shocked a guy with true 240 fuel economy

[JB3]

was eating lunch at a local sandwich place outside next to the parking lot. one other guy out there who had been out there when i pulled up and went inside, so he heard the deafening and glorius roar of 4cyl diesel clatter as i arrived.

conversating starts with the usual "is that a diesel?" standard first question.
then the standard second question "that must get what, 50mpg?"

i told him nope, mid to high 20s usually. these cars only get 50mpg when advertised for sale.

we end up chatting about reliability and maintenance, hes driving a toyota truck and i ask about that but he was still amazed to hear real world fuel data. its amazing how craigslist and ebay liars have been so pervasive that joe public has this nearly 100% misconception on the diesel market with regards to something so easily disproven as actual fuel economy.

i told him i dont drive it for the economy, i drive it because unless i get bored with it, chances are it will still be running when i reach retirement. he said the same about his truck. always nice to meet other people enthusiastic about their rides. too often you run into people who are extremely negative because they were forced to do basic maintenance of some sort on a perfectly reliable vehicle otherwise.

[vstech]

Yup. Just wait until I get my 5speed on the road... I was given the 50MPG line from the seller... Um, no... 40, maybe, if I REALLY hyper mile it... But I'm sure I'll get a lot of "50mpg" wows from john public...

[JB3]

Originally Posted by vstech

Yup. Just wait until I get my 5speed on the road... I was given the 50MPG line from the seller... Um, no... 40, maybe, if I REALLY hyper mile it... But I'm sure I'll get a lot of "50mpg" wows from john public...

that one should be good for at least 70mpg when you get it running

[Simpler=Better]

Originally Posted by vstech

Yup. Just wait until I get my 5speed on the road... I was given the 50MPG line from the seller... Um, no... 40, maybe, if I REALLY hyper mile it... But I'm sure I'll get a lot of "50mpg" wows from john public...

I've always wanted to go for a test drive with the seller. Top off the tank, trip the odo...drive 20 miles and then fuel up again.

[sloride]

Originally Posted by Simpler=Better

I've always wanted to go for a test drive with the seller. Top off the tank, trip the odo...drive 20 miles and then fuel up again.

I have heard more than once that the odometer has not worked since I have owned it, but I know it gets 40mpg and has 110K by now since I bought it with 50k and put on 60k in the last twelve years.

[pawoSD]

Yeah I have had to correct people on it many times also. Usually they say..."well...26 is still way better than mine gets, I get like 16"

People do believe what my 420 gets...

[tjts1]

Too bad you don't drive an E320 CDI. Then you would be getting 48.3mpg... according to the trip computer.

[strelnik]

Originally Posted by JB3

that one should be good for at least 70mpg when you get it running

A citroen 2CV gas car will get 65 mpg consistently, but you pay for it in comfort and performance. It's like a stripped down VW with half the engine!

I am looking at putting a small diesel in a 2CV and adding a second tank to make a car that gets 1000 miles between tank-ups.

[TimFreeh]

Originally Posted by tjts1

Too bad you don't drive an E320 CDI. Then you would be getting 48.3mpg... according to the trip computer.

If you'd take 15 seconds to read my cousin's post about verifying the mileage reported by the trip computer INDEPENDENTLY of the display it would improve the accuracy/credibility of your posts.

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by TimFreeh

If you'd take 15 seconds to read my cousin's post about verifying the mileage reported by the trip computer INDEPENDENTLY of the display it would improve the accuracy/credibility of your posts.

Yeah, except he didn't do that, no data to backup his claim. Maybe next time

Meanwhile back in the real world...

[pawoSD]

Originally Posted by tjts1

Too bad you don't drive an E320 CDI. Then you would be getting 48.3mpg... according to the trip computer.

I'd not mind one. But compared to the costs of buying/maintaining/insuring my 420....its a no contest, 420 is vastly cheaper even with 3x the fuel consumption. I also only drive it about 7-10k a year....7ish months of the year.

My year round daily driver is my 190d 2.2....I get about 29city and 35 highway with that.

[CarpeDiem51392]

I once had a guy tell me his 1st gen Cummins got 25mpg towing a horse trailer. The fuel crisis is over!
He is an aspiring cop, which shows you a lot about his character. He was also fond of wearing those logging boots with the 3" heel to exaggerate his height.

[vstech]

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I'd not mind one. But compared to the costs of buying/maintaining/insuring my 420....its a no contest, 420 is vastly cheaper even with 3x the fuel consumption. I also only drive it about 7-10k a year....7ish months of the year.

My year round daily driver is my 190d 2.2....I get about 29city and 35 highway with that.

wait... doesn't the 2.2 190 manual get 100mpg?

[vstech]

Originally Posted by CarpeDiem51392

I once had a guy tell me his 1st gen Cummins got 25mpg towing a horse trailer. The fuel crisis is over!
He is an aspiring cop, which shows you a lot about his character. He was also fond of wearing those logging boots with the 3" heel to exaggerate his height.

OMG... a short person with police authority with height issues...

[Stevo]

Originally Posted by CarpeDiem51392

I once had a guy tell me his 1st gen Cummins got 25mpg towing a horse trailer. The fuel crisis is over!
He is an aspiring cop, which shows you a lot about his character. He was also fond of wearing those logging boots with the 3" heel to exaggerate his height.

Last time I towed a 240D back from eastern Puget Sound area, MOSTLY two lane roads, I got 23 MPG with my 2WD, 94 Dodge/Cummins. Mine's only a 160 HP engine, but they just had to go for more