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For a car of its size and supposed promise, the Smart car gets lousy mileage. That's what happens when you have to bring a car up to U.S. crash-safety standards. The Toyota Yaris has almost the same EPA rating, costs about the same, has three times the utility, and runs on regular gas so fuel is cheaper PER MILE.
And while many diesels can run on vegetable oil, the ones designed to meet the most recent emissions standards cannot. So please be careful about so cavalierly claiming that "diesel cars can run on vegetable oil."
Perhaps they should have taken a wheel off the smart so it wouldn't have to meet epa.
The old ones, yes. The new ones, no. The fuel systems on modern diesels inject the fuel into the combustion chambers at such high pressures that they change the chemical composition of bio-based fuels to a degree that some of it becomes non-combustible. So I reiterate: be careful about telling people to do something to their car that could destroy their engine.
The old ones, yes. The new ones, no. The fuel systems on modern diesels inject the fuel into the combustion chambers at such high pressures that they change the chemical composition of bio-based fuels to a degree that some of it becomes non-combustible. So I reiterate: be careful about telling people to do something to their car that could destroy their engine.
I said "nobody has mentioned diesel cars can run on vegetable oil". I never said they all did and never said to go out buy one and put vegetable oil in it all I meant was that people said diesel fuel was expensive but nobody talked about the alternative.
I knew smart cars in the u.s were not diesel but I did not know that they did not run on regular. Thats a disappointment I was going to get one.
I said "nobody has mentioned diesel cars can run on vegetable oil". I never said they all did and never said to go out buy one and put vegetable oil in it all I meant was that people said diesel fuel was expensive but nobody talked about the alternative.
By making a blanket claim that "diesel cars can run on vegetable oil" without any or clarification or use of modifiers, you effectively did say that all diesels can run on vegetable oil. I made a clarification on that blanket statement. If you don't like being corrected, don't make syntactically sloppy statements.
The toyota corrola is good on gas and usaully reasonaby opriced. Good reliabilty too.The there is the honda civil;same comments.I would look out for those cars that have expensive parts and few dealerships or people that work on them in your areas tho.
By making a blanket claim that "diesel cars can run on vegetable oil" without any or clarification or use of modifiers, you effectively did say that all diesels can run on vegetable oil. I made a clarification on that blanket statement. If you don't like being corrected, don't make syntactically sloppy statements.
Even if that is so I still never said go out and buy a freakin diesel car and put vegetable oil in it. Did I? Its fine to correct someone but do not make up things.
Oh and according to popular mechanics magazine vw has confirmed the 2009 tdi will run on b5 biodiesel
Anyways, Honda makes a natural gas civic sold in certain states I believe.
Last edited by nitokenshi; 05-08-2008 at 09:15 PM..
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Cheap economical transportation???
Look in your Neighbor's Briar patch for a VW Rabbit, I've found several that way, have bought many for under $100, and buy my tires at the junk yard for $5. Pretty low cost of transportation, Fuel is free waste veggie oil.
Biodiesel Appleseed Reactor Plans (http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/appleseedprocessor/ - broken link)
I use a "snowbear" trailer and haul everything from firewood to human corpses (2,000 miles for burial... long story)
Only get 42 - 44 mpg towing, but usually 46-52 just hauling me around.
oil changes, $3.80 for a MANN filter and $25 for 5 qts synthetic that last me 20,000 miles - timing belt $7.95 every 80,000 miles
RE:
Quote:
Originally Posted by glxyman21
Don't forget, some states do not even allow diesel cars to be sold (California, Connecticut, Rhode Island..well most of New England)...... I think VW pulled the Diesel Jetta from the market about a year ago as it wouldn't meet new standards
The CARB states don't allow NEW diesels to be sold, you can buy / bring in a used one with 5000 miles.
The issue is not the vehicle, but ...US fuel has too high of a sulfur content for modern diesels emission controls, Sulfur was to be reduced in 2006, but.... friends of BIG OIL got that delayed. I think 2009 will bring ULSD to the pumps, then there is a flock of diesel offerings coming, including Honda and Subaru.
Bio-Diesel is a direct diesel fuel replacement with 80% less emissions. No special equip needed on cars built after 1993 (no butyl rubber in seals and fuel lines), earlier versions, like the 1980 Rabbit / Dasher / Vanagon you fetch from your neighbor can use Viton fuel lines ~ $20 upgrade.
Veggie oil is fine for diesels, as long as it is clean and viscous. Some systems just preheat to 140F. Bio-Diesel and Veggie oil does not have to compete in the food for fuel battle....
Soy Bio-D was promoted in USA by the cattle feed industry that had a lot of soy oil going to waste after pressing seeds for cattle feed. Canola is a better feed stock, but it goes to Europe, where they pay $8./gal for fuel. ALGAE is potentially the best feedstock, and it can be grown in ponds at coal fired power plants to clean stack emissions. Look for this in the future. (Soon I hope).
I think you will find driving a beater diesel on Bio-D or grease has far less "impact" on ecology and your pocket book... and no hazardous batteries to dispose of, replace, or to fry the rescue worker trying to extract you.
50 mpg since 1976... Where have you been... VW Diesels, no dinosaurs or OPEC required
I'm looking to buy a new/used car and with gas prices on the rise, I'm thinking I better get something fuel efficient. I'm seriously thinking Prius today. Any thoughts on fuel efficient cars? (Ones that don't cost more then they save.)
For fuel efficiency and a low price, the Toyota Corolla is probably your best bet. We bought a 2007 last year, and it gets 38 mpg highway, 31 city. The manual transmission gets about 41. The LE model we bought cost just over $15,000.
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