Opinions on this article please. Thought it would be worth a post.
http://cars.uk.msn.com/News/car_news_article.aspx?cp-documentid=8630652
Totally agree with the article I have had diesel cars for the last twenty years because initially diesel was cheaper than petrol, but the big users of diesel transport and bus companies don't pay no where near £1.30 a gallon ;)
Another diesel fan here. I get something like 65 to the gallon if I stick to speed limits too.
My old car did an average of 40mpg on unleaded. My diesel has up to now done an average of 52mpg - call it 50 for simplicity. That's a 25% increase in mileage.
That means the cost of diesel would need to be >25% more than UL for it to be a worse bet, and at present prices of unleaded round here (£1.17/litre) that means it'd need to be £1.46 a litre. It's £1.31 so it's still cheaper. Over the miles I've done (37500) since I bought it, this represents an overall saving of 852 litres of petrol. (37500/50=750gall, 37500/40=937.5gall, 937.5-750=187.5gall; 187.5*4.546=852 litres)
So I'm probably way over £800 up over 4 years; cost of car = more, but it was 2nd hand so differential was less. And there's 850 litres of petrol less of carbon footprint.
I get annoyed by 4x4 tanks not because their owners can afford it, but because they're burning up fuel needlessly.
moonbells