Many people suggest to buy petrol, can I buy diesel if I get good deals?

BHPian GRAND23 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello guys,

I am moving to UK in another one month and need help from you all to understand about used cars and buying tricks. For now, I am keeping price cap as 3k.

I have listed my queries below, please comment on the same.

• What is the range of miles I should select?
• Many people suggest to buy petrol, can I buy diesel if I get good deals? Will buying diesel car impacts any other charges such as insurance or any other sort of?
• Which Brands are best to go? I know few of them like Ford, Toyota are best ones. What about European cars? Are they reliable?
• Which automatic is reliable and easy maintenance in UK? After some time, I want my wife also to take up driving. Just in case, if I get good deals in automatics, then would like to go with the same.
• Which engine is best for both mileage and decent power? I am not really looking for very powerful engine. Just a decent car.

Any other tips to buy is most welcome.

Here's what BHPian Jeroen had to say on the matter:

Congratulations on moving to the UK! It’s a wonderful country with lots to see and do. Where will you be living. Not in London I hope, because car wise that is difficult what with congestion charge and parking.

In Europe if you drive a diesel, you are basically a sales rep. Diesels by and large only make sense when you drive a lot of mileage every year, at least 30-40K a year. Financially it would not make any sense otherwise.

Europe has basically said goodbye to diesels. Many low emission zones. Although you should be ok with a modern diesel, more and more diesels are banned.

Diesel are likely to be more expansive to insure as they are more expensive than the same car in petrol version.

Are you buying second hand or new?

Range is really preference and convenience. There are petrol stations a plenty. So you don’t really need to worry about range perse. I don’t think I have ever bought a car thinking about range.

The UK is a far less harsh environment for cars then India. A lot of the issues you see on this forum are far less frequent here. Also, no offence, but the dealership and independent garages and workshops are by and large very good. But it is not cheap, you are going to get a shock when you see their charges, compared to India.

You might consider joining the AA.

They offer excellent service, (e.g. break down service). Check their website as they also do lots of car reviews.

We have a number of members living in the UK who no doubt will chip in with more information.

Jeroen

Here's what BHPian Sridhar C E had to say on the matter:

Congrats on your move to the UK!

You haven't mentioned the size of your family, so I am sharing my experience of buying 2 cars last year, one in London that my son bought and another in Rugby that my daughter, a dentist bought.

Son: lives in London, needed to upgrade from a 12 year old Infinity to a car that could accommodate the family dog, his family comprising of himself, his wife and a 6 month old baby. So he shortlisted a Kia Sportage GT-line, automatic transmission, petrol version. Autotrader (http://www.autotrader.co.uk) ,provides a wide variety of listings and we were able make a decent shortlist.

He eventually bought a 2019 model that had done about 24k miles and traded his Infinity for about 4k £ and ended up paying £ 18k. He is very happy with the features of his car and I loved driving it too ( ADAS, blind spot warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure correction to name a few).

Daughter: A dentist who travels about 80 miles to and fro daily, she needed a car that could accommodate a 8 year old and a 4 year old with their car seats. We zeroed in on a Nissan Qashqai, which is a very popular car in the UK. (Incidentally the Vauxhall Corsa is also very popular).

After checking out a few car dealers through Autotrader, we found our maroon beauty at Carshop, Swindon. The 2029, 28000 mile old car cost her about £ 18000. She is very happy with the purchase. This Qashqai is a petrol version.

Most used car dealers offer a 14 day, no questions asked return policy. They also offer a 90 day warranty on the purchase. The ownership transfer is usually very smooth. We Indians can drive for one year in the UK with our Indian DL.

I wish you many miles of blissful driving in the UK!

Sridhar

Here's what BHPian ajmat had to say on the matter:

I don’t have knowledge about your family needs but I would start with a good used Ford, Toyota or Honda. Avoid French cars or Vauxhalls. VWs are hot or miss depending on the maintenance.

Remember that a lot of cars are ex fleet so the maintenance would be minimum.

I would begin with something easy to insure and run. Once you have an understanding of your financial outlays, then upgrade after 18 months. Take your driving test in a manual so that you can drive any hire car when on holiday. Automatic hire cars are usually at a premium.

I pass around Derby a lot. The road to Stoke is quite fun for a little spirited driving. Derby is well located as it is between the M1 and M6.

Here's what BHPian Knight_Kar had to say on the matter:

Our family just moved to the UK ~1 year ago and went through the same dilemma, here's what we did.

Since you are not based in London/Oxford/Birmingham, you do not have to worry about the ULEZ(Ultra Low Emission Zone). This means unless a car is ULEZ compliant, you have to pay a fee to drive it in certain areas of these cities. However, I would still recommend going for a petrol with the ever evolving laws in the UK.

Insurance in the UK is a lot more expensive, however you can use comparison sites (such as www.moneysupermarket.com) to find the best deal. Do remember than if you are buying a car without a UK driving license, you will have to declare that you will be driving on an international license.

When it comes to buying a car, you have many options. Usually starting a search on Autotrader would give you good leads. Always check if the car has a valid MOT, for it to be legal to drive on the streets. As mentioned earlier, ownership transfer is usually very smooth. As soon as ownership is transferred, you will have to tax the car for your use too. Tax does not transfer between owners. Tax is charged on a yearly basis.

We ended up using cinch.com, as they delivered the car to our residence. They also had a 7 day return policy, as well as a warranty. While we weren't allowed to test drive the car or even look at it apart from the pictures, the car delivered was clean and well maintained. We picked up a 2017 Volvo V40 T2 automatic for 13k. From what we have gathered, Toyotas/Hondas and Fords tend to be reliable cars and easy on the pocket.

Good luck with your search!

Here's what BHPian ShankarG had to say on the matter:

Hey. Welcome to the UK. This place is a boon for car enthusiasts and you'll find all possible options in all budget range.

I used Autotrader to get a deal for myself and bought a used Vauxhall Astra (2011 - 120K ODO) and it served me like a charm. No issues at all for 12 months. You may check auto trader and figure out a car based on your budget. Make sure either you ask the seller to give you a latest MOT or ask for an extended warranty on used card from the likes of Autoguard. You may also check for cars sold thru webuyanycar, Cinch or Cazoo.

Few points apart from the ones already highlighted:

Diesel manual will serve you very good. However resale value will be bad. Don't worry about ulez if you aren't regular in ulez area. Just pay the daily charge if are an infrequent visitor.

Your insurance will cost you a bomb. Make a provision for that. Carry your India NCB certificates for last 5-7 years if you have. Companies like Marshmallow will offer you NCD discount on that provided there is no break in the insurance coverage.

Check for car data on cardatacheck or other similar sites. Pay a fee for about £10 and get maximum satisfaction and peace of mind.

Some cars are under insurance claimed category on Autotrader. Avoid it.

Go through the dvsa driving handbook. It'll give you a good idea on road signs, expected road behaviour etc.

As suggested above, take a few driving lessons to get yourself accustomed to driving here. It may cost you about £35-40 per hour but it's worth it.

Finally, we have a Team BHP UK WhatsApp group. Join us when you land and it will be a pleasure to connect.

Cheers!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The health risks could lead to a high loss in productivity amounting to 2.7 billion GBP per year.

According to a media report, the British Prime Minister is expected to announce a ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

Initially, the ban was set to come into effect from 2040. It was brought forward to 2035 earlier this year and is now expected to be enforced from 2030.

Increasing amounts of nitrogen oxide content in the air is said to be the reason behind the advancement of the ban. It is said that the Ministers believe that the health risks could lead to a high loss in productivity amounting to 2.7 billion GBP per year.

This new schedule could exempt some of the petrol electric hybrids and allow their sale upto the year 2035. Sales figures for petrol and diesel cars stand at 73.6% of new car sales while all-electric cars make up just 5.5% of total sales. The share of hybrid vehicles is 20.9%.

France had also announced that it would ban internal combustion engines after 2040, but it was more to meet the targets of the Paris climate accord. 

According to a media report, the Bristol City Council has approved plans to ban private diesel cars in the city centre between 7 am and 3 pm everyday. To enter Britain's first no-diesel zone, vans and taxis would be charged GBP 9 and buses and HGVs will have to pay GBP 100. The proposal is pending government approval.

The proposal expects to create a 'Clean Air Zone' and will be implemented in 2021. It is expected to reduce the nitrogen dioxide levels to legal limits by 2025. The government had ordered the Bristol City Council to produce plans to bring the area's nitrogen dioxide levels to legal limits.

The report suggests that major roads that lead in and out of the city will be inaccessible for diesel cars and other roads could become congested. The ban on diesel cars could also affect those who have taken finance packages and may have to pay a penalty to end the contract early. Owners of older cars would also be forced to upgrade to newer vehicles.

Source

Suzuki has discontinued the Baleno and the Celerio in the UK. According to a media report, only a few ex-demonstrator cars will be sold but no new unregistered cars will be sold.

The report suggests that the company will instead focus on better-selling cars like the Ignis, Swift, S-Cross, and the Vitara. The carmaker is said to be preparing its line-up for future emission regulations.

The Celerio was launched in 2015. In Europe, Suzuki sold 21,000 units in 2018. In comparison, the Ignis sold more than two times the number. The Baleno was launched in 2016 and sold 15,000 units in 2018 in Europe. In comparison, the Swift sold 55,000 units.

Source: Autocar

A report by the Science and Technology Select Committee of the UK Parliament has said that private car ownership should end for the UK to become a carbon-neutral country.

It is reported that the government should not look at reducing emissions by replacing existing cars with lower-emission vehicles as manufacturing alternative fuel cell vehicles like EVs would still produce substantial emissions. The report says that in the long term, personal vehicle ownership is not compatible with significant emission reduction.

According to the report, the UK's plan to ban sales of conventional cars by 2040 was criticized for not coming soon enough. The country is not on track to meet emission targets for 2023 and 2032. The report asked for ultra-low-emission vehicles to account for 60% of new car sales by 2030 and if possible, 100% by 2035.

The committee also said that for the time being, more incentives should be given to zero-emission vehicles and the number of EV charging points should be increased, especially in shared facilities like apartments.

Source: Autocar

Automakers in some of the largest car markets like the US and China have reported low growth or in some cases even declining sales. It has been reported that the demand for cars has peaked and will continue to decrease due to lack of sales incentives.

In China, the world's largest auto market, demand has fallen over the last couple of months. Due to the recent trade war with US, customers are avoiding American brands. Earlier this year, the Shanghai stock market fell by 18% and yuan has weakened as well, which suggests that China's economy could be slowing down.

In Japan, the numbers are down by 3.4 percent during the first eight months of 2018 compared to same period last year. The country's ageing population is seen as a factor as many residents are giving up driving while the young generation prefers not to own a car due to the high cost of ownership. On average existing owners are replacing their vehicles in 7.7 years, which is longer than in the past.

In USA, car makers have missed the estimates for August, while reporting negative growth in the month on July. Further, the annualised sales numbers for the whole industry have reduced to the lowest in a year.

The four largest markets in Europe - Germany, UK, France and Italy have reported nil growth in the first 6 months of the current year. Despite this, the overall numbers have been in the green for the European region.

Source: Bloomberg

The Government of UK is considering plans to limit the type and power of car headlights. The United Nations Working Party, of which UK is a member, is looking into this after increasing public concerns. The move comes after a survey revealed that over 65% drivers faced trouble due to oncoming vehicle headlight glare even when dipped.

The survey was conducted by RAC, a British organisation that currently provides roadside assistance throughout the UK. The survey revealed that 15% of drivers were involved in a close call after being blinded by headlights of oncoming cars, or when looking back from the rear-view mirrors. Further, over 58% of respondents consider that the brightness of modern headlights is putting car drivers in danger of accidents. It was also reported that after getting blinded, it could take up 5 seconds for the driver's vision to normalise. This means, a driver in a car travelling at 96 km/h could take up to 120 meters before seeing clearly. The survey also pointed out that over 66% of drivers can't make out if the main beam of the other car is high or dipped.

The head lamps of the newer generation cars were found to be especially bright. Just 12% of motorist said the lights were at a correct brightness level. However, 66% reported that some cars have bright headlights and 22% felt all the new cars these days have excessively bright ones.

Currently, cars sold in UK must meet EU standards for headlights. But, recent advances in the technology have caused an increase in the intensity as well as the throw of the lights. Lights these days are either based on halogen projectors, high intensity discharge (HID) Xenon bulbs or LED lamps. It is also illegal to retrofit HID bulbs in older vehicles with halogen headlamp units.