Petrol or diesel on a Toyota Avensis?

Petrol or diesel? I want to trade in my 1998 Toyota Avensis (automatic, 100,000km) for a newer model Avensis. I have €4,000 to spend and I drive approx 11,000 miles per year. My question is two-fold: what trade-in value should I expect for my car and should I go petrol or diesel?

Antoinette OSullivan (Carbury)

Nov 2011 Filed under: diesel

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Expert answer

Hi Antoinette,

First of all it's always worth remembering to focus on the 'cost to change' rather than the trade-in value alone. Your current car is unlikley to be worth quite €1,000 to a dealer so bear that in mind. If that gives you €5,000 in total to spend then you could potentially afford a 2005 Toyota Avensis. However, that price will get you a high mileage example so it may be worth going for a 2003/2004 example in good condition with low mileage.

I reckon you're better off with a petrol version if you're looking at an Avensis of that age. It was before the changeover to emissions-based taxation in July 2008, so the 1.6-litre petrol model was very popular - and is therefore in plentiful supply on the used market. Tax is cheaper too than the diesel of the same age due to it being calculated on engine size.

Along with that, 11,000 miles per year is not quite high enough to justify the potential extra cost of a diesel car in my opinion.

Hope that helps

Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Adviser
@Shane_O_D