Quote:
Originally Posted by dclee
Geez, I thought we had it bad! I feel (well, sort of) your pain, my friend! 
The math I use also takes into account fuel economy. IMHO that's the only true measure of total fuel cost. Sure I pay more per gallon, but I also get more miles out of each gallon. Since my ultimate goal is driving distance, that's the measure I use. Here's an example from my own personal experience:
Assume the price of Regular Unleaded (not even Premium) is $3.90 per gallon (as it is here).
Assume the price of Diesel is $4.70 per gallon (as it is here).
1980 Mercedes-Benz 280GE, 2.8L petrol motor, returns ~13 mpg mixed
1981 Mercedes-Benz 300GD, 3.0L diesel motor, otherwise identical truck, returns ~20 mpg mixed (and I drive somewhat aggressively).
For the gasser, that's 13 miles per gallon at $3.90 per gallon. 3.9/13 = $0.30 per mile.
For the diesel, that 20 miles per gallon at $4.70 per gallon. 4.7/20 = $0.24 per mile.
That's a 20% savings in fuel costs alone. Ratchet that up to the cost of Premium fuel that most modern Land Cruisers specify, and the disparity (in this case) goes up to 33%! |
The 300GD delivered 88 HP, while the 280GE had 155 HP. If you have driven both versions, you'll know that is as huge difference. Whether the diesel suits you better or not, depends on what is important for you. Each one of us has a different personal balance of preferences between on-road performance, operating cost, driving range, confort, and many other factors.
Yes, the 300GD is a legendary offroad vehicle, and will probably last forever. I don't know it the contemporary 280GE would be up to par. But given a similar price, and if it was to be a DD as well as a trail rig, I would undoubtedly choose the GE because it suits
me better.
But once again, we're talking about 30 year old technology. Compare it with a new 320 CDI, and all they have in common is that both have cylinders and a crankshaft
