This is a 5 year study, you WILL save money ON AVERAGE.
For every diesel that “needs work” there are enough that did not to offset the expenses.
Gassers are prohibitively expensive to service these days. The gasser BMWs cost over $600 just for a spark plug change at the dealer, Land Rovers $1,000 for spark plugs and wires, same for Fords with those weird 2 piece spark plugs. Other manufacturers’ cars are equally expensive as well.
Fuel injection service costs are the same gasser or diesel.
There isa reason you see zero gas engines in large trucks, they are too expensive to operate, and it holds true for cars as well.
But if you are one of the outliers, you are really hosed.
large trucks don’t use gas engines mainly because of fuel use and lack of torque. diesels are torque monsters.
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.