Posted on 06/28/2013 5:26:37 AM PDT by thackney
It costs less to own a diesel vehicle than a gasoline-powered one, according to a study that looked at new car prices, fuel economy and resale values.
Owners of diesel vehicles saved average of $6,000 compared with the cost of owning similar gasoline-powered cars over a five year period, according to the study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
The results were released Thursday at the 2013 Alternative Clean Transportation Expo in Washington D.C., according to the Diesel Technology Forum, an advocacy group that celebrated the study.
The main savings came from resale values and fuel costs, according to the study, which also considered repairs, insurance and maintenance expenses.
“These new findings that clean diesel vehicles are a more cost-effective investment for car owners reinforces what auto analysts and other comparative studies have determined in recent years,” Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, said in a statement.
Though a gallon of diesel is currently more expensive than gasoline, at about $3.83 nationally, diesel vehicles are far more fuel efficient, on average.
Diesel versions of popular cars are typically more expensive than their gasoline counterparts, but also hold their resale values better, according to the study.
The study also showed that diesel vehicle owners saved an average of $2,000 on vehicle costs over a three year period.
There were also some extremes in savings. On the low end, a Dodge Ram 2500 owner saved $67 in total costs for the diesel version compared with a gasoline version over five years. On the high end, a Mercedes-Benz GL Class diesel resulted in a savings of $15,619 compared with a gasoline version of the car over five years.
Diesel engines held a large edge over gasoline engines in terms of fuel efficiency, with several models showing more than 30-percent advantages in mileage per gallon.
Actually, I just reread my post and I didn’t type what I meant.
He was talking about the world “after the warranty expires”. And it was like you said, when “they” fix it.
And yeah, the 300k mark sounds about right. On a related note, I traded in my 2001 Chrysler 200m for my Scion at 186K. The AC had been out for a few months, summer was coming, the front end needed some work before anyone would allign it and my transmission was starting to shudder.
And one side had been wiped out by a kamakazee deer. It was time to move on...
I think the problem a lot of us have is that we’re “afraid” of deisels, and unreasonably so. It’s out of our comfort zone. Frankly, if Scion had not come out with that FRS I would almost certainly be driving a Golf TDI right now, and just hoping it was one of the good ones (and odds are it would be). I literally saw it as an opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone.
But driving that Scion to work every day is like playing one of those xBox country road racing games. It’s fun from beginning to end - every single day.
.
I’d be willing to bet they didn’t factor in the cost of diesel in this ‘study’.
Personal rant:
Two years ago I purchased a 97 VW Passat TDI Sedan for $2,700 and put another $1500 into maintenance, tires, shocks etc., and last month spent $1000 having its fuel pump rebuilt and reinstalled. Ignoring fuel costs. So, after two years I am out just over $5K but have a car that runs like new, gets just over 50 mpg (with the rebuilt fuel pump...42 mpg prior)and is worth just about what I have into it. I get over 800 miles a tank and expect to get another 100K to 200K on its 1.9 Turbo Diesel engine.
One year ago my brother purchased a smallish Toyota Suv Hybid for about $35K, which gets at best 25 mpg around town and maybe 30 mpg on the road. It has dropped almost $8K in resale value. If he had his druthers he would have kept his Expedition and just lived with the 14 miles mpg because of its room and it would not have fallen in value nearly as much...meaning he would have been better off financially.
BTW All 96 and 97 Passat TDIs for all essential purposes are actually Audi with VW badges. The Wagons are considered premo because if they are in decent shape and running good go for as much a $9K and get around 1200 miles a tank.
Well I’ve owned a number of Vws. Never had a serious problem with a y of them except the Rabbit I had in the 70s. And that was a result of filling it with that damn “ gasohol”, ruined the fuel system. Since then had Cabriolet, Scirrocco, Westphalia, Routon, the Jetta and finally a TDI Passat. Far out valued the Toyota, Chevy and Saturn we also owned.
We had a pick up with the converted gas engine, the block cracked after 20k miles and the replacement cracked at 100k.
It actually ran pretty good and had great torque in the mountains, we never had many problems at all until the two catastrophic failures.
Yes they did, along with the higher mpg that comes with diesel.
VW Passat TDI
Instead of a speedometer they give you a calendar.
? I don’t follow you. My car has the sports speed which my husband thinks is fun.
I test drove a Passat diesel once, dog slow acceleration .
Many times the problem with cost is taxation policy. Diesel is seen as a commercial fuel, so in many states gets taxed at a much higher rate.
I couldn’t find a summary with all states in one place, this has a state per page. You quickly see that some states really sock it to diesel, taxation wise. My state of GA is one of them, with almost a dime’s difference.
I found the summary.
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Wiki:A diesel particulate filter (or DPF) is a device designed to remove diesel particulate matter or soot from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine. Wall-flow diesel particulate filters usually remove 85% or more of the soot, and under certain conditions can attain soot removal efficiencies of close to 100%. Some filters are single-use, intended for disposal and replacement once full of accumulated ash. Others are designed to burn off the accumulated particulate either passively through the use of a catalyst or by active means such as a fuel burner which heats the filter to soot combustion temperatures; engine programming to run when the filter is full in a manner that elevates exhaust temperature or produces high amounts of NOx to oxidize the accumulated ash, or through other methods. This is known as "filter regeneration". Cleaning is also required as part of periodic maintenance, and it must be done carefully to avoid damaging the filter. Failure of fuel injectors or turbochargers resulting in contamination of the filter with raw diesel or engine oil can also necessitate cleaning. The regeneration process occurs at road speeds higher than can generally be attained on city streets; vehicles driven exclusively at low speeds in urban traffic can require periodic trips at higher speeds to clean out the DPF. If the driver ignores the warning light and waits too long to operate the vehicle above 40 miles per hour (64 km/h), the DPF may not regenerate properly, and continued operation past that point may spoil the DPF completely so it must be replaced. The link for Particle filters. |
Within the past few months I saw where, due to a California Refinery problem, West Coast gas prices just skyrocketed. On a perverse streak I called up Gas Buddy to see what the prices were for Diesel at that time and place. Sure enough, Diesel was cheaper than regular for that brief time. Not to be expected but at least in my area, its prices runs slightly below cost of premium gas.
This is my experience as well. 30 mpg in mixed use, 40 mpg on long trips averaging around 70 mph. Torque makes it just as peppy 0 - 60 as 60 - 90 (and it gets to 90 [and above] far too easily). It's cool regularly going 600+ miles on a tank.
I have 197K miles with one engine repair that ran under $300. Engine still sounds and feels great, probably good for another couple of hundred thousand miles.
When I next buy a car, I'll have a strong preference for a diesel.
sitetest
no.. they were just junk. GM replaced a lot of um under warranty. Stretched held bolts seemed to be the main issues if I remember right.
The engine did start off as a gas engine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Diesel_engine
Thanks. I vaguely remember reading something about the FedGov was thinking about requiring something like this, but hadn’t realized that it was that far along.
Sorry for the late reply.
We live in an area where the actual temp can get to minus 40, but the usual low is about minus 30.
I was thinking of my daughter’s Ford pickup. It can be plugged in, and around 10 below is a real problem to start. It has glow plugs, which means ether cannot be used.
I was also thinking of the old gas engines pre-1970’s that had carburetors and non-electronic ignition. Actual temp minus 40, they would start without being plugged in. We had a 2008 Chevy Colorado. It was minus 45. It was not plugged in, took right off. However the plastic door handle broke simply by trying to open the door. When below zero, most diesels need to be plugged in 24/7 so they start for emergencies or unexpected trips.
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