Petrol or diesel for an older Ford C-Max?

Hi, I am looking into getting a 2004 - 2007 Focus C-Max. I have always bought diesels in my past few cars due to great economy. I currently have a Citroen Picasso 2.0 HDi, but want to drop to a 1.6 to save on tax. My driving habits would be mainly urban, with the odd long run. No more than 15k miles a year, I would guess.

I am aware that there could be costly repairs down the road with an older but relatively modern deisel engine. I'm looking at 1.6 in either diesel or petrol. Reliability would be very important to me. What would you advise I go for?

Seems to be better choice with petrol options.

Thanks Kevin

Kevin Mcgowan (Cork)

Sep 2013 Filed under: diesel

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Expert answer

Hi Kevin,

I'd say your choice is a pretty good one. The first generation Focus C-Max wasn't the most exciting car around, but it was pretty well put together, comfy and good to drive. You can get them up to 2007 with the 1.6 TDCi 90hp diesel, which should suit your driving pattern pretty well. At 15k a year, even mostly urban mileage, I'd say you definitely need a diesel just to keep the running costs down.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser