Some calculations

[Rod_H]

I love my Diesel too, mum.....
I don't give a stuff what it cost I love the torx... and the tractor sound...
And I only fill up every 3 weeks or so!....

[Edison]

I am ONLY ever getting diesel from now on. It's better on all fronts.

Simple. same reason the bettle was a success, no radiator simplicity for it, no distributor/leads/sparks/coil/contacts ect. Simple. Reliable.

I like it for more power at lower revs, I always have old cars, I always take it easy to prolong their life. First car I had taught me this after 155kms on the f3 to 'see what it'd do' it dumped its fanbelt and loosened a bolt on the alternator? i think, problems emerged, so from then on low revs are the go, and the engines love it. I'll take you broken cam busted head gasket car and drive it another 3,000 k's by this technique any day.

The engines are built better.

waste vege oil. $0.00 cents per litre.

Theres nothing tow starting can't fix.

Lose an alternator in the daytime and drive another 400km's +

[Bazzamon]

I did my comparisions between 2.0l petrol comfortline/auto & the 1.9l diesel/comf/DSG. Both the same price $32290 The 1.9 diesel av quoted 5.7l/100..I get average closer to 4.9/5.0l/100. One does not have to find 98ron. & you have less unshedule maintenance EG cleaning inlet manifold , ign coil failure etc. And no engine oil usage problems. The 1.9l puts me way in front & its power output is still quite respectible. I love my 1.9 diesel Bazz

[BarneyBoy]

You're absolutely right about resale.
I hear it all the time: "but a diesel costs $2500 more..."
But you get back the proportional amount when you sell it.
For example, with a 62% resale value after 3 years (Red Book), you recoup $1550 - so after 3 years, that diesel only actually cost you <$1000 more ($333 per year).
Once you factor that in, the break-even point is very soon.

[Big Al the Butchers' Pal]

You need to do the calculations for Golf 1.6 Petrol vs Diesel

This car runs on stock unleaded. According to my calculations

$2500 extra costs me 13% lost investment income in my share fund per annum = $325 per year.

Extra fuel consumption is 2 litres per 100km.

So, to even start paying off the $2500 cost, I have to save more than $325 per year in fuel.

You forgot to factor lost opportunity cost of the extra cost.

Also the fuel cost is now 15 cents cheaper for a 1.6 petrol vs diesel.

This equates to a 0.8 litre per 100km equivalent fuel saving at current prices.

Half of the saving in consumption is blown in extra fuel cost.

Even if I travel 20,000 km per year, I am still behind in cash terms and the $2500 outlay will never be paid off, no matter how long I keep the car.

Then you have the issues with dual mass flywheels that cost major dollars every few years etc.

And PRAY you never need to do major engine repairs on a diesel engine, as that is mega dollars.

And Pray you never get a shonky (added kero + heating oil) load of diesel or water in the fuel, as that will totally stuff your engine and require a full engine rebuild.

[Tim]

what about the bit where u get depressed cos u drive a 1.6 with no poke? and youre wife leaves u cos youre a cheapskate and u lose your job cos youre always grumpy and then u have to get the dole?

I think the unseen costs of owning a 1.6L golf are far worse than the extra cash u may have to spend on a diesel.

[mikinoz]

All good points, however I would prefer to pay more and own a TDI than own another 1.6lt petrol! I still cannot see how you come at using the 1.6 vs 2.0TDI as the cost in purchase is more expensive that the illustration above.

TDI was for me a choice based around wanting a more economical car than a 2.5T Forester and keeping some performance, and not being able to justify the GTI for the use the car was going to receive.

[Big Al the Butchers' Pal]

Sorry, my error in not being more specific.

I compared my car to the exact same car, but with the equivalent diesel engine. As far as I am aware the diesel engine that cost $2500 extra was the 77kW diesel engine. From memory the 0-100 time was 0.1 seconds quicker than the 75kW petrol engine.

As for the comments re the Golf 1.6, as far as I am concerned it is a better car than the Toyota Corolla, albeit with a less powerful engine.

The Golf was cheaper than a Corolla with the same safety features specification (as Toyota charged extra).

But then again, there is also some merit in having a simple 2 valve belt driven OHC engine with a simple Siemens ECU setup and a clutch that does not involve a dual mass flywheel.

I also see merit in the fact that the 1.6 sold in Australia is a destroked version of the 85 KW 2.0 litre engine. I prefer a short stroke engine with long connecting rods as it is free revving and easy to drive in manual form. As far as I am aware the Golf 1.6 is the only oversquare passenger car engine currently sold by any manufacturer. Even the Hyundai Gets 1.6 has an extra 20mm stroke than a Golf 1.6.

[TDI Dude]

Well gentlemen I'll just say one thing on this subject.... YOU BUY A DIESEL AS A CHOICE NOT BECAUSE THE ACCOUNTANT SAID SO!!!! P.S. cant wait for mine to turn up!!!!!!

[Logzy]

Im getting a diesel to satisfy my fetish i have at the moment with Turbo Diesels.
I just like the idea of them.

I wouldnt get a 1.6l petrol that needs to have the ring hole revved out of it to produce the power so for low fuel consumption a diesel is for me.

I'm going from a VXII 5.7l Clubsport that averages 14l/100k so the way i see it I'll be saving heaps in fuel and I'll have a engine that will last instead of a 4cyl petrol engine that needs to be revved.

The fuel price for me is about the same as diesel per litre as the clubby needs 98RON
I'll save about $45-$50 a week in fuel, not to mention another $360 a year in insurance and $$ in tyres.