🚀 go-pugleaf

All right, I am sick of all these slams of diesel cars.  I drive a diesel
pickup (Mazda) and am quite happy with it.  Here are some advantages:

Terrific gas mileage.  Yours will vary.
Rock solid reliability.  ALWAYS starts, NEVER stalls.
Simplicity.  There are almost no emission controls on my engine (an 83).
    The only one is a hose (no valve even) for positive crankcase ventilation.
    In five years when your gasoline car starts running poorly, which of the
    1000 little vacuum hoses will you suspect is leaking or clogged and
    confusing some intricate part of the emission control system which even
    your mechanic doesn't understand.

Some features to look for when buying one:

Make sure the engine was originally designed as a diesel.

Diesels are very sensitive to water in the fuel.  The car should have 
a sedimentor mounted near the fuel tank to collect any water or dirt which
settles to the bottom of the tank.  Drain this regularly.

The fuel filter should look like an engine oil filter (BIG).  If your car
didn't come with one, install one.

Get as many gears as you can.  The power range of a diesel engine is limited.
I have a 5 speed and could really use a 6th for freeway cruising.
Forget about an automatic.

Don't expect quick acceleration, you will be disappointed and will create lots
of smelly black smoke trying.

There are two oil filters on my engine, the second one just comes into
play if the bypass valve on the primary filter opens. 

The glow plugs stay on at 1/2 power after the engine is started to 
help it run smoother when cold and to help it warm up faster.

Steve Weil
entropy!dataio!weil