Hi there!

I'm in a need of new tiny van and there are two options that fits the bill:

1. Bipper with 1.4 L petrol engine with 100 000 km / 62 000 miles on it
2. Fiorino 1.2 L diesel with 160 000 km / 100 000 miles.

Both are 2011 models and are equally equipped.

Which one would you choose? The diesel option is tempting thanks to cheaper running costs. But does that tiny diesel engine last long?

Any help would be appreciated!

Cheers,
Tim

Hi scandiman, Generally diesel engines last longer than petrol, providing the maintenance has been done correctly. Oil changes are a must every 5/6000 mile.
Only other comment is the diesel will have a DPF fitted, make sure your use of the vehicle is ok with that. Lots of little runs will soon cause problems.
Looking forward to other thoughts on this..................hey ho.
Cheers Qube O.

Which one would you choose?

Click to expand...

The old adage was 'diesel for distance, petrol for power'. Admittedly that was a long time ago and both petrol/diesel engines now do close to the same miles per gallon.

Diesels used to be sluggish compared to their petrol brothers, but of course this is no longer the case. Diesels also used to have a longer life expectancy - the sheer number of miles the engine could do before it became worn. This is probably no longer the case either... many petrol engines are capable of covering huge mileages.

In the most general of terms, there's more spares for petrol engine (including secondhand spares) than there are for diesels, and petrol engines are easier and cheaper to repair.

When a diesel engine comes to the end of its life/develops trouble it's usually very expensive to fix.

Personally, I'd go for the petrol engine for the simple fact that diesels are now becoming unpopular because of their nitrous oxide emissions. The sales of diesel engined cars have fallen in the UK - some traders and private sellers can't get rid of their secondhand diesels. It also looks as though there will be extra taxes to pay simply because it has a diesel engine..

Personal choice, though.

Thanks guys for the replies!

I found one with 55 000 km / 34 000 miles on it and already went for a short test ride. The annual vehicle inspection is due at end of next month, so Im going to ask them to do it for me. If it passes, I'll buy it.