[sanjayc]

Originally Posted by joshdrive

If the monthly running is close to 2k kms or above, a diesel option makes sense. I drive 50 kms for work and am driving for past 6 years. Diesel is the option for me. .

We have to keep Ikon/Fiesta out of the equation..the josh is enough to compensate all else!

Jus Kidding!

2K/month means about 80-100kms / working day. That's a lot to drive, even for a city like Delhi. Unless you have a second car or a driver, that means Wifey/kids/parents will take bus/auto/taxi/metro for their personal work..umm..getting interesting.

[joshdrive]

Originally Posted by sanjayc

We have to keep Ikon/Fiesta out of the equation..the josh is enough to compensate all else!

Jus Kidding!

2K/month means about 80-100kms / working day. That's a lot to drive, even for a city like Delhi. Unless you have a second car or a driver, that means Wifey/kids/parents will take bus/auto/taxi/metro for their personal work..umm..getting interesting.

Yeah I have a petrol Ikon(and hence the username ). Ikon is my second car for daily commute. My monthly average is 2000 kms.

[Sankar]

Can anyone tell me how much does it cost annualy for the regular maintenance of a Ritz LXI and a Ritz LDI? I'm asking for the annual rates for routine service according to the maintenance schedule given in the user manual.

Also how much is the fuel economy for both of these vehicles under 90% city driving cycle with 100% AC. Is 12kmpl and 16kmpl a safe bet for Ritz LXI and LDI respectively?

[anonymous]

I am not sure if I should start a new thread for this or ask this question here as this thread somehow related to my question.
Why diesel cars are more expensive to buy compared to their petrol sibling. Is it to negate the advantage of being more fuel efficient and the fact that diesel is available cheaper than petrol or it it because diesel engines and other parts are more expensive?

[greenhorn]

for starters, because diesel engines are a bit more complex, and sturdier than the corresponding petrol engines. For ex, between the swift D & P, the diesel probably has a stronger engine block, and a turbo, the CRDI head etc, which the petrol doesnt have.

[sanjayc]

Originally Posted by anonymous

I am not sure if I should start a new thread for this or ask this question here as this thread somehow related to my question.
Why diesel cars are more expensive to buy compared to their petrol sibling. Is it to negate the advantage of being more fuel efficient and the fact that diesel is available cheaper than petrol or it it because diesel engines and other parts are more expensive?

One reason is since diesel is subsidised way more than petrol by the govt. Since dual pricing of fuel for personal vehicle will be a nightmare to implement, hence heavily taxed at the point of sale itself.

EDIT: This pricing structure as I have mentioned might come in future as per Kirit Parikh committee report, but not as of now..I retract my post.

[Technocrat]

Sanjay, That is not true, please check greenhorn's post above yours, he has given the correct reason.

[sanjayc]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Sanjay, That is not true, please check greenhorn's post above yours, he has given the correct reason.

I stand corrected. But isn't there additional levies/cess on diesel engines compared to petrol engines? Or, is it purely a matter of higher production cost?

http://profit.ndtv.com/2010/02/04214...-Shock-to.html
Kirit Parikh report suggests an additional levy of Rs 80,000 on a diesel vehicle, citing that the higher excise must offset benefit vis-a-vis petrol vehicles.

[KSM-Vtec]

Also there are additional parts like turbo, intercooler involved which increase the cost of production.

[RGK]

Cost of fuel injectors (nozzles), fuel pumps are costlier than the petrol one also contribute the price difference of diesel motors

[amarprusty]

If you concerned only with resale of your car stick to petrol and rather get a M800 which I call Gold,has a gr8 resale always.

Diesels are torquey machines and fun to drive at lower operational cost,with the improved fuel economy and lower maintenance cost in new technology engines it will get a fair resale soon

5yrs u can easily run a diesel without any major issue with regular servicing at 10K km's minimum

Pump up the muzik and enjoy a diesel drive forget the cost calculations

[samsan02]

Hi Guys,

The debate between petrol and diesel cars will keep on going as to which suits best to one's needs. Diesel is cheaper and returns better mileage, it sure makes sense to go for one if the running is very high, like those taxis and cabs. Manufacturers charge the upfront cost of almost 80 to 90k difference because diesel engines are expensive to manufacture and also these greedy manufacturers want to make some more margin by selling engines which are more in demand. But whats the real financial picture so lets look at it.

Attached excel gives a comparision of the Petrol vs Diesel.
Salient points:

1. I have kept aside City FE and Highway FE numbers for considering them separately.
2. Loan details added too, If you borrow more incase of diesel car you have to pay more interest and hence cost of ownership goes up.
3. Maintenance costs can be entered and considered as well.
4. Resale value can be entered directly in the cell, for simplicity I just mentioned it as half the original cost after 5 years of ownership.
5. There are two sheets, one if for full payment and other for Loan option. Both sheets are exclusive there is no dependency.
6. When on a loan the option of investing the monthly EMI difference between a petrol or diesel car has also been considered. Monthly difference is invested for duration of loan and on maturity its assumed that it gets re-invested for as long as you keep your car.
7. Dont know what Govt would decide going forward about fuel subsidy, so current prices have been considered.
8. Rate of interest of returns has been entered as 7%, can be changed in the cell. (if one knows better investment avenues like MFs, stock market)
9. Blue cells need to be entered and green cells are the output.
10. I have considered insurance of the car as well, during ownership of the diesel car it would require more amount of insurance compared to a petrol car.
11. This will make more sense when comparing Petrol or Diesel offerings within the same models or similar models and comparable trim levels of all the cars. Excel sheet won't make sense if you want to compare a diesel swift with a petrol alto.

For sample data I have considered a B segment hatch with around 90k difference in prices, so my conclusion is it doesn't make sense for going for diesel car unless monthly running is very very high. In this case its exceeding 19k kms per year and if you a buy a car on loan it will still be more. So even with 5 years of ownership the gains dont show quickly.
I guess everyone of us ignores about extra car Loan Interest, extra maintenance, extra insurance, etc. and only looks at fuel cost/mileage advantage.

Enjoy the financial analysis and choose the one which suits you best.

[KSM-Vtec]

Originally Posted by samsan02

Hi Guys,

The debate between petrol and diesel cars will keep on going as to which suits best to one's needs.
Attached excel gives a comparision of the Petrol vs Diesel.
Enjoy the financial analysis and choose the one which suits you best.

Wow!!! this is perfect and i agree with you. Great work will help a lot.

I think the Mods should provide a link to this post in the opening post itself.

[acidkill]

well, the real saving is in buying a petrol car and converting it to LPG or CNG. But how many of us would actually avail of that option given the security fear.

Most meru cabs use this - so it should be the dead giveaway for being the best commercial option

[Deep Blue]

Having arranged the finance limit, is there a tendency to shift from a diesel car to an equivalently priced petrol which may be from a segment higher thus enhancing the percieved brand value etc. E.g., Top end Diesel Linea Vs Base Honda city or Diesel Manza Vs Petrol Linea. Of course, financial benefit goes for a toss, but is this likely to happen?