Fuel Prices

bigb

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Location
Arizona
TDI
2015 Sportwagon S
The recent fuel prices have made the TDI owners look pretty smart if I do say so, not that we ever looked dumb. :unsure:One of my old sayings is "I'm not as dumb as I look you know". Anyway I haven't heard any complaining about fuel prices here like over at the RV forums:cry:. We have Sprinter RV which is not bad on fuel but at these prices we may just travel in the TDI and stay at hotels.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
I get 33-35 mpg on RUG in my 2.5L Golf. Don't think I'd be saving anything on fuel with my '11 Golf tdi at today's prices. Electric is where you get fuel savings these days.
 

TurboABA

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 24, 2010
Location
Kitchener, ON
TDI
RIP-2010 Jetta 6spd 2014 Touareg Execline
I get 33-35 mpg on RUG in my 2.5L Golf. Don't think I'd be saving anything on fuel with my '11 Golf tdi at today's prices. Electric is where you get fuel savings these days.
Agreed.... my better half drives a newer, "similar" gasser (3.2L v6 SUV) and although the FE is less than my TDI, it's more or less a wash when you look at the cost of everything.... the latest tech has closed the gap and just about anything can be made "efficient".

The TDIs only shine when it comes to longevity if you drive a lot like some of our users who keep them for 400-500k+ (along with the range\tq advantage)
 

ssaric1.9TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Location
Atlanta
TDI
2013 VW Passat TDI, 2003 VW Jetta Wagon TDI
Diesel is running around $1 more per gallon than regular around Atlanta. 40+ mpg makes up for it though!
You are completely right, $4.29 lowest grade fuel and $5.29 for diesel here in Buford on QT as of this morning. Working from home saves more than TDI's and EV's :cool:.
 

jayb79

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 20, 2000
Location
Exeter,NH
A simple example:
400 miles divided by 35 mpg is 11.4 gallons X 4.29=$48.90
400 miles divided by 50 mpg is 8.0 gallons X 5.29=$42.30 not much difference.

14 gallons X 35 mpg is 490 miles on one fillup.
14 gallons X 50 mpg is 700 miles on one fillup. BIG difference.

My Mustang can get close to 30 mpg so the Golf wins with close to 50 mpg.
 
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Cuzoe

Veteran Member
Joined
May 24, 2017
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
MK7 Golf S
With the diesel tax increases of the last several years, totaling about 35¢/gal here in CA diesel has been more expensive than premium for a while, at least where I live.

If you do proper diesel trips and can get 40+ tank average all the time the mileage might make it even. But plenty of compacts, including the latest (no longer available after 2021) Golf TSI will do 40+ on the highway on regular gas. There are few, if any, cars in the class I would choose over my TDI, but mileage isn't really the reason at this point.

And some of those cars are probably cheaper to reliably operate into the 125-175,000 range. If it gets to the point of needing a replacement car but you can keep your TDI going you're obviously way ahead.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I've been saying for years that fuel costs are not the most important factor to look at when considering cost of ownership. Sure, if you have a truck that gets 12 MPG they matter. But depreciation, insurance, taxes, and maintenance are important, too.

I've been driving my TDI for 20 years. Taxes and insurance cost next to nothing. And maintenance costs, surprisingly, aren't bad. Of course I have a good parts source :cool: And a great mechanic.
 

MukGyver

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2020
Location
Sierra Ca
TDI
2004 Jetta PD
I've been saying for years that fuel costs are not the most important factor to look at when considering cost of ownership. Sure, if you have a truck that gets 12 MPG they matter. But depreciation, insurance, taxes, and maintenance are important, too.
Agreed. I saved $1075 in fuel in 2021\, spent about $600 mostly in appreciable upgrades and only a fraction of that on diy maintenance, and the car has gone up in value somewhere probably around 20% due to the chip shortage. I'd say I'm a ways out ahead. God is good too because anything can go south in a hurry but so far it's running tops. :cool:
 

nwdiver

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2015
Location
Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI (sold); 2012 Tesla Model S
I get 33-35 mpg on RUG in my 2.5L Golf. Don't think I'd be saving anything on fuel with my '11 Golf tdi at today's prices. Electric is where you get fuel savings these days.
Yep. I drove ~200 miles yesterday to a variety of appointments. The check I get from Xcel might be smaller by ~$4. I'll take that over a $20 diesel bill....

Duke Energy is looking into offering 'unlimited' charging for $19.99/mo. Duke may offer some EV customers 'all you can charge' for just $19.99/month (restrictions apply)
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
I paid $4.70 today at Shell, and the same yesterday. Went today to calibrate my MFA (it was spot on accurate) and yesterday to stock up on 88 gallons. Hoping to stock up on another 50-ish gallons in the next week or so.
 

nwdiver

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2015
Location
Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI (sold); 2012 Tesla Model S
And your solar array at home really generates that much power for you Christopher? I'm guessing you don't use the grid at all?
Close. ~60kWh today. Enough for ~180 miles but I don't drive 200 miles everyday :)

I use the grid all the time. If I didn't I'd be wasting a lot of surplus energy.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
I meant using the grid insofar as consuming energy from it, not putting back into the grid. If the breakeven point of solar wasn't 20 years out, I would've considered it myself when I inquired with the co-op 5 years ago, but being that an EV is not practical for me, there isn't a lot of point. My community is a lot more rural than yours in SE New Mexico.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
I'm sure a lot of folks are feeling that way right now. I don't think Russia will be able to sustain their murderous invasion of Ukraine for more than a few months, fortunately. The supply of EVs and solar pv should begin to catch back up with demand before too long.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I just bought another ALH car. I also bought a big block F250, but that's for something different (man that beast can drink some gas, LOL!).

Every time the fuel prices spike, I point and laugh at people driving gas guzzlers every day. And I politely tell them "no, I am not selling you my car".

I would say this is good for business, but our business has been booked up swamped with work for a solid two years, so I don't think it will matter much. We can only do so much, we are a tech down, and a service writer down. Labor shortages are a real pain.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
So are parts shortages. I talk to a lot of shops that have more cars than ever sitting on their lots waiting for parts. I essentially spend my days scrambling to fill in stock for OOSs at manufacturers, late deliveries, whatever. And demand is rising.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
The Pentastar has a bad issue with the oil cooler/filter assembly in the valley of the V leaking oil, and those are on short supply. Every time we can, we buy two (they fail a lot, like, a LOT a lot).

We are now weeks out waiting for GM 6L80E transmissions, which are also a high failure item. We had a Wrangler here waiting for an engine since before Thanksgiving, we just this week got it finished.
 

nwdiver

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2015
Location
Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI (sold); 2012 Tesla Model S
I meant using the grid insofar as consuming energy from it, not putting back into the grid. If the breakeven point of solar wasn't 20 years out, I would've considered it myself when I inquired with the co-op 5 years ago, but being that an EV is not practical for me, there isn't a lot of point. My community is a lot more rural than yours in SE New Mexico.
The payback period is ~10 years not 20. And if you DIY it can be as little as 4. Signature Solar in Sulphur springs,TX just sold a batch of panels for $0.20/w. You could build a complete 10kW system for ~$7k. Saving you ~$1600/yr.

You're a lot closer to major populations centers than I am. You have a DC Fast charger ~30 minutes away. The closest for me >2x that far. Lots more coming.

I wish I had invested in solar panels and an electric vehicle a few months ago
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
 

bigb

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Location
Arizona
TDI
2015 Sportwagon S
Every time the fuel prices spike, I point and laugh at people driving gas guzzlers every day. And I politely tell them "no, I am not selling you my car".
I've noticed that the people driving the gas guzzlers don't do anything to try and reduce consumption even at these high prices. When I see someone coasting up to a red light or a traffic slowdown it's usually a car that gets good mileage to begin with and the gas guzzlers are still on the go pedal whizzing by and slamming on their brakes at the last instant. Just something I've observed over time.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Most people don't have a clue about how to drive economically. Don't even know where to start. But then again, if you ask 10 people at a filling station how many miles per gallon their car gets, you'll get answers like "I put $80 worth of gas in it a week." If you don't know the result why worry about the process?
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
I've noticed that the people driving the gas guzzlers don't do anything to try and reduce consumption even at these high prices. When I see someone coasting up to a red light or a traffic slowdown it's usually a car that gets good mileage to begin with and the gas guzzlers are still on the go pedal whizzing by and slamming on their brakes at the last instant. Just something I've observed over time.
And the gas guzzlers are always the ones who b!tch and whine and complain about fuel prices, and still fail to change driving habits. Then get mad when I laugh at them!
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Most people don't have a clue about how to drive economically. Don't even know where to start. But then again, if you ask 10 people at a filling station how many miles per gallon their car gets, you'll get answers like "I put $80 worth of gas in it a week." If you don't know the result why worry about the process?
Or even worse, "$20 bucks used to last me a week, and now it lasts me 2 days." Hahaha!
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
The payback period is ~10 years not 20.
That's not what our co-op said. I think the earliest they came up with for ROI was like 17 years. We would've mounted them on the roof, and I think we were looking at a 15-20kw system. And the more I think about it, the more I would NOT mount them on the roof, given how heavy the main house is (ICF block, and it's 3 stories). The other problem is usage. I haven't looked at our bill in a while, but it's usually in the $300-500/mo range. That's also for 2 houses and water well/pressure pumps. I do now that if I were to get an EV, I'd need a new line of service from the co-op, because I'm tapped out on electrical capacity,

And if you DIY it can be as little as 4. Signature Solar in Sulphur springs,TX just sold a batch of panels for $0.20/w. You could build a complete 10kW system for ~$7k. Saving you ~$1600/yr.

You're a lot closer to major populations centers than I am. You have a DC Fast charger ~30 minutes away. The closest for me >2x that far. Lots more coming.
True, but you're still close to Midland, which to me, is a BIG city. Outside of San Antonio, our biggest is Kerrville. Midland has to have some DC fast chargers. But even so, I contacted Telsa a few years ago, and they couldn't give me any answers as far as what kind of range I'd get when towing, what weight limit I could tow at, and how fast. They mentioned something about 55mph and I had to remind them that I'm in Texas, not California.

Somehow, I'm thinking this still belongs in another thread, since this thread is about fuel prices, not the ROI period for installing solar.
 

nwdiver

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2015
Location
Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI (sold); 2012 Tesla Model S
That's not what our co-op said.

Somehow, I'm thinking this still belongs in another thread, since this thread is about fuel prices, not the ROI period for installing solar.
So don't go through the co-op. If you're paying $7k for solar and saving ~$1600/yr. Probably closer to ~$2,000 since I doubt you pay $0.10/kWh is that not a ROI of < 5 years?

Isn't $/kWh a fuel price?
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
So don't go through the co-op. If you're paying $7k for solar and saving ~$1600/yr. Probably closer to ~$2,000 since I doubt you pay $0.10/kWh is that not a ROI of < 5 years?

Isn't $/kWh a fuel price?
Correct. I actually pay around $0.08-0.09/kWh. You were close, though. Plus the refund we get each year. Kinda like REI, but the dividends to members are a lot higher!

The summers aren't fun, because I've seen bills as high as $600. Again, two houses and a bunch of goodies, including 4 chest freezers and 7 refrigerators. Good times! Thankfully, all but one of the fridges consumes maybe 145 watts for the 20 minutes it's on each hour, if that? All but one are over 85 years old.
 

whizznbyu

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Location
Waxhaw, NC
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen 6 speed manual. B5 died at 302k miles.
Has anyone figured why diesel costs THAT much more now than any grade of gasoline? Prior to Putin's tantrum, the difference between diesel and SUL was just a few cents.
 
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