[paulg1980]

Hello Everyone,

Firstly i apologise if I have put this in the wrong section.

I wondered if I could pick your collective expert brains please?

I currently drive an 05 Astra 1.6 SXi which i hate as all manner of things keep going wrong with it. I am looking to change my car as the mpg on the Astra is around 26 in town and 33ish on motorway runs.

I have settled on a Honda Civic from 2006 to 2009 which seem to fit my £5k budget. I am just very confused as to whether to opt for the 2.2 diesel or the 1.8 petrol. I can pick up a diesel with around 60-70,000 miles on the clock with FSH or a 1.8 petrol with anything from 40-60,000 miles on the clock again with FSH (the petrol one i like has 1 year warranty with it from a highly respected dealer).

I do approx 40 mile round trip each day for work mainly motorway miles so not a huge commute and I work shifts so not always a peak times so i have a nice clear run most of the time. I am looking for both good mpg and reliability as i really do not want another Astra style nightmare.

Any advice would be fantastic and I thank anyone in advance who can give me their views on the best option for me.

Thanks again

Paul

 

[RickHondaR]

The petrol driven at 70 will return mpg around 45mpg so us respectable while being cheap to maintain

 

[paulg1980]

Thanks Rick. I had been moving towards the petrol version but just wanted to get people's views.

Thanks for such a quick reply.

 

[moonlight168]

Hi Paul
Welcome to the forum.

Here is a good link for you to have a read of.

Main Page - Civinfo Wiki

Both the 1.8 petrol and the 2.2 diesel have many redeeming plus points.

They are both very reliable and robust cars, and are very dependable.

The commute you do would definitely justify the diesel but if you have found a really nice 1.8, nobody would argue against that one.

Have a read of the wiki link and I am sure others will post their thoughts soon,

 

[Farqui]

Honda's should be much more reliable than your previous ride.

Tough choice, do you like petrol and revs or diesel and torque?

Diesels are easier and cheaper to tune Clutches are weak tho

 

[paulg1980]

Thanks moonlight i will have a quick read now.

I looked on google and people seem to highlight problems with the clutch on the diesel.

 

[moonlight168]

Thanks moonlight i will have a quick read now.

I looked on google and people seem to highlight problems with the clutch on the diesel.

It can present an issue with the clutch on the diesel but that does tend to be due in quite a few cases to remaps having been done. Lots of people get 100k miles on the oem clutch if driven normally, some have gone before then, but there are 1 or 2 owners who go to the moon on the original clutch.

I have loved my 1.4 petrol vtec which has been utterly reliable and economical since new in 2010.
But I ordered a new 1.6 i-DTEC diesel yesterday-pick it up on Thursday!

 

[paulg1980]

Thanks Farqui

I like the idea of the diesel due to the mpg mainly and i'm not looking at breaking the land speed record so i think diesel would be a good fit yet the potential repair costs on diesel over petrol scare me a bit.

One person says 'go for a diesel they will run forever' while others i know have said 'diesels are great until they go wrong then you're looking at a more expensive repair bill than a petrol'

The Astra was my first car (didn't learn to drive till last year at 33) and i dropped a b*****k with that one and want to make sure i make the right choice this time round.

I am a complete noob with most things car related to be completely honest.

 

[moonlight168]

I want to make sure I make the right choice this time round.

Well you're 99% of the way there by choosing a civic. Whichever one you get. Just such good cars.

 

[paulg1980]

It can present an issue with the clutch on the diesel but that does tend to be due in quite a few cases to remaps having been done. Lots of people get 100k miles on the oem clutch if driven normally, some have gone before then, but there are 1 or 2 owners who go to the moon on the original clutch.

I have loved my 1.4 petrol vtec which has been utterly reliable and economical since new in 2010.
But I ordered a new 1.6 i-DTEC diesel yesterday-pick it up on Thursday!

Wish i could afford a new one I bet you can't wait can you

 

[Farqui]

Day to day I'd pick the derv, the torque is addictive. Running costs aren't tremendous and they're easy to work on.

Do the sums on running costs, test drive both and your preference should be clear (hopefully).

There are lots of peeps here who can help.

If I had room for another, then I'd have a Type R for the weekend

 

[paulg1980]

This is the petrol i have seen

PAS Motors: Stock List

 

[Farqui]

There's a chap at Misterson (not far from Donny) who always has a range of Civic's in stock.

Will at least give you an idea of what's available locally.

 

[Martin1973]

Even though I drive a diesel I think on that budget you will get more for your money buying a petrol version as they are normally cheaper and more to choose from. Difference is normally 10 mpg between a petrol and diesel.

 

[paulg1980]

Even though I drive a diesel I think on that budget you will get more for your money buying a petrol version as they are normally cheaper and more to choose from. Difference is normally 10 mpg between a petrol and diesel.

Thanks Martin I appreciate that

 

[paulg1980]

There's a chap at Misterson (not far from Donny) who always has a range of Civic's in stock.

Will at least give you an idea of what's available locally.

Thanks Farqui.

I don't suppose you know the name of the chap or the garage do you?

 

[moonlight168]

This is the petrol i have seen

PAS Motors: Stock List

I just clicked on that link. That looks like a nice example. Very clean. You could and should get that for 5 grand. Try a diesel and try that one. If I was looking with that budget, that one would be a front runner.

 

[Farqui]

Thanks Farqui.

I don't suppose you know the name of the chap or the garage do you?

JC Cars

 

[paulg1980]

JC Cars

Great, thanks Farqui.

Final question to everyone ideally what is a reasonable amount of mileage to consider for both a diesel and petrol in your opinions?

 

[moonlight168]

Great, thanks Farqui.

Final question to everyone ideally what is a reasonable amount of mileage to consider for both a diesel and petrol in your opinions?

35-45 mpg on petrol 1.8
40-55 mpg on diesel 2.2

That is an approximation going from urban to on-a-run