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The pros and cons of diesel cars

bankrate.com -- Like soccer, diesel cars are a worldwide phenomenon that Americans just don't get.

In Europe, more than 50 percent of new cars sold have diesel engines, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Meanwhile, the U.S. auto market share for diesels hovers around 3 percent, says Jessica Caldwell, a senior analyst at the website Edmunds.com.

But there are signs diesel cars are becoming more mainstream, she says.

Improving technology has largely eliminated the noise and black smoke that used to follow diesels.

These days, diesels are designed to run on a new, low-sulfur version of diesel fuel, sometimes called "clean diesel," which produces less pollution and cuts back on that sooty smell reminiscent of the '80s.

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Submitted May 02, 2012 By: GT3186

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tc17a Rookie Author South Carolina Posts:56 Points:357,845 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 8:07:01 AM Ignore tc17a Report Abuse Maintenance costs for newer diesels are really no higher than most new cars. 10k oil changes 20-30k fuel filter changes. thye DO NOT SMELL nor DO they make NOISE.
bicycle1966 All-Star Author Akron Posts:605 Points:401,090 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 7:12:47 AM Ignore bicycle1966 Report Abuse I don't like paying the higher price for diesel, but the mileage I get compared to the gasoline version of the same car actually means I still come out ahead.
ECMO4 Rookie Author Virginia Beach Posts:5 Points:88,000 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 6:08:06 AM Ignore ECMO4 Report Abuse Definitely a long-term investment. Maintenance costs are higher for specific service items, but like any other engine if you do routine maintenance and average those higher items over a 20-30 year lifespan it comes out cheaper. But I think this might be changing with the newer BMW, Audi and MB motors out there, folks could drive 3-5 years and still get good resale w/o most of the maintenance issues. Definitely a choice.....and I want more of them!
eric2theem Sophomore Author Riverside Posts:105 Points:30,155 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 5:48:41 AM Ignore eric2theem Report Abuse to bad diesel prices are not that great my favorite part about diesels are the fuel options and engine life.
mastermariner Champion Author Texas Posts:4,247 Points:493,010 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 5:18:48 AM Ignore mastermariner Report Abuse Way to go
mike1881 Champion Author Fayetteville Posts:1,285 Points:562,475 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 5:16:12 AM Ignore mike1881 Report Abuse I'd drive a diesel if i had the chance. Unfortunately diesel cars are hard to come by were I live.
angel4me Champion Author San Jose Posts:2,814 Points:793,045 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 4:15:33 AM Ignore angel4me Report Abuse diesel is the way to go
Rich1430 All-Star Author Indiana Posts:761 Points:256,590 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 2:24:44 AM Ignore Rich1430 Report Abuse I will seriously consider this on my next car purchase.
leraar2 Champion Author Massachusetts Posts:3,754 Points:785,730 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 1:22:10 AM Ignore leraar2 Report Abuse drove diesels in europe. fuel half the price of gasoline. top end speed 105mph much less than their gasoline counterparts.
anascom Champion Author Hamilton Posts:1,593 Points:553,115 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 12:31:01 AM Ignore anascom Report Abuse ok
cheapchickKY Champion Author Lexington Posts:4,007 Points:794,340 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 12:21:51 AM Ignore cheapchickKY Report Abuse Okay.
WalRus49 Champion Author Boston Posts:4,065 Points:866,915 Joined:Nov 2010	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 12:07:48 AM Ignore WalRus49 Report Abuse Love my 2005 VW Jetta TDI............
q2 Champion Author Alberta Posts:2,024 Points:378,145 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 11:53:17 PM Ignore q2 Report Abuse payback takes too long for most drivers.
Nicoalbum Champion Author Ottawa Posts:6,005 Points:1,186,250 Joined:Jan 2010	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 11:39:12 PM Ignore Nicoalbum Report Abuse Smells too bad.
Night Owl Champion Author Toronto Posts:7,540 Points:1,785,400 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 11:13:35 PM Ignore Night Owl Report Abuse Diesel's are good if you drive a lot every year.
kenji554 Champion Author Charlotte Posts:1,216 Points:511,325 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 11:13:26 PM Ignore kenji554 Report Abuse Love my Jetta tdi. Cost to operate and maintain for nearly 300,000 miles has been on par with gas in my experience.
davenles Champion Author Texas Posts:3,186 Points:716,710 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 11:07:06 PM Ignore davenles Report Abuse Diesels will need to drop in price to buy and maintain before they will become more popular.
doeslayersr Champion Author Illinois Posts:9,098 Points:870,055 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 11:04:50 PM Ignore doeslayersr Report Abuse Go diesel. Just got an old used tiller (called a Mainline Tiller) which I am rebuilding the carburetor on. In reading the manuals, the 4 cycle engine will run on gasoline or kerosene, just by switching to a different spark plug. Old timers tell me about the old "good" tractors which ran on kerosene. The tractor had two fuel tanks. One small gasoline tank to be used to start the tractor and the main tank was kerosene. Once you got the tractor started and warmed up, you switched from the gasoline tank over to the kerosene tank.
roadrunnin Champion Author Richmond Posts:1,749 Points:563,410 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 10:41:45 PM Ignore roadrunnin Report Abuse would love to see a diesel hybrid.
Redman5152NJ Rookie Author New Jersey Posts:9 Points:1,175 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 9:57:45 PM Ignore Redman5152NJ Report Abuse i would never buy one
Rappcommuter Veteran Author Virginia Posts:470 Points:553,515 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 9:55:31 PM Ignore Rappcommuter Report Abuse I have to agree that one of the drawbacks is the cost to maintain a diesel.
asog75 All-Star Author Indiana Posts:836 Points:278,405 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 9:28:48 PM Ignore asog75 Report Abuse costly to repair
humblepie Champion Author Toledo Posts:34,135 Points:2,369,420 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 9:27:08 PM Ignore humblepie Report Abuse diesels are the way to go, cheaper then ev's also
esq262 Champion Author Asheville Posts:2,887 Points:646,315 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 9:09:44 PM Ignore esq262 Report Abuse Diesels are more popular here.
YodaON Champion Author Ottawa Posts:2,922 Points:778,085 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 9:04:06 PM Ignore YodaON Report Abuse Asd it says there are pros and cons to each
MOREDLEG Champion Author Missouri Posts:2,645 Points:609,710 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 8:52:24 PM Ignore MOREDLEG Report Abuse You have to think long term to buy a diesel, but this is a great article. See my pic
blupupher Champion Author Houston Posts:3,540 Points:746,095 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 8:47:13 PM Ignore blupupher Report Abuse too bad diesel costs more and the price of a diesel vehicle costs more. Both these make buying a diesel not quite as attractive.
TomT2Lee Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:5,352 Points:1,595,505 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: May 2, 2012 8:33:48 PM Ignore TomT2Lee Report Abuse Diesel is offers a great improvement in fuel economy and reliability without sacrificing power. However, there is a major crime in the pricing of diesel fuel. Once again the US government has screwed up something positive.