Deisels 101

Hi I and N
You need to ask yourself first why you want(or need a Diesel)because there is downside to them. I have a Euro type diesel which is very economical, has no smoke and is relatively quiet but I would not necessarily discount petrol engines except that I need need torque for towing a big trailer.
Pros
Better torque
Good fuel economy vs petrol
Engine longevity

Cons
Usually more expensive than petrol version
More intensive and expensive servicing
More frequent oil changes esp.on 'Hi Tech' diesels
Bigger batteries
Dirty fuel can be fatal
Increased weight of vehicle
Big bucks if your motor karks it
Can make the front end heavier
Non turbo engines are usualy dogs

So if you're planning on towing (or doing over 30k per year, YES
If for city driving, then a petrol engine may be a safer bet

You need to do a lot of research before buying and get an experienced bod to look at any pre loved diesel.

Ian and Nola,

Have a look at this,

Diesel

Wayne

See My remarks in Diesel V/S petrol thread.

Hey,

Generally speaking, push it at mid revs, but foot flat to the floor, and it shouldn't produce much smoke, if at all. If it does, then its injectors are not happy.

One of the great things about diesels is that they are generally pretty long lived.

But if you are really in doubt, you could always take it to a truck workshop and get their opinion

But altimately, check out at least a handfull of similar vehicles, and if something is really crook on one, you will know.

I once bought a 110, the seller assured me that all 110s had 'tricky' gearboxes, and stupidly, I bought it without testing another, only to find out that the gearbox output shaft spline was totally destroyed, hence the 'tricky gearbox'. Do a few roadtest of similar vehicles

Trolute

Noldi, Wigger is spot on with what he is saying. I am not a guru but I love the naturally aspirated diesels but he is right that they perform like dogs on the road but everyone wants one for 4wding.
Petrol for City Turbo diesel for towing and distances. If you are looking at a pre-loved diesel beware if you purchase anywhere under14,000 there will be money to be spent.

DO it once and do it right. I have been caught once and it cost me about 6,000 big ones but I have a toy for the weekends.
If you are not sure either get a friend who does know or use the AUTOCLUB to help.

Good Luck

You first lesson.....it's spelt diesel!

Takin the bleep .....Leroy

Hi Noldi,
First thing you should do is work out what make/model/breed you want, and compare apples with apples.
some models have their own little characteristics, and a sales man will say "they all do that", if you have driven a few you will know.

Spend a weekend looking around keeping BOTH hands in full view, and have a good look around, the only way you will get for whatever you choose is to compare a few.


Shane

Do your sums before you buy. With the extra cost of diesel and extra servicing costs, you will probably find that it is the same price or even cheaper to run a petrol motor. We are finding that overall our petrol Rangie is a similar cost to run as our Troopy once all costs have been taken into account - and the Rangie has twice the horsepower.

In reality, how many people run their vehicles for over 300,000km - all petrol motors made these days will do that mileage easy if they are serviced by the book so longevity of the diesel engine is no longer a factor.

With our boat (5 litre Mercruiser petrol) it is more economical than similar sized diesel boats from point a to point b as it gets there so much faster. Also we can buy a NEW small block chev engine if ours ever gives us trouble for under $4000 - what price for a NEW or even re-con diesel engine $$$$$$$$$. When we were looking at boats, we found that the diesel receipts for work done that we saw were horrifying.

Once again, the servicing is cheaper with a petrol than diesel.

I used to be a diesel convert but am rapidly going back to petrol but still love the low down torque of the Troopy when offroading.

Stevesub

The newest Diesels are barely noisier than a Petrol and those with Diesel Particulate Filter produce NO smoke.

When it came to trade-in time, I was sure glad I'd paid the extra $2000 for the Diesel - no-one wanted to buy a Petrol 4WD.