Overhaulin'

are there any advantages of having a diesel car?

I saw a car for sale that I am very interested in, it is a diesel fueled engine unfortunately I've never owned a diesel car and I don't know much about them, could anyone please give me some information of owning a diesel car such as the advantages and the disadvantages?

Public Comments

1. Advantages: better mileage, more power Disadvantage: slightly higher fuel price
2. The engines last practically forever and the gas mileage is outstanding. I had an Isuzu Diesel sedan that got 40 MPG in town and 50MPG on the highway. My Daughter currently owns an Audi Diesel that gets the same.
3. advantage better mileage disadvantage noisy dirty , dirty to fill up sometimes need gloves, expensive to repair. slow acceleration, not good for short journeys better for long trips or it will need frequent oil changes
4. i own one myself the are pretty "ehh" cars
5. Diesel engines don't last longer than gas ones, that's a myth. I've seen lots of diesels bite the dust early in life. They are finicky about fuel, especially when it's cold. They are expensive to repair. They can be hard to find parts for, as they are not common.
6. As you can tell, owners of vehicles with diesel engines are a bit fanatical about how good they are and how much better mpg. So, you can google and ask around, like I did. I currently have 2 gas vehicles (PT Cruiser and Jeep Grand Cherokee) and they do ok on mpg. I want to go diesel for my next vehicle (a 250 or 2500 diesel pickup) because of a couple of reasons. 1) Better towing power. 2) I like to watch dvd's in my vehicle when I'm somewhere waiting - like at work during lunch - so with diesel I could run my engine for hours and use literally barely any fuel because the way diesel engines are. 3) The better mpg, especially in a larger vehicle like a SUV or a pickup is appealing. 4) Probably to me the most important factor for me: I can buy a used diesel pickup truck with say 80 thousand miles for anywhere from 10 to 15 thousand dollars and know that 80 thousand is actually pretty low for diesels because most diesels are going strong at close to 400 or 500 thousand miles while you DEFINITELY can NOT say the same for gas. However, there are drawbacks to diesel. 1) I have to do more research and retrain myself because diesel engines ARE different than gas engines. 2) Gas engines are designed different than diesel engines so I would have to pickup some info in regards to repair and maintenance than I would with another gas engine. 3) Diesel is usually more expensive and not all gas stations actually carry diesel - my usual doesn't so I'd have to go across the street to a station I don't like. 4) Diesel engines can be occasionally more expensive to repair and not all mechanics would certified to repair or able to - emergency breakdown on a road trip may require more effort to find a mechanic for example. 5) Diesel engines are a bit louder, although they can be toned down a bit and the noise can be a factor in some neighborhoods - living in an apartment style condo complex late at night may risk waking neighbors, for example. So, do a little research on your own - including these answers - talk to mechanics around you and dealerships and friends and family and think about it. And might want to also price check assorted parts, fluids, and fuel costs for both.
7. and also depending on where you live the cold weather will gel, or thicken up. The reason for this thickening effect, especially during extreme cold temperatures is because diesel is rich in paraffin. Essentially, the paraffin in diesel is the wax that is found in candles.
8. more torque (although less hp) so you get better acceleration, but less topspeed. But you wouldn't need to worry about top speed unless if you race your car at a track. Also diesel engines last much longer Much better fuel efficiency. Disadvantages: -More pollution -more expensive to purchase -low redline -noisy (but newer diesels aren't really that bad.)