Can Buying A Vehicle With A Diesel Engine Save Me Money?

    The short answer to the above question is no, buying a vehicle with a diesel engine will not save you money. However, owning one for a number of years can and almost certainly will prove more financially beneficial over owning a gasoline powered car or truck for the same period of time.

    Okay, so that first paragraph may confuse some people so let’s break it down a bit.

    Diesel Engines save me money

    There’s no question that vehicles powered by diesel engines cost more upfront. The fuel you put in them is also more costly on the front end.

    These points are not debatable, they’re simply facts. Buying a diesel powered car or truck is going to cost you more at the dealership and it’s going to cost you more at the pump.

    But if you have a long-term perspective, the financial advantages of purchasing a diesel powered car or truck become much clearer.

    Let’s look at a few examples that can illustrate this point:

    Depreciation

    Diesel powered automobiles cost more upfront, but they hold their value much better than their gasoline powered counterparts.

    So while you may pay more at the dealership when you purchase your new diesel powered automobile, you’re going to get a lot more when you sell or trade in that vehicle than you would if it were one powered by a gasoline engine.

    If you have a long-term outlook to your automotive buying experience, this will almost certainly pay dividends down the road.

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    Fuel Costs

    Diesel fuel costs more at the pump than does gasoline, there’s no question about this. Sometimes, it can even be a good deal more, depending on the area and the economic conditions prevalent at the time.

    But diesel powered engines also enjoy much better fuel economy. So if you do a lot of highway driving, these extra costs at the pump can be offset and then some.

    Vehicles with diesel powered engines normally get between 20 and 30 percent better fuel mileage than do gasoline powered engines. This can be much greater, however, depending on how much of your driving is done on highways.

    Maintenance Costs

    There are less parts in a diesel engine, so vehicles with these types of engines almost always see less trips to the shop and less costs related to repairs.

    There’s no need for tuneups if you have a diesel powered engine, for example, because diesel engines have no spark plugs that need to be tuned up.

    Now diesel repairs can be more expensive when they do need to be performed simply because of higher replacement costs. But the repairs are much less frequent, which normally more than offsets the higher repair costs.

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    Consider A Diesel

    While there are disadvantages to owning a car or truck with a diesel engine, many of them related to upfront costs, we believe the positives more than outweigh the negatives.

    But it’s up to you to decide what’s best for you and your family and/or business. Do your homework and decide for yourself if a diesel engine is right for you.