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What Would It Take for YOU to buy a diesel car?
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Again, this is further opaque on Resale, since the same % (In my case 9.75%) taxation is AGAIN levied on the downstream buyer, on a now LOWER PP. So, IF CA can STRIP away mandatory road taxations for OTHER THAN mandatory ROAD REPAIR, the mechanism is already there to do it to the taxation one pays on CAR purchases for ,.... ROAD REPAIR. It is also logical that it be done !!! It is NOT of course.
https://autos.yahoo.com/news/best-small-cars-consumer-reports-testing-100000790.html
Still improvement is improvement! My mother drives a 2014 Freightliner with many of the tech goodies mentioned in that article. While the predictive terrain technology can be very nice in helping her truck to maintain speed (both up and down mountains), apparently it also gets easily confused with the right chain of events. So, part of it is training the truck, and the other part is training the driver!
Ah, and we're having some sort of transaxle issue with the Forester. Sad stuff, but doesn't look good for the transmission/center/front differential unit at this point... and only 82K miles! At least I have a factory extended warranty to 100K/7yr. LOL
That really is why I made a point of highlighting percentages ! ..."Totally negated"... by the real world is code for why bother? Another is, why even pay? Yet, you did not even mention what mpg improvement your Mom's experiencing, due to tech goodies, not to mention why she even sprung for them.
There are really diesel advantages: bleed off or bleed down to diesel passenger cars. An easy one we/I talk about is better to WAY better EPA mpg. Another is bette higher altitude operation. It doesn't hurt either than mpg fall off @ altitude is a lot less than gassers.
Why I would spring for charging enhancements in PVF diesels ? 24/7 and "custom" current draws kill conventional batteries almost in half. Putting even more current draw items puts even a greater load even faster loss, etc. Not that you would know this, but in TLC's, I am used to batteries lasting 9/11 years. Less belts to run systems off the engine cuts down on parasitic hp/torque losses, etc. Charging in theory could power electrical product and keep batteries lasting LONGER 9/11 years PLUS.
So, I imagine there's cost motivation for them, but I don't know how that stacks up against alternatives. Her current unit runs 6.5-7 mpg on average. They have things like speed limiters, over-speed charges, and other behavior modifiers. The terrain system saves fuel and brakes, which, in the long term, saves time, and (when all else is said and done) the world of trucking is all about time.
Assuming 2.99 per gal, that is close to $ 49.3 k in fuel savings. That is .0986 per mile driven SAVED. Again SOUNDS small/like a nit, but HUGE HUGE HUGE.
The trickle down for me (in theory) would put 34.5 mpg to 39.33 to 42.44 mpg. But as you would agree, @ what cost?
Love to hear some more "mom" stories. Does she ever complain about the fuel smell?
If you have a Mercedes dealer, you can do a European delivery on a new GLK250 Bluetec, and take a nice EU vacation. They say the savings more than pay for the vacation.
I'm actually rather surprised about the issue, given that we don't do anything other than drive this car. We do occasionally pull a trailer, but even that is well under the 2,000# limit. I think it may just be some sort of odd manufacturing thing that is developing over time. It's always been "noisy" during cold weather (this is my fourth Sube, so I know that's not normal even with stock fluids, which our Forester never has), but it seems to be going from cold-weather-only to more persistent. I changed the fluid at 44K, looked fine. I checked it last week.... not so good. LOL
I'm going to change it soon and pull a sample for analysis at Blackstone. Judging by the coloration, there's some serious issues going on in there!
My mother, who is 58, and her husband, do long-haul team-driving. They've done this for about four years now (time is not my friend with these sorts of things) after having done flagging for oversize rigs during the windmill craze days (is that still going on?). They really enjoy it overall, but they see all sorts of crazy stuff out there on the highways!
Fuel smell?! Come on, Steve! These are brand new trucks that probably run far cleaner than you (or I) do.
Still plenty of windmill blade hauling, mostly up north of us though.
We have a new project at hand, actually. Wife wants to pick up some acreage in PA. So, we're going through the motions on that to figure out feasibility, etc. You know, because life in one location is just too simple.
But, the good news is that it might give me an "out" on this Fiesta. I'm thinking that I'll take it down there and leave it as our runabout, along with a little utility trailer to make it useful. That way, if she wants to spend some time down there (solo), she can just fly in rather than needing the extra three weeks of driving there and back (again?). For a single person traveling, the drive loses it's cost-effectiveness vs. flying.
So, then I have a legitimate excuse to need another car. Heheh.
Hah! Steve, honestly, neither of them have ever mentioned that at all. Usually it's stories about other drivers' behaviors!
PA, has some good tax benefits for retirees. Their gas tax is not one of them. Pretty country. I was born in Erie.
https://autos.yahoo.com/news/mercedes-benz-makes-pickup-giddy-partner-203000118.html
AH,... MB PU truck 1.1, English back story?
http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about-the-new-mercedes-pic-1694119709
Silicon Valley may be the new R & D area for auto oems
..."The technical transition to a connected car is already under way. Industry researcher IHS Automotive estimates between 10% and 25% of the cost of making cars and light trucks now is linked to software."...
http://www.wsj.com/articles/ford-mercedes-set-up-shop-in-silicon-valley-1427475558?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_business
"For the time being, stronger demand is confined to gasoline. Diesel sales at the end of last year were little changed compared with the same period in 2013.
The gasoline/diesel split suggests extra demand is coming from private motorists since gasoline is mostly used in private cars and small trucks while diesel dominates the medium and heavy truck sector."
California motorists hit the road again (Reuters)
The diesel conclusion can be a tad bit misleading, and on more than a few levels! One could be due to the realities that MEASURING the LESS than 2.5% diesel cars ( increase/decrease/remains the same) consumption is very hard. They really do HATE it when LESS is consumed. Or they really don't want folks to consume LESS by switching TO diesel.
So let's see VW Touareg gasser 20 mpg, TDI 32 mpg. WAY less profit % in RUG/PUG. ! Offer a few cents cheaper over ULSD ! ?? Pretty clear to most folks.
Yet on the same day this article came out from CES stating QNX is going to be the system VW will use. Not sure if their person in uninformed or it is a secret alliance.
"At Volkswagen, we believe deeply in delivering the highest quality driving experience, regardless of the cost, size, and features of the vehicle. The scalable architecture of the QNX platform is well-suited to our approach, enabling us to offer a full range of infotainment systems, from premium level to mass volume, using a single, proven software base for our Modular Infotainment Modules (MIB) and the RNS 850 system," said Alf Pollex, Head of Connected Car and Infotainment, Volkswagen AG.
http://crackberry.com/qnx-provides-software-platform-volkswagen-infotainment-systems
ND is a welfare state. For every $1 we send to the Feds in taxes we get back about $3.85 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_taxation_and_spending_by_state Do you think ND will turn back the money? Unlikely. All the oil taxes are going toward building a large war chest.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/24/most-dependent-states-in-the-us_n_6930634.html
Here is one with diesel (RUG/PUG also) implications.
US becoming 'refiner to the world' as diesel demand grows
Patti Domm | @pattidomm
Wednesday, 7 Aug 2013 | 10:59 AM ET
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100943620
Why is Brent Crude used as a WW spot price fixing when Brent Crude is a literal puddle of inventory vs a Pacific Ocean of say SA or US inventories? So for example, WTC is cheaper per barrel? It is also WAY more relevant.
Here is the one I like:
..."As of mid-year, margins on U.S. Gulf Coast-produced diesel were running just above $16 barrel, while the margins on finished gasoline were much lower at just under $8 barrel, and that trend is not new. The data were provided by Valero in a recent investor presentation."...
YET, the price of diesel is LESS than RUG/PUG. ! ? More normally, the price of ULSD is ... MORE! So, IF all they do is make a couple basis points LESS PROFIT (not even ONE percentage) THEN, ULSD SHOULD be PERMANENTLY..... CHEAPER . ! ? Or, ... they could transfer those profit %'s and volume LOSSes to .... RUG/PUG ie.much higher prices.
So the current administration, who has gone on record wanting $10. USD gasoline, has done its level best to strangle, to kill this juggernaut and overwhelming natural advantages. Needless to say the efforts are HUGE jobs killers.
"The U.S. was the breadbasket to the world. Now we're the refiner to the world," he said.
Analysts also say U.S. petroleum products are probably slightly more expensive because of the export market, but it's hard to say how much. While refined products can be exported, raw crude oil cannot be.
All I have read is the Tar Sands will be processed at refineries in the USA. That means a LOT more jobs than just 35 rent a cops watching the Keystone pipeline. Question will we destroy another part of our economy to satisfy the few? Nothing is pollution free including Tesla EVs.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/for-canada-tar-sands-are-bigger-than-keystone-xl-17543
Based on past results, there are NO questions in my mind we overwhelmingly chose to destroy LARGE parts of our economies. The pollution issue is PURELY tactical, and a total NON issue, They are there so fairy tales can opaque AND continue the hidden realities.
2. section 179 tax rules are a reason to buy a diesel if you own a business. If you can depreciate/itemize/deduct your Big Money Diesel Car, that is a great incentive to own a more expensive (e.g. diesel) vehicle. Diesels are often exorbitantly more expensive than their gasser counterparts, although good deals can be had too!
Lots more drivers consider a more expensive (diesel) vehicles if they charged it to their business, but most of us work for someone else who gets the tax deductions. So we drive gassers due to their much lower-entry-cost, and often lower operating costs, and less rube-goldberg emissions stuff to break, because we gotta be to work on time and can't afford to be BSing around at the dealership/mechanic getting warranty service or any other service..
3. QNX is great, i've worked with it a bunch over decades.. It is quite the solidOS/embedded-microkernel.
4. i see lots of recent press coverage about how 'millennials' (e.g. youngsters) shop for cars based on tech, and this is driving auto industry sales. gagrice, you do rock - you are doing the same thing, you are totally in tune with kids. but please confirm for us that you don't have spinner wheels on your 2-reg, because they won't help the trade-in value.
Second, I got interested in the Navigation when we bought the 2007 Sequoia Limited. My joy went to frustration the first time I used it going home. It took a longer routing. Which did not give me much confidence to start with. As time went on and we were taken to gas stations that had been closed for years, I realized just how poor the mapping and especially the POI database was. The Touareg has the added features of Bluetooth and the ability to add MP3 via SD cards so the flaky mapping from NavTeq (Microsoft) was just a continuing irritation. I knew Audi was bringing out a system that you could use Google maps. Which I have found after breaking down and buying a Samsung Note 4 to be very good. While looking through the CES headlines the VW/QNX headline caught my attention.
Third, service. I had to take my Sequoia to the Dealer every 5k miles as required. The Toyota dealer which went out of business the following year was 35 miles from home. They dinged me $54 for an oil change with cheapo dino oil. They wanted over $90 to use synthetic. Walmart did the same oil change with Mobil One for $48. The Touareg only requires service every 10k miles and the service is free the first 4 years and 48k miles.
An indicator of how much more I like to drive the Touareg over the Sequoia. When we sold the Sequoia to my wife's grand daughter it had 35k miles and 10 months left on the 7 year extended warranty I bought. We paid for the warranty when the Nav/entertainment froze up replacement cost $2200. She used the warranty to replace a defective rear view mirror it saved her $1200. She loves the Sequoia with two babies and several trips per year to visit the in-laws in Tahoe.
We have put 22,000 miles on the Touareg in a year and a half. And I cannot wait to get out on the road again. As comfortable as the Sequoia was on long trips, it did not compare to the Touareg TDI. Our first trip East I drove from home to Big Springs TX over 1000 miles. Not by choice. Just could not find a motel room in West TX I would stay in. We try to stay under 650 miles a day, which is a tank of diesel.
1. Being as how most cars are gassers (95% +), its a no brainer to say they probably get more monies and %'s from GASSER vehicles.
2. Again, as most are gassers (95% + PVF), another no brainer to say most who are able to use this IRS Section 179 do so with much more expensive... gassers. I'd say most who buy diesels fit your #2 para 2's description. Diesel owners I I have ask, look at me like, IRS section 179 ????????
For whatever reasons, you seem touchy on this topic, to the point of myopia. Other than IRS section 179, 15 IRS regulations allow for .565 cents per mile driven, if one travels for business. Again, the overwhelming majority of folks who can use this, do so with gassers (95% +)
4. Less tech works for me. I am ok with "cheap" Costco GPS's and smart phone Google Maps. But then on the other hand, neither has much to do with diesels.
4. This one has 18 in wheels and I wish they were the even smaller sized (17 in) (not available oem in US markets )
It would seem the bigger sized and ever wider tire treads ( and past H rated) wear faster, cost more and harder to find, and more delicate. My preference is for "the balance" that yields closer to 90,000 miles than ...less. Smaller tires also seem to post better mpg than larger ones. This would be a modifying variable with diesels AND gassers.
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_27809931/traffic-surges-i-580-and-highway-101-gateways?source=infinite
Which States Have The Most Diesel Vehicles? New Data Gives Results
Green Car Reports By John Voelcker
2 hours ago
..."The data showed that the highest increases in diesel registrations came in California, Massachusetts and Nevada, with year-over-year increases of 23.7 percent, 21.0 percent, and 17.8 percent respectively.
Western states, including Idaho, Montana, and Nevada have the highest percentage of diesel vehicles on their roads.
..."There are now a total of 7.4 million diesel cars and SUVs on U.S. roads, out of a total vehicle pool of roughly 250 million."'''
https://autos.yahoo.com/news/states-most-diesel-vehicles-data-gives-results-130000843.html
Data is a tad cut & pasted or disjointed. 2012 NHSTA lists the Registered PVF @ 265.647 M http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx So the PVF as of 2012 WAS app 15.6 M more.
So this would put diesels PVF @ app 2.79 % (% is in arrears, minus 2013,2014,2015 MY's RPVF)
Golf SW TDI lease rate ADVANTAGE ?
https://autos.yahoo.com/news/2015-vw-golf-sportwagen-lease-tdi-better-gasoline-123000729.html
So truly, IF one IS in the markets, it is better to have advantages working for one, rather than against.
Strange headline about an injury accident spotted on the news this morning - diesel semi hauling gasoline hits a Prius.
So truly, IF one IS in the markets, it is better to have advantages working for one, rather than against.
It would seem that VW is getting serious again about sales in the US. MB making generous offers is likely a result of them getting knocked off the top last year by BMW. They all seem to be offering more diesels, which I find encouraging. I think the X3 diesel and GLK BT are well placed. Looks like the GLK has a slight edge mileage wise over the 4 cylinder BMW. Not to mention 90 more foot lbs of torque. The GLK is better placed for those not quite in the market for an all out luxury CUV also. I think it is a heck of a CUV for under $40k. Audi went the power route and barely beats the Touareg for mileage while giving up lots of size. The Q5 with a 4 cylinder that is offered in the EU would be more to my liking.
Diesel prices coming down and the open road to Oregon is calling me. Our friend SLorenzen just emailed the Rhodedendrons are blooming, about a month early.
There are many data points to spark many issues of discussion, DESPITE it almost totally overlooking diesels potential to even FURTHER drop consumption percentages. Prices also. It does need to be noted that an EXCELLENT over all job HAS been done.
It would SEEM the "powers that be" which guides the over all policy/processes seem reluctant for the folks (consumers) who have done the "heavy lifting" so to speak, to share in the fruits of their endeavors, decisions, compliance, AND all important EXECUTION.
It is also interesting that MB has put the 2.1 L TT 4 cylinder BT engine in a number of models with WIDE price points.
The move to QNX’s CAR platform will provide Ford developers with a whole class of mobile platform capabilities that Sync currently lacks, including better support for touch displays, HTML5 and Qt-based applications, and a number of auto-centric interface enhancements that Microsoft hasn’t been able to bring to Ford—at least at the embedded level—all at a price Ford was willing to pay.
Given BlackBerry’s ongoing restructuring, the deal with Ford could be a major boost to the company’s future. QNX is already being used by Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Acura, Porsche, Saab, and Hyundai for their in-car systems. Shifting to QNX could also help Ford in its effort to turn AppLink into an industry standard for mobile device application integration.
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/02/ford-drops-microsoft-will-use-blackberrys-realtime-os-for-next-sync/
So given BB's resurrection from the dead, yes the QNX is in a sweet spot. Hopefully VW has a solution to the (your) NAV issue. For me, the 12 VW Touareg TDI AND the 14 MB GLK 250 BT did not have NAV, which was fine for US. Indeed none of my diesels has NAV.
I realize auto computer hardware and software are huge markets and battle grounds. For us, the smart phones, I pads, laptops and portable GPS really highlight the need for better charging and operating platforms. Something like a hotel safe would be neat, so all this hardware does not need to be shuffled around.
This might seem like over kill, but three to 4 positions (in our case) would add easily up to 3 hours of productive time per day, per work station.(it actually does now) So in a years time, it can add 720 hours of work related productivity. Not that commuting is fun, but it does keep a huge set of locational living ares VIABLE into the future.
Just on TMI:
I am glad to hear you like the Michelins !! I remember you doing REAL good on the price !
Another data point:
So far I am happy with the Continental Cross Contacts LX20's (18 in). It is good in snow (although NOT a snow tire) Good in the commute, interstates, wet, dry, desert AND mountain roads ! Wear is approaching 20,000 miles per 1/32nd in !! ?? It's run @ 3 psi above the door placard values (oem highway recommendation). MPG remains pretty much the same as I have posted in the past.
As it applies to the DIESEL thread, these CUV tires are @ cross purposes. So, iterations in this CUV tire segment are a series of pretty radical compromises.
I just hooked up the trickle charger to the 12 VW Touareg TDI. For just being operated, it took a fairly long time to get the charge back up to 100% from a less than 80% charge.