What should I know before buying a diesel car?

[StageLeft]

Diesel costs about the same as regular gasoline per gallon, what sort of MPG can I get out of a standard diesel car? What choices do I have to pick from late-model vehicles? Is VW the only company still making disels?

 

[Sacotool]

I'm not sure about mileage, but diesels tend to run longer than gasoline engines. Keep in mind that they require a little more maintainence than gasoline motors. They also tend to sound like "rocks in a pail" when idling.

 

[StageLeft]

Lord I just got prices on some new VWs, the cheapest I can find is about $16k US!! Are there any diesels that are cheap enough that you won't have to drive it for 5 years to break even on money saved with gas?

 

[raptor13]

Diesel fuel can also congeal when it gets really cold. That's something to consider if you live in a cold climate, or at least one with winter. Although, I'm pretty sure there is anti-coagulant stuff you can buy which you'd have to add to the fuel after every fill up.

 

[Farbio]

nope, sorry skorb, the savings in gas won't make much difference in five years vs. gas

 

[StageLeft]

So, Farbio, why do people buy diesel cars?! I'd buy a hybrid but they cost too much as well. You can get a non-hybid, but better for about 2/3 the price.

 

[JellyBaby]

Just read an article about new-wave, hi-tech diesels coming to the US of A soon. Click here to learn more.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Some precautions before buying a diesel car:

Commandment #1: never run out of fuel (ever)
Commandment #2: never put any gasoline in the tank (it tends to make for a very expensive tank of gas)
Gas stations with diesel are not nearly as common as gas station with gas
Diesels tend to be noisier
Diesels tend to be slower
Diesels (when maintained properly) can last forever
GM diesels suck (and I'm a GM fan), however afaik this will be rectified soon
Ford's 7.3L diesel isn't much better.
Dodge's Cummins and Ford's Powerstroke diesels are quite good
If you own a diesel Rabbit, you may find being passed by a Lark happens way too often.

Other than that: 40MPG isn't unheard of in a diesel car.

 

[Triumph]

diesels run forever, and kick arse on the highway. my brother's 1981 mercedes 300d takes forever to get to highway speeds, but once there it runs like a champ. plus it gets good mileage while being quite a large car.

as for maintenance, huh? that thing refuses to die, no matter how bad my brother beats it up.

but look for a turbo diesel, if you can. then you might be able to make it to 60 in under 20 seconds

 

[Triumph]

oh i forgot to mention, my cousin in germany has an Opel Vectra? Astra? i forget, it's a minivan type thing, a diesel, and that had more than adequate pickup. well more. you can't buy opel's in the states, obviously. point is there are diesel's out there that don't drive like an 18 wheeler.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

<< Ford's 7.3L diesel isn't much better.
Dodge's Cummins and Ford's Powerstroke diesels are quite good >>



The word &quot;contradiction&quot; comes to mind.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

RB: Ford's 7.3L diesel preceedes the current 7.5L powerstroke.
Just as Chevy's TBI 350 preceeds the 5.4L vortec

 

[JC]

All you need to know is you don't want a diesel car. These other folks have listed the reasons.

Stinkin', smokin', smellin', mother-$@?#ing diesels...DIESELS ARE SUCK!!!

 

[JellyBaby]

JCIV,

Old style diesels perhaps. But check out the link I included in my last post. Better is a comin' (provided your friendly federal politician will allow it)!

 

[ajskydiver]

My 1974 Mercedes 240D refuses to die... 4-cyl 4-spd... top speed 70mph... 40-60mpg hwy/30-40cty...never got a single ticket in this thing! and it's in great shape! Love it.

 

[Phalkon]

Gawd, Diesels stink!
Behind a VW somethingorother the other day... pheewww!

 

[Mule]

EWW!

1) Don't buy diesel

2) Don't buy diesel

3) Don't buy diesel

What makes you wanna buy diesel? Diesel cars are the crappiest around. Makes me wanna throw up.

 

[huey1124]

don't forget, emission from diesel engine is carcinogenic. i believe this finding is relative new. so if you are the type to park your car inside the garage, it might not be a good idea to warm up your car there.

i believe most, if not all, new VW diesel engines come with turbo. i am a VW fan, and i have been reading up on new Jetta turbo diesel and such. it is highly economical to drive these, if you commute long distances everyday. with their 10 yr/100,000 mile powertrain warranty, these cars should be virtually worry-free mechanically. but as others have said, owning a diesel car can also be inconvenient in some ways.

 

[Mark R]

Modern diesels are excellent, and can save substantial fuel. However, in the US, the exceptionally low price of fuel means that this may not offset the cost of getting an import - the Europeans make by far the best diesels.

A diesel engine is certainly noisier than petrol (gas), but this is not much of a problem with modern ones.

Similarly, modern diesels simply don't smoke or smell - unless they have been badly maintained

The engines simply refuse to die - taxi drivers regularly get 300k out of diesel cars, without major maintenance.

They are not necessarily slow: the new BMW 330d, with it's 3.0l diesel engine gets a 0-60 of under 8 seconds, while getting extra-urban fuel-consumption of better than 50 mpg.

 

[PG]

Demon-Xanth,

Ford's Powerstroke diesel is 7.3L. They renamed it a while ago and now call it the Powerstroke, but it's the same basic engine as before. Look down the list here and look at the engine options: http://www.fordvehicles.com/vehiclespec.asp?vid=10

The only 7.5 L engine Ford has made was the old 460 V8 which was a gas engine.

PG

edit: and Chevy's latest and revised V8's come in these displacements: 4.8L, 5.3L, 5.7L, and 6.0L. The 5.7 is not in trucks though, just the Corvette, Camaro, and Firebird.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Well, it appears that I am mistaken. When ford renamed the line they must've solved the oil drinking problem. (My grandpa's truck w/ the 7.3L diesel went through a quart every 500-1000 miles)

 

[Viperoni]

My friend with a Golf TDI pulls really hard, and it quite fast.
It doesn't even sound like a diesel.
Mind you, it's a 97 model
I was really surprised.
Top speed is only like 160kph though...100mph.
But it gets there fast
Plus it revs 4's or 5's

 

[Wangel]

One other rule with diesels. Do not use standard starting fluid (Ether) to try and start them. Serious damage can occur.

 

[desy]

I wonder if they can convert easily to Bio deisel.
Yes I'm still pushing the alternative fuels. If NA ever wants to get away from Mid East politics and dependancy we are gonna have to switch and ethanol bio diesel are the ways to go.
I looked at the Jetta too but to buy a Focus for commuting I can go a long long time before it would be a cost benefit to go to diesel with none of the diesel quirks.

 

[PG]

Demon-Xanth,

I think that Ford did revise that motor a lot. Well, whoever makes it for them revised it a lot. I don't think Ford designed it. I also heard a lot of bad things about the older 7.3 diesel engines, especially the ones before they added the turbo. They really had a lot of problems.

PG