Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It really depends. Right now it is pretty great. The national average for gas is 2.64 and diesel is 2.72 and the trend is heading for parity. I just got done with a lot of driving and logged the best tanks yet. 56.8 mpg and 803 miles on the tank. The average speed for those miles was 60 mph so I wasn't exactly hypermiling. I was paying 2.39 a gallon for diesel. Compared to the Ford Focus Wagon that I sold that was getting 30mpg....
My diesel Jetta burned 14.15 gallons @ 2.39 = 33.81
My Focus would have burned 26.8 gallons @ 2.29 = 61.37
$27 saved in just 804 miles of driving.
Sorry but even with your rather generous MPG assumptions on the Jetta the numbers are still struggling to make sense.
Assuming your numbers are accurate in 80k miles only $2,700 would be saved. At 160k miles ~$5400 saved.The TDI premium in a Jetta is what $4k? The depreciation is where money can potentially be saved but that is again speculation. If you add in the time value of money those savings drop off even more.
A TDI Jetta is certainly more sporty than the gas engine, so there are of course other arguments for the purchase. The payback period is way to long for the decision to be a purely financial one. If US fuel tax law was more sound around diesel that would also help.
Edit: To expound upon the time value of money have that 4k in a vehicle for 10 years vs acruing interest in the market at a conservative 4% yields a loss of $2k. $3,400 in total savings still -600 in the cost of purchasing a TDI.
No, in general it is not worth it, financially speaking. Also remember diesel repair and maintenance is generally much more than gasoline, that diesel fuel is much nastier (heaven help you if you get it on your paint or shoes), and the engines are louder, rougher and noisier.
Diesel only makes financial sense if the government forces it (as in Europe) or in commercial rigs (heavy loads, tons of miles).
Sorry but even with your rather generous MPG assumptions on the Jetta the numbers are still struggling to make sense.
Assuming your numbers are accurate in 80k miles only $2,700 would be saved. At 160k miles ~$5400 saved.The TDI premium in a Jetta is what $4k? The depreciation is where money can potentially be saved but that is again speculation. If you add in the time value of money those savings drop off even more.
A TDI Jetta is certainly more sporty than the gas engine, so there are of course other arguments for the purchase. The payback period is way to long for the decision to be a purely financial one. If US fuel tax law was more sound around diesel that would also help.
Edit: To expound upon the time value of money have that 4k in a vehicle for 10 years vs acruing interest in the market at a conservative 4% yields a loss of $2k. $3,400 in total savings still -600 in the cost of purchasing a TDI.
My mpg isn't an assumption. It is hand calculated. I am able to fill up diesel to the top of the fuel neck. I can actually see the fuel right at the lip where the cap goes on. So my numbers are very accurate. More so than a gas car because you have to leave room in the tank for gas expansion. Granted 56.8 mpg is my best tank. I am consistently between 49 and 51 though.
Federal taxation on diesel is only 15 cents more than gas. The past issues have been the ultra low sulfur diesel and the exporting of refined diesel. That has helped to elevate diesel prices.
And you are right the break even will take a while but the diesel car will most likely always have a higher resale than the gasser version.
But I bought my 2003 Jetta used and with cash so I didn't pay a 4000 premium to burn diesel.
You forgot to include the cost of paying long term capital gains or income tax in your investment example
There are so many unknowns, especially in a GM Diesel. How does it sound now? How does it sound 5 years from now? You still hear the Diesel clatter even in high end models.
There are so many unknowns, especially in a GM Diesel. How does it sound now? How does it sound 5 years from now? You still hear the Diesel clatter even in high end models.
GM diesels aren't unknowns. They've sold millions, just not here.
The diesel package also adds a bunch of extra sound deadening.
You hear the clatter outside the car, but inside it's muted.
I am looking at a Cruze that normally gets 36 mpg (highway miles), the same car with a diesel engine gets 45 mpg. The cost is a good $4000 more. Do diesel prices generally remain in the same range as unleaded? Do diesel engines generally last longer? Just debating whether a car with this engine is worth it.
Diesel prices would have to stay low for many years, and you would have to rack up a lot of miles, to recover $4K worth of extra cost.
Back in the day of carburetors and battery-coil ignition for gas engines, and leaded gas, yeah, a Diesel engine required less maintenance, and lasted longer. Diesel back then also had more sulfur in it so better lubricity.
Fast forward to today, and gas engines generally will go 200K miles or more given good maintenance.
I would drive the car as a gas car and with the Diesel. Some Diesels kick out a lot of torque, and you may like that "ballsy" feel enough to spend the extra money.
Then of course we get into what you would do with the $4K if not spend on the car. If you bought a good mutual fund with it, probably, that argues for going with the cheaper gas engine.
Not worth it. If you're purchasing a Cruze go with the gas engine. The resale on a Cruze isn't the greatest when comparing it to other models of vehicles. Being a diesel will not help the Cruze as much as far as resale goes when comparing it to some other diesel vehicles. Save your money and go with gas.
The price differential from diesel vs non diesel doesn't drop with the resale value. And diesel engines are well known for going and going and going.
As such, I'd recommend going for the diesel. The price difference will probably be recouped if you sell it, and the engine will last much longer.
plus...how often do you want to stop for gas?
Not only that, the car drives a lot better.
264 lb/ft of torque feels like driving a car with a much larger engine.
I've driven three different Cruzes... an Eco, 1.4t and diesel.
After driving the diesel, I wouldn't even consider the first two.
"Is driving a car with a diesel engine worth it? "
Worth what?
My BF wouldn't have a gas truck if you paid him.
But a car, sure.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
