Quote:
Originally Posted by djeaux
I've done the calculations, Keith, based on what my dealer told me the likely "premium" would be for a diesel mill in a Ridgeline and the current difference between 87 octane unleaded gasoline & diesel. I figured it would take a number of years beyond the typical car loan to reach payback. (I don't buy the "diesel" will resell better argument when we're talking a length of time during which you'll start to see rubber parts deteriorating, etc. In short, I think diesel is a band aid, too, intended to assuage folks who don't do the math or think they need big torque.)
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For the Ridgeline, I doubt if the costs will balance out, but for the cars, it will. I'll take the VW Jetta for example.
'08 Jetta gas gets 21/29 mpg, 100k miles will need 4000 gallons
'09 Jetta diesel will get 45/55, 100k miles will need 2000 gallons
Now the answer will be, how much will fuel prices climb? That will determine how much of a savings there is or not, even if diesel is $1 more per gallon