Watch this space?


"A new report from Boston-based Strategy Analytics says sales of new diesel cars could rival hybrids.
The report, "Diesel Challenges Hybrids in the US," concluded that new, low-sulfur diesel and cleaner-burning diesel engines could help carmakers sell light-duty diesel vehicles in all 50 states.
Diesel vehicles achieve fuel mileage superior to hybrids, and are popular in Europe where fuel is very expensive.
Five states led by California prevent the sale of diesel cars through strict emissions regulations.
But cleaner diesel and new engines from DaimlerChrysler and Honda that convert harmful emissions into harmless nitrogen could have diesels making inroads.
Strategy Analytics predicts that once the new diesel fuel has been approved in the five ultra-low emissions states, which account for 37 percent of hybrid sales, "diesel will challenge hybrid vehicles for the more cost-conscious 'green' consumers."

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money.cnn.com/2007/05/01/autos/diesels/?postversio...2




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After nearly 4 months ownership I thought I?d give an update for anyone who may be considering one of these or its French badged siblings.

We chose it because we needed a second car which was small, had four doors and aircon and was cheap to buy, insure and tax. We considered Fiestas, Corsas, Yaris etc but they have all put on weight and are now just a bit too large.

The car was bought through drivethedeal and the whole transaction went very smoothly, downside was the car was from Ipswich Toyota, which is 200 miles from us, so hardly local!

The only fault we found with the car was that the boot didn?t lock.

A quick visit to the local dealer and the receptionist diagnosed the problem in 5 minutes, parts were ordered and it was fixed two days later.

For the first 7 or 8 weeks the car was used predominantly by my wife for her local trips with the very occasional run out. 7 weeks ago I sold my car so we have been relying on the Aygo and I have been driving it a lot more.

When I first started driving it had done about 1500 miles, but it seemed very sluggish ? changing to second gear needed lots of revs in first or it would die. Being used to driving diesels I thought it was me not being used to petrol cars and changing gear too early, I started giving it a few more revs and we took it on some motorway runs and it is now much better.

Apart from the lock the car has been faultless and has coped well with the demands we put on it. Plenty of room for two and the baby seat in the back. The boot is small, but most of the time it?s only used for a buggy, but even with this in the boot there is room for 5 or 6 bags of shopping, so no complaints. The car also has a full sized spare under the boot floor ? well done Toyota.

When we need more luggage space we simply utilise the other back seat. On a trip to the Dales over Easter the boot took a full sized pram chassis, two deck chairs, rucksack, food bag, nappy changing bag and coats. The pram wheels went under the driver?s seat and the pram seat went on the back seat.

The car is frugal, I tend to wait for the warning then fill up with a set amount of fuel. 20 litres lasts 200 miles in urban traffic ? 45 mpg. I put 30 litres in last week and I have already done over 300 miles of mixed driving ? some high speed work and plenty of NSL roads. Insurance was £200 for my wife and myself and car tax has just been reduced to £35 a year. First service should be less than £100.

Third gear is very flexible and will take you from 20 to 80 mph, second is good for 50mph. It takes motorway journeys in its stride, but long distance high speed touring isn?t its natural environment. I prefer to cruise at 60-65mph which is quick enough to pass trucks, but leaves enough in reserve when required. It?s also quieter at this speed. Dropping to 4th on the motorway is very rarely required.

After these first few weeks we?ve noticed a few minor day to day living annoyances, but all must be put in to context that the car was just £7,200 brand new. This was for a four door ?+? model with optional aircon in flat red.

Interior light goes out as soon as you close the door and it only works off the driver?s door ? it?s a pain to find the ignition keyhole during winter.

No electric window switch for the passenger window from the drivers seat.

Rear wiper sweeps the wrong way for RHD vehicles so it?s pretty useless, but it?s needed as the short rear overhang means dirt is thrown up to the rear window. A larger wiper may help, but a sweep through 180 degrees would solve the problem.

The luggage area cover gets in the way of the boot area when it?s flipped up to load the boot. Removing it makes loading easier. 10 minutes with a Stanley knife could solve this!

To sum up I see it as a modern day equivalent of the original Mini or 2cv. No real thrills in driving it, but it does everything we wanted it to do for very little outlay.
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My university project group needs a rear brake cable for an mk3 golf. I would like some advise as to where to source one most cheaply. We could either buy new or used, we have already contacted a scrap yard who told us they didn't sell cables, I wonder whether this is the case with all scrap yards. Any help is much appreciated.

James Read more

My 206 1.4LX has developed what I can only describe as an intermittent squeaking noise while driving. It seems to be coming from the drivers side and the front of the car. At first the noise is most notable when the car judders, for example using the wrong gear... now i can here reguarly when driving.... Anyone experience this or know what the problem is...

Thanks in advance Read more

So... thanks to your help last week I have managed to convince my wife (only after I got her & family to sit in one of each at a dealer!) that she needs a Focus and not a Fiesta (even the new 02 and later shape was a bit small)...

Now all I need to do is work out which one!

Budget is £3K + trade in worth approx £500-£600. She does a bit of motorway, but mainly school runs and local visiting runs, so economy needs to be good, but she wants to at least be able to think about overtaking when she needs to, hence the 1.4 is out.

I would happily consider a diesel, but it appears that only the Tddi diesel is in our price range and not the Tdci one. These 1.8 Tddi diesels seem to be slated quite a lot. Anyone got anything good to say about them?

Current feeling is that the 1.8 petrol may be a bit more expensive to run than the 1.6, so the 1.6 is attracting most of my interest at present... does that seem about right within the parameters I've given?

Cheers.
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