Diesel Powered Cars Are Back in Style Again
Those of us who were here for the huge fuel crisis in the 1970’s probably remember the fact that cars that ran on diesel fuel were part of the suggested solution to the problem. On top of that, the cost of diesel fuel was a good deal less than the cost of leaded and unleaded fuel.
In the 70’s and early 80’s 2/3’s of the Mercedes in the United States were diesels. In addition, Volkswagen, Audi and other companies had diesels available here and even General Motors jumped – erroneously – on the diesel bandwagon.
Two of my friends bought Cadillacs that ran on diesel fuel. Let’s just say that though the fuel was a lot less costly than the problems and the repairs. Just because a car that runs on gas is “converted” to be able to run on diesel fuel does not mean it was meant to do so and does not mean that it does it well. My two friends had a number of repairs that they paid for out of their pockets until the motors basically fell apart and had to be replaced by Cadillac. The replacement was paid for by General Motors, who also reimbursed my friends for the other costs that they had previously paid for. They kept the cars as long as they could, but got rid of them before the warranties expired. They both bought Mercedes 300D turbo diesels and drove them for around 200,000 miles with no problems.
Now that we are in the midst of another fuel crisis, there is a new crop of diesels headed for the marketplace. There is a difference in the diesel of the 21st century. The gas mileage is better than before, the engines are smoother, the cars more luxurious and there have been other improvements.
The downside is that diesel fuel costs more than regular gasoline, which is the opposite of the situation in the 70’s and 80’s. Proportionately, the cost of the vehicles is higher, as well. This means that if you plan to keep the car for the long term – especially since diesels can easily run for 200,000 to 300,000 miles or more – it could well be worth the investment to purchase a diesel run car.
They say that every 20 years or so certain things come back into style. The latest diesel cars are back, and not only are they stylish, they just might help with your personal fuel situation in the long run.