Gas Versus Diesel

Buying a car is not as easy as listing down your specifications and having a car magically appear in front of you. Often times, you have to sacrifice some features in order to have other features. Remember, not everything can be found in one car. You have to study the features of each and prioritize the features that you cannot really do without. After all, you cannot have everything you want, unless of course, you have it custom-made.

When buying a car, one of the considerations that you have to look into is the fuel that you will be putting into the tank. There are two types of fuel that is being used nowadays, the diesel and the gas. To help you decide, here is a rundown of their characteristics, presented in a comparison format that you will find easy to read.

Safety

Diesels are actually safer than gasoline in terms of explosion. Gas tends to ignite but gasoline explosions are not as frequent as people want you to believe. In fact, gas explosions are actually quite rare. The last one happened some thirty years ago and no repeat incident has been seen so far. Statistics also state that it is more likely for persons to incur injuries in a plane accident than in a gasoline explosion.

Diesel on the other hand is not explosive by nature especiallu now that water-cooled turbochargers have been invented to prevent overheating.

In terms of carbon monoxide poisoning, gas is also more dangerous. Compared to gas engines, diesel-run engines produce less carbon monoxide. Rather it produces sulfur dioxide which although may cause nausea is not as life-threatening.

Price

Hands down, gas is more expensive than diesel in the world market. This is why it is much more economical to use diesel on your car because you can save a lot in terms of fuel cost. Costs balance out when maintenance costs come in the picture. This is because it is much more expensive to maintain an engine or car that run in diesel than in gas. Parts for diesel engines are more expensive and the rate for the mechanics that fix them are even higher.

In buying your car, make sure that you take this into consideration. If you do not plan to use your car for a very long time, it is better to stick to diesel but if you plan in keeping your car for decades, it is better to stick to the gas-type. Sticking to gas is also an option if you are the type who do not often use your car.

Long life

Diesel they say live longer than gas engines but when you count the number of times that you have to change a part, the costs that you incur is actually the same. Diesel engines seem to live longer because they are more maintained than gas engines. You really have to find the time to maintain your car and to really take good care of the engine. This is because diesel engines are more susceptible to corrosion.

Environment

One of the things why engines that run in diesel is being phased out is the fact that it is harmful to the environment. Unlike gas engines, which do not emit any smoke, diesel does, thick black smoke that are very harmful to the environment.