My mom currently has a '94 Pontiac Grand Prix, and I'm slowly talking her into replacing it with a Jetta TDi (she's already decided that she wants a Jetta). At first, she was adamantly against it, but I think I'm starting to change her mind. At first, her response was a simple "I don't wanna diesel", but the only rational explanation I got out of her was that diesel stations are few and far between, and I'm beginning to show her that that's not truly the case. I think the 50mpg figure also scored points with her, along witht he fact that a 5sp TDi can outrun her Pontiac (she wants a slushbox, though, and I haven't been able ot test-drive one of those yet).
Slowly grinding away...
FWIW, I think that most people still see diesels as overpolluting scrap heaps, courtesy of the 350 diesel
and people wonder why I refuse to own another GM product (except that '59 Caddy
)
BTW, in the 5 years that I've been driving, I've owned 2 gassers and 4 diesels (including the two that I still have). I got 25K miles out of the diesel Scout before I lost a piston, and that's 15K more miles than I got out of the longest-lived gasser that I've owned. IMHO diesels are much simpler in comcept, easier to work on, built more ruggedly, and if treated right, will last far longer than any gasser could. I have no intention of going back. I will admit, though, that when I bought my first diesel, that I wasn't new to 'em; been working on marine -71 series diesels since I was 15 or so