Quick question for everyone over here...In your personal opinion would a diesel car be a fine investment for the years to come?
I realize that the whole "peak oil" scenario is overstated and what not. But, wouldn't a car running on diesel be a no-brainer for consumers considering that consumption will most likely rise signficantly in the years to come? Or am I missing something here?
i guess it depends how much you feel gas at te pump prices will rise in accordance wiht your wages.
if you dont drive muchan older economy car may be the route to go for overall dollar savigns. lower insuraance with still good fuel economy...if you just want a new car maybe a hybrid for lower fuel costs but they tend to run higher in cost that similar sized cars onj gas only. i dont know is a deisel would make that much difference.
A diesel is a no brainer in my hillbilly town. Since we have contempt for the men in blue, we fill our cars up with red diesel or heating oil. By the time they catch you, you've probably already saved enough money in evaded taxes to pay the fine a few times over.
Where do you live? When I was in the US, gas and diesel cost pretty much the same. But diesel can be gained from more diverse sources, as Marko noted, some of which are not yet under the thumb of the tax collectors. Anyway, I drive a diesel car. You can expect fuel consumption to drop by 20-30% for the same performance. You'll also get a lot more traction in the low revs. There's a reason why all the heavy-duty truck models have a diesel option. Downsides of a diesel: your battery needs to be strong to fire it up, and you can't keep a weak battery as long as you would with a gas engine. Expect maintenance and spare parts as well as the car's base price to be a bit more costly. Diesel has a more pungent odor than gas, but that's only a problem at the station, if ever. If your road tax system does not punish the use of diesel engines (as ours does), you should be doing fine with a diesel car if you drive at least 3000-4000 miles a year (higher base price vs. lower fuel consumption). In the long run, I think diesels will become the engine of choice due to rising gas prices, OPEC and all the other disadvantages associated with using a gas-dependent engine. If you live in the US, go for a BMW 120d or 330d. Generally look for French or German diesel cars, they are the most elaborate and reliable ones in my experience.
Marko:we fill our cars up with red diesel or heating oil.
Snowflake:How do they even catch you if they cant see through your tank to the red diesel?
They stop you and ask if they may take a fuel sample from your tank, please. At least that's what they do in Germany.
While this is off-topic (but, still related to vehicles), does anyone here own a radar detector for their automobile?
+1 for diesel. Runs on veggie oil or biodiesel as well. Tell the oil cartels to take a hike!
Diesel is my wife's favorite store. (Sorry for the random post; it's late, and that's what the thread title made me think of...)