Dear Mabs
I am a mine technician in my late thirties and I was retrenched almost a year ago. I transformed my bakkie into a transport business that moves cargo between Johannesburg and Musina. I rely on word of mouth and my business has grown substantially. I have bookings for the next six months for big orders and sometimes I go twice a week. My wife advised me to invest my pension money in buying another bakkie and expand the business. I currently use a petrol double cab bakkie and a trailer and I spend a lot of money on fuel.
I’m leaning towards a diesel single cab bakkie, but I have a bad history with diesel. About nine years I bought a popular SUV at the time with a diesel engine. It showed me flames! It was always either in the dealership for service, and later with bush mechanics, or parked at home. I couldn’t get rid of it fast enough. I vowed to never buy from that carmaker and never buy a diesel engine. Deep down I know that a diesel bakkie will be more economical for my business. For starters, I will be saving almost R2 per litre on fuel alone. I am torn owing to my experience and need your advice on how to proceed.
Mabs Answer:
It is encouraging to hear from individuals who are grabbing life by the horns despite the difficult circumstances they have gone through. I salute you and this also shows that you have a supportive partner who has your back, as it should be.
While the global north is fast evolving and adopting new energy technologies such as plug-in-hybrid, hybrids,
and full electric vehicles, our continent trails behind. We are still going to be using gasoline and diesel cars for quite some time.
The question of diesel versus petrol seems to be a conundrum. Some consumers want to know what the fundamental differences are between the two fuel forms while others want to know what the advantages and disadvantages are of both.
Let us start with diesel motors.
One of the biggest advantages of a diesel-powered engine is the fact that it gives more kilometres from the tank. According to experts, the tank can give you as much as 35% more than a petrol engine. As someone who drives long distances the diesel vehicle already seems advantageous.
Diesel engines are built to withstand the rigors of higher compression which makes them last longer than petrol engines before they require major repairs. Apart from this, diesel engines have no spark plugs, therefore, according to Lesueur Car Company, they never need ignition tune-ups.
Even though diesel engines seem to be more of a sensible buy there are a few disadvantages. But don’t despair as there is something you can do to mitigate them. Diesel engines need regular maintenance such as oil and fuel filters are non-negotiable.
Fuel injection in diesel-powered vehicles is highly sensitive and needs to be taken care of, as this will cost you a lot of money should it need to be replaced. Diesel-powered engines have improved substantially in the past ten years and it is now easier to keep and maintain than ever before.
Even though petrol engines are preferred by most consumers and mainly due to habit they are not necessarily better than diesel engines.
Petrol engines
Petrol-powered vehicles are cheaper to buy and cheaper to maintain.
However, currently, diesel is cheaper to purchase than petrol.
When we consider the greater environment, petrol engines seem to be a better choice in the long run. Petrol engines produce less CO2 emissions than diesel which produces at least 20 percent more. Your diesel engine will likely attract more emissions tax than a petrol engine, and do more damage in the long run.
At the end of the day, it is your decision and your wife to go for what works for you and your business and circumstances. I wish you the very best with your business.
