German auto club releases gas vs diesel cost of ownership study
The German auto club ADAC (German equivalent of AAA) has published total cost of ownership survey comparing new cars and trucks equipped with gasoline and diesel engines. They factored in the initial cost of the vehicles and the cost of fuel based on the mileage of the vehicle with each type of engine. The club looked at 560 pairings of vehicles and the full list is available to club members. There is also a summary chart showing a small selection of the vehicles examined. In most cases the diesel vehicle was definitely cheaper to own and operate especially as mileage exceeded 9000 miles per year. However, since many diesels cost more than comparable gasoline engined equivalents, at lower annual driving mileage, the diesel actually worked out to be more expensive. One example from the study is the BMW 320d which costs €1,600 (18%) less to own and operate annually than a comparable 320si. The story, loosely translated by Google translate, is available at the read link.
[Source: ADAC via GreenCarCongress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
George Krpan 5:49PM (11/01/2006)
1600 euros is a lot of dough to save annually.
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chuck goolsbee 11:55AM (11/02/2006)
I'm a few hundred miles short of 100,000 miles on my 2002 Jetta TDI. It has never seen the inside of a mechanic's shop (I do all my own maintenance, oil changes, etc) except for one recall issue concerning the window mechanism. I run it on home-brewed fuel, which costs me next to nothing (I get oil free from a restaurant near my office.)
It is, by far the least expensive car to own I have ever had. I love it.
--chuck
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Phil L. 3:26PM (11/02/2006)
Chuck -
Great blog, plus I love the E-type. Thanks for sharing.
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