suggested retail price for the UK for the cars and the AA fuel prices which is doing research in the UK only, so I thought that the data would be more representative.

May I note that the prices in my analysis are Pounds sterling and not Euros. The prices from Karzoo.eu, if converted to Pounds Sterling are £1,098 for the 95 Octane, which is a 3% difference. Same for Diesel. Pretty acceptable difference for a forum discussion

But, the only thing that changes after all is the km that the break even is achieved:

• Clio: 125.000 km (instead of 135.000 km)
• BMW 320: 115.000 km (same as before)
• BMW 330: 650.000 km (instead of 675.000 km)

Which only shows that more expensive fuel makes even more sense for Diesels! But I guess we don't need a report to make that conclusion

The point I was trying to make was that these calculations will greatly differ for each country. and what is valid for the UK may in no way be the case in Holland or Germany. I have seen French and German magazines where they made similar calculations for the break even point, and in some cases diesel was cheaper from km zero....

[Ferrer]

The point I was trying to make was that these calculations will greatly differ for each country. and what is valid for the UK may in no way be the case in Holland or Germany. I have seen French and German magazines where they made similar calculations for the break even point, and in some cases diesel was cheaper from km zero....

That could only happen if the cars cost the same, couldn't it?

[henk4]

That could only happen if the cars cost the same, couldn't it?

could also relate to taxes and insurance premiums.....

[crug75hid]

All the leading car manufacturers are making the both versions as well as petrol and diesel, choice is depends on the purpose of the usage.