The Diesel Driver magazine has a short survey on reasons people bought a diesel. It occurred to me that (for those here who have a diesel) that it would make an interesting discussion here as well (don't forget of course to take the poll as well). Poll: Tell Us Why You Purchased a Diesel
I can't tell you why I purchased one, but I can tell you why I almost bought one, specifically the Passat TDI. I loved the size of the car, the comfort and ride and quality. The little TDI engine had plenty of power and torque - the drive was a much different experience than a hybrid. I was happy with the mileage, but not happy that diesel fuel is sometimes more than premium. If I didn't stop to think about it, I likely would have pulled the trigger. What stopped me was that it wasn't available in a wagon format like the Prius v. I briefly looked at the Jetta TDI wagon but it was a bit small inside - too bad they didn't have a wagon based on the new Jetta sedan.
Currentrly have one (2006 VW NewBeetle). Had two previously (1980 VW Rabbit and 1999 VW NewBeetle). I always though diesels were neat. Good gas mileage, BUT, like jhnisc, I'm tired of paying premium plus prices for diesel fuel. I like regular unleaded prices much better. Contemplating getting rid of our VW Beetle. If so, I don't see another diesel in my future unless it's a super high mileage diesel hybrid.
IF the overall cost of maintenance and ownership can be made comparable to hybrids, in spite of higher diesel pricing, then I would give it more serious consideration next time I'm shopping for a vehicle.
For me, I also added the price of additives and fuel filters to the cost of diesel fuel to average it out. Now, being back to a gasser that runs on regular, those costs are gone.
I had a VW Jetta TDI and loved it but I got tired of the cost up keep and paying a lot for fuel. What's the use of getting 45 mpg but paying to much per gallon. I ended up with a Prius and getting 51 mpg in the city and highway. Driving the Prius is like driving a Accord. It's just a nice midsize car that gets great mpgs. SCH-I535 ? 2
Why we got a Diesel: My wife and I were in Germany for several months last year, and wanted to spend the last month driving around. Plus she felt that it was time for a new car for her (her Subaru Forester had about 175K miles--a great car for northern winters--not so necessary for highways in Ark). She wanted to buy instead of rent. So we looked to see if any cars were available for European Delivery and return to the US. We found that Volvo, Audi, Mercedes and BMW all do that for some models. VW does NOT do it with its lower-priced cars that are similar to Audis. The only car of the bunch that got well over 30 mpg was the Audi A-3 TDI, the smallest car they sell in the US. So that's what we got.
the reason i didn't buy one is because they must reach optimal operating temps in order to get optimal fuel economy. a lot of my drives are 3-5 miles away. rendering the diesel useless
We have an 05 Prius and wanted another vehicle with more room. Bought a 04 Passat Wagon TDI. It's larger than the Prius, much more comfortable to drive, has a triptonic transmission that allows downshifting in the mountains instead of 'b' which isn't much of a downshift. The Passat has gotten as high as 42 mpg but generally gets 37-38 mpg. Fuel is more expensive, but it is larger and heavier than the Prius. We use the Prius for city driving, commuting. The Passat is our road trip car, we've driven 16 hours in the Passat while 12 in the Prius is our personal best. The Prius feels jittery and gets blown around on long trips, the Passat is solid. The Prius never has anything needing service but it's only 75k old, the Passat has needed more mechanical work it's 130k old. Both were bought used.
