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Reader Comments for
Subscribe to this threadRumormill: BMW diesels on sale in the U.S. mid-October
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DJ @ Apr 22nd 2008 9:45AM
Timing may not be on the side of diesels in the US right now. In southeast Wisconsin, diesel is selling for $4.39 to $4.69 per gallon, while unleaded regular is $3.59 to $3.69. That's at minimum a 17% difference, yet MPG improvement is only in the 10-15%. Add in the premium for buying diesel over gas and the payback is simply not there.
dea911 @ Apr 22nd 2008 10:08AM
"Timing may not be right?"
You kidding??? The timing is better than ever if you ask me. Here in California diesel is only about .20/gallon more than premium. The gasoline 335i returns about 17mpg city/25 mpg hwy. I dont know how much the diesel version wll achieve but I can guarantee it will be worth the extra dough to spend on the diesel.
Not to mention loads of torque! That would be a blast .
MajorGeek @ Apr 22nd 2008 10:11AM
In California, they think is all about them, dont mind him. Funny how bees are drying up there, but every spring in the northeast, they spawn like crazy. Damn californians need to stop spawning more kids, your out of room on the left coast and oblivious to it. Diesel is a bad time for many, many states and I for one, would like to see the environmental impact from these tested before its too late. If it gets popular, I fear it will be heavily taxed as well hurting everyone since big rigs deliver all the crap people need to max out their credit cards. Diesel, lol.
dcwf @ Apr 22nd 2008 10:15AM
DJ, I have seen similar arguments elsewhere.
However, the premise of your point appears to be that buying a gasoline BMW is a rational economic action. It isn't. If I were after a good economic return on my investment, I would buy a Honda Civic and drive it for 15-20 years. IMHO, anyone who applies your math when buying Beemer is wistling into the wind. My next car will be a diesel -- not because it makes economic sense, but because I like diesels. Likewise, I may buy a BMW because I like BMWs, although financially I may be better off with a Civic.
chuck goolsbee @ Apr 22nd 2008 10:19AM
The great thing about Diesel is you don't HAVE to run it on petroleum. It provides the answer to the burning question: "What are YOU doing about energy independance?"
If you have the means you can make Diesel fuel yourself, BioDiesel that is. I run a VW TDI and a Jeep CRG on fuel I make at home, and it costs well under $2 a gallon to do so.
If DIY is not your thing, you can buy BioDiesel from a pump, or join/create a coop who brews their own. You can contribute cash, wrench work, chemicals, waste oil, whatever.
You could convert the car to run on waste or straight veggie oil. I would not suggest doing so with a NEW car, but the option is there.
Options, fuel options are a primary attraction of Diesel cars. You don't have that with gasoline (and please don't answer with ethanol, because that is not really a viable option.)
Russell @ Apr 22nd 2008 11:13AM
@chuck goolsbee
Good argument, but I doubt anyone driving a diesel BMW will know what a wrench looks like or ever held one before. Cash is a different story.
Jared @ Apr 22nd 2008 11:49AM
Sorry Chuck, but if you try to run a new BMW diesel on a grease that you cook up in the backyard, you'll paying your dealership service department huge dollars to fix the engine.
You can't run grease through the modern, high-pressure diesels.
Gregg @ Apr 22nd 2008 12:56PM
Diesels typically do 25 to 40% better than their gasoline counterparts. They tend to get closer (or even exceed) EPA estimates than gas engines do. Take the 99-05 VW Golf as an example of the difference. Still, you have a point. The higher diesel fuel cost per gallon definitely cuts into the savings.
DavidW @ Apr 22nd 2008 2:22PM
DJ, you are spot on correct. Where were these cars when it made sense to buy a diesel?? I have been a diesel fan since childhood, I have six of them I used in my business and for personal but I don't want another one with these fuel prices!
montoym @ Apr 22nd 2008 7:47PM
to DavidW:
These diesels weren't available here because the US hadn't adopted low-sulfur diesel fuel yet. The switchover is likely part of the reason for the higher diesel cost. Once we get the refining part nailed down better, I expect the cost to drop back to lower levels. Maybe not below gas like it was before, but maybe closer to mid-grade.
Additionally, there have been diesels on the market for a long time, even "when it made sense to buy a diesel". VW only took a year off, prior to that they sold 5 models with TDI options(Beetle, Jetta, Golf, Touareg, and Passat). M-B also sold a CDI version of many models as well.
I personally can't wait for all these new options. I've got my eye on a TDI Tiguan, but there are tons of great options that we will start to see soon.