Diesel cars are a farce in the U.S., and will continue to be so unless gasoline prices are artificially inflated through taxation. Even Carlton defected to the gas V8 crowd with his 740iL.
Look at the new VW Jetta. A gas 2.5 model costs thousands less, and while achieving inferior fuel economy compared to the turbodiesel model, diesel fuel costs 40+ cents more a gallon in my area, which does a nice job of squashing any operating cost benefit. If I had a new diesel Jetta, my only hope for economic salvation would be that a fair number of saps in the used car market would pay a huge premium for such a car when I became disgusted and traded it in on another big SUV.
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