The cost of fuel has to be a big part of any consideration you give to buying a new car. It was only a year ago that fuel cost as much as $4 a gallon in some areas. The economic meltdown brought the cost down, but it is rising again as things slowly improve.
The United States car market is primarily based on gasoline powered vehicles. Diesel fuel is used primarily for larger cargo trucks and the like. Well, this is beginning to change. Diesel consumer cars are very popular in Europe. The reason? They get better mileage than gas driven cars.
As fuel prices have risen in the United States, diesel cars have started to make a comeback. From Volkswagen to BMW, the idea of driving a diesel is becoming much more attractive given the mileage you can get. A 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, for instance, can get up to 50 miles per gallon of diesel fuel. That is more than many Prius hybrid models will do with gas.
Ah, but does this miles per gallon advantage that diesels have make them the obvious choice when you are considering a new car? Well, not necessarily. There is a second issue you need to consider when it comes to fuel cost. The issue is simply the cost at the pump. Diesel used to be much cheaper than gasoline. That changed a few years back as demand skyrocketed for diesel. The price of diesel in many areas is now equal to or more than gasoline. That’s a huge change and one you need to consider when calculating whether the diesel is a better deal when it comes to fuel.
The answer obviously depends on the price of diesel in your area. Generally, the diesel is a better deal so long as the cost at the pump is not 25 percent more than gasoline. Still, generalities don’t mean much when it comes to fuel prices. Different regions have vastly different prices, so you must do a local comparison. Just multiply the cost per gallon of gas by the expected mileage of the gas fueled car you are looking at versus the same calculation for a diesel car you are looking at. This should give you an idea of the better choice.
Diesel cars have made a major comeback in the United States. Given the better mileage they tend to get, look for this trend to continue as fuel prices increase. Whether this means you should buy a diesel or not is dependent on the difference in fuel prices in your particular area.
Dirk Gibson is with DCJAutoParts.com - where you can find high
performance auto parts for your car or truck at low, low prices.
