If I were to tell you that now’s quite a good time to buy a diesel, you’d take one look at the price of a litre of the stuff and wonder if I’d had a little too much sunshine, wouldn’t you?
What if I were to tell you that now’s quite a good time to buy a diesel convertible? Well, then you really would think I’d lost it, right? After all, who in their right mind would want a drop-top with a diesel engine, right when diesel fuel’s at its peak?
Well, there’s method to my madness, and it’s twofold. Firstly, yes, diesel fuel is expensive. But diesel engines are still as efficient as they ever have been, and that fuel-sipping frugality means it’s often still cheaper to run a diesel even though the price per gallon is through the roof.
After all, if you’re doing 60mpg in a diesel, you’re using two thirds the amount of fuel as you are if you’re doing 40mpg in a petrol. So unless unleaded is two thirds the price of diesel – which it isn’t – the petrol car will still be more expensive to run.
So what’s the second reason for my theory? Well, people currently don’t want to buy a diesel, which means they’re super affordable. And that’s especially the case in the convertible market, where buyers tend to prefer petrol power. But if you’re willing to live with a bit of diesel clatter, bucking the trend can pay dividends.
Take the Saab 9-3 I found, for example. The 9-3 is a classic example of the kind of car that can be a real bargain; Saab doesn’t exist any more, which puts many people off, but parts are still freely available from specialist aftermarket suppliers: and I should know, because I used to own a 9-3 ragtop.
This one’s a diesel-engined example, too, which will put even more people off. But the 1.9 TiD engine is robust, and with 148bhp, it’s plenty powerful enough. In Vector Sport trim, this example comes with a leather interior, power hood, cruise control and the optional heated front seats.
Being a 2009 car, it’s a facelift example with the natty clear rear lights, too, and it should average 45mpg-ish, and get more than 50 on a long run. The price for all this finery? Just £2,000, which is £899 less than it’s actually worth, according to our Instant Market Value (IMV), which is what our data says it’s worth based on what other examples are selling for.
But what if you’ve got a bit more to spend? Well, how about a diesel that’ll thump its way to 62mph in less than six seconds, yet still average 40mpg? Let me introduce you to the BMW 640d, or more specifically, the 2014 example I found with 107,000 miles and a full service history.
Finished in metallic blue with white leather, this example looks a million bucks. And yet it’ll cost you just £9,450 to buy, £1,565 below its CarGurus IMV. That’s a lot of car for the cash, and it illustrates just how much you can save if you go for a diesel drop-top.
But some of the best savings out there at the moment are on previous-gen Mercedes C-Class Cabriolets. How about a 2019 C220d AMG Line with just 26,000 miles on the clock? This one’s a proper four-seater in which you can glide down to the pub at the weekend, with the whole family on board. At £19,995, it feels like a bargain, and no wonder, because it’s a whopping £2,257 below its IMV.
But my pick of the diesel cabrios won’t just look after your wallet when you buy it, but long afterwards, too. It’s a 2017 BMW 220d M Sport, and at £10,930, it’ll cost you £1,472 less than it’s worth, according to its IMV.
That’s a very worthwhile saving in and of itself. But it’s just the start. You see, these 220ds will average 50mpg driven carefully, and get up to 60mpg on a long run. Trips to the fuel pumps, then, will be few and far between.
And the good news doesn’t end there. You see, because this example was registered before the tax rules changed in April 2017, its 117g/km CO2 emissions land it in a super low tax bracket; in fact, car tax on this smart, premium, four-seat convertible will set you back just £35 a year. See? Not quite such a crazy idea after all.
Related Topics:
