[Vwdiesel] Diesel vs hybrid battle heats up

[decker at toledotel.com]

Hi Folks;
    This debate pitting the new TDI diesel vs the Pruis Hybrid seems  to me
to be for people who wouldn't mind using new 100 dollar bills to start their
bar-be-que fire. I do think the consensus is that  it is probably a push for
fuel cost between the two but it seems to me to be a stupid move cost wise.
If one believes they must have a brand new car instead of a used one they
should perhaps consider say the Toyota Yaris. Either your Prius or the VW
TDI will cost 10 grand more than the Yaris. If you were to drive each
100,000 miles you will save about 2000 dollars in fuel costs at today's
prices and even if you figure fuel will double soon that is still 6 grand
you burned for the privilege of driving a new TDI diesel or a Prius. There
are other added costs to the TDI/Prius options but I haven't bothered to
figure them out . I'm sure there are other conventional gas engine new cars
out there that will get 30+ miles per gallon and cost even less than a
Toyota Yaris.
    In the present day economy and taxation climate a dollar not spent is
much more than a dollar earned. For this reason I will keep driving my 1981
Dasher diesel station wagon with it's 1.6 N/A diesel and a 5 speed. It is
I'm absolutely positively certain more reliable than either a new TDI or
Prius. It will get 45 miles per gallon if I drive it at 70 mph and 50 mpg if
I drive it at 60 mph. I have about 2000 dollars in it including completely
rebuilding the engine. I have driven it about 50,000 miles now and figure It
will run another 100,000 miles without spending more than a grand or so even
if I have to rebuild much of the running gear. I don't keep collision
insurance on it , only liability, uninsured motorist and hospitalization.
    Being as much as possible a  non-consumer or at least a consumer of used
merchandise seems to me to be the best way to keep one's head above water in
these trying times.
Brian Decker
Western Washington
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "William J Toensing" <toensing at wildblue.net>
To: <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 2:06 AM
Subject: [Vwdiesel] Diesel vs hybrid battle heats up


> 1) Thanks for the link to the auto section of the Toronto newspaper.
Locally here in the Sacramento area you can buy a Prius for $1,000 off of
MSRP & get immediate delivery. However the nearest VW dealer in Roseville,
CA is getting a $4,000 pack above MSRP on a new TDI. Salesman at that VW
dealer says most of the Mexican VW  TDI production is going to Europe as VW
can get more money in the European market than in the US market. Don't know
if this salesman is just pulling my leg or is serious. If he is serious, I
then don't think VW is serious about the diesel market, at least in Calif.
Can't afford a new car now, anyway, but if I could, I wouldn't pay over MSRP
for any car! Although I prefer diesels (wouldn't be contributing to this
discussion group if I wasn't) I think owning a Prius would be cheaper to own
in the long run although a TDI would be more fun to drive. Here in the Grass
Valley/Nevada City, CA the Prius appears the most common single model car on
our local roads
>  & the next most common are older Mercedes diesels. Many more of each than
my Ford Focus ZX3. I haven't seen any other Quantums or Dashers around,
other than my own.
> I heard somewhere that Ford plans to bring the diesel Fiesta over here a
year after they introduce the gas Fiesta & that a new Honda Insight hybrid
will be here in a year that will sell for less than a Prius. Lets hope the
gas/diesel prices will stay down long enough for this to happen. However, I
don't think they will & suggest $5 a gallon gas/diesel be factored into any
future automobile purchase.
>