What Would It Take for YOU to buy a diesel car?
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If the Koreans, Japanese, Chinese or the US can offer a small, entry level priced diesel city car at about 12K they can get my attention and maybe even my signature. I believe for those of us who like to travel a diesel truck is still one of the best options. But until unless the price of diesel drops considerably I can't see selling my Tahoe Tow vehicle for a two MPG difference towing. I do agree the seven to eight MPG non towing mileage advantage is tempting but I don't drive the truck much unless I have something heavy to pick up at Home Depot or the nursery. Other than that it doesn't go anywhere unless there is a travel trailer hooked up behind it. The best part is it is paid for.
My hope for the future now is that first we get plug in hybrids and then finally viable EV city cars. But I do believe a plug in hybrid diesel is a good option.
The percentages there are even worse now than they were when gas was $4 and diesel was $4.90: diesel is a full 25% higher in price for me. That means I would need to find a diesel that made 56 mpg in town, just to break even with the Echo I already have. That's why I'm still looking for the diesel that makes 60 mpg combined. And unfortunately, it appears that most of the 50-state diesels that we will see in the next 12 months will be under the hoods of large cars and crossovers or trucks. :-(
And what's this fascination with the "laziness" of diesels? What fun is it to drive around almost at idle all the time? I am a VTEC fan - give me a small displacement engine with an 8000 rpm redline and I will return 40 mpg in low-rev commute driving and a whole BUSHEL of fun when it is time to play! :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
In general, the diesel car is a good buy if you're getting something new anyway, just like hybrids.
That question could be asked as well to Audi RS 10 and Peugeot 908 5500T pilots racing in Le Mans Series and 24 Hours du Mans; or to VW Touareg ones at Paris-Dakar. To each his own.
Regards,
Jose
Something I have noticed that has allowed some to find another loophole is these new sub 50 cc scooters. From what I understand some of them are allowed on the road without a motorcycle license because they are under the 50cc limit. I see them all over the place now that I am out of the mountains. My aunt and Uncle live in Sun City and the number of golf carts selling there is quite high as well. It seems as if that city has allowed them public street access.
Almost everyone is looking for a solution and for right now diesel is way behind the curve. They need an entry level diesel to introduce city drivers and commuters to the new diesels. It might be a page out of Honda's play book but it has worked for them. With the economy now the last thing anyone needs is a 25K small diesel, not if it doesn't get hyper mileage. As long as the Koreans can sell a sub compact for 9 or 10k there will not be a big market for a VW diesel not much bigger at 25k.
It is the city car that we need not a sub compact road car. It doesn't matter if the Jetta Diesel gets its best mileage out on the highway because people that drive mostly on the highway are looking for the very cars you mentioned earlier. With that in mind 20-30K may be all VW needs to make.
Still because I think VW thought the dependability studies should be alphabetical for as many years as I have been watching them I am not willing to look at any VW as a viable solution to my next vehicle need. I realize some vehicles go against the grain of these studies. Some people may have found the exception to the VW dependability rule. My Old RamCharger was one of the best trucks I ever had and no study reccommended them. But I have had three VWs and they have proven the studies to be pretty accurate. The strikes and they are out of my field of view.
How do I really feel? I think we should trade VW back to Europe for Alfa and a future draft choice. :P
I think Smart was REALLY dumb not to bring the diesel model over - that one really DOES make 60 mpg in town. Considering how well the gas version has done, that thing could probably make the list of top ten cars in sales if they added a diesel variant.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The US is a moving target on diesel emissions. We have different regulations from the Feds and CARB. In the EU they set standards for improvement to emissions. Here we wait until the technology arrives and say not good enough go back to the drawing board. Canada has had the Diesel Smart for several years and they were selling as soon as they were unloaded from the truck in Victoria BC. Mileage in the 70-90 MPG range was not uncommon. I just do not see the draw for a gas version of the Smart. Actually for any car or SUV anymore. I have bought my last new gasser. Our gas is horrible for mileage in CA. We have the best diesel here and the worst gas. Yesterday in San Diego the average price for diesel was 20 - 30 Cents over RUG. About equal to Premium at several stations. Most stations selling diesel now for $3.79.
I really think legislators need to re-think what effects their fuel tax structure actually has. If people burn less fuel (and that tends to happen with diesel fuel), the air is cleaner. And setting aside selfish concerns for lower priced diesel fuel for autos, there are still the buses, trucks, trains and tractors where the added cost of the fuel drives up all prices for everyone everywhere, Regardless of how that may be modified, there is also the matter of refining capacity. Unlike other countries, the US refines roughly two gallons of gasoline for every gallon of diesel. You do not turn that around on a dime. If people do start buying more diesels for personal transportation, even with a favorable fuel tax, the price will go up simply because supply will struggle for some time to meet demand.
If I ever contemplate buying a diesel, I will research diesel prices agian at that time, but that 10-mile radius is the one I will use to base my decision on, and my strong impression is there isn't enough competition in the diesel retail market to suppress prices.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
There are warring agencies in CA with far different agendas. You have CARB that only cares about emissions. They could care less if it takes more gas to get a car to PZEV. Then you have the GW bunch that CO2 is the most evil element on the planet and they want the lowest CO2 count possible. Then the DOT. They are the ones that need the gas tax to fix the roads. So for every Prius put on the road it takes twice as many miles to get the same amount of tax. One reason they were not thrilled with the EV mandate. It had NO provision for taxing the 10% EVs that were supposed to be sold here.
Diesels will create the same shortfall that hybrids have caused. So why would any of the agencies want diesel cars. They are not PZEV or likely to be. They do cut CO2 but never enough for the GW Cult. And the DOT wants more money not less. So Diesels will be the dirty step child in CA for the few of US that like going 700 miles on a tank of fuel. Don't like to hear a screaming 4 banger gas engine while trying to listen to Bach. And want to be ready when Algae based Biodiesel comes of age.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Diesel with DSG should make them feel like level roads.
A small torquey agile little car is perfect for San Francisco. The bigger the worser. :P
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
SF taxi cabs replace front brakes every 6 weeks!
See: http://www.auto123.com/en/suzuki/sx4/2008/review?carid=1086002402&artid=101236
I guess Suzukis are okay. One never hears much about them plus or minus. Kinda like Mitsubishi. No one ever seems to endorse them.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Auto companies had best be careful who they sleep with, apparently.
Mitsubishi's electric car should be interesting.
As long as the price of the car is in the $20k to $26k range I will consider a diesel powered vehicle.
"price of fuel"
The price of fuel is an issue. The diesel to regular spread is still a bit high. If it can get to within about 5% it will not be an issue for me.
"practicality (seating capacity, # of doors, etc)"
This is part of the overall car buying equation, I do not see diesels having any advantage or disadvantage in this area.
"MPG"
An important item to consider. This has become less of an issue for me since I bought a bicycle. The bicycle will reduce my overall commuting costs by about a third. I anticipate still using my car about 2/3s of the time because of weather, meetings or errands.
"manufacturer'
Another important item. I would consider a Subaru or Honda diesel, but not a VW. The overall VW reliability has been poor. The closest VW dealer is about 200 miles away. A long way to go for warranty work.
I also see a bit of a problem with getting value out of a European built car given the Euro to Dollar relationship.
I will not consider buying a car built in Russia, China or India. Generally, I try to buy a car built in America, but I'm not a fanatic about it.
"performance (0-60, noise, ride, handling)"
I do not see diesels having a disadvantage in this area. The new diesels are doing well in the performance arena.
Cold weather starting is a minor issue. I have seen people with diesel engines go through a bit more hassle starting the vehicle when it is 20 to 40 below. My RUG car with the Mobil 1- 5w-30 starts right up and can move out in 30 seconds or less without sounding like a bucket of bolts.
Availability of fuel is another issue. More stations are getting diesel, however, they usually get only one pump. Lining up behind a large diesel pickup and trailer or RV could be an issue depending on the size of the station. The issue is a minor one for now. However, if we start getting fuel shortages of RUG or diesel the issue might become more important.
I will consider a diesel whenever I decide to get anther car. On the other hand, I will be looking at a lot of options - everything from hybrids to pure electric cars. The good news is that I have plenty of time to think about it. My current car could easily last me another 7 years and 60,000 miles.
It is nice to be able to sit back and watch the technology change without having to jump at anything.
And if anyone is interested, here is the link to the latest Transportation Energy Data book. Table 1.10 (p. 39) shows that diesel fuel production is slowly increasing.
http://cta.ornl.gov/data/index.shtml
Anecdotally, my ex-wife has a 2002 TDI, my friend Patty has a 2001, my sister has a 2005...no complaints at all from any of them. Basically, even the worst cars (and the TDI is definitely not that) are way better than some of the cars we all recall as lemons some years ago. I have now owned 28 vehicles, and have traded too often for it to make any real sense...just liked to have a new car...but the two I have kept the longest were a Rabbit from the 70s and the GOLF TDI.
I think the TDIs are perhaps better (relative to other VWs I mean) because there is no ignition system and less engine management business, two weak areas for a VW product.
The gas Jetta often makes the "worst lists" on CR, CU, Forbes, you name it.
My friend who is a HUGE used car dealer, won't even have a gas Jetta on his lot, nor Jaguars, nor selected domestic products.
If you did a "Google Challenge" bet that the VW brand was better than average for most cars, you'd lose I'm afraid.
They most certainly don't make the worst cars, but they struggle to achieve mediocrity it seems.
You may want to alert your friend that Jaguars in the past few years have become very reliable cars...the XJ for sure is now highly regarded reliability-wise. That is the thing about these lists: they are always changing.
I think my friend was referring to older Jaguars, yes....but you know, this brings up the idea of "perception".
Once a car gets a bad reputation, no matter how good it eventually becomes, it takes DECADES to win back consumer confidence.
Case it point, it took Cadillac a good 20 years to erase the stigma of its worst products. Basically, all the people previously burned had to die of old age so they couldn't bad rap the product anymore. Sad but true.
A diesel hatchback making a combined 50 mpg is getting close to being in contention for me...
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
This is a cool tool. May have already been posted here.
For those wanting to see how much a 2009 Jetta TDI might save you, use 41 miles per gallon on the diesel side and your current car's stats on the gas side. Use $3.72 for the gas price and $3.95 for the diesel price, which is about the USA average right now.
See what you might save.
Mine is $209 saved per year if I traded my TCH for the Jetta
It's kinda slim pickins' if you really sharpen the pencil and think of all the other considerations besides fuel costs.
That would be silly. You should get another 10 years out of the TCH. By then it will only be EVs allowed per Al Gore. You will have had a chance to save the $100k that a car will cost and voila you are on the road again.
About the only thing on the horizon that would interest me enough to REALLY consider buying a replacement for the TCH would be a diesel/hybrid 5-passenger car capable of hitting 70+ MPG in the combined EPA test.
In other words - that car is not yet built. The Golf diesel hybrid that they have talked about a little bit is the closest thing.
I'm open to something that would save me money, save me fuel, and be as clean or cleaner than the TCH.
Still looking....................:)
evertime i'm over here in america i rent a car for a couple weeks. I am alway amazed how it seems impossible to get a car that gets even near the fuel consumption to european cars. At home i have 2004 Audi A6 2.5 TDI, which has a 2.5liter V6 Diesel engine with 163 hp. I know it's no sports car but it still gets up to about 145 mph. I drive about 400 miles a week and have an average fuel consumption of 29 mpg and i almost feel guilty because i drive so much and have a car with such a bad mileage considering the distance i drive every week. If i could afford a new car right now i would buy the new BMW 520d which has a combined mileage of 46 mpg with manual transmission, or 42 mpg with an automatic transmission.
Now, everytime i am here in the US it's impossible to get a midsize car that gets even close to the diesel cars in europe. Even the german car makers don't offer americans cars with a good fuel economy.
Why is that? I know, the gas price isn't that high as in europe, yet, but how do americans keep their monthly gas costs down? I mean, not everybody wants to drive a prius...
Back in the 80s I had a Fiat 124 Spyder. It was very interesting car to drive and would corner absolutely neutral. You could toss it into a 4 wheel drift and neither the tail or the nose would cut lose first unless to had the wheels cranked. But the old saying the Fiat stood for Fix It Again Tony turned out to be true. My first VW was pretty much the same only it didn't handle as well as the Fiat.
When I got my first VW the car was interesting but it took a lot of work to keep it running like I wanted ot to. Parts and service were horrid. Ten years later some of my friends told me I should give VW another try, they had improved. My second VW was no better than the first. Still interesting and handled better but no more dependable. It was a Ghia. Ten years later I tried once more and nothing had changed. I think all the escaped [non-permissible content removed] war criminals have found a hiding place in VW parts and service. I have watched the dependability studies ever since for some sign VW has seen the light but to no avail.
My '87 Golf was actually pretty good - certainly better than the '83 Plymouth Horizon it replaced. Ran better, was more comfortable, had more space, and was more reliable than the Chrysler product.
My '03, now at 55K, has been very good - but not as good as my wife's Accord was at the same mileage point. I'll only buy a VW model late in it's product life cycle, to get past the buggy stage.
On the diesel front, I'm kinda hoping that Hyundai drops a TD into the Elantra or the Sonata, at a reasonable price.