Filled up our long-term VW Jetta TDI yesterday at a Volero station in Glendora, CA. Have you noticed that Diesel fuel is suddenly and significantly cheaper than even regular 87? Now this car makes sense. It pencils out as they say.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 16,041 miles
greenpony says:
08:15 AM, 06/27/09
Since the gas price spike last year, prices have been so much higher here (Chicago area) than the rest of the country. It's good to see that we're no longer at the top. Prices along my commute range from $2.659 to $2.859 for regular. I never look at diesel -- no reason to.
iancar says:
08:53 AM, 06/27/09
That's because a quarter of the truckers of this nation have became stationary. Diesel, and gasoline, will skyrocket again if economy is back on track. This is a clear indicator that it isn't, yet.
dragonflight says:
10:47 AM, 06/27/09
I'm sure there's a bit more to it than that, iancar, but that definitely is a significant part of it.
miniharryc says:
11:12 AM, 06/27/09
Can't get any clear info on this, but I'd believed the spike in diesel was due to both consistent demand from OTR truckers and the switch to Ultra-low sulfur diesel.
Now that the supply chain has switched to ULSD, won't this stay below (or on par with) regular 87 octane?
I'm hopeful, because I've always fancied a diesel car.
clarkma5 says:
12:56 PM, 06/27/09
Ha well I'll just throw in my little "I thought..." on this one as well.
My understanding was that diesel prices spiked because refiners shifted more of their capacity toward gasoline last summer to try and satisfy demand for gasoline.
stovt001 says:
01:01 PM, 06/27/09
Yeah Glendora!
firstwagon says:
01:35 PM, 06/27/09
I filled up the other day at $1.149/ litre (about a $4.20 US / US gallon) in Vancouver.
I looked over at the diesel pump and saw $0.899/ litre (about $3.25 US/ US gal).
We really need more diesel cars.
stephen987 says:
05:12 PM, 06/28/09
Diesel fuel prices are strongly seasonal. Since diesel is pretty much the same stuff as heating oil, its price rises in the fall and winter.
billt9 says:
08:32 PM, 06/28/09
So this car makes sense until winter hits... then...
OMG why did I buy this??? $4.00 per gallon???
I might as well live in my car and use my car as my heater!
dougtheeng says:
06:05 AM, 06/29/09
Until the big gas spike last year, diesel was the same as or cheaper then 87 octane here in Southern Ontario. It seems to me like the diesel prices always jumped with the gas, but it just lagged a little bit.
stingray454 says:
11:52 AM, 06/29/09
Things have returned to normal for diesel, which is to say cheaper than regular gas. During it's history, diesel has almost ALWAYS been cheaper than regular gas, as it should be: it's cheaper to produce. It was only the last 3 or 4 years that diesel was more expensive. I've heard a lot of different reasons for it, almost all of them B.S., because the fact that it is cheaper to produce than gas never changed, even when it switched to ULSD in the U.S.